An Alliance Builds an Alliance

This represents one of the few times in automotive history when a car name has actually made sense, for the new Alliance is clearly and specifically the first fruit of the much-trumpeted alliance between AMC and France’s Renault. As such, it is a resounding success.

Dealers and critics have been uniformly enthusiastic about the car, and there’s every reason to expect the public to feel the same way. The Alliance represents a blending of compact dimensions, surprising creature comfort, excellent fuel economy, good looks, and very pleasing over-the-road behavior that ought to have the various Japanese importers talking to themselves.

The base version of the Alliance comes in at less than $6000, and the leather-upholstered, stereo-equipped luxo model can be had for less than $9000. The car features a host of ingenious touches— the pedestal seats, with their rocking-chair adjustments, and the combination of trailing arms and concentric torsion bars in the rear suspension are just two of the important ones. If we were some other magazine, this would be our car of the year.