When the talk turns to Ford, the car that comes to mind is Taurus, the sales dynamo that has helped the automaker take market share away from General Motors Corp.
But in checking sales statistics, the top-selling model at Ford Motor Co. is the subcompact Escort. In the first six months of this calendar year, Escort was the top-selling car in the nation; Taurus was third.
Escort sales totaled 191,592 in the six months, with Taurus at 174,980. That`s a bit surprising, considering that the Escort was introduced in the 1982 model year, Taurus in 1986.
We test drove the 1987 two-door hatchback, the best-selling Escort.
Escort is a functional car that gets you from that proverbial point A to B while burning little fuel. Room is fairly good for two adults up front and two or three small kids in the back. Cargo carrying capacity is above average. The rear seat folds down if you need to increase the cargo hold.
The car we drove was equipped with automatic shoulder belts. Sit in the driver`s or passenger seat, turn the key in the ignition and the belt moves along a rail in the upper door to secure itself around your upper torso.
Automatic belts, which save time and labor in fastening them yourself, are designed to force occupants to belt up who normally wouldn`t.
The only problem with an automatic belt is that you had better not have a cigarette or ice cream cone in the way. The belt makes a quick trip along that rail. When you turn off the key and open the door, the belt backs down the rail to free the occupant.
A good system, but we would feel better if the belt moved a little slower in its crusade to fasten around you when you start the car to give you some time to clear its path.
Escort is powered by a 1.9-liter, fuel-injected, 4-cylinder engine. Though a 5-speed is standard, the car we drove was equipped with optional
($490) automatic. The 1.9 is adequate, but with automatic it doesn`t have the same pep as an Escort GT with 5-speed.
We drove the car to northern Wisconsin. Shortly out of Milwaukee on Int. Hwy. 94 the speed limit is 65 miles an hour. The Escort cruised at that speed comfortably and wasn`t tossed all over the road when semis going considerably faster than 65 passed, which was often. The Escort hung onto its lane well but in everyday driving didn`t have the same firm ride and handling as its sporty Escort GT counterpart.
If you want crisp ride and handling, above average performance, and sporty looks, go the Escort GT route. If you want function and high mileage at a relatively low price, go for the basic Escort.
The Escort starts at $6,949.
Mack Ratchford, Ford`s Chicago district sales manager, said the two-door hatchback accounts for 65 percent of all Escort sales in the Chicago area. And Escorts aren`t that easy to find as local stocks are down to a 35-day supply, versus a 77-day supply of Taurus.
NOTES
Ford`s having a good year with three of the industry`s top 10 selling cars–Escort, Taurus and Tempo. According to industry sales figures for the first six months of the year, the top selling nameplates were Escort, Chevrolet Celebrity (178,152), Taurus, Chevy Cavalier (166,865), Honda Accord (149,126), Oldsmobile Ciera (128,575), Hyundai Excel (127,056), Nissan Sentra (126,161), Tempo (126,105) and Pontiac Grand Am (111,661).
Chrysler is mum about details of its 1988 model Chrysler New Yorker and Dodge Dynasty front-wheel-drive C-body four-door sedans being built in Belvidere, Ill. But it did say that the new highly automated plant will have a machine to test antilock braking systems. You have to suspect, then, that antilock brakes will be offered.
We noted last Sunday that Pontiac will replace the 3-liter V-6 with the 2.3-liter 4-cylinder 16-valve Quad Four in the 1988 Grand Am. But GM will continue to offer the 3-liter V-6 in the compact Buick Somerset and Olds Calais in 1988. Here`s a further update: GM is working on a beefed-up 3.3-liter V-6 version of the 3-liter. Also, a 3.1-liter V-6 version of GM`s 2.8-liter V-6 is being developed. Both engines would come out in 1989 at the earliest.
Cadillac will have a 4.5-liter V-8 version of the 4.1-liter V-8 in 1988 that boasts 155 horsepower, up from 130 h.p. in the 4.1. But the new engine won`t be in the two-seater Allante until 1989.
And `89 is the year Toyota is expected to bring to the U.S. a larger, wider-body version of its Crown sedan sold in Japan. The car would be powered by a 4-liter V-8 engine. At the same time, Nissan is expected to start selling larger, wider-body versions of its Cedric and Gloria sedans sold in Japan. The models will have a 4.1-liter engine and will compete with big domestic cars.
Cadillac began test marketing a roadside service program this month in areas of Michigan for motorists who need repairs or towing when dealerships are closed. Under the program, owners can call a toll-free number staffed by trained advisers.
A technician using a specially equipped service vehicle is sent to the motorist and if a minor repair is needed, such as replacing a hose or belt, the technician does the fix-up on site. If a major repair is diagnosed, the car is towed to the nearest dealership and the technician drives the motorist home or to lodging.
Michael Kelly, president of the New Avanti Motor Corp. says he will continue assembling cars in South Bend, Ind., though he`s considering consolidating operations at a new plant in Ohio earmarked for production of a new four-door model. Avanti assembles its limited-edition luxury cars in a 100-year-old building where the defunct Studebaker Corp. once produced cars.
Proton Corp., a California-based electronics manufacturer, has sued to block the use of the Proton name on autos to be imported here from Malaysia by the folks marketing the Yugo.
With Ford`s announced expansion of its Louisville truck plant, we know that a four-door Bronco II is in the works for 1990.
Hyundai raised the price of its mini-Excel for `88 an average of 3 percent, or $225. The base two-door hatchback goes up by $100, to $5,295. Local Hyundai dealers should begin opening this fall.
Retail truck sales nationwide were a record 409,735 units in June, a 3.4 percent increase from the previous high of 396,294 in June, 1978.
MAIL BAG
What ever happened to the 50 Chrysler turbine cars? L.E., Buffalo Grove
A few are in museums; most were destroyed. The December, 1986, issue of
”Collectible Automobile” (Publications International in Skokie, $4.95)
was devoted to the Chrysler turbine cars and notes that three are still in Chrysler`s possession. Others are in the Los Angeles Museum of Science, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, the St. Louis Museum of Transportation, the Henry Ford Museum and the Detroit Historical Museum.
Will the Isuzu Trooper get a 6-cylinder engine for 1988? B.M., Libertyville
The Trooper offers a 2.3-liter 4-cylinder. For `88 it gets a 2.6-liter 4- cylinder, but not a 6.
My friend says if you`re under 5 feet 5 inches tall you don`t have to wear a safety belt. M.O., Park Ridge
She`s wrong.
I recently got caught in two hailstorms in Wyoming. I inspected body damage on my Pontiac 6000 and several Hondas with their owners. The Hondas looked like a maniac took a hammer and attacked the car. My SE had a few dings, but to the casual observer there was no damage. I think this reflects stronger sheet metal in domestic cars. W.S., Evanston
The sheet metal is probably about a mill thicker in domestics. Thanks for writing because now all irate Honda owners` mail will be forwarded to you. Suggest you clear your desk.
You`re out of your mind. Instead of car dealers and manufacturers, you hammer away on consumers who are having problems with their cars. K.O., Chicago
We won`t debate the comment about the mind, but perhaps a few dealers and carmakers would argue with the view that they escape criticism. Because your letter arrived shortly after the July 5 column, we suspect that your comment about ”hammering” on consumers referred to the letter from a Cadillac owner whose floor mats bunched up and whose mud flap fell off on a 3-year-old car. He was going to paint lemons on his Eldorado. We said he probably would have difficulty finding someone to paint the lemons to his satisfaction. When dealers, manufacturers or consumers are wrong we`ll say so.
After waiting four weeks, we got a call from our salesman to say there was a problem with the Dodge mini-van we ordered, that there was an ”honest” mistake of $632 and that the girl who did the paperwork subtracted the trade- in value twice. Even with the added $632, the salesman said the dealer would make only $150 on the van at $13,371. We said we had no more money but could pay $50 a month until the $632 was paid off. The dealer said either we come up with a certified check for $632 or no deal. After contacting our lawyer, we got our deposit back and bought a Ford Aerostar where the salesman made no mistakes, honest or otherwise. S.G., Lombard
Your enclosed contract for the Dodge showed that the $600 trade-in value of your used car wasn`t subtracted twice–or even once. But you were being charged a $49.50 DOC fee. You were smart not to cave in and agree to pay the $632; luckily you did the right thing in going elsewhere.
