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1995 - 1998 Eagle Talon Pre-Owned Review

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Khatir Soltani

Living Up To Its Tenacious Name

Occasionally a car comes along that you know will be popular long after its due date wears out. It might be because of styling, performance or simply good old-fashioned reliability, or more probably the combination of all three, but the fact is there are some cars that hold their values high simply because enough people want them.

The Eagle Talon was one of those cars that combine styling, performance and reliability, making it a popular choice even today. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

The Eagle Talon is one of these cars. Eagle? Think back to the few years of the 1980s to late '90s and memories of a sporty brand spawned off the merits of one of American Motor's most popular models - what might be the world's first crossover, the AMC Eagle - should come to mind. The Eagle brand came to market in model year 1988 featuring the rebadged Renault-based Premier and Medallion, plus the aforementioned Eagle 30 4x4 wagon. The Eagle 30 was dropped in 1989, more or less replaced by the compact Summit. The sporty Talon was added in 1990, while the Medallion was dropped. Three years later there would be no Renault derivatives in the model range, as a slick new LH car dubbed the Vision was launched to rave reviews.

The Talon's redesign in 1995 produced an even more stylish, sporty and intimidating design. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

But I'll save more insight on these models to a future pre-owned review, and for the time being focus only on the Talon. While its first generation, part of the Mitsubishi/Chrysler Diamondstar project that also included the Mitsubishi Eclipse (U.S. only) and Plymouth Laser, was stylish and extremely sporty, the model that followed in 1994 as a 1995 model, bordered on intimidating. Incidentally the Plymouth variant would eventually be axed, with only the Mitsubishi continuing south of the border.

Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
As a car enthusiast, he tests and compares vehicles from different categories through the eyes of the consumer, ensuring relevant and objective reviews.
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada