Comfortable Sports Saloon

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30471, 19 June 1964, Page 9

Comfortable Sports Saloon

SPORTS saloons are becoming more and more popular, and one such model that has now been in production for some time is the Riley 4/72. A luxury four to five seater, the Riley combines a high standard of comfort with reasonably brisk performance. Not that the 4/72 is outstandingly fast. The average of three runs against the stopwatch gives a 0 to 30 m.p.h. time of 4.Bsec, a 0 to 50 time of 12.5 sec, and a 0 to 60 time of 17.8 sec. This is adequate but not outstanding performance, but when it is realised the car weighs 25291 b and is powered by an engine of only 1622 c.c. capacity it can be seen such times are quite reasonably brisk. Further, the test car was still comparatively new, and an improvement in these times could be expected when the car had had more running.

At the same time the engine, a four-cylinder unit with twin carburettors, has a comparatively long stroke, and this makes it a very flexible unit It will pull smoothly away from 20 m.p.h. in top gear, while at the same time third will take the car to 60 m.p.h. The 4/72 is now assembled in New Zealand. The test car had a good standard of finish, and in this respect seemed the equal of its Englishassembled counterpart tested about two years ago.

Interior The 4/72 has individual seats in front, and these are comfortable but give practically no lateral support. The pull-up handbrake is conveniently situated at the side of the driver’s seat.

The pedals are reasonably well positioned, but heel and toe operation of accelerator and brake is impossible. One is immediately impressed by the very comprehensive range of instruments in the attractive wood veneer fascia which is padded and also has a lockable glovebox. The instruments include a speedometer with both total mileage recorder and trip meter, a revolution counter red-lined at 5000 r.p.m., and gauges for amps, water and fuel. All these instruments are clearly visible and well marked. Wipers, lights and the

quiet heater fan are operated by toggle switches, but none of these are marked, and their positions must be memorised. The visors are of the hard non-safety type. The fairly large steering wheel is reasonably well positioned, but the lower edge comes rather close to the knees. The window winders are too far forwards on the doors, and require a considerable stretch. Room

Headroom in the front is good, but very tall persons might find it a little restricted in the rear. Rear knee-room is adequate, and instep room is good. The large boot has a low sill, a great help when heavy or bulky objects are to be loaded.

Visibility is good and the rear vision mirror is of an adequate size. The car is fitted with an efficient heater and an electric windscreen washer. The wipers do not sweep enough of the screen and lift slightly at speed. On the move the engine is smooth, and reasonably quiet. The central floor gearlever is well placed, but the lack of synchromesh on first gear is occasionally felt in town traffic. The change is smooth, quite short, and pleasant to use.

Brakes The clutch is very light and positive, the accelerator fairly sensitive to small movements, and the brakes are powerful .but lack feel. Drum brakes are fitted all

round, and they stood up well to the fade test. As they got hotter they started to smell, pedal travel and pressure increased, and finally they started to pull slightly, but did not fade. Handling

The main feature of the handling of the 4/72 is an early oversteer, which comes in at quite low cornering speeds, and is at first somewhat disconcerting. However, the driver soon finds out that once the oversteer state is attained it remains very constant. Thus, after a few miles acquaintance, the 4/72 can be cornered safely surprisingly fast, although the oversteer cornering attitude may appear a little lurid to onlookers.

When pressed very hard the Riley remains at a constant oversteer, attempting to raise the inside rear wheel off the ground and thus sloughing off speed. This takes a few miles to become used to because of the somewhat insensitive steering, which detracts from the otherwise high standard of handling. The cornering remains predictable on both wet and dry surfaces and gravel. Firm but comfortable springing results in a low roll angle and absorbs shocks well. Under hard braking from speed the rear wheels tend to lock first.

To sum up, the Riley 4/72 is a comfortable, safe four to five-seater with a high standard of appointments and a willing power unit which, although comparatively low

in capacity for the size of the car, endows it with a reasonably brisk performance and gives considerable flexibility. . ' . The handling is safe and lends itself to both, sporting driving and pottering, but would benefit from more sensitive steering. The turning circle, at 37ft, is fair,' the gearbox is pleasant to use, and the standard of instrumentation is excellent. ' ■ At £1333, with no overseas funds required, the 4/72 seems reasonable value, and deserves consideration by the prospective purchaser in this price range. Technical

Engine: Four cylinder, bore 76.2 mm, stroke 88.9 mm, capacity 1622 c.c., compression ratio 8.3:1, 68 b.lup. net at 5000 r.p.m., torque 891 b ft at 2500 r.p.m. Overhead valves operated by push-rods from 3-bear-ing chain-driven camshaft. Three-bearing counterbalanced crankshaft. Twin automatic semi-downdraught carburettors fed from rear tank by electric fuel pump. Tank holds 10 gallons.

Transmission: .. Four-speed gearbox with synchromesh on second, third, and top gears. Central floor gear change. Brakes: Hydraulic, pendenttype pedal, drums front and rear.'

Suspension: Independent front suspension by coil springs. Rear suspension by semi-ellip-tic rubber-mounted springs. Steering: Cam and peg. Twospoke 17in steering-wheel with half horn-ring. Turning circle 37ft.

Instruments: Speedometer with trip and total distance recorders, engine revolution counter, fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, engine temperature indicator, ammeter, electric clock.