South Korea’s Pony a good little workhorse

Press, 10 February 1983, Page 19

South Korea’s Pony a good little workhorse

BEHIND the WHEEL with

Peter Greenslade

Trade with South Korea is pretty much a one-way business in New Zealand's favour. We sell the South Koreans quite a lot. but we buy very little back from them and. when a situation like that develops, it's dollars to doughnuts that the party spending the most money becomes somewhat aggrieved. Although the Muldoon Government did not bother to spell it all out at the time, it seems pretty clear that its decision to accept a token shipment of South Korean cars was motivated by a desire to win over the Oriental customers. The fact that the politicians, among others, had been mouthing on about reducing the number of models sold in New Zealand and rationalising the motor business generally was hurriedly tucked under the rug.

Naturally, the car had to be the Hyundai Pony. Hyundai. a Johnnie-come-lately in the motor vehicle industry, is South Korea's only recognised car-maker. The company was formed as an offshoot of the Hyundai Corporation in 1967 and it was not until 1979 that it publicly exhibited the Pony at the Dutch Motor Show. By the end of the following year it had made 200,000 cars.

No doubt, the expertise of the Hyundai Corporation helped. The corporation makes everything from toys to supertankers and before it built its first Pony, the vehicle company knew something about the business because it had already been building cars under licence to established makers.

The Pony itself was designed with the help of Giorgetto Giugiaro, of Hal Design, and it is very much in line with the current hatchback style. Despite the dire predictions of some of the motoring pundits, the first batch of cars was sold and last Octo-

ber Auckland-based Korean Motors. Ltd, launched the Pony Two GL 1200. a fourdoor. five-seater hatchback, an example of which I tried recently. Putting aside arguments as to whether New Zealand really needs cars like the Pony', I must admit that it does’ slot into our market, if for no other reason that it is a four-door, five-seater car that at present sells in Christchurch for $11,775. There's not much else in the 1.2-litre class that gets close to it. bearing in mind that it is exceptionally well specified and comes with a fac-tory-installed AM-FM radio with twin speakers, among other items. However, it would be an exaggeration to suggest that the Pony would satisfy the exacting demands of a driving enthusiast or, for that matter, an experienced motorist’ accustomed to handling the more expensive and sophisticated 1.6 and 2litre cars with which the established car-makers have been swamping the market in recent times.

The Pony is an honest-to-goodness and technically unsophisticated car that should give good service to folk with young families who have to make every cent count, but still require a car for commuting, week-end outings and holidays. Similarly, it is the sort of car that would do everything for an elderly couple — take them to the bowling green, muscle into a tight space in the supermarket car park, carry a stepladder around to the home handyman son-in-law, or take the grandchildren or elderly neighbours for a comfortable Sunday afternoon drive. It is a solid, unpretentious hatchback that will do everything that those who regard a car as something to convey people and objects between A and B should find very

much to their liking. Frankly. I am coming to the conclusion that A to B motorists are going to be the majority very soon and. although motor marketing people say the basic car is not good enough for the average Kiwi, they may have to change their tune before they get much older. Full to overflowing assemblers’ car parks should have given them the hint already. Of course, a good salesman should always be able to sell the best of everything to Mr and Mrs Have. These days, however, the Have-Less family is increasing in size at a rate that was by no means uncommon when most folk recognised a pill as simply an effective way of getting rid of a headache. The Pony should interest that growing family. Having said all that, what about the car? Under the bonnet there is a 1238 cu cm overhead camshaft engine from Mitsubishi. It is a willing and smooth little unit and on a long and slightly declining straight it might just take the Pony up to 160km/h with the help of a tail wind. That is unimportant, but what is important is that the Pony has one of the

slickest and most precise gearshift mechanisms that the keenest driver could wish for — and the recirculating ball and nut steering is light and about as precise as this type can be.

The brakes are adequate for a car of this weight and size.

On the other hand, the suspension leaves something to be desired. There are struts with coil springs in front and semi-elliptic springs and telescopic

dampers at the rear. At city speeds the ride is firm and by no means pitch-free. It smooths out somewhat at touring speeds, but I found the Pony tended to wander in cross winds.

Similarly, it can feel a little insecure when driven hard through corners, but the people who shop in the Pony market seem unlikely to be the types who would do that.

Not unexpectedly, the instruments on the panel provide only the essential, in-

formation, but in typical Oriental fashion there is a comprehensive range of warning lights to let the driver know that something has gone or is about to go wrong.

This is a roomy small car and although the' seats, with their hard-wearing fabric inserts, are firm they are comfortable. The all-round visibility is impressive and it is a package with a twospeed and intermittent windscreen wiper-wash system as well,as a rear screen wiper and -demister. There are quite a number of features one would not expect to find in a car in this price category. Above all, the Pony feels, and is, solid and, from all accounts, reliable. It is an unpretentious car and I would be surprised if it did not meet the needs of the unpretentious New Zealanders who, let's face it, make up the greater part of the population.