Turbo Optima Mid SE vs Schumacher CAT XLS

[alcyon]

OK, i know this might entail fierce debates, but i really wanna hear from those guys who owned these cars back in 88 - 89. I know the CAT won the world championships, and i dont really care about that, what i want to know is the opinion of normal everyday unsponsored club racers what they thought of these cars back then.
I always hear things bandied about by both CAT and Turbo Mid owners.
The CAT owners would always say something like " I wiped out the smiles from Turbo Mid owners"...and the Turbo Mid owners would dub their cars "CAT killer" .I also knew THE CAT XLS won the 1988 4WD buggy shootout with the Turbo Mid close behind.

Was all the hype about the CAT XLS back then justified? Was the suspension really better than the Mids?
Keep in mind i have never seen a CAT XLS back then becuase there was no support for them in my country at the time, but there were plenty of Optima Mids around. Do tell about each car's pros and cons.