10 Best Cars of Model Year 1985

The 10 Most Reliable and Durable Cars of Model Year 1985 

This page lists the top ten cars of model year 1984 by reliability-and-durability grade point average (Reliability-Durability GPA or more concisely, R-D GPA).

1985's Top 10 Cars 

These 10 car classics are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first). The equipment of each model is that offered in the U.S.

  • The Mercedes-Benz 300 Turbodiesel, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.80

The 1985 Mercedes-Benz 300 Turbodiesel came with an 3.0-Liter, inline 5-cylinder engine providing 123 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque. 

  • The Nissan Pickup Truck 2-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.77
  • The Honda Civic CR-X, with a R-D GPA of 3.76

The 1985 Honda Civic CRX was offered in two 2-door-hatchback editions - the 1300 and the 1500. The 1300 hatchback came with a 1.3-Liter, 4-cylinder engine and a 5-speed manual transmission; the 1500 came with a 1.5-Liter, 4-cylinder engine and either a 5-speed manual transmission or 3-speed automatic transmission. All Honda Civic editions are front-wheel drive, and had been since 1980. The 1.5-Liter engine delivered 76 horsepower at 6000 rotations per minute and has an EPA-rated fuel economy of 41 miles per gallon in-city and 50 mpg on-highway. This two-seater has an overall length of 145 inches, an overall width of 64 inches, and a tire size of 175/70R13 ("tire width=175 mm"/"tire height=70% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=13 inches").

The 1.3-Liter Civic CRX achieved an EPA mileage estimate of 51 miles per gallon, the best in the U.S.

The 1985 base list price of the 1500 hatchback was $6,855, up from $6,773 in 1984.

  • The Toyota Pickup Truck 2-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.76
  • The Honda Accord, with a R-D GPA of 3.75

The 1985 Honda Accord came in either a 4-door-sedan or 2-door-hatchback edition and with an inline 4-cylinder, 112-cubic-inch (1.8-Liter), 86-horsepower engine, a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 15.8 gallons. The 4-door sedan has an overall length of 175 inches and an overall width of 65 inches. Its tire size is 185/70R13 ("tire width=185 mm"/"tire height=70% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=13 inches").

The 1985 base list prices of the Honda Accord editions were:

The 4-door sedan: $8,845, up from $8,723 in 1984 and $8,345 in 1983

The 4-door sedan LX: $10,295, up from $10,123 in 1984 and $8,549 in 1983

The 2-door hatchback: $7895, up from $7,873 in 1984 and $7,499 in 1983

The 2-door hatchback LX: $9,095, up from $9,023 in 1984.

  • The Honda Civic 2-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.75

The 1985 Honda Civic was offered in three 2-door editions (a hatchback, DX, and S), a 4-door-sedan edition, and a 4-door-wagon edition. All 2-wheel-drive Honda Civics are front-wheel-drive and have a 4-cylinder engine.

The 1985 base list prices of these Made-in-Japan Civic editions were:

The 2-door hatchback: $5,399, down from $5,420 in 1984

The 2-door DX: $6,529, up from $6,473 in 1984

The 2-door S: $7,129, up from $7,023 in 1984

The 4-door sedan: $7,295, up from $7,273 in 1984

The 4-door wagon: $7,195, up from $7,173 in 1984.

  • The Mazda RX-7, with a R-D GPA of 3.75

The 1985 Mazda RX-7 was offered in four 2-door hatchback editions - a S, GS, GSL, and GSL-SE. All editions came with a unique rotary engine. The S, GS, and GSL offered a 70-cubic-inch (1.1-Liter) engine that delivered 101 horsepower, and the GSL-SE offered a fuel-injected 1.3-Liter engine that delivered 135 horsepower and 135 lb-ft of torque. The RX-7 has an overall length of 170 inches and an overall width of 66 inches. Its tire size is 185/70R13 ("tire width=185 mm"/"tire height=70% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=13 inches").

The 1985 base list prices of these Made-in-Japan Mazda RX-7 editions were:

The S RX-7 hatchback: $10,945

The GS RX-7 hatchback: $11,845

The GSL RX-7 hatchback: $13,645

The GSL-SE RX-7 hatchback: $15,645.

  • The Toyota Supra, with a R-D GPA of 3.73

The 1985 Toyota Supra came in two editions - the standard 2-door hatchback and the L-Type 2-door hatchback - and with an inline 6-cylinder, 168-cubic-inch (2.8-Liter), 161-horsepower engine, and a fuel capacity of 16.1 gallons. The standard edition came with either a 4-speed automatic transmission or a 5-speed manual transmission; the L-Type offered only the automatic transmission. This sporty car has an overall length of 184 inches and an overall width of 63 inches. Its tire size is 225/60R14 ("tire width=225 mm"/"tire height=60% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=14 inches").

The 1985 base list prices of the Toyota Supra editions were:

The standard hatchback: $16,558

The L-Type hatchback: $15,998.

  • The Toyota Corolla SR-5
    with a R-D GPA of 3.70

This sporty version of the Toyota Corolla came as either a coupe or a hatchback coupe and with rear-wheel drive. It offered a 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed automatice transmission. Its overall length is 165.5 inches, and its overall width is 64 inches.

  • The Honda Prelude, with a R-D GPA of 3.70

The 1985 Honda Prelude is a sporty car with an inline 4-cylinder, 112-cubic-inch (1.8-Liter), a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 15.8 gallons. It has an overall length of 169 inches and an overall width of 65 inches. Its tire size is 185/70R13 ("tire width=185 mm"/"tire height=70% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=13 inches"). The manual transmission version had an fuel efficiency rating of 24 miles per gallon in-city and 39 mpg on-highway.

The 1985 base list price of the Honda Prelude was $10,345.

As in 1983 and 1984, Honda dominated 1985's list of the best, accounting for 4 of the Top 10.

It is also interesting to note that 5 of the Top 10 cars were sporty cars. 

1985 was the fourth year that one or more vehicles by Nissan Motor Company made the list. Toyota Motor Corporation and Daimler-Benz AG had automobiles that made the Top 10 every year from 1975 to 1985.

A version of the Toyota Pickup has made the Top 10 list every year since 1975, and the Mercedes-Benz 300D made the best list every year save 1981.

Note the very small difference in Reliability-Durability GPA among the Top 10, but the rather large range of base prices. As noted in earlier Top Ten lists, by the early 1980s there appears to have been no relationship between engineering excellence and price; the old adage "You get what you pay for" had no application in automobiles.

Manufacturers of the Top 10 

Honda Motor Company accounted for 4 of 1985's best, same as in 1984 and 1983 and up from 3 in 1982.

Toyota Motor Corporation accounted for 3 of the most reliable and durable cars of 1985, same as in 1984 and an increase from 2 in 1983, but a decrease from 4 in 1982, 8 in 1981, 6 in 1980, 5 in 1979 and 1978, and 4 in 1977, 1976 and 1975.

Although Toyota's rapid expansion of product offerings likely made quality control more challenging even in the early 1980s; nonetheless, Honda did a very fine job of displacing Toyota as leader of the Top 10.

Daimler-Benz AG accounted for 1 of the best in 1985, as did Nissan Motor Company and Mazda Motor Corporation.

Japanese-built cars accounted for 9 of 1985's best cars, same as in 1984 and up from 7 in 1983; German-built cars accounted for the remaining 1, same as in 1984 and down from 3 in 1983.

Note that in 1985 (as in 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, and 1979) none of the Detroit 3 had a car among the Top 10.

The following chart gives each car maker's percent share of the Top 10 of 1985.

The Next 10 Cars of 1985

The next 10 cars are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first).

  • The Toyota MR2, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.68
  • The Toyota Celica, with a R-D GPA of 3.68
  • The Toyota Corolla, with a R-D GPA of 3.65
  • The Toyota Tercel (except wagon), with a R-D GPA of 3.65
  • The Toyota Corolla badged as a Chevrolet Nova, with a R-D GPA of 3.64
  • The Toyota 4Runner, with a R-D GPA of 3.64
  • The Toyota Van, with a R-D GPA of 3.63
  • The BMW 325 Series rear-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.61
  • The Honda Civic 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.61
  • The Volkswagen Jette Diesel, with a R-D GPA of 3.51

The 20 best automobile models of 1985 were engineered by companies headquartered in either Japan (85%) or Germany (15%).

Note that all of the 20 most reliable and durable cars of 1985 had a Reliability-Durability Grade of A.

Auto Company shares of the Top 20 Cars of 1985

The car manufacturer shares (rounded to the nearest percent) of the Top 20 vehicles are:

Toyota Motor Corporation: 50%

Honda Motor Company: 25%

Daimler-Benz AG: 5%

Nissan Motor Company: 5%

Mazda Motor Corporation: 5%

BMW AG: 5%

Volkswagen AG: 5%

The Next 10 Cars of 1985

The next 10 cars are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first).

  • The Toyota Land Cruiser, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.48
  • The Mazda Pickup Truck, with a R-D GPA of 3.40
  • The Mazda 626, with a R-D GPA of 3.30
  • The Toyota Tercel Wagon 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.28
  • The Toyota Pickup Truck 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.27
  • The Toyota Cressida, with a R-D GPA of 3.26
  • The Porsche 944, with a R-D GPA of 3.16
  • The Nissan Pickup Truck 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.16
  • The Volkswagen Golf Diesel, with a R-D GPA of 3.09
  • The Toyota Camry, with a R-D GPA of 2.94

The 30 best automobile models of 1985 were engineered by companies headquartered in either Japan (83%) or Germany (17%).

Note that all of the third-tier cars had a Reliability-Durability Grade of B, still a notable achievement.

Auto Company shares of the Top 30 Cars of 1985

The car manufacturer shares (rounded to the nearest percent) of the Top 30 vehicles are:

Toyota Motor Corporation: 50%

Honda Motor Company: 17%

Mazda Motor Corporation: 10%

Nissan Motor Company: 7%

Volkswagen AG: 7%

Daimler-Benz AG: 3%

BMW AG: 3%

Porsche AG: 3%

Chart of the 30 Best Cars of 1985

The following bar graph depicts how much above average the Top 30 cars of 1985 are. The 30 best are listed in descending order (best first).

 

Particularly noteworthy is that all of the Top 30 of 1985 have a Reliability-Durability GPA greater than that of the 10th-place vehicle of 1975. This is a consequence of two factors - a greatly expanded product offering by Japanese manufacturers and a gravitation to these high-reliability, high-durability vehicles by the consumer-savvy subscribers of Consumer Reports. This expanded offering from abroad occasioned quite an upheaval in the U.S. automobile industry in the 1975-1985 decade, and the first U.S.-government bailout of a U.S. automobile manufacturer.

Computations

To compute the reliability-durability grade point average of the MY 1985 cars, Consumer Reports' reliability ratings for the age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years are used.

CR's ratings are converted to numerical values following the standard academic pattern: a grade point of 4.0 (an A) is accorded a rating of Much Better Than Average, a 3.0 (a B) is accorded a rating of Better Than Average, a 2.0 (a C) is accorded a rating of Average, a 1.0 (a D) is accorded a rating of Below Average, and a 0 (an F) is accorded a rating of Much Below Average.

Then, for each age range, the grade point of CR's overall reliability rating is weighted 2/3 and the average of the grade points of the category ratings is weighted 1/3.

Finally, the average for the two age ranges is taken.

The Honda Civic 2wd, the Honda Civic 4wd, and the Mazda Pickup Truck offered only one age range of data.

Best and Worst Vehicles of Each Model Year

The Best Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1975  1976  1977  1978  1979  1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  ...  2004  2005

The Worst Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  ...  2004  2005 

Additional Resources

The Best Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Best Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

Best Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 

Worst Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

Best Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

Worst Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

For additional car quality information, visit www.AutoOnInfo.net and CarsOnInfo.net.

In particular, for additional durability information, see:

http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/SharesOfHighMileageVehicles.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaAgeEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaMileageEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/Top25OfAutoonInfosHighMileageRoster.aspx

www.CarQualityInfo.net: The car-quality website for the brighter-than-average North American consumer.
 
To help support independent car quality information, shop Amazon.com by clicking a link from this site.
Comments