Tax change brings Ford Fairmont to practical driver

Press, 9 May 1985, Page 32

Tax change brings Ford Fairmont to practical driver

By

PETER GREENSLADE

The world’s first massproduced car rolled off an American assembly line in October 1908. Production of the car ceased 19 years later, in May 1927, and by then 15,007,033 Model T Fords had been manufactured. Today there are plenty of

people throughout the world who would say that Henry Ford, the father of the mass production car, has a lot to answer for, but that will not concern him. The Model T, or Tin Lizzie as it was affectionately known, was Henry Ford’s inspiration. It moved the car firmly into the twentieth century. Cars, motoring and society were never to be the same again. The Model T was the first car to be produced on a large scale in Australia, although production did not start until 1925. Like all Fords, the Tin Lizzie was an uncomplicated car that appealed to Australians, and so it is not surprising that the Ford soon became a part of the way of life in that continent. For long enough Australian Fords were replicas of American models, but after World War II they began to become more indigenous and today they are Australian cars in their own right. There is, however, more than a touch of the input a multi-national company such as Ford can provide in the engineering and styling of the six cylinder Falcon line in particular. The latest line of Falcons has just been launched in New Zealand. It is the XF series and it most likely marks the end of a distinctive Falcon line which was begun with a totally new XD Falcon in March 1979. The XF is the second facelift version and the popular

view in the motoring world is that the next Australian Ford of similar size will be an entirely new car. After years in the shadow of General Motors Holden, the Ford Falcon has become Australia’s top selling

model. Its popularity probably stems from Ford Australia’s commitment to manufacture cars that are attuned to Australia’s needs. Although they buy a lot of 2 litre Japanese cars, Australians like big, rugged cars in which they can travel vast distances in comfort and without effort. New Zealanders will be seeing more of the highlyspecified Ford Fairmont than they will the basic Falcon, which has been Ford New Zealand’s mainstay for so long. This has come about because the Government reduced sales tax on big cars from 60 to 33 per cent last December under the new motor industry plan. Ford New Zealand had looked hard at the Australian XF line before that and elected to assemble the basic Falcon in limited numbers and sell it for more than 530,000. With the tax change, Ford’s marketing and sales people realised they had an opportunity to market a more highly specified model with automatic transmission and other refinements for less money. Hence the Fairmont.

Today anyone can buy a basic Fairmont with 4.1 litre six cylinder engine, automatic transmission, power-assisted steering, power-operated windows and other luxury features for less than $30,000. That is a price that undercuts some

of the mediumm sized Japanes flagships, as well as the lowlier European exotics.

In fact, the basic Fairmont sells for $29,420, but there is also a Ghia version which, at $39,000, should cause importers of the larger and much more expensive exotic European cars to sit up and take notice. The Fairmont Ghia has a fuel-injected engine, electronic instrumentation, trip computer, cruise control, electrically-operated ' door mirrors, four speaker audio system and air conditioning. It retails for $39,000 and at that price the car is a steal.

During the XF press launch in the Mackenzie Country we encountered a very strong north-west wind and I felt that the Fairmonts were somewhat lacking in directional stability until I actually attempted to walk in what proved to be gale conditions. I returned to Christchurch with a deeper respect for the cars although I must • add that the power assistance does make the steering rather light and lifeless under touring conditions, although it proves to be a positive boon on heavily congested city streets where often a fair, amount of wheel twisting is called for. A 4.1 litre car is something of a rarity these days and, naturally, one expects it to be a bit of a road burner. The basic Fairmont is not a fast car. With a

maximum of about 153km/h (95 mph) it is, in fact, only a little quicker than the Ford in which Henry Ford set a world land speed record of 91.37 mph in 1904. The Ghia version is vastly different in the speed respect. Anyone who hah doubts about the efficacy of fuel injection could do worse than arrange back-to-back demonstration drives of the two cars. The basic carburettor engine develops 103 kW at 3750 rpm and the torque figure is 315 Nm at 2400 rpm, whereas the fuel-injected engine develops 120 kW at 4000 rpm and 333 Nm at 3000 rpm. The carburettor engine has sufficient torque and more to satisfy the needs of people who tow caravans and boats. On the other hand, the fuel-injected engine in the Ghia develops its power and torque maxima at slightly higher engine speeds, but certainly not at the expense of smoothness nor, for that matter, noise. EFI has been employed by Ford Australia for quite a time, but the system employed in the XF series is a refinement of that used earlier. An electronic control module now manages spark timing as well as the air-fuel mixture which previously was the sole component in the management system.

The module is known as EEC 4 and to carry out the same functions 25 years ago a computer larger than the car would have been needed. On the road, both cars are extremely willing. The basic version tends to be rather noisier, but not irritatingly so. In fact, at higher touring speeds both cars generate a noticeable level of wind noise that stems from around the leading edges of the front door windows. The automatic transmission is smooth enough with very little “bite” being evident when upward or downward changes are made. The cars exhibit just enough understeer to make them feel safe when cornered at higher touring speeds and the ride tends to be securely firm rather than spongy. Although these are taut cars, on city streets and indifferent road surfaces the suspension is quite forgiving and in almost every situation the riding qualities are smooth. Both cars can cosset five adults in complete comfort. Upholstery and trim appear to be of good quality and, certainly, good taste.

The fully carpeted luggage boot is of good size, although perhaps a little shallow. A quite novel feature is that the centre portion of. the rear seat, comprising about a third of the width of the backrest section, can be folded down to form a table or a load aperture about 400 mm square to enable the carriage of a variety of long objects as well as two people in the rear compartment.

In short, the Fairmonts are cars with many practical features that will be welcomed by down-to-earth people who, I suspect, will be the group most likely to be attracted to these models.

However, I wonder whether the anti-smoking lobby will view them in the same light. There is a cigarette lighter fitted in each door.