Mk3 Zephyr 6 Estate
Estate car bodies for the large British Fords, until
recently, have been rather obvious adaptations of standard saloons, adequate
and praiseworthy but, distinctly, still conversions. With the current Zephyr 4
and 6 and the Zodiac III, E.D. Abbott Ltd. have been able to restyle the
bodywork to make each estate car a Ford model in its own right, and the benefit
is immediately apparent. There is an unbroken roofline, even though from
forward to the centre door pillars the front is the same as the corresponding
saloon. The design's rather rakish treatment of the back half does not appear
to have been hampered by any limitations of the standard saloon body shell.
Seafaring folk might well describe this estate car as
a spanking big craft with a nice turn of speed. It is big, by our standards,
but one soon forgets this as the ease of handling and the unusual smoothness
and quietness become apparent.
We had rather longer than is usual with a Road Test
vehicle to appreciate the Zephyr's qualities, for it took some members of our
staff to Geneva and back. apart from the normal test mileage. For the 1,300 and
more miles of this Continental journey, driven hard and well loaded, its fuel
consumption was a very creditable 19.6 m.p.g., somewhat better than the 18.2
m.p.g. recorded during over 1,000 miles of normal test mileage in this country.
Incidentally, the Zephyr 6 used no measurable quantity of oil at all in its
runs across France and in Switzerland. London traffic caused the fuel
consumption to rise to 16.6 m.p.g., whereas a very typical normal road journey
through the English Midlands produced 24.9 m.p.g. By way of contrast, we noted
that a steady 35 m.p.h., on the level in overdrive top gave the impressive
figure of almost 40 m.p.g.
Premium fuel was used for taking our test figures, but
the engine will also run very happily on 50-50 mixture of premium and regular
petrol without pinking.
This 2,554 c.c.six-cylinder Ford engine gives the
impression of being a glutton for work, if not for fuel, and is particularly
smooth and quiet throughout its range. It started readily, hot or cold, except
when the carburettor fuel level produced jet starvation on a 1-in-3 test hill.
Since a Zephyr estate car was last tested the net
engine power has been increased from 85 b.h.p. at 4,400 r.p.m. to 98 at 4,750
r.p.m., and the mean maximum speed is now a very useful 91 m.p.h., 8 m.p.h.
more than before, However, the last model lacked what is surely the most
important Ford advance for years, the four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox now
fitted, so that there are no equivalent intermediate gear ratios which can be
compared for acceleration times.
For a standing quarter-mile, the present estate car
takes 20.0sec, the former 20.9sec. From rest it reaches 50 m.p.h. in 11.2sec
and 80 m.p.h. in 37.8 sec, whereas the corresponding times before were 12.6 and
40.2sec respectively. These are appreciable, if not outstanding, gains which
result in the livelier road performance demanded by modern conditions. Both
cars weighed roughly the same, the new one being the heavier by only 65lb.
Concerning the gearbox, it was unfortunate that on the
Geneva journey the pilot bearing in the first motion shaft failed. This caused
noise and roughness in the indirect gears, compelling the drivers to use direct
and overdrive top much more than they would have normally. However, this was an
additional test of the flexibility and good slogging power of the engine. When
the bearing fault had been rectified back at the works, the gearbox became a
very quiet one, with well-spaced ratios giving practical maximum speeds of 36,
51 and 72 m.p.h. for first, second and third.
Borg-Warner overdrive was fitted as an extra to our
test car and operated on second, third, and top-even on bottom if you wanted to
have a bit of fun. With the good spacing of the direct ratios we decided that
the most practical value of the overdrive was with top gear on motorways and
the long straight roads of France, It is engaged or locked out by a push-pull
control below the facia, in conjunction with the usual Borg-Warner kick-down
mechanism operated by the accelerator pedal.
On all four gears the synchromesh operation was beyond
reproach. The steering column gearchange mechanism was quite good, but there
was just that trace of whippiness in the lever and the slight lag in response
that make many drivers prefer a floor change for its directness. Like the engine
the transmission had no vibration periods. There is quite a long travel on the
clutch pedal before anything happens, and the small amount of working motion
can result in some jerky take-offs unless care is taken and the pedal is fully
depressed. The clutch itself proved well up to all demands made on it,
including several attempts to start on a 1-in-3 gradient. This proved just too
much for the Zephyr, although it gets away happily on 1-in-4.
Most estate cars behave quite differently between
running light and fully loaded. Not so the Zephyr, which very nearly ignores
such minor irritations as a 6cwt load of concrete blocks in the back, or a full
load of passengers and luggage. With the 6cwt load it took only 1.5sec more
(21.5sec) for a standing quarter-mile, at the end of which it was doing 64
m.p.h. (unladen 68 m.p.h.)
In normal trim its ride qualities are impressive, and
it sails along on good or indifferent road surfaces without exhibiting any
vices. Little road noise is transmitted to the interior and even on quite sharp
corners the amount of heeling over is small. Perhaps because of Ford experience
in the East African Safari, the suspension shows up particularly well on a
simulated "washboard", or corrugated surface. At 40 m.p.h. on this
the car feels better than most others we have put to this severe test. the ride
smoothing out to a remarkable degree. It is less happy at the same speed on pave,
bouncing around quite a lot, while at 50 m.p.h. the car becomes difficult to
keep under control. All these characteristics remain unchanged with a 6cwt
load, except that on reasonably good surfaces the general comfort of the ride
is enhanced. With this load there was a slight amount of rear-end swing, but
nothing like so much as with most other estate cars.
Rather low-geared, the steering is light and positive.
The car understeers, but not obtrusively, and is directionally stable. On a
motorway in a fresh breeze it holds its course well without constant and tiring
need for steering corrections, and the large body is not particularly affected
by gusty side winds. There is no unusual tendency for the tail to slide on wet
roads, and deliberately induced skids can be controlled very easily.
With gentle applications at low speeds the brakes,
disc at the front, drums at the rear, seem at first to lack "bite".
Only a small increase in pedal load brings in full servo action smoothly and
the brakes then before excellent. As will be seen from our table, an 80lb load
on the pedal is enough to give maximum braking. Loads above this simply
increase the stopping distance by locking the rear wheels. At maximum braking
there is no wheel locking, judder or sideways movement of the car. In fact, the
system is highly satisfactory.
The handbrake lever is of the pull-out T-handle type
below the facia to the left. It is quite a long reach to get at it, and
although it would hold the car, up or down, on a 1-in-4 hill, it would only
just hold it facing down 1-in-3, not up.
A comfortable driving position and room for two
passengers distinguish for front bench seat, and there is a wide, folding
central armrest, useful for locating a single passenger. The p.v.c. upholstery
material is non-slip and the squab gives good support at the vital lower part
of the back, preventing slouching. The driver sits high, and the vast
surrounding areas of glass give him, and all his passengers, a commanding
all-round view. Pedal angles are quite good, the organ-pedal type accelerator
being well positioned, but the dipswitch is rather deeply embedded in the floor
covering and not always easy to use quickly
Door release catches are unobtrusive, below the front
ends of the four armrests, and these catches have been modified in shape
recently for easier operation. The window winders are also well placed for easy
use, but the heater switch, which has a warning light, is a long way from the
driver and would be better at the opposite end of the central panel carrying
this, a cigarette lighter and an ashtray. The heater itself delivers a good
volume of air and has two large control knobs on the facia. Unfortunately, a
lot of the air seems to miss the driver's feet, and only warms him above the
ankles. The demister grilles also seem to disperse the hot air rather widely
instead of concentrating it right on the windscreen.
The back seat squab is too upright for comfort over
long distances. This is probably connected with the hinging arrangements for
folding the back flat to increase the size of the luggage platform. All doors
give good clearance for getting into or out of the seats, and interior air
circulation can be varied widely by using the front-door quarter lights or the
large forward-hinged windows behind the rear doors.
Safety features include a plastic surround to the
interior mirror, padded edges to the facia and the shelf below it on the left,
a dished steering wheel and soft sun visors. A make-up mirror is well embedded
in the padding of the passenger's visor. There is no shelf for oddments below
the facia on the driver's side, but there is a slim map pocket in each front
door.
A cowled horizontal-strip speedometer, with mileage
recorder but no separate trip register, is visible through the large steering
wheel, and its panel incorporates a fuel gauge, water temperature gauge and
indicator lights. The screen wipers are effective at all car speeds, and the
control knob varies the speed of wiping. It also operates the washer, but this
knob is rather out of the way behind the steering wheel and gear lever. With
its locking glove box on the left, the facia is plain but neat and functional.
A headlamp flasher knob on the end of the turn
indicator lever is for finger-tip use room the steering wheel, and the
headlamps give plenty of light for fast driving. One ingenious Ford device is a
switch at the extreme right of the facia, for parking purposes. This leaves
only one front and one rear lamp lit (offside in Britain) and at the same time
isolates the ignition and starter. Thus the car cannot be started with only
these two lamps operating.
When the rear squab is folded forwarded there is still
clearance between its end and the back of the front seat. This enables loads to
be reached more easily through the back doors. The tailgate, which has a window
as wide as that of the Zephyr saloon, is of fibreglass. It gives a high and
wide opening, and is supported by vertical stainless steel struts linked to
torsion bars below the floor, which is covered with a tough p.v.c. material,
easy to clean.
A stainless steel bar is mounted behind the rear seat
squab, for use as a handle for moving it and as a guard rail for stopping bulky
luggage from sliding forward under sudden braking. The floor space, with the
seat back flat, is 5ft 10in. long and 4ft 9.5in. wide, but unlike that of the
more recent estate car in the Ford family, the Cortina, this floor is very high
above ground. Available carrying space is said to be 62cu.ft. with the floor
flat and 29cu.ft. with the back seat in use.
How much of this space is safely and conveniently
useable depends on the owner and what he wants to carry, Normal holiday luggage
for six people would probable disperse itself just as well, and more securely,
in the 21 cu.ft. boot of the standard saloon, but a pig or two would probably
complain. Spare wheel and tools are below the rear floor in a separate
compartment.
Fords were pioneers of reduced maintenance, and
although there are still 12 points needing a grease-gun, this is required only
at 5,000-mile intervals. Engine oil changes are recommended at the same
mileage, while the gearbox and final drive simply call for the occasional check
and topping-up
For those who want a fast, big, tough estate car that
will take everything in its long stride, the Zephyr 6 should have a very strong
appeal. In a dual role of workhorse and town carriage it can have few rivals at
the price.