Group tests: to 35 litres
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Granada is 2.8 litre (a German engine) and the biggest Leyland a 2.2 litre (Princess).
The only remaining 3 litre left, as far as fleet cars are con cerned, is the Capri. Our test model was the automatic Ghia version finished in what I believe is the most popular Capri colour — gold.
For sheer performance the Capri has few equals — it was like a missile when the throttle was depressed. Tyre wear could be a problem on the rear, as wheel spin could be induced very easily And that with an automatic!
However all that power allows for few errors. Too much "boot" after corning out of a corner in the wet, and a slide could be induced. Otherwise the Capri is fun to drive, very comfortable — in Ghia form anyway — although the rear passengers have little room to stretch their legs.
The third door is a great boon for loading and unloading and the rear seat squab can be folded in two halves to give room for one passenger and some parcels together.
The Granada 2.8 is available in L, GL and Ghia options, all are automatic, but a manual box can be had as a delete option.
The Granada sets a very high standard both in performance and comfort Although it is similar in looks to the Cortina, it has far greater interior space and is much nicer to drive.
I didn't go for the rather thick rimmed steering wheel, but the power steering was excellent. It had plenty of feel, but yet made parking simple.
The Granada's wheel embellishers, as with other Fords fitted with them, stick out from the wheel rim and being made only of light pressed alloy they are very vulnerable to kerb damage. But in all other respects, the Granada is a well-designed car.
From the Rover stable, we tried 2300, 2600 and 3500 versions. The smaller is, I feel, underpowered for the job. By far the nicest — pure performance aside — was the 2600 automatic which was economical and pleasant to drive.
But all three suffered from two major drawbacks — low claustrophobic roof linings and not enough seat fore and aft adjustment. The former did nothing to improve the car's poor all-round visibility, while the latter was positively uncomfortable on long runs. A five-speed gearbox is fitter to the 3500 and it, along witf the light alloy 3,5-litre V8, maki this a real flyer. But the gear lever stems too far from thi driver and fuel consumptioi when the car is being drivel hard is abysmal.
Yet another complaint, th rugby ball-shaped steerim wheel is, well, horrible.
Of all the cars we drove, th Granada came out tops. It i easy to see why — Ford ha simply got it right. The Rover and Princesses, although inn( vative, are riot really very pract cal. It looks then as if convei tional engineering rules still wit fleet buyers although with introduction of Erika and othi Worldcars with front-whei drive all that could change.