Mk2 Zodiac Automatic
The Zodiac with Borg-Warner automatic transmission has
a very wide appeal; it holds particularly strong attractions for the
cost-conscious motorist who requires a roomy, good-looking, fast, quiet-running
saloon car that is remarkably easy to drive
Its limitations are few: it is, of course, not a sport
car; it offers little to attract the motorist who is a keen driver in the sense
of liking to exercise his judgment and skill in negotiating curves and bends
with zest and in operating gear lever and clutch pedal adroitly. (A 'standard
transmission' model is, of course, also available). So too are various means of
increasing the power of the engine. This report deals with the Zodiac with
standard engine and automatic transmission.
Much of this Zodiac's character arises from the fact
that its designershave sought to provide a generous sufficiency in all
directions and excess in none. Thus, for a cost price of one thousand and
seventy six pounds, one has a six-seater car of elegant appearance that is
extremely easy to drive and is capable of exceeding 85 m.p.h. in slightly
favourable circumstances.
A motorist who invariably travels long distances with
five passengers might elect to have a little more room; a motorist who seeks to
cruise whenever possible at about 70 m.p.h. might seek yet more power. But the
accommodation, power and speed of the Zodiac certainly cater more than
generously for the requirements of the vast majority of motorists.
A carefully planned all-round balance of virtues is
the aim of all who design vehicles to be made (and sold) in considerable
quantities. Inits particular price group, the Zodiac, in our opinion,
excellently attains its target.
People with quite widely differing tastes may choose
to buy this car for entirely separate reasons - and all be well pleased by
their choice. Their reasons might be the Zodiac's lines, the seating
accommodation and baggage-space that it offers, the ease with which it is
driven, the widespread availability of specialised servicing and genuine spare
parts that exists because it is a Ford product, its performance and reasonable
petrol consumption- any one of these, or a combination of any two or more.
The Zodiac's 90 b.h.p. (gross) 2 1/2-litre 6-cylinder
engine mates very well with the Borg-Warner transmission system which provides
automatic changes between the following three conditions: a direct-drive
("solid") top gear resulting in an overall ration of 3.9 to 1, an
intermediate gear in which the torque converter provides overall ratios ranging
between 5.6 and 11.2 to 1, and a low gear in which the torque converter
provides overall ratios ranging between 9.0 and 18.0 to 1. The gears are of
epicyclic type and are quiet in operation.
The transmission lever may be set in any one of five
lettered positions: P, D, L, R-Park (in which the transmission is locked),
Neutral, Drive (in which all normal motoring is done), Low (in which only the
lowest range of ratios is operative), Reverse.
As a safety precaution, the wiring of the circuit of the
starter motor is such that the engine may be started only when the transmission
lever is set at either Neutral or Park.
Upward changes from the low gear to the intermediate,
and thence to the direct top gear, are automatically effected according to road
speed and throttle-opening.
Downward changes take place automatically when road
speed falls - and, at all suitable higher speeds, they may be made by the
driver depressing the accelerator pedal to the furthermost limit of its travel
(this actuates an electrical switch which is positioned under the pedal).
In the full-throttle condition upward changes are
delayed beyond thenormal point; thus, with the accelerator pedal fully
depressed, the change from low to intermediate occurs at 30 m.p.h., whereas
this change is otherwise made at a point between 10 and 20 m.p.h., which is
dictated by the precise degree of throttle-opening.
The change from intermediate to the direct top gear
occurs at between 20 and 35 m.p.h. unless the accelerator pedal is fully depressed
- in the latter ('kick-down') condition this change is made at 55 m.p.h.
These speeds and details are chiefly of academic
interest. The motorist who elects to have automatic transmission will drive a
thus-equipped Zodiac without thought of the ratio that is operative at any
given time. With full justification, he will say to himself "Messrs. Ford
and Borg-Warner know best", and, applying suitable pressure to the
accelerator or to the brake pedal according to road conditions, he will obtain all
the results he desires without conscious consideration of the ways and means
involved.
The changes are always smoothly made, but particularly
so at the lower road speeds. This is appropriate enough: when the car is being
accelerated rapidly (when pressed it will reach 60 m.p.h. from a standstill in
18 seconds) the slight forward surge that accompanies upward changes is
reassuring rather than disconcerting.
As is usual with automatic devices, the truly skilled,
enthusiastic, and possibly rather 'old-fashioned' driver may occasionally feel
that, given a gear lever, he would have changed gear at a more suitable moment
than the automatic system did. This type of motorist is not really in the
market for automatic transmission, but even he will probably recognise the immense
value of the system in town driving- and will admit that, within the limits
imposed by the fact that no automatic transmission is capable of anticipating
future events in the manner that an observant driver can, the system works
well-nigh perfectly.
An automatic transmission system which provides two
pedal control contributes generously towards making a car easy to drive - but
it does not, of itself, inevitably result in a vehicle that is driven without
anxiety or strain. The view-out that is obtained from a car's driving seat, the
positioning of its controls and the efficiency of its brakes also have great
influence in this matter. The Zodiac scores well in these directions.
Visibility from the driving seat - and, indeed, from
all seats, of the Zodiac is excellent. The driver has within his view the
extremities and large portions of all four wings; he is able to execute parking
and similar manoeuvres with exactitude and confidence. The brake pedal is
sufficiently wide to encourage brake-application by means of the left foot when
the car is being "inched" forwards or backwards.
The engine of the Zodiac that was submitted for test
had a very quiet and utterly smooth idle, and there was no "creep",
i.e. no tendency for the car to move forwards when the transmission lever was
set in Drive position and the vehicle was standing still on a level road
without pressure being applied to the accelerator pedal.
The Zodiac's brake pedal is set high in relation to
the position occupied by the accelerator pedal; it is, in fact, so high that a
tall driver may find the upper part of his right leg striking the rim of the
steering wheel when he raises his foot to apply the brakes - until he acquires
the habit of angling his knee to avoid this encounter.
With this exception, all of the Zodiac's controls are
admirably positioned to ensure ease of operation by drivers of virtually all
heights and build.
Completely free from any sign of fade in all normal
conditions, the Zodiac's brakes provide very good stopping power in response to
quite light pedal pressures. Their efficiency and consistency of performance
contribute towards the driver's relaxed. peaceful state of mind. It is easy for
the man or woman at the controls of this car to obey the Road Safety
Organisation's injunction to drive relaxed and alert....and with a smile.
The seats are comfortable; little fatigue is
experienced by driver or passengers after many hours of continuous motoring.
Moderately firm, the suspension system bestows almost
roll-free cornering ability at normal touring-car speeds and a good ride,
without any suggestion of pitching, over all types of surfaces. Bumpy roads can
produce a certain amount of vertical motion at the rear(particularly if the
baggage boot is empty),but the relative periodicities of the front and rear
springs are well-planned to prevent this from developing into a pitching
motion.
Starting is immediate. After a start from cold it is
best to warm up the engine for a minute or two before driving off; this removes
the possibility of stalling which otherwise exists.
Willing and smooth-running, the Zodiac's engine is
most pleasantly unobtrusive at all times except when the car is being driven
somewhat ruthlessly with the objective of extracting its maximum performance. A
cruising speed of 65-70 m.p.h. proves agreeable on fast, national roads, and
the Zodiac holds a straight course notably well even when quite a strong
side-wind is blowing. At 70 m.p.h. crankshaft r.p.m. in top gear is 3,700.
Standard equipment includes an electric clock, folding
arm-rest to front seat, two-tone finish (monotone also available), and
windscreen washers, cigarette lighter and whitewall tyres. Both front doors are
fitted with key-locks. The test car was equipped with a radio, which is an
optional extra. The vacuum-operated windscreen wipers have the virtue and the
fault common to the type: they operate quietly but they slow down almost to a
halt when the throttle is opened abruptly.
With first-grade (90 octane by research rating) fuel
in the tank, there is no suggestion of pinking at any time.
In the course of average motoring we obtained 24.3
m.p.g. Experiments conducted over shorter distances indicated that as much as
30m.p.g. may be obtained by very gentle driving, and that only truly hectic
driving will result in 20 m.p.g. or less.
Ably planned to provide precisely the type of motoring
that very many modern motorists want, the Ford Zodiac is a versatile and
likeable car which exemplifies the advantage of volume-production by offering
excellent value for money.