Laser waggon plain, honest and a winner

Press, 11 September 1986, Page 25

Laser waggon plain, honest and a winner

By

PETER GREENSLADE

In the days when people simply spoke, rather than “articulated” as some of them claim to do today, Ford New Zealand’s latest 1.5 litre, fivespeed Laser offering would probably have become known as the mile-a-minute station waggon. Unfortunately, like speaking, which evidently is being superseded by articulating, the same sort of thing has already happened to miles (although a perverse genius has yet to emerge to transform the traditional to a much more complicated time scale). It is all rather a pity because the Laser waggon is happiest — and so is its driver — when it

is bowling along around 1.60934 kilometres a minute. When it travels slower the suspension does not iron out all the bumps and when it moves faster the mechanical noise level can be irritating. Ford introduced the Laser GL station waggon at the end of June. A daylong drive in the Wairarapa was sufficient to convince the motoring press corps that Ford had come up with yet another winner. Now, having spent a few days with it on home ground, the experi-

ence has firmed my conviction. By today’s standards, it is relatively well priced at a shade under $21,900. It is of a style that is just what the doctor ordered for a lot of honest-to-goodness Kiwi families, home handymen and people running small businesses that have not reached the stage of supporting two vehicles. Although Ford comes up with some fancy cars from time to time, it is very much a multinational with the common touch. While it produces a

vast range of cars that cater for all requirements and tastes, most suit the people who seek reliable and comfortable basic transport, rather than cars that indicate the class struggle is still doing fine.

Thus, as you settle into the Laser waggon, your gaze will not be attracted by a trendy instrument panel. There is a clearly legible speedometer, side by side with largish petrol and temperature gauges where a tachometer would be in those cars in which their owners appear to beg to be noticed. For the rest, there is a series of tell-tale lights up against the black background to indicate that the hand brake has not been released, the choke is still out and matters of like nature.

If you happen to have settled into the driver’s seat and are of average height you will probably feel that you are sitting rather low relative to the steering wheel, and you could be conscious of having to peer along the top of the bonnet.

Not being tall, I believe

the Laser waggon has been designed with taller, in fact larger, people in mind. There appears to be ample leg and head, shoulder and hip room for most people, with the possible exception of Matabele warriors, professional basketball players and the All Black forward pack. And, what’s more, if their heads do scrape the roof, it will be against a scalp-soothing fuzzy fabric and not sweat-provoking vinyl. For what is a cheapish car by today’s standards, the Laser waggon is handsomely upholstered and timmed in practical fabrics that should endure the rigours that the primary school sporting set inevitably impose upon furnishings. The station waggon configuration should transform a car into a bulk carrier. Some of them do not but this one fulfils that role adequately. There is enough space, even when the split rear bench seat is occupied, to carry luggage for a family of four on a .fortnight’s holiday.

With the rear seat back folded down, a couple will have no trouble packing their pup tent, inflatable rubber dinghy, camp cooker, food and other gear for a holiday in the

great outdoors. This is an outdoor vehicle; just the thing for a picnic with the kids at the beach, or sufficiently large to sleep in, albeit probably a little uncomfortably, on a summer night by some trout stream.

I have used less kidneyjolting vehicles on city and suburban streets, but once its nose is pointed along an open highway and the - speedometer hovers around the 100 km/h mark, everyone sings a happy tune.

Thanks to its front-wheel-drive layout, it goes round main highways sweepers, drifting out just a shade, with equanimity-

The 1490 cu cm, fourcyclinder engine could not be described as exceptionally lusty. It develops 55kW at 6000 rpm and its maximum torque of 116 Nm at half that engine speed. On the regular test circuit it tackles the hills with dogged determination rather than abandoned elan, but it inevitably reaches a summit feeling as though it has something in hand.

I can think of no reason why the transmission in the waggon should be any different from that of other Lasers. From memory, the drive line of

Laser saloons I have sampled was smooth with easy clutch and gear shift action. To be honest, on previous Laser experience, I am inclined to mark this one six out of 10. There is just a suspicion of clutch judder, the gearshift linkage feels as though it has been stolen from one of the original Morris Minis and the whole business makes me think that it will go the way of all flesh — sorry, metal — very soon after the warranty period expires.

Maybe that particular waggon was made on a Monday, but, like a garment that does not feel quite right the first time it is tried on, it is one that I would avoid. However, I am as sure as anyone can be that the Laser waggon that Ford dealers are actually selling will give potential buyers no such disquiet. Provided you are not one of those pipedreamers, who expects to buy the equivalent of the latest Ford Sierra station waggon for about the same money as the Laser GL waggon, you should be satisfied.

A word of advice: Buy it now. Those who articulate from the Beehive have been coyly inarticulate about new car prices, come October 1. And, mark you, they cannot take refuge in the excuse that articulation is smothered in New Zea-land-manufactured newsprint.