Five Ford Capri - long-distance test of the successful model with five engines and four equipment variants (ZQ)
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Summary
In February 1970, AR published an exceptionally comprehensive long-distance test. Five models (1300, 1300 GT, 1600, 1600 GT, 2000 GT) of the new Capri in four equipment variants had gone through the entire test procedure, thousands of kilometers had been covered. At five densely printed pages, this was probably the most comprehensive test ever presented in Automobil Revue. And the AR editors summed up the test quite positively: "With the Capri fastback coupé, those who make the marketing decisions at Ford of Europe have achieved a unique coup. The resounding success of this model is due to the combination of various sales-promoting features such as a sporty, elegant shape, four seats, a wide range of engines and equipment and, last but not least, the low prices of the basic models. Drivers with real sporting ambitions cannot warm to the Capri. Young people or couples with small children, on the other hand, for whom chic lines mean more than sporty temperament, comfort and manageability, will "feel at home" in the Capri, because it is a beautiful car."
This article contains the following chapters
- Attack on a broad front
- Five models in the test
- Developed from the outside in
- Extremely elegant lines
- Low height costs interior space
- Visibility
- Driving behavior: Good grade
- Tracking stability could be improved
- Metered braking
- Unpretentious, robust engines
- First-class gearbox
- Capri 1300: extremely tame
- Capri 1300 GT: loud and tiring
- Capri 1600: the smoothest running
- Capri 1600 GT: lively
- Capri 2000 GT: the fastest
- Economical cars
- Apres-Rallye" make-up
- Ford Capri - assessment after 16,000 kilometers
- Test results
- Technical data
- Maintenance information
Estimated reading time: 24min
Preview (beginning of the article)
The success of newly launched models often varies greatly in terms of their reception by the public. While some require a longer start-up period before they are included in the conversation of motorists through intensive, costly advertising campaigns, other vehicle types meet with spontaneous acclaim straight away. Among the representatives of the second vehicle category is the Ford Capri fastback coupé, launched at the end of January 1969, whose sales figures exceeded the wildest expectations. The idea of a low-cost car with mass appeal, a look inspired by the high-performance sports car, not overly miniaturized space for adults in the rear and a range of different engine variants and equipment kits was by no means new. As in the USA with the highly successful Mustang, Ford is entering the vehicle category with a "sporty image" on the European continent with the Capri, which is also sportily dressed.
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