Siku Audi and Volkswagen sedans and wagons

Siku is another diecast maker that is centered in a country’s origins when it comes to making models.  Like Tomica with Japan Siku mostly refers to Europe with an occasional trip to America and Japan, and like Tomica you can see a faithful ancestory with certain models and brands.  A good example is the range of sedans and station wagons from Volkswagen and parent Audi companies.  Here’s a look at the good stuff that also includes one SUV.

Audi 200 5T and 100 Avant

Siku started with two Audi-sourced models, the Audi sedan and VW Passat Variant wagon in the 1970’s.  Since then the models have stayed consistent with more focus in the Audi brand as you’ll see shortly.  One of the best is the Audi brand and it shows with this 200 sedan and 100 Avant wagons that were both introduced in the 1980’s.  Audi was making big in this decade with the rally-winning Quattro now migrating to other Audi models and giving a name to the brand, as it the focus on higher-end luxury to distant itself from Volkswagen, but at the cost of unattended acceleration issue that nearly ended the life of Audi.  The 200 5T is the top-model of the 100 line that features more luxury content and a sporty ride thanks to a 2.1L SOHC I-5 that produces 168 horsepower through a 5-speed manual transmission.  The 100 also gained the Avant wagon and more aerodynamic styling that gave the 100 a more modern look.  The Avant has a more fastback rear roofline with rear spoiler attached to the rear window.  The interior is spacious with seating for five and a caverous caro area.  Both 100 and 200 have Euro-like interiors with well laid-out controls and 4-spoke steering wheels.  The 200 is based on the previous-generation 100 as it lacks the new aero styling.  The Avant powertrain is the same as the 200 with turbocharging and a few more horsepower.

This green 200 5T sedan is a big one as is the case with a few other Siku models from the 1980’s.  The front has detailed quad square headlights that are part of the metal base, black grille with Audi rings, headlight washer nozzles on the front bumper, and a lower chin spoiler.  The sides show off a typical sedan look where I added black trim to liven it up and common multi-spoke Siku wheels that look great on this car.  At the rear is a conventional look with trunk and rectangular taillights that are part of the red interior.  The interior has detailed seats for five people, shifter on the console, and a white dashboard, though much of the footwell is taken over by the door hinges for the opening doors and without a spring retractor tend to ajar too easily.  The metal base contains the usual Siku technical specifications.  The Audi wagon looks very sleek in red with a low stance, sloping roofline, and Siku wheels that finish off the sporty look.  The front has flush headlights that are part of the window trim, metal grille with Audi rings that connect to the front bumper, both part of the metal base.  The sides show lots of side windows, a sloping D-pillar with rear spoiler on the rear hatch, and adding black trim gives the 100 Avant a finished look.  The rear has square taillights, a metal bumper, and an opening rear hatch that opens to nearly a 90 degree stop thanks to large hinges that are visible in the large cargo area.  The interior has seating for five with plenty of room, though the white dashboard lacks full detail and should as it has no door hinges to obstruct it.  The real car’s dashboard has a more modern look with a few more switches and controls over the 200 5T’s simple layout.

1993 and 2007 Volkswagen Passat Variant’s

For the Passat line it has been nothing but wagons for the mid-size sedan ever since the beginning.  Here is two different generations of Passat wagon’s over two generations (The middle one can be found as a Welly 1:64 2001 model).  The 1993 version goes for a clean and boxy look with some Audi influence in the design, especially inside where the dashboard layout shares the same Audi setup but uses a less premium look to match the VW price point.  The engine is a remarkable engineering defeat as it uses a V6 motor, or more like a VR6: this is a narrow angle Vee motor where the banks of cylinders are only 15 degrees apart.  This allows the V6 to fit in even the smaller Golf platform as it shares the same size as a typical I-4 block.  The VR6 produces 140 horsepower through a 5-speed manual to the front wheels.  This setup also eliminates the longitudional layout of the old I-5 to take weight off the front even though Audi still uses this setup today.  Two decades later the 2007 Passat Variant still has the same setup, though styling now looks more premium and shared with the Touareg and Golf V models and that includes the large grille design also found on Audi models.  At this time VW was looking to go upmarket so it was not common to see high-end materials in the nicely-done dashboard.  The engine is a new 2.0L turbocharged I-4 diesel that produces 138 horsepower through a six-speed automatic transmission.  This was the last-generation to share Passat models in the U.S. with the rest of the world as the 2012 Passat got its own model in the U.S.

The 1993 Passat Variant is part of the new Siku in the 1990’s that used plastic bases and a new wheel style that looked more like the hubcaps found on Mercedes-Benz cars at the time.  The dark blue wagon looks really good with white square headlights up front, VW badge, and lower black bumper with signal and foglights.  The sides show off a boxy wagon profile with roof rails, while the rear has square taillights like the Audi Avants and an opening rear hatch to expose the cargo area.  The chassis underneath now has more details to show off the front engine and drivetrain, the suspension, exhaust system, and even the spare tire well.  The interior has seating for five in white with good details and a center console with shifter, but the dashboard is still a flat blank space with steering wheel.  Hopefully in the 2000’s the new Siku plan with rubber tires and better detailing would improve the Passat, but in fact the opposite happened.  The white 2007 model looks good in red and sports 5-spoke wheels that could use some chrome and rubber tires.  The casting is huge and almost SUV like (for example, the Q7 in this review is the same size as this Passat Wagon!) with a thicker beltline and some trim areas that seem crude.  The front end has a large VW grille with VW logo and silver bumper center, projector headlights to the sides, and on the bumper is the signal lights and foglights.  The rear has a rear spoiler, taillights with round LED brake lights, and a nice plate integration into the hatch along with VW badging.  Instead of an opening rear hatch the doors open to show off the five-seat interior with a proper dashboard layout design (yaay!) and 4-spoke steering wheel that seems to be tilted too far upward.  If the large and crude exterior dimensions were not enough the performance was not anything to smile about either as the VR6 Passat seems more fun than this one even if the newer Passat has all-wheel drive.  I like the older VR6 Passat as I think the newer Passat Variant is too crude-looking and really off in size.

The Audi A4 family

Audi and VW Wagons are not the only thing that Siku has made in generations, take a look at the A4 model line with three different models, two of them Avants, and all are very nicely done.  The A4 was the successor to the 80 series as the smaller Audi model line and introduced in 1994 gained fame for styling that was not only smooth, but sporty at the same time.  This styling would evolve in other Audi models and start to give Audi a new lease on life as the leader of performance and style after the ill-fated recalls.  The second-generation was an evolutionary design with some influence from the 1997 A6 sedan and also included the first new Audi convertible based on the A4 platform.  The powertrain in this Avant wagon in yellow is a 2.5L turbodiesel I-4 that produces 161 horsepower through a 5-speed manual transmission through the quattro all-wheel drive system.  The dashboard layout is clean and simple and would be a hallmark to Audi that others would try to copy.  By the next-generation the styling would evolutionize again now with the new large Audi grille up front.  The Convertible was a big improvement over the old 80-series cabriolet that lasted until 2000 and featured seating for four with a soft top that tucks in nicely under a hard tonneau cover.  The engine is a 3.2L DOHC V6 that produces 252 horsepower through a six-speed automatic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive.

The next-generation finally went for a new look that used a more edgier look shared with the new A5 coupe, and the A4 cabrio now becomes the A5 cabrio.  The rear carried the same look as the previous-generation, but with a lower roofline for a more sporty appearance.  The interior has a redesigned dashboard to fit the new Audi multilink infortainment screen.  The engine is a 3.0L DOHC turbodiesel V6 that produces 237 horsepower through a 6-speed manual transmission, all of which now sits on a new platform that tucks the front powertrain further back for better front weight distribution.

Both Avant wagons look very sharp and sporty, with the 2001 version adorned in yellow and has a more traditional wagon roofline.  The front has horizontal projector headlights with black center grille with Audi rings and a lower bumper with scoops, foglights, and an Euro plate.  The rear has vertical taillights, a rounded rear hatch, and a trailer hitch.  The base shows off the dual exhaust and spec information, while the interior with opening front doors shows the best of Siku models with a proper dashboard design, detailed controls, 4-spoke steering wheel, center console with shifter, and seating for five.  Oh, and those 5-spoke wheels have rubber tires.  A great model, until you see the newer 2008 Avant in dark green with tan interior sporting thinner 5-spoke wheels with lower profile tires.  The front has square headlights that peer forward to go with the extended Audi grille in black, while the lower side scoops add foglights.  The roofline is more sporty with a drop in the roof that occurs between the c- and d-pillars and ends at the rear with horizontal taillights, Euro plate on the hatch, and dual exhaust below the bumper.

The chassis has a similar setup to the yellow A4 Avant with an interior, accessed by opening doors, just as equally impressive with details with a deeper steering wheel and higher dash top to accept the new info screen.  The A4 Cabrio is a nice evolution of the 80-series Cabriolet that Siku has made in the 1990’s, and the new one benefits from better detailing and new Audi-style multi-spoke wheels with rubber tires, though the tires are a bit too thick for this car.  The front has slightly offset projector headlights with lower scoops and foglights and a large black Audi grille with Euro plate.  The metallic red color sets off with the gray interior and windshield with silver frame surround and exterior mirrors on the doors, while the rear has square taillights, Audi badging, and dual exhaust on the rather highly-raked rear end.  No opening parts? No problem as the open top environment shows off the excellent interior detailing that starts with seating for four with detailed side bolsters, detailed door panels, large 4-spoke steering wheel, and dashboard with proper control layout and shifter on the center console.  The A4 family has been one of the finely-detailed Siku models in the range as these three generations show.

1997 Audi A6 sedan and 2005 Audi Q7 SUV

These last two are add-ons and show how much the advancements at Audi and the world have changed the brand over time.  The second-generation of the A6 added styling influenced by the Bauhaus and created a round, fastback rear look that would be shared with a few other Audi models.  The interior was clean and simple with higher-quality materials to take on the Mercedes E-class and BMW 5-series.  This is the generation where the S and RS models make their appearance as well was the Allroad wagon.  The powertrain is a 1.9L DOHC turbodiesel I-4 that produces 110 horsepower through a 5-speed manual transmission.  The Q7 SUV was based on the Pikes Peak concept and would be Audi’s first SUV sharing a platform with the VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne.  The styling is sleek with familiar Audi clues and a long, sweeping back roofline that still offers seating for seven inside.  The dashboard layout was familiar Audi with modern touches that would be seen down the line in future Audi models.  The powertrain is a 4.2L DOHC V8 that produces 350 horsepower through a six-speed automatic transmission through the quattro all-wheel drive system.

The A6 sedan seems to be a bit crude thanks to large door gaps and those hubcap wheel s that make the car look low-end.  The front has silver headlights that wrap around the front, black Audi grille, and a lower grille with foglights that span the ends.  The sides show a more smoother look with flared fenders around the wheels and lots of window greenhouse, while the rear has taillights that wrap around the corners, Audi badges, and Euro license plate.  The base shows off the exhaust, front drivetrain, and usual Siku specs, while the interior has seating for four, opening front doors, shifter, 4-spoke steering wheel, and a dashboard that is set rather far back than usual.  The Q7 was an extra car as it was sent first before the correct car was sent later on, so at first I’m not too set on the red 5-spoke wheels with rubber tires, but after a while the red and black look good on this SUV. The front has horizontal headlights that flow back from the large front grille with Audi rings, while signal and running lights sit lower on the bumper just ahead of the side scoops and the foglights at the bottom end of the bumper.  The sides show a sleek SUV roofline with door-mounted mirrors on doors that do open, while the rear has horizontal taillights that are part of the rear hatch, Euro plate, and dual exhausts with reverse and signal lamps on the bumper.  The interior only shows seating for five, but it is nicely done with detailed center console, shifter, center stack controls, and 4-spoke steering wheel, though the upper portion of the dash seems to be set too far forward.

This is just some of the many Audi and VW models that Siku has made over the years, yet sedans, wagons, and now SUV’s are the most common part of these duo brands.