1987 Dodge Omni America Review - Chrysler's Attempt At A European Economy Car!

[@bwofficial1776]

This wasn't just an attempt at a European-style economy car, this was the Americanized version of a Chrysler Europe design. That's impressive that this one survived and is in decent shape. It's not a bad-looking hatchback.

[@markhealey9409]

Yes,I think that the Horizons were designed & developed as a joint effort between Chrysler United Kingdom...Rootes Group(Hillman,Humber,Sunbeam,Singer,Chrysler,Talbot) & Chrysler France(Simca)...The European versions were badged as Chrysler Horizons,then Talbot Horizons in the later years,as well as Simcas. I think the European ones were built in both England,& France. They might have also been built by Chrysler España(Barreiros).

[@LuisUrbieta]

Even though this dodge is low on tech even by modern standards I still love the way it looks.​@@markhealey9409

[@jehib8533]

The Styling is pure Chrysler Europe (and I think Roy Axe, who was design director of Chrysler Europe back then, always denied that the VW Golf/Rabbit was an inspiration), but I believe that the Euopean and US versions were mechanically very different. While the European Horizon basically used Chrysler France/Simca mechanics based on the Chrysler Alpine/Simca 1307/1308 (which in turn was derived from the 1967 Simca 1100), Chrysler US changed the mechanics significantly (i.e. different suspension and engine).

[@paulyearley1084]

I still think that these are one of the more handsomely-styled hatchbacks of the era. The fact that they made hot versions is just icing on the cake.

[@alcapozzi2611]

I have one now. Like brand new 30k miles. And enough parts to keep it going fir a long time. I love it.

[@warrentom6537]

You need to drive a later version of the Omni with the 2.2L Fuel Injected engine. It is a much smoother experience with the drivetrain, even with an automatic. Or drive the 1986 Shelby GLHS version (which I used to own), which is a mini rocket on wheels.

[@ICRDTech]

My dad had one of these (Horizon) in the 93-94 timeframe, it was fun. It developed a bad smoking habit. I remember one time we were at a strip mall and we parked near a psychic who had their front door open on a nice fall day. I remember my dad: "If she was a REAL psychic, she'd have known to close that door." Miss you dad.

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

When I worked in Security at Universal Studios in the 80s we had Omni's that were pretty Loaded and were very comfortable and had plenty of Go Power for climing the many hills and valleys of the Back Lot.. I personally Loved Them! I wish I had one today just for some Retro Fun!!

[@robertknight4672]

​@@bwofficial1776maybe the keyboard was acting up. I've had that happen to me on occasion with my phone and it wouldn't even let me correct it.

[@RustyZipper]

I like to capitalize wordz that I feel are important to the Potential viewer. It makes them Easier too read for people With ADHD or driving drown the freeway, watching the video and scrolling Through the comments. It’s not Full capitalism but offers Some accentuations.

[@sneaks01]

My family had two Omnis! We loved them. Our first had the VW engine which lasted forever. 😊

[@Just1American1966]

Had a 1981 with that engine. It had been my first wife's right before we married and became my knockaround when she bought a new '89 right after we married. At the same time, my brother was driving a '78 with the old cable-tugging manual transmission. So, we had three going at the same time.

[@ew1usnr]

I liked my 1981 Plymouth Horizon (the same car as a Dodge Omni). Its use of space was very efficient, and it was fairly simple to work on. The car had 5-mph bumpers that were spaced away from the car and mounted on two shock absorbers (see 6:21). The car could bump into stuff, or other cars could bump into it, and not cause any damage. It was a roomier car than its competitors, the Ford Escort and the Chevy Chevette. It is unfair to compare a Horizon/Omni to a more expensive Chrysler LeBaron or Cadillac Cimarron.

[@davinp]

The Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon came out in 1978 and produced through 1990, so it was before the K car platform

[@robertvance1873]

His Research is a joke 🤣 some of the comments he makes shows how unknowledgeable he is, Especially saying it was part of the K car line up 😂

[@davinp]

@@robertvance1873 I said it was before the K cars.

[@Jonathan-bk3dq]

@@davinp really, do you know how to read the guy's comment above? He was agreeing with you, and you came back with, " I said it was before the K cars." Seriously!

[@sneakerfreak2002]

No shit Sherlock

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

True that

[@stephendavidbailey2743]

Our 1985 had the most comfortable seats I have ever experienced.

[@jeremiahallyn4603]

Wow, I can't believe there is still one of these cars around in 2024. I haven't seen one of those in many, many years. That's pretty cool 🙌

[@Stressless2023]

Me either 😂 I’m 39 and still remember the early 2000’s when these were still fairly common on the roads in my area, relatively reliable too from what I remember, especially for Chrysler vehicles of the era, but they’re mostly gone now.

[@kevingavigan7883]

In my opinion, the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon was a much better car than the Chevrolet Chevette, which was one of the Omni/Horizon's competitors, along with the Ford Escort, Honda Civic, and Volkswagen Rabbit. It was on par with the Ford Escort. However, it wasn't as good as the Honda Civic or Volkswagen Rabbit. But that's just my opinion, and overall, my experience. Everyone has had different experiences with any given product in terms of quality.

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

Agreed! The Chevette was a Bare Bones Dog.. I had a friend that his parents bought one Chevette for him and one for his sister in the early 80s. Compared with the Omni that I drove as a Company Car at Universal Studios, the Omni seemed like a Cadillac! The Omni was more Plush when it came to the seats, the carpet and it had way more Torque it seemed for climbing hills, which we had to do a lof of where I lived and at my work. I want an Omni to this day whereas I barely would pay a Nickel for a Chevette!

[@unitedcity_mc4421]

True fact. Not as good as the Honda Civic, the Toyota Tercel or the VW Rabbit but way better than the Chevrolet Chevette.

[@Stargun-vj1uh]

Mine is a hunk of junk for reliability, but the interior is amazing. It's a comfy car to drive, and it still is really nice on the road, if it were able to get on it with its leaking transmission cooler and leaking power steering. I see why people bought it, but I also see exactly why the Hondas and Toyotas of the world took the wind out of the American car's sails when this car is a maintenance tragedy.

[@new2000car]

@@unitedcity_mc4421all true. The Omni was the least reliable, fell apart the fastest. Although miserable to drive, the chevettes were more durable.

[@BraveBlueSnowTundra94GP]

These cars are incredible, Zach! I hadn't seen one since my 4th grade year in elementary in the 2007-2008 season! It was a Wine red one, and it was my favorite thing to see in that small rural town near my hometown. I'd be thrilled to find one of these over the Shadow and Sundance myself. These were a milestone! 🚗

[@LRS34625]

Yeah, I had a '85 Omni which I affectionally called the Dinky Dodge. I was hit head on in 87 and survived so hats off to this little auto. Thanks for the review, it brought back many memories.

[@sneakerfreak2002]

They made the keys upside down so that gunk and ice didn’t build up and settle in the tumblers

[@Doctor_Robert]

One wonders why GM had their keys face down for decades...

[@tdvandy2]

@@Doctor_Robert Chrysler tried, but it really didn't make any difference which way the tumblers were aligned. water still got in and they still froze.

[@larryk731]

They were popular as used 1st cars during the mid to late 80s

[@blu_is500]

My first car was a 1981 Plymouth Horizon-miser and I got it for $500 in 1988. I was lucky to get the 4-speed manual with the 1.7 liter VW engine. That little car was AWESOME! The manual made it more engaging and fun, plus that bad boy pulled me through a snow storm in my way back home (Christmas break) from FSU. Thanks for posting, it made me a little nostalgic for that nugget. 🥰👍🏽

[@jbuchana]

My sister had a 70 something Omni and my mother had an 80 something Omni. I had a '77 Rabbit and an '84 Rabbit. They were all pretty basic, but they were great cars as far as function went. They lasted forever. They were slow, but I don't remember them being so slow that I'd be afraid to drive them. (I hot-rodded the '84 Rabbit, it easily beat the then current crop of Cameros, Mustangs etc. at least up to 60. It was far slower in stock form) I also had, among other VWs, a '69 microbus. Now *that* would be a little nervy driving in modern traffic! It was glacial in stock form and still pretty slow in hot-rodded form.

[@zachdenham84]

I LOVE my Dodge Omni so much, it’s not fast or powerful or especially cool, but it’s mine and I love it, it’s just neat

[@marioluigi6024]

I have an 81 Miser, with the 1.7, and I love it Edit: It was my daily all throughout high school, a couple years ago

[@rickjames6867]

My cousin had one of these in the mid 90s. He drove the hell out of it. It took a beating for sure.

[@staric4863]

It was the Talbot Horizon in France and nobody liked it. It was a good car however. Thanks for this nice review.

[@markhealey9409]

Weren't they also sold as Simcas?? They were built & sold as Chrysler Horizons at first in England,then badged as Talbots in the later years,when Peugeot/Citröen bought Chrysler United Kingdom,Chrsler France/Simca & Chrysler España/Barreiros

[@jehib8533]

@@markhealey9409 The European Horizon was originally sold from 1978 as a Chrysler in the UK, and as a Simca or Chrysler-Simca in much of the rest of Europe, where Simca was a reletively popular brand name. After the PSA takeover, is was rebranded Talbot in 1979. There might even have been a time when both Simca and Talbot badges appeared on the same car in some European countries, as was the case for some other former Simca models.

[@UraniumBullets]

The reason ive been told as to why Chrysler Keys are like that is because its less likely to trap dirt inside the lock. Who knows if there's any truth behind that.

[@mikenb3461]

Zack - your videos are an immediate watch for me. I really appreciate that you, as a younger person, can drive the cars from my youth and still be respectful of the crap we had to drive. The Omni and Horizon were important cars for Chrysler, as you point out. Chrysler might not have survived without these. One thing you should be thankful for is that as sluggish as the automatic transmission was, the manual had probably the worst feel of any manual transmission ever. It was like the shift lever was connected to the transmission by elastic bands. Or maybe telekinesis. I had a friend who hand-painted his Omni to look like an Omni GLH. A hand-painted Omni at a stoplight wouldn't frighten folks on bicycles. Great channel, please keep up the great work!

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

There was also an Omni 024 liftback. A friend had a 1978 model.

[@markhealey9409]

They were cool looking,cheap coupés! Remember Ford Escort ESPs,too!

[@tdvandy2]

Great video! If you want performance, find the hot hatch versions...the Omni GLH and GLHS. That stood for..."Goes Like Hell" and "Goes Like Hell S'more." Both were at least partially tuned by Shelby.

[@RichardinNC1]

I've seen a like new Plymouth Horizon at a Charlotte Cars & Coffee. A couple of notes. Dodge did start with Mitsubishi captive imports in the early 70s (instead of doing their own Pinto/Vega). Funny thing, the Plymouth Cricket at the same time, was British! The Omni/Horizon was their first in-house sub-compact but still based on a Chrysler Europe design. A friend had a Horizon TC3, the sportier 2 door. I think it had a Peugeot 4cyl motor which was available a few of the model years. We timed it 19 seconds 0-60 with a 5 speed. Finally by 82/83 the hi-per 2.2 EFI made 110 HP and made the Dodge Charger a peppy version. You would like that one.

[@Where2bub]

I really thought you were going to go into detail on how this car was a rebadged European car, something I found out recently. The Dodge Omni, and the Plymouth Horizon was also some French car I don’t recall offhand, probably a Renault Horizon, as Renault and Chrysler were some combo meal back then. Ok I’m back after checking Wikipedia for a second: the Chrysler Horizon, Talbot Horizon, and Simca Horizon were sold by Chrysler of Europe.

[@Doctor_Robert]

I cannot wait to see you have a go in the GLHS Omni! (That is, the Omni as breathed upon by Shelby himself... who was tight with Iacocca from the Ford days)

[@BenceSzaboEgom]

This reminds me the Talbot Horizont, which was an european compact car, developed by Chrysler Europe. Wikipedia proved my memories.

[@Doctor_Robert]

Fun Fact (which I just discovered) : The Omni could be had with a Simca-based 1.6 engine from 1983 to 1986 alongside the 2.2 K engine, which was the exact same engine the European Talbot version of the Horizon got. As others have said, the Omni was essentially a lil French Mark I Golf clone developed by Simca/Talbot/Chrysler (shortly before Chrysler Europe was sold to Peugeot).

[@RobsNeighbor]

Yes! Love the relateable cars! Grew up with these and just saw 2 get crushed at the junkyard as they were so far beyond saving, Great video

[@aca2983]

The 1990 model year was strangely unique. It had an airbag, rectangular side mirrors instead of round, and they color-coded the dipstick and some other maintenance points under the hood. Finally, the HVAC controls were put in the center. All this for just the 1 year! The Omnirizon had surprisingly plush color-matched interiors by the end of their run. Most came with an old 3-speed auto, which made it a dog, but the 2.2 FI engine at the end was decent and way better than carbed versions. These were way nicer than Chevettes and most Escorts, not as good as Japanese competition, but they were well-equipped and priced for the time.

[@patcurrie9888]

My first new car, an 84 Horizon with the 2.2 liter and had plenty of pep, for the day.

[@doug6191]

I feel like the exhaust fumes sticker was not that unusual for hatchbacks and liftbacks. The air circulation created by the raised hatch sucks exhaust into the cabin. If it's not written on a sticker, I'd bet it's in the owner's manual. Lawyers probably know the % of people who read that, so a sticker is in the jamb.

[@msmoniz]

This era Omni was how I learned to drive a manual back in the early 90's. It was my best friend's family car, and he taught me on it.

[@highlycaffeinated6864]

Still blows my mind that this was the basis for one of the coolest hot hatches of the 80s the Dodge Omni Shelby GLHS. Ive had the privilege to drive one of those and while its not exactly a muscle car it is the epitome of 80s out of the box performance thinking.

[@felisconcolor1112]

The Dodge Omni was the dominant car in the PIke's Peak Production Rally class in the 1980s, with 3 overall victories, all of them before they received the turbocharged engine. And . . . if it wasn't an Omni, it was a Dodge Charger - which is the 2-door version of the Omni - taking the checkered flag on the mountain. And if it wasn't a Charger, it was a Daytona, thus proving the outstanding racing pedigree of the FWD 2.2 platform. The L-platform Omnis and Chargers would then go on and become the hottest hatches of the 1980s - and yes, that's even up against Peugeot's 205 and Lancia's Delta - under the care and tuning of Lee Iacocca and Carroll Shelby, who truly did their best work together.

[@bazilwreckerloughead]

I remember in the 80s a friend of mine had one of these; hers was a dark gray automatic with burgundy interior.

[@DMETS519]

This car seems to just want to take you to the nearest blockbuster video.

[@RustyZipper]

Fantastic analogy 👏

[@craigchally5942]

My dad had an 81 Horizon. Two tone (burnt orange upper, cream lower), deluxe wheel covers, and this very rich looking (for a compact) tweed interior. It was a spectacularly unreliable car that spent most of its first two years in and out of the dealer shop for everything imaginable. We never bought a Chrysler product again.

[@jbuchana]

Bad luck? The two Omnis in my family drove forever with just basic maintenance. Of course, there are lemons in every make and model of car.

[@usddcm]

Yup! We had a 79. It was a pig of unreliability. Unbelievably complicated carburetor.

[@jbuchana]

@@usddcm The worst carburetor in my life award went to my mother's '80 Pinto. I finally got fed up and went to a local speed shop and bought a two barrel Holley that was basically the carburetor that the Pinto monstrosity was based on. I moved the throttle lever over, and a few other changes, and it fit perfectly. Once I had the jetting right the car ran better than it ever had. My parents moved to s state with emissions inspections, and they knew it wouldn't pass (my father had made other changes as well). We'd kept all the parts, and I offered to restore it to factory condition, but my mother said that it ran so badly that way that she'd just trade it in on another car. That's when she got a mid-80s Omni. Unlike a lot of people, she never had any trouble with it.

[@aca2983]

The early ones had Peugeot or VW engines. They got better as they incorporated the 2.2 engine and also had more standard features and "value" packages that made them feel more upscale and less stripped.

[@MrJayrock620]

Carol Shelby made a version called the GLH with a Turbo 4cyl. It stood for “goes like hell”

[@buffdelcampo]

I had a 1979 Omni that had the VW 1.7. It was a Volkswagen engine on the inside but all the external parts were Chrysler. Of course it had a carburetor and it had a 4-speed manual. I never thought it was slow, but it wasn't meant to win races either. On the road, 42 mpg with the A/C running. I couldn't complain about that. My much newer Mazda 6 gets 37 mpg, which I think is good but I always remember the Omni as being better and one of my favorite cars. I had it for 3 years and I never had mechanical or electrical problems.

[@GenXtra65]

A gallon of gas (adjusted for early 1980’s inflation) was $3.90 in 2024 dollars. Not shocking NOW but consider that American average incomes were WELL below 50K per year. We drove 1970’s gas hog cars at 55 mph and got 12-18 mpg on a good day. This car got mid 30’s mpg if driven carefully. The Omnirizon twins built a bridge from failure to the K Car. The only real competition was from the VW Rabbit and the Ford Escort, which was initially imported from Germany at the same time, and the original Escort was a vastly superior car (that Ford later RUINED when it was built in the U.S). Ironically, the Omnirizon variants steadily improved thru the 80’s but were eclipsed by the K Cars, the mini van and the arrival of the Ford Taurus. GM’s x-cars were crap from start to finish.

[@samzavinful]

This was my going to highschool but with a 4 speed... My Junior year had to pop the clutch down the drive to get it started, and my buddies push started in after school. Man I wish I still had that car.

[@blk77sunshn]

Yaaaa!!! We had a 1988 Dodge OMNI . It was the same exact color as this one. She was a plane Jane econo-box but had a/c . Went thru the family, yes it did. Thanks for another great vidia !

[@rayk48]

Had a 1984 manual Omni back in the early 90s. Paid $800 for it with like 80k on it. Drove it for commuting 150 miles a day for a few years. Put about an additional 80k on it with no problems until the head cracked and it caught fire. Put fire out with sand from side of road. It did start after the fire was out but obviously it reached the end.

[@PintoPopProductions]

My grandma had one of these. Fun fact for the diecast collectors out there, it is possible to find an Omni and a Horizon in scale. Motor Max produced both cars in 1/60 and 1/24 scales. The 1/24 Omni was produced representing a Shelby GLH while the Horizon was the plain standard car. 1/43 collectors will have to make do with the European Sunbeam/Talbot Horizon on which this car was based.

[@robertdiehl9003]

Passenger side mirror was an option. Driving that was certainly a full-time job.... Head on a swivel.

[@madelaki]

Turn around, bright eyes...

[@torythefanman]

The Plymouth Horizon was actually my first car. Part of me misses that lil car. But I was never to attached to that car. But I still love these lil cars and 80s and 90s chryslers in general

[@robertdiehl9003]

Dodge Omni verse Chevrolet Chevette. Now that is a showdown of epic proportions....

[@jeremiahallyn4603]

Haha, for real 😂😂

[@Crispychicken4u]

Owning both.. I’ll take the Omni for the sloooow win and for reliability

[@ralphabreu5022]

@robertdiehl9003 Which one pushes faster off a cliff The Chevette The Omni The fiesta.

[@ralphabreu5022]

@@Crispychicken4u Either way Which can be pushed off a cliff faster?

[@Crispychicken4u]

@@ralphabreu5022believe me if I didn’t owe money on that chevette back in the 80s. I push that over a cliff with box of explosives 😂. Most unreliable car I ever owned and slowest

[@laneoakes3403]

Just walked past this exact car on the street two days ago!

[@Stargun-vj1uh]

The Plymouth version was my first car! We saved it, and unfortunately, it's broken. We spent thousands on it, and it's still a hunk of junk. May it be said, it's quirky, it's so comfy, and I can see...why back in the day people wanted this. It's the perfect car, for someone...who doesn't care about cars. Just about living life, and needing something practical and comfortable to commute with. The seats are very plush, the interior is oddly spacious despite the small size, it can sit 5 (uncomfortably with 3 in the backseat bench with no headrests and nothing but lap belts assuredly going to destroy someone's back in an accident), and the hatch is very spacious. I like the coin slots in the cup holders, which are actually decent! The radio is easy to adjust, and nice to control. Beautiful clear screen, no bells, no whistles, just AM/FM. I find it so quirky the A/C controls on the left side, it feels like a 1970's car, which it might as well be, in the 80's. Mine is a 1989 model, very close to the end of production, and basically just like this car. The unfortunate thing is, this car is actually really complicated, expensive to keep running, not exactly reliable, and at the end of the day? It's not engaging to drive, it's only engaging because it's somewhat scary TO drive! Not because it has inherent issues, it's that it's just ridiculously slow. It can still drive with modern traffic, but it's dicey accelerating, as it doesn't want to. The 3 speed is either too low, or too high, revving because 3 gears are not enough, and it screams on hills when it jumps down to 2nd, and lugs at 3rd, to maintain the 55MPH, and interstates at 70 feel very dicey. It's so comfy though to drive, the steering (when the power steering DOES work and isn't leaking) is...vague but comfy. It turns well enough, and the steering is responsive for normal driving, nothing spirited. Lights are...not impressive, but functional. Windshield wipers, can't keep up with bad storms. The car is like what a Nissan Versa note is today. Sensible. Usable. Not exciting. Not bad. Not great. But old school economy cars have a charm not felt in today's. They are nice, they are simple, they have only what you want out of a commuter, and I would still argue the build quality in the interior beats the snot out of economy cars today. The dash is soft to the touch, the controls feel sturdy (except the turn signal stock, that thing feels like it could break any moment), and the car is just comfortable. I am of the belief, that cars shouldn't have too much horsepower for the need of commuting, it's wasted when you don't need the power in almost any case. This car is underpowered, no doubt, 80 HP at best when it was new with a bad automatic transmission making it feel lethargic, but they were onto something. If you gave it 40 or 50 more HP, and a 4 speed auto from the 90's, this car...would be perfect for a daily. Fast enough to get to 70 and stay there, slow enough you won't speed without a conscious choice. Comfy seats, good for a roadtrip, small size, good for economy. Maybe cars don't have to be good, to be everything you need on the day to day. Maybe it just needs to be good enough, that you don't even think about the metal beast under you, that everything...feels right, where you no longer give it thought that the car isn't perfect. That it's a basic car. That maybe one day, something might happen to it, and you worry more for your own safety and the other's, than the car's ruining. That the car will give it's life, to taking you where you want to go, and with maintenance, do so for the future. But, one day will be cast aside, maybe given down to your child as the run down car they drive at 16. A project for a family, looking for a daily on a budget. No, this car isn't reliable. But, if you ask me, I've seen what economy cars meant in the 70's and 80's, this hold-over of the 70's, is the most economy car you could ask for. The most basic thing. A car that is small but like a land yacht to drive. The malaise era of cars embodied in an economy car. Maybe, as much as there's reasons to see why these cars died off, maybe...there's a reason we all wish...we could go back to a simpler time, with simpler things, and simpler dreams. Built, maybe a bit better, to last a time, maybe not as long as we want. But, sometimes practicality in the present is all that matters to the buyer. No one knew what 40 years could do to one, and these cars sometime survive to say "I still take you place to place, in a style unseen today, but commonplace yester-year, and the question is? Do you care?" Yes. Yes I do. Maybe one day I'll fix you up again when I stop driving my Honda Del Sol or the Miata I plan to buy and relive the years I've spent in one, a car I genuinely feel nothing toward, yet seem to love in this twisted indifferent way. That may make no sense, but if you were to drive it, you'd understand. Thank you for the experience and the memories, my 1989 Plymouth Horizon in blue.

[@markhealey9409]

Back in 1990,in Pennsylvania,I had a friend & neighbour with a 1980 Dodge Omni & a friend & neighbour with a 1980 VW Rabbit,built in Westmoreland Couty,PA. We all noticed they had the same exact VW/Audi stamped engine. I preferred the VW,I didn't like the loose steering on the Omni,but both actually ran well,for their age!

[@jerrywalters8885]

Cool. My drovers Ed program usef 2 of these in 93. Liked it do much h bought B8 later. Loved it

[@nathanjoseph4284]

3:46 I'm surprised this car has cupholders at all!

[@felisconcolor1112]

The simple slider provided a low-cost, easily-stowed opening for 2, 12oz cans, plus you could also place the cigarette lighter in the central hole, when you were using the 12V socket to power a plate-mount CD player in your car. And unlike the Japanese automakers, pulling out the drink holders did not obscure or prevent access to the climate controls.

[@passerati_ab]

The 3 speed automatic is probably a good reason, why you don't want to drive it today. I can remember the 3 speed Golf 1 (= Rabbit) with 70 HP or so, and that was slooow even 30 years ago, 'cause 20 horses died in the torque converter :D

[@adamtrombino106]

And if the a/c worked, lop off another 10ish hp.

[@cardwellave2]

I believe Chrysler planned to make these even longer. 1990 (the last year) had a completely redone interior. I had always heard they wanted to keep it going along side its replacements as sort of a basic car much like VW had done with the Beetle

[@michaelneufeld1334]

The design of the Omni/Horizon was so old by 1990 that the US transportation department would not certify a 1991 model year for Chrysler. We are talking 0 to 0.5 star safety rating out of today's 5 star rating system. The 1990 model year had a standard driver only airbag, driver and passenger square style rear view mirrors and finally rear three point seat belts, but it was still considered not safe enough due to lack of body rigidity and poor crash tests.

[@cardwellave2]

@@michaelneufeld1334was this the reasons why it did not continue? Was that actually the plan?

[@michaelneufeld1334]

@@cardwellave2 Chrysler had to extract wage concessions from the UAW and tax credits from the state of Illinois to produce the "Omni America" and "Horizon America" for 1986 to 1989. The 1990 model's new dash was required for knee bolstering purposes. The vehicle could not be sold at a profit anymore when the Shadow, Sundance, Spirit and Acclaim were on the same dealer lot. I was a Chrysler shareholder at the time and these were the communications I received from the automaker to its shareholders.

[@adamtrombino106]

@@michaelneufeld1334 Yep. It was found in crash tests that the rear lap belt could break the pelvis because of the seating position. In fact Chrysler had more than a few lawsuits against it that were settled out of court. This was a car Chrysler really didn't know what to do with. It was planned to be scrapped from the lineup in 88 just like the 2drs were, but sales of the America program were good, so at the last min they decided to finally make it injected ( to help with emissions and reliability ) and add a lock up converter for better highway mileage. Even still, the P cars which were much better, made them dated and redundant.

[@michaelneufeld1334]

@@adamtrombino106 Yeah, I wanted one but my parents wouldn't allow it. I got a used Ford Tempo instead.

[@udon44]

I swear I saw you driving over on Arsenal near Sublette. I recognize south city and this car is also hard to miss. I was actually admiring it at the intersection. That is so funny

[@Dabbidoo]

My dad had one with the 2.2L. I remember my mom was worried about the front wheel drive. We had for a few years. It was nice to what I can remember.

[@ianmax69]

Thanks for uploading this review of the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon... Its basically an Americanised version of the Anglo/French Chrysler/Talbot Horizon... It was the European car of the year in 1979... But this was just about the time Chrysler where in economic freefall and they needed cash quickly... so the sold off their European operations which where the British Rootes Group (Hillman/Singer/Humber) and French Simca to the PSA (the Peugeot/Citroen Group) for $1 and PSA quickly re branded Chrysler Europe as Talbot.. The Omni-Horizon wasn't Chrysler's first European offering Stateside,,, back in the 60's Chrysler immediately after buying Rootes stopped selling the Sunbeam Tiger 2 seater sports car in the states as it had a Ford engine in it... and they replaced it with... the Sunbeam Stiletto engined Hillman Imp... which didn't last long.. before they brought over the Plymouth Cricket,,, an economy sedan basically a Federalised version of Britain's Hillman Avenger, which was sold in the states for just three years... The Omni/Horizon had quite a significant role in the revival of Chryslers fortunes in the early 80s fuel crisis in that it provided the running gear being front wheel drive and transverse foe Lee Iacocca's Minivan project,, Many American's where tiring of traditional woody station wagons by then and needed something new and the 1983 Caravan/Voyager provided just that with using the FWD experience and reliability from the Omni/Horizon..

[@mannywilliams6409]

When I was in high school my friend's older brother had an Omni 024.

[@Billn1971]

My family had 2 of these while growing up. But they were both manuals.

[@GodsGunsGlory777]

I’ve always wanted a glhs Omni growing up

[@sheldoninexile]

I found the back seat roomy and fun. Of course when my family had one I was four. It was also the worst car my family every owned. I was impressively unreliable. So much so my father refused to buy another American car until the second gen Saturn came out.

[@jaminSVT]

My dad once had a plymouth horizon, which is based on this car

[@jas4925]

I had an 89 in 1994 while in college. It was fuel injected. It served me well and got me through college.

[@powerwagon3731]

We had a new one in 89 with a 5 speed. It was a fantastic commuter car. 40 mpg too!

[@patcurrie9888]

Had an 84 Horizon as my first new car with the 2.2 liter was pretty good transportation and pretty peppy. It was garnet red & I had 6 accidents in it, everything but the roof and hatch were replaced, at least once. 2 of the accidents, my car was parked! It was mechanically perfect.

[@Jonathan-bk3dq]

Zack, the 2.2 in 1987 made 93 horsepower. Look things up on the internet.

[@mopargm9329]

He does get a lot wrong honestly

[@adamtrombino106]

Some sources say 96, some 97hp. 88-90s were rated at 93 even with EFI, but was taken at a lower RPM. Those cars are much better.

[@ryanh364]

I own one; a red 1988 just like this. It was my grandfather's car and has only 42,000 miles. I would have submitted it this summer but it has had some issues, cool to see another one in good shape.

[@iana6713]

Fascinating review - we had the Chrysler/Talbot Horizon in the UK with really similar styling (same body styling team, or at least co-operation from Chrysler Europe with the parent company in the US before it went bankrupt, I wonder?) but different engineering under the front end. Horizons disappeared from the roads over here years ago as I believe they were really rust-prone.

[@RadioSaladStudios]

I had a Plymouth Turismo TC3; the two door brother. I'm jealous of the condition of this one. Mine was a bit worse off. My Mother had a Charger, which was also the Dodge two door version. That thing was awesome. Underpowered, yes. But you know what? They rode great in their day.

[@dionmoore879]

We owned the Horizon once our twins were born in 86. Basic sub $5k car new .no AC, no Pwer steering. It was good car. Then after a couple years a collision totaled it. What did I do? Bought a newer Omni with both AC and Power steering.. This one also was a great little car. One of the cars that saved Chrysler. FYI, at the time, we could not afford the K car.

[@jefferypease3920]

I remember those cars well they were built at the Belvedere assembly plant Belvidere, Illinois my best friend‘s dad worked at that plant for 30 years

[@ronaldderooij1774]

The 1978 European Car of the Year, if I remember correctly. Albeit with other engines (1.1, 1.3 and 1.5 liter).

[@adamtrombino106]

I had a powder blue 86, with the 2.2. I had nothing but trouble with it. It went through several carbs, including the 'dealer installed update' , but it still never ran right. Also the door handles would break off in the winter time. I dated a gal that had a red 89 with EFI. MUCH better car! Much better mileage. Fit and finish seemed better too. She took that to 165k before a headgasket blew and she dumped it. I gave up on mine at only 77k.

[@davidcharnes3623]

My family had one of these. I once drove it from Denver to San Diego. You missed a couple of things that used to make me crazy. 1. The driver's seat had no way to adjust the recline angle. You could move it back and forth, but that was it. 2. From the driver's seat you couldn't reach the climate controls or radio without leaning forward in the seat. Perhaps this wasn't a problem for shorter drivers. I am 6 feet and remember well not being able to reach.

[@neohermitist]

I had a friend that used to an Omni, around in 1989. It had a Chrysler Infinity sound system in it. My friend would put on the parking brake and give it a little gas and the car would raise up about an inch. My friend would say it was 4 wheel drive mode. LOL

[@johnbeckham1483]

I had a 1985 Plymouth Turismo Hatchback!

[@Koulis_]

This was called the Chrysler Horizon in the UK and then the Talbot Horizon after Peugeot bought Chrysler Europe from the parent company in the US. It was designed in the UK with the mechanicals developed in France using many parts from previous Simcas. As a World Car the initial design was meant to be used globally but, as was common with this idea, the US car only looks like the European version superficially with most parts not being interchangeable. The European version was car of the year in 1979 but I never considered that accolade deserved as it was basically a Simca 1100 with modern bodywork.

[@gregg9672]

Attempt? Another excellent review as always lol

[@cthewave9955]

One of my earliest family cars. It idled a lot. Too much stress at red lights and stop signs. The tune-up services were more like "tune-downs." Almost compared it to the Al Bundy Dodge. Ours lasted 8 years. Radiator overheated. My family settled on a '85 Taurus.

[@Aygo84]

78hp from a 2.2 liter? That's ridiculous! The same engine in Europe would probably get around 135hp back in the day. Why the hell would you put a severely underpowered 4 cyl 2.2 in a C-segment car?

[@RustyZipper]

Merica 🇺🇸

[@markhealey9409]

American emissions regulations at the time.

[@josephstarnes8747]

I miss crappy little cars like this from my youth.

[@domenicogaldo6065]

That was called a Talbot Horizon here in the UK, but it had a smaller engine than your Dodge and Plymouth versions.

[@jefferysmith3930]

I think Chrysler deemed the Engines in the European Horizons woefully underpowered and they didn’t have a suitable mill of their own so they hit up VW. Though they put designed their own cylinder head for it that would accept a carburetor. “We don’t want no new age fuel injection!” It did look like a scaled up Rabbit though. I’ve never driven one of these, but I have driven a Chevette (Pontiac 1000). It looked good with Centerline wheels and the “1000”side stripe. My sister owned it and it was new at the time…and it was terrible! I was 17 and most of my …vast… driving experience centered around my ‘71 VW SuperBeetle and even I could tell it was terrible. The 4 speed shifter was especially bad. Lists of hard sharp plastic inside. This car was definitely a step above the Chevette.

[@darwinmichel2087]

The Omni was more than a attempt. He was a success. That was made simcha, VW parts. But re-engineered for the US market. The European part give it a roomie cabin you could actually fit adults in. I remember being a tall teenager sitting in the car comfortably. This car also helped give the k car it's start. They borrowed and re-engineered parts from the Omni to get the k car up and running.

[@messedup4538]

My parents had a blue one when I was born in 1990. You need to somehow get your hands on a GLH edition (Goes Like Hell)

[@RetroAnachronist]

I loved my Omni Horizons. Fun little cars.

[@extralock1045]

I drove one once, ant it felt like my car, the Mitsubishi Mirage. But maybe a bit slower. It was quite an interesting experience! I wouldn't say it is too slow though, it felt fine to me, didn't need to floor it on the drive I took it on. But even when I did floor it, it seemed fine. Nothing that will amaze a Tesla Plad owner, but it did the job.

[@valengreymoon5623]

in 1985, we had a small fleet of these for our driver's ed road course.

[@dj33036]

The only brand new car I ever bought. It wasn't a good car, it was a fantastic car and if they were still being built today I'd buy another one. Mine was an '88 with fuel injection and a five speed manual, and I never ever felt that it was underpowered. For me, it was as near to perfect that a car can get.

[@Mattomega]

Those cup holders were designed to hold 10-ounce cups of coffee from McDonald’s

[@RustyZipper]

And now we prefer a 54 oz Stanley mug filled with sugar laden $12 Iced Mocha Frappe chino’s 🤣

[@93sundance]

My driver's ed car in 1987. We stuffed 4 students and 1 teacher in that car.

[@Josh-gy8zi]

I had to stop just from the thumbnail. The summer after 8th grade going into my freshman year of highschool, i started dating one of my older brothers friends. She was going into her Junior year and had just gotten her first car. It was a silver Omni,stick shift. I won't go into all the good times a 14 year old young man had in thay car dating an upperclassmate ,but ill say there were first that its pretty hard to forget.. By the way you could lay the back seats down and open the hatchback made a comfortable little spot to watch the drive in movie or fireworks from.

[@ANACAD]

My mom owned a 1978 Horizon which she bought used in 1980 and a 1983 Omni which she bought new. The Horizon was a nice car and was loaded with automatic and A/C. Mom didn't like automatics so she bought the bare bones Omni with a four speed. The car was a lemon! My mom eventually stopped driving it and the car caught fire and burned up in 1999 when my dad was driving it to CVS.

[@Doctor_Robert]

7:20 I take umbrage to the "underpowered" bit. My 1980 Mazda 626 made 74 horsepower from the factory and it was just fine in regular 2020s traffic. The only real sacrifice was it was uncomfortable with speeds over 70 on the freeway. That Omni for 1987 was rated at 93 horsepower. It's very possible the car your testing is especially tired and probably making more like 50 or 40 bhp (which would be dangerously slow). The automatic doesn't help, of course.

[@acadian76]

My Uncle had a 1988 Plymouth Horizon that he bought brand new and had it until 1994 when it was parked on the street and someone lost control of their car and hit it while it was parked and it was sadly written off. He replaced it with a Plymouth Acclaim but he always went on about what a great car the Horizon was. It was actually pretty nice for an economy car - it was a red wine color with matching velour interior, it had air conditioning, factory cassette stereo, passenger side mirror and was equipped with the 2.2 liter engine with fuel injection and automatic. I drove it once and found it way more peppy than my Pontiac Acadian. I did not like the climate control location and I HATED the ugly steering wheel.

[@christophersmith1155]

MY WIFE HAD THIS WHEN WE WERE IN COLLEGE. IT WAS FUN TO DRIVE.

[@nolahahnshouse3389]

God I’ve been in so many variance of this vehicle back in the day family members friends me and Wayne are driving to work in one so many memories

[@glikka2]

This is an Omni, not an Omni America, which was a stripped down version that Dodge/Plymouth sold dirt cheap to compete with the new Hyundai Excel. The Omni America came only with a manual transmission, and vinyl seats.

[@felisconcolor1112]

The easy way to tell the difference between an Omni America and original "Omnirizon" L-body: the climate control panel for Omnis is on the far left of the dashboard, out of reach of those pesky, meddling passengers who think they know what temperature the cabin should be at. My own '86 turbo GLH was fitted w/actual MOPAR dealer-installed A/C; all the control buttons were flat black, and the Vent and Bi-Level buttons were fitted w/a push-pull notch to allow for simultaneous selection of the function, while turning off the compressor for basic "air-only" operation. The compressor was also fitted to the engine using a curved steel tray instead of the 4-post aluminum mounting tower bracket used for factory A/C. This is just one informational tidbit you can keep in mind, should you come across the rarest of the rare L-Body vehicle options in the wild.

[@GordonGavin]

No headliner! lol. I remember having to floor it to merge on the highway. Definitely scary.

[@nolahahnshouse3389]

I would k-swap on of these so quick!! Those fender flares are begging for some wide tires and wheels!!