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Morris Oxford V in the (historic) test - family car without flaws?

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Created on July 1, 1960

Text:

Olaf von Fersen

Photos:

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The Morris Oxford V comes from the BMC 1.5-liter model family. With its conventional technology and elegant bodywork, on paper it has good prerequisites for sales success. But how does it perform in the practical test?

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Morris Oxford Series V (1959) - the basic design by Pininfarina lasted for 12 years and was only modified in detail

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Morris Oxford V (1959) - hardly distinguishable from the Austin Cambridge from the side

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Despite the high kerb weight of well over a ton and although the spacious saloon is often driven at over-revving speed, its fuel consumption is impressive.

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Morris Oxford V (1959) - the design was by Pininfarina

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Morris Oxford V (1959) - Cockpit of the right-hand drive version

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The Morris Oxford V offers a spacious and comfortable interior.

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Morris Oxford V (1959) - a look under the hood at the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine

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Morris Oxford V (1959) - View into the trunk - there's plenty of room here

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Morris Oxford V (1960) - View into the cockpit of the left-hand drive version at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show

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Morris Oxford Series V Traveller (1960) - the practical station wagon from Pininfarina's hand

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Although the "Saloon" offers plenty of luggage space, the British Motor Corporation also offers an estate version of the Morris Oxford V called the "Traveller".

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The controls of the Morris are not a mystery. However, the length of the steering column, the door handles and the window cranks could be improved.

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Like its successor, the Oxford VI (built from 1961 to 1971), the Oxford V offered a spacious and comfortable interior.

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Morris Oxford Series VI (1962) - the full-length bench seat was no longer considered appropriate in 1962

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Morris Oxford Series VI Saloon (1966) - a typical child of the sixties

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Morris Oxford (1962) at the Geneva Motor Show - simple but attractive dress for the 62 hp BMC car

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Morris Oxford Series VI Saloon (1966) - elegance gained

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Morris Oxford Series VI Saloon (1962) - the Series VI came without tail fins

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Morris Oxford Series VI (1962) - also welcome in Germany - only the umbrella was typically British

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Morris Oxford Series VI (1962) - the Italian-designed dress was just as appealing as the large windows

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Morris Oxford Series VI Traveller (1961) - the estate car was also available with automatic transmission

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Its counterpart from Austin, the A55 Cambridge Mark II, was even a touch cheaper than the Morris. The photo shows the ADO9 car at the Geneva Motor Show in 1959.

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Wolseley 15/60 (1959) - at an airfield

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People for whom the Morris Oxford and the Austin Cambridge are not classy and dignified enough will go for the Wolseley 15/60.

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Wolseley 15/60 - with the new Pin-Farina line also seen on Austin and MG - Geneva Motor Show 1959

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Riley 4/68 (1960) - 12,300 francs expensive - Geneva Motor Show 1960

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MG Magnette - Italianized, design by Pinin Farina - Geneva Motor Show 1959

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Summary

As a member of BMC's ADO9 family, the Morris Oxford V completely lacked both visual and technical originality. The spacious "saloon" matched its sibling models from Austin, MG, Wolseley and Riley in many respects, such as the Pininfarina-designed bodywork. The likewise split 1.5-liter four-cylinder had a comfortable, but also quite massive saloon to move. Did the British Motor Corporation's calculation work out? This article reproduces an original driving report and shows the British mid-range saloon in historical images and sales material.

This article contains the following chapters

Resilient engine, good gearbox
The driving behavior
One year warranty
From the female perspective

Estimated reading time: 13min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Take a modern 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a good four-speed gearbox, hang the front wheels on a trailing arm with coil springs and the rear wheels on a rigid axle with longitudinal leaf springs and wrap the whole thing in a modern body. The Morris Oxford V was created according to this recipe: a conventional English mid-size car whose basic design was perfectly suited to the current tastes of a broad public of buyers. It is comfortable and spacious, easy to drive, reliable and robust, has four doors, a good luggage compartment and attractive lines. So what more could you want? The Oxford V comes from the British Motor Corporation's 1.5-liter modular series. It is therefore similar to the Austin A55 Cambridge, the Magnette from MG, the Riley 4/68 and the Wolseley 15/60 in all major assemblies and differs from them only in certain details. For example, the Oxford is equipped with a full-length front bench seat with fold-out center armrest, while the other corresponding BMC models have individual seats.

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