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Associated Press Newswires 05/07/02
author: Ed Garsten
Copyright 2001. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
DETROIT (AP) - The latest incarnation of the Ford Thunderbird offers a nice relaxed ride, but that wasn't enough to outscore four competitors in performance tests by Consumer Reports automotive engineers.
The Thunderbird was pitted against the Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche Boxster, Mercedes-Benz SLK 320 and Audi TT. The full results will be published in the June edition of Consumer Reports magazine, which goes on sale May 14.
Aside from all being roadsters, the only characteristics the cars had in common were their price range - $40,000-$55,000 - and the fact that they all scored fairly high for design and handling.
The Corvette and Boxster were tied for the top spot in the performance tests, both earning
"excellent" scores. But only the SLK 320 was recommended by the magazine because it
performed well in the tests and is expected to have at least average reliability based on reader surveys. The Thunderbird is too new to predict its reliability, the magazine said.
The judges also liked the SLK's flexibility, giving it a "very good" rating.
"It was the best of both worlds with a retractable hard top, the civility of a coupe and the availability of having the top down," said David Champion, director of Consumer Reports' auto test facility in East Haddam, Conn.
Where the T-bird fell short was in its relative gentility and design shortcomings.
"It's not a sports car in the true sense of the word. It's a very relaxed cruiser." Champion said. "The disappointment was with the interior space. If you're 6 feet or above, it's very difficult to get in," he said.
Nevertheless, the Thunderbird earned a "very good" score.
Thunderbird marketing director Robert Fesmire pointed out the car did well in the performance tests and was built to be a little more sedate than the others that were tested.
"The competitors in this test are sports cars, and the Thunderbird is not a sports car. It was never positioned as such," Fesmire said. "It is clearly positioned to be about relaxed
sportiness."
Ford has limited annual production of the Thunderbird to 25,000 units to retain its cache, creating a backlog of orders, Fesmire said.
"It's the best sales ever for a new Thunderbird," he said.
The Audi TT was rated "very good" but it, along with the Corvette and Boxster, was not
recommended because of worse-than-average reliability, the magazine said.
------------------
Ron
VIN #7729, seq. #7505
partial blue premium, no top
author: Ed Garsten
Copyright 2001. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
DETROIT (AP) - The latest incarnation of the Ford Thunderbird offers a nice relaxed ride, but that wasn't enough to outscore four competitors in performance tests by Consumer Reports automotive engineers.
The Thunderbird was pitted against the Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche Boxster, Mercedes-Benz SLK 320 and Audi TT. The full results will be published in the June edition of Consumer Reports magazine, which goes on sale May 14.
Aside from all being roadsters, the only characteristics the cars had in common were their price range - $40,000-$55,000 - and the fact that they all scored fairly high for design and handling.
The Corvette and Boxster were tied for the top spot in the performance tests, both earning
"excellent" scores. But only the SLK 320 was recommended by the magazine because it
performed well in the tests and is expected to have at least average reliability based on reader surveys. The Thunderbird is too new to predict its reliability, the magazine said.
The judges also liked the SLK's flexibility, giving it a "very good" rating.
"It was the best of both worlds with a retractable hard top, the civility of a coupe and the availability of having the top down," said David Champion, director of Consumer Reports' auto test facility in East Haddam, Conn.
Where the T-bird fell short was in its relative gentility and design shortcomings.
"It's not a sports car in the true sense of the word. It's a very relaxed cruiser." Champion said. "The disappointment was with the interior space. If you're 6 feet or above, it's very difficult to get in," he said.
Nevertheless, the Thunderbird earned a "very good" score.
Thunderbird marketing director Robert Fesmire pointed out the car did well in the performance tests and was built to be a little more sedate than the others that were tested.
"The competitors in this test are sports cars, and the Thunderbird is not a sports car. It was never positioned as such," Fesmire said. "It is clearly positioned to be about relaxed
sportiness."
Ford has limited annual production of the Thunderbird to 25,000 units to retain its cache, creating a backlog of orders, Fesmire said.
"It's the best sales ever for a new Thunderbird," he said.
The Audi TT was rated "very good" but it, along with the Corvette and Boxster, was not
recommended because of worse-than-average reliability, the magazine said.
------------------
Ron
VIN #7729, seq. #7505
partial blue premium, no top
