TOP GHIA Ford at home pottering or on the open road

Press, 7 October 1988, Page 29

TOP GHIA Ford at home pottering or on the open road

If cars were ever to be issued with the Ministry of Transport equivalent of a Telepermit, there may be some reluctance in issuing one for Ford’s twin cam Telstar TX5i hatchback. The car would doubtless win traffic department approval for its handling and its comfort. They would certainly have no complaints about its braking, nor its precise five-speed manual transmission.

The Ford’s basic problem is that it makes a mockery of the lOOkm/h speed limit. It reaches the mark in little more than eight seconds and is capable of more than twice that speed. It accelerates through 140 km/ h the way most cars accelerate through 80km/h.

The twin cam Telstar is the kind of car you would not want to take within a country mile of the Ministry’s HAWK radar detectors.

Ford has done what many car makers have chosen to do. They have uprated one of their models to offer a “sports package.” Invariably the engine is uprated, either by bolting on electronic fuel injection or putting in a new power plant altogether. Occasionally, car makers change the gearbox and the suspension to cope with the increased performance. Added to this are the mandatory sporty body stripes, spoilers and the like. Too often, the car makers do not quite make it. The gearbox ratios aren’t well matched to the engine, or the suspension can’t quite cope with the extra performance.

It was therefore with considerable interest we looked at what Ford had done to the Telstar TX5i Ghia.

The Ghia is the top specified version. The buyer therefore gets the full range of creature comforts with electrically adjustable door mirrors, central locking, fully adjustable sports seats, power windows, velour seating and the like.

Ford has taken the two-litre 81kW 12-valve four-cylinder engine and the four-speed automatic transmission out of the Ghia. In its place is a two-litre four-cylinder twin overhead camshaft electronically fuel-in-jected 16-valve motor which puts out 109 kW. to it is g five-speed

manual box with ratios identical to those in the lower-specified Telstars. Ford has, however, lowered the final drive ratio to make better use of the extra power. Power steering which reduces its assistance as vehicle speed increases is also included. The twin cam model also has a sports-style steering wheel and some additional body mouldings to give the exterior a lift. Four-cylinder engines with four-valve-a-cylinder can have a regrettable flaw. While they deliver the goods at high engine speeds, sometimes their lowdown torque is not so startling. This can spell trouble for the sedate round-town driver. The two-litre, however, pulled well from low engine speeds and seemed just as at ease pottering round town as it did when unleashed on the open road. This is undoubtedly a benefit of having a two-litre engine. It is occasionally said by those who frown on the bolt-on extras that there is no substitute for “cubic inches under the bonnet.” Engine capacity certainly counts for a lot. Its healthy maximum torque of 182 Nm is delivered at 4000 rpm. The engine started readily and warmed to its task without protest. Its red-line of 7000 rpm is well round the tachometer. Hit the accelerator and the needle makes a bolt for it. The engine really hits stride at about 5000 rpm and delivers its full 108 kW at 6000 rpm. It pushes on towards red-line without any noticeable flattening in performance. There is no doubt the engine will pass red-line unless a watch is kept on the tachometer. We had doubts that the gear ratios used with the lower-per-formance, manual, Telstars would be suited to the 16-valve power plant. Lowering the final drive ratio has made a remarkable difference. It feels like a close ratio box. Fourth offers ideal punch for overtaking at highway speeds, unless a driver really means business and opts for third.

Few will feel comfortable cruising at lOOkm/h in fourth, which has the engine pulling 3500 rpm. Slip it through to fifth and the revs drop to 3000 rpm. Such is the /acceleration avail-

able even in fifth that at times you could almost be fooled into looking for a higher gear.

Pushed hard, the transversemounted engine imparts a throaty sound to the cab whiph leaves no doubt a performance power plant is putting power on the road.

The gearshift was precise and slipped easily through the dogleg to fifth. Even at faster speeds, there was minimal road noise through to the cab from the Firestone steel-belted 185/70 radials, fitted to 14in alloy wheels. Wind noise, too, was low, with even the exterior door mirrors failing to generate any sound at highway speeds. The TXsi’s coefficient of drag is said to be 0.33, which is good for its class.

The car is fitted with disc brakes all round.

The suspension system, while identical in layout, has certainly been uprated. It is tauter yet shows no sign of choppiness in its ride.

The car is fitted with fullyindependent MacPherson struts front and rear, coupled with stabiliser bars.

Even in the hardest of cornering, the TX5i refuses to lurch over into a disconcerting roll. It sits comparatively flat on the road and displays only the slightest understeer.

The entire 1988 range of Telstars are fitted with load-sensi-tive rubber bushes in both lower lateral link mountings in the rear suspension. Under heavy cornering, the outer rear wheel toes in slightly to help reduce any tendency the car might have to oversteer.

Ford has not made the mistake of offering too much power assistance in the steering. At highway speeds, the steering is direct without any hint of vagueness. Occasionally there was some torque steer, but nothing to cause concern.

The east-west motor is an impressive sight. While hardly crammed, there will only be simple maintenance tasks the owner will be wise to undertake. Even the spark plugs are buried beneath a metal cover between the two camshaft covers.

The panel fit and finish on the car, assembled at Ford’s Manukau City plant, was excellent. Under the bonnet there was one minor seam weld v/hich showed

a touch of rust. It appeared, however, a small patch of paint had been knocked off. It shows, if nothing else, the importance of treating small scratches and knocks early. The car had travelled just 3500 km. The velour-covered driver’s seat, featuring a myriad of adjustments, caused no discomfort. There was never much doubt that the twin camshaft engine would deliver the goods. It is 22 per cent more powerful than the previous two-litre injected engine used in the top-line Telstar. The new unit has all the electronic wizardry and multivalve technology to make it a fine performer. We were initially sceptical that Ford would deliver in the other essential departments. However, the gearbox proves to be a fine match for the engine with its lower final drive ratio. The steering delivers good feel, and the car can cruise at indecentlyquick speeds with consummate ease. It displays taut handling and sits firmly on the road even in the hardest cornering. Ford asks $37,120 for the best performer in the Telstar and TXS range. The money buys not only a high performance car, but a well-appointed one. The car will doubtless appeal most to those after a sporty performer, but even those with more sedate driving habits should find the Ford to their liking. The dealer who handed over the keys to the test car reckoned it was the most refined Ford he had driven. Certainly it would be the most refined Japanese-sourced Ford we have put through its paces. It shares much in common with the performance of Europe’s Ford Sierra V 6 four-wheel-drive, but without the extra low-down torque the two extra pots give the largely German-designed car. The TX5i may not qualify for a Telepermit — unless you install a cellular telephone — but it can certainly dial up the kind of performance that leaves a more typical two-iitre saloon in its wake. A very engaging motor car.

More on the Ghia inside