Business cars: it pays to take a firm look
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Cars are part of virtually any business — so analyse their costs as you do those of commercial vehicles. Stuart Bladon has the inside news on the new models
LASGOW'S Show brings three -nportant new business car anges to the market in Scotmd: Ford's Granada, greatly -nproved; Vauxhall's very signicant new Cavalier range; and IL's co-operative effort, the 'Humph Acclaim.
At Kelvin Hall there are also ome important newcomers rom Germany, including latest tolkswagens with the emphasis in fuel economy; new BMWs; ind top-line Mercedes. Those esponsible for buying cars for wsiness use may well be delibeating how these new contendirs slot into the market, and vhich ones to buy for their cornmnies.
_OOKING FIRST at the Triumph kcclaim, it is clear that this new riodel has come on to the mar:et at quite a competitive level; ind it's not just novelty value hat gives the Acclaim rather ipecial appeal.
That part of it which originates rom Japan — mainly the engine 3nd transmission — is quite beautifully engineered, and has the makings of being an efficient, reliable and long-life unit. It uses alloy for both the cylinder head and the block, and the cylinder bores are inserted cast iron liners, which can be renewed. There's no re-boring this engine, or just exchanging the lower part for a new "short" engine after extended service: it will be a case of strip and rebuild.
For short-term reliability, the signs are also good, as the Acclaim has no-maintenance electronic ignition, and very good access all round, and requires major service only every 15,000 miles. A simple service — little more than an oil change — is required at the mid-point (every 7,500 miles). BL is claiming that routine service costs for the Acclaim over 50,000 miles are some £90 cheaper than for a Ford Cortina.
The body shape does not look one of the most aerodynamic of profiles, but at least it has a low front for good air penetration and in conjunction with the efficient engine and the fitting of a five-speed gearbox as standard, the Acclaim has quite good potential economy. Budget for something in the region of 3335mpg in everyday use and the estimate should not be too far adrift.
An initial impression that the fuel gauge seems to fall rather rapidly is explained by the rather small fuel tank, holding only 10 gallons. It takes two-star fuel — a useful bonus.
Will the user like it? That is a question to which the business car buyer should always attach great importance, The Acclaim has strong initial appeal as one of those cars that feels right the moment the driver takes the wheel for the first time, and it has very manageable handling which should not gi‘ problems even for inexpi rienced drivers. Its comprehei sive equipment and typically J panese neatness in the interii furnishings should also give lot of satisfaction.
Not quite so good are tirather harsh noise of the engir when working hard, and ft somewhat lively ride which is bit disappointing in view of tluse of independent suspensic all round.
Good features include 0boot, with flat floor and no s between the rear lamps, tl provision for adjustin headlamp beam height from tl driving seat, and such touches refinement as providing a litt compartment in the facia f parking-meter coins, standat fitting of a radio, and a digit clock. The boot is self-lockin but the driver has a remote r lease lever for the boot besk his seat.
A glance at the Priceomet shows that a lot more moni has to be paid for the CD versic of the Acclaim, and even wi fleet discounts it is difficult 1 justify the extra expenditure fc the fairly small additional fe tures provided by the CD spei fication.
Mainly, these comprif. electric window lifts, headlart washers (a doubtful provisii when lamp wipers are not al
red), head restraints on the mt seats, and velour seat iholstery. There are some -ier detail additions, such as 3 p pockets on the backs of the ats, and replacement of the iio with a radio and stereo ssette unit. The CD, I feel, will strictly for the sort of user lo was previously in a larger r and insists on the top speciation as compensation for wnsizing.
rhe middle specification — .S — seems to be the one to go r, ensuring good retained lue when the time comes for ;posing of the car, and it proles sufficient extra, including ch practical features as innally adjustable door mirrors, logen headlamps, and a hatch .ough the rear seat into the ot.
t also gets partial velour seat ;ings and protective side strips the body. So this seems the Kiel to go for, and before ;counting, £4,988 is the price. specification and equipment ighly equate to a Ford Cortina )0GL, whose bigger size and ger engine capacity justify the rra cost over an Acclaim.
1,N U FACT URERS tend to leapg each other with introduci of new model ranges, and cars get better and better the .1 who has just introduced a (v range is usually in a strong ;ition. Thus Vauxhall has a iporary advantage over Ford, lose new Cortina is not ;eduled to appear until next ir. What's more, its new Cava
lier is a very attractive purchase for business use, promising appreciably lower running costs than such cars have usually incurred in the past.
Many aspects of the Vauxhall Cavalier design are the same as for the Acclaim, with the fourcylinder engine mounted transversely at the front and driving the front wheels, and with hemispherical combustion chambers in the interests of efficiency. Aluminium is used for the cylinder head, but the block is of cast iron, with the bores machined directly into the metal. Also, it has only four gears instead of the Acclaim's five, and top gear is slightly lower.
Further difference is that the Cavalier offers a choice of engines — 1300 or 1600. Although similar in outward appearance, the engines are substantially different internally. Both units have hydraulic tappets, requiring no periodic adjustment of tappets as well as contributing to reduced noise, but the 1600 is a more efficient unit and also has electronic ignition.
Each has an automatic choke, unlike the Acclaim which has a manual choke control. This can be a mixed blessing — better for the kind of driver who would grossly over-use a manual choke control, but subject to adjustment problems if past experience is repeated.
A glance at our Priceometer for this range shows the large choice of models offered, with two engines computed against three body styles (two-door, fourand five-door), with five equipment packages (base, L, GLS and SR). The last of these, SR, is a sporting package with Recaro seats, which might reasonably be excluded from any business car shopping list. Even without it, the Cavalier comes in a choice of 13 models covering a spread of more than £2,000.
The only two-door model offered is the 1300 base, and there is no GLS trim option for the 1300 engine. Rather careful study of the Cavalier packaging is needed before ordering, and it will be seen that the on-cost for extra equipment is higher than for the larger engine.
It would be false economy for the business buyer to order the smaller engine, since the 1600 is not only smoother, more responsive arid much better able to cope, but it is also a lot more economical. This is in complete contradiction of the usual presumption that the smallest engine will give the best economy.
Best value of the whole range
undoubtedly the 1600L, with ither four or five doors as reuired. The L specification rings many of the items which eople nowadays expect to find, Jch as radio, cigarette lighter, ghts for the heater controls, oot and luggage compartment, nd a quartz clock. Although the ase model is adequately well quipped, with such things as itermittent wiper action, reclinng front seats with loop eadrests, and an exterior door -1irror, the extra cost of some 300 seems justified.
Not so the GL, which jumps by lore than £600 with little to how for it other than velour eat upholstery.
Among its additions is a uzzer to sound if the driver's oar is opened with the sideimps still alight. When I tested le 1600GL this proved an inernal nuisance on a number of ccasions when the lights were eing left on deliberately, and ihile I appreciate that the ofending item could have been -acked down and the wire ipped off, I would object to aying extra for it.
With prices above £6,000, the ;LS package begins to move the ;avalier out of the realms of any ,eriously considered business ;ar purchase, and although it ;ounds well-equipped on a quick ;lance, the two main additions sliding sunroof and a mono adio with stereo cassette — :ould both be more cheaply )rdered separately. The sunroof s a listed accessory for the Cavflier base, L and GL models at :242 extra.
Fuel consumption is going to )e in the region of 30-32mpg for 1 Cavalier 1600 on business use with the inevitable hard driving hat such use presumes; and the
fuel tank holds a generous 131/2gal, giving a working range in the region of 350 miles still with a fair safety margin for refuelling.
Having commented earlier that the 1600L seemed the one to pick from the Cavalier range, one cannot escape comparison with the Triumph Acclaim since, in four-door form, this version is priced some £83 cheaper than an HLS Acclaim, with a price of £4,905 against the Acclaim's £4,988. The Cavalier would prove a little faster, roomier and slightly more comfortable, but not quite so economical, nor so well equipped. The choice would be difficult, and while the Acclaim might be the better of the two for a small family car, business use considerations would seem to favour the Cavalier.
Vauxhall is trying very hard to capture a big share of the business car market with this new Cavalier, and a lot of care was taken to make it suitably easy to repair. Like the Acclaim, it has bolt-on front wings to reduce labour costs of accident repairs. For ease of overhaul, the manual transmission can be stripped in situ, and a clutch change is claimed to be possible in 65 minutes without taking the engine out of the car.
With all these features, the Cavalier should prove inexpensive to run. Service is required every 6,000 miles, alternating an oil change and routine checks with major service.
BECAUSE it looks much the same as its predecessor, it is easy to be misled into thinking that the new Ford Granada is not very different from the old one. On the contrary, it is so extensively improved as almost to be thought of as a new car. More than 40 detail improvements were made, and Ford will tell you that the total investment was in the region of £50m.
Main attention was turned to the suspension and steering, with the result that the ride is much more comfortable than before. As well as being much smoother, more refined and better damped on ordinary roads, the, suspension now transmits lesS road roar. The Granada can justly claim to offer better ride comfort than many of the more firmly sprung cars lined up against it on the Priceometey.
The brakes also have been altered to give more immediate response and improved pedal feel, and the power steering is now extremely good, with the degree of assistance arranged to reduce as speed rises. Brake pad wear and all fluid levels are now monitored for the driver, and the clutch action has been improved, now lighter and providing smoother drive take-up from rest.
Inside, the car has better instrumentation and much better seats, which include.adjustable lumbar support on all but the cheapest version. Granada prices cover a huge range, the dearest model being well on the way to twice the price of the cheapest version, the 2000L with four-cylinder two-litre engine. Justifying the extra cost, Ford really heaps on the equipment, so that the Ghia gets automatic transmission as standard, electric sunroof, electric remote control and heating for the door mirrors, electric window lifts and tinted glass, head restraints front and rear, alloy road wheels, and an extremely good stereo radio/cassette unit playing through four loudspeakers with single joystick balance control. So although the Priceometer shows it to be levelpegging with a Mercedes-Benz 280E, the Granada Ghia is far better equipped.
An example of the 2800 Ghia (carburettor model) served me very well on a recent trip to Germany, proving capable of cruising at around 100mph true speed (110 on the speedomete while still giving 17-20mpg. TI manual 2800i Ghia would doubt prove still more econ mical.
Near the top of the range is ti 2.8 injection model, with spoi seats, spoiler on the boc manual transmission and injE tion engine. The range is al swollen by the large choice Granada estates, too numero to include here. Best val model seems to be the 2800C which comes with winding su roof, has many of the Ghia ft tures, and includes the V6 2 litre carburettor engine al automatic transmission in price of £10,352. Ford's aul matic transmission is extremf smooth and responsive b spoilt by a notchy and badly . ranged selector.
There is no base Granada, t range starting with the L whi is well -equipped for a big f priced well below the cheap' Rover. As the 2000L it has t four-cylinder two-litre ohc gine as in the Cortina 2000; r quite such good value is 1 2300L, which has the 2.3-litre engine.
With the Granada range, Fc shows its usual ability to pa age one basic model in diffen ways to cover a huge section the market, and for business it is not easy to make a logi case for having anything bu Granada once the budget gc over £7,000.
A TREMENDOUS bid for be1 fuel economy is being made Volkswagen with its 19 models, and there is no doi that anyone who takes adv tage of the aids offered sho get very good mpg figures. to 25 per cent better on mos1 the range is the claim be made for what VW calls the F mel E versions. At the sa time, the VW Passat has arri\ on the market in much imprm form, and with 1.6-litre or ne■ available five-cylinder 1.9-1i engine.
The exact specification of Formel E (for Economy Energy conscious) varies fn model to model. VW has star by optimising engine efficien using electronic ' ignition a careful choice of compress ratio for best efficien Then it adapted bod to improve wind flc using spoilers and such ruses as re-she ing the A-post to avi the drag of a deep r, channel. Then it introduc higher gearing, so that top g becomes an economy cru io (quieter, too), and maxiIrn speed is reached in third ar with four-speed models, I in fourth with five-speed sions.
Myer aids are then added — a I consumption indicator, and ear-change warning reminder ing the driver a gentle hint t he could save fuel by chang
up. Finally comes "stoprt". A touch on a finger-tip ton, once the car has come to t in traffic, stops the engine. .1 can then release the clutch ial, leaving first gear enJed. When the lights change, the traffic clears, just put the tch fully down and press the elerator. The engine restarts omatically, and with practice
can go straight off in one ivement including the start
Passat I tried had the new -litre five-cylinder engine with chback body, and manual a-speed transmission, and n without the Forme' E stop-t refinement it readily gave npg.
1EN I was running a BMW I 3 always asked, on checking it
in for service, "What company?" It seemed to be presumed that no one ran a BMW 732) unless it was on business. To a lesser extent, no doubt that also applies to the BMW 5 Series, of which the new versions have been shown at both Motorfair and Kelvin Hall. It is a car that is far and away better than its predecessor, although the external appearance is not all that different.
The engineering side of BMW 5-Series cars always was very advanced, particularly in terms of its engine and transmission; but there were shortcomings of ride, handling and ventilation, all of which have been greatly improved in the new range. Biggest change, which was introduced towards the end of the life of the previous model, was the introduction of the five-speed gearbox with high ratio fifth for much quieter and more economical cruising.
Probably buyers in this level of car for senior management can do no more than give meaningful advice since the executive who chooses a BMW instead of the hand-out Granada will no doubt have a close idea of what he wants. So the best advice to give might be to point out that the economy and refinement owe a lot to the high gearing available with the new fivespeed amnual transmission.
Most keen drivers will prefer this to the automatic, which is not a particularly good automatic. If, however, there is a definite insistence on having an automatic then the best policy might be to defer the purchase for a while, because a new and no doubt much superior automatic is on the way. This was announced at a press conference at last September's Frankfurt Show.
Also on the way, in spring next year, are two new versions of the 5-Series. The four-cylinder 1.8-litre BMW 518 will bring this attractive car in less powerful, less refined form, within reach of buyers on a lower budget — priced at £7,265. There will also be a new S/E (special equipment) version of the 528) with "all the goodies" including ABS (anti-lock brake system), electric sunroof, and an on-board computer making possible a number of fascinating computations, timings and advanced warnings.
This specification will move th 528i well up the price scale, t, £14,240; as with the Granada the dearest model will then b nearly twice the price of th, cheapest.
AS MERCEDES-BENZ did not ex hibit at Motorfair, Kelvin Hal provides the official British firs showing of the Mercedes-Ben: estate car range, the 2001 230TE, 240TD diesel, 300TD die se!, and 280TE. The 250T (wit) 21/2-litre six-cylinder engine) being discontinued, and its placc is taken by the new fuel-injectior 230TE. However, these cars arc by no means new, having beer on the market for some month: since a rather indeterminatE launch. More novel at Kelvin Hal is the arrival on the British mar. ket of the S-Class coupe.
Two versions are available the 380S EC, with V8 3.8-litre en. gine, and the five-litre 500SEC Standard equipment in the pricE of £25,700 for the 380SEC in eludes cruise control, alloy wheels, limited slip differential leather or velour seat upholstery to choice, with electric adjust. ment for the seats, and electric operation for the sunroof, dooi mirrors and windows.
At £28,700, the 500SEC come: with all these things plus air conditioning and ABS (anti-loci, brakes), and seems the bettei investment, at £28,700.
These are the more significan1 new models at the Glasgow Show. Apart from the Mercedes Benz coupe, which was first launched at the Frankfurt Show, they were all seen previously at Motorfair, and they together present a usefully extended choice for the business car buyer.
• A page on cars is included in CM'S Tables of Operating C05t5 7981-82 available at £3 including postage. Standing, running and total operating costs are given for cars up to 1,300cc; over 1,300 and up to 1,600cc; 1,600 to 2,000cc; and 2,000 to 3,500cc. Minimum charges for self-drive cars are given on per mile, per week and on a time plus mileage basis.