I have just spent a week with the latest Ford Laser Tierra
Ghia, an important model in Ford Motor Company’s vehicle rationalisation
project in SE Asia. With the production of Ford pick-ups now being centred at
the Auto Alliance Eastern Seaboard manufacturing plant in Thailand, this freed
up manufacturing potential in the Philippines, and this is where the Laser
Tierra is manufactured.
Ford Laser
Tierra Ghia
The Laser Tierra comes as a 1.6 litre in manual or auto, or
as the 1.8 litre auto only. The variant tested was the 1.8 litre top of the line
Ghia model, automatic, parking sensors, twin airbags, the whole box and dice
(fully loaded as they say in the car sales bizz) and it was a week of surprises.
Probably the first surprise was that Ford would send out, as a test vehicle, a
car in the drabbest of colours imaginable. Somebody out there must like it, but
the interior trim of baby poo brown and beige was certainly not my idea of an
attractive interior. The sheet metal colour was not all that much brighter
either - a kind of metallic grey/brown - a colour that blends in with the road
surface so well that it was hard to see where the edges of the car finished and
the bitumen began. With Mazda making much use of yellow in the publicity of
their version, the Prot้g้, perhaps FoMoCo felt that the subdued
look was the way to go. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
The second surprise was that despite the impression that the
visuals had given me, the Laser Tierra turned out to be one of the more exciting
motor cars to drive in the small saloon class! Sure-footed, precise handling
with a very rigid platform, good steering, a willing engine and a great set of
brakes. Yes! Yes! Yes! Fortunately, the engineering design team obviously never
met the stylists.
Sitting in the car, my likes included the immediately
apparent good ergonomics in the man/machine interface. The steering wheel was
correct, relative to the pedals and the auto shift lever and the seat. The wheel
is adjustable, and also the seat, not only fore and aft, but the height and tilt
in the seat base was adjustable as well. You have no idea how some manufacturers
can get that wrong, and anyone who has ever sat in a Lamborghini Diablo will
know what I mean. The Tierra’s positioning could be easily adjusted to give
me, at a poofteenth under 6 foot, a comfortable driving position, and yet could
accommodate my Thai lady at a smidgen over 5 foot. And the seat shift levers
didn’t try to amputate your fingers, another concept that certain
manufacturers have yet to learn.
Another great like was the engine and power train. Strong,
quiet and torquey. There was more than adequate passing reserve for highway
cruising, and it felt effortless. Even right up the rev range, the engine did
not get fussy, nor was there excessive torque steer reaction.
The four speed auto gearbox has a final drive of 0.725, which
combined with the final drive ratio of 3.9 really does make for effortless
cruising within the official speed limits - or even when taken way past the
maximum. Upchanging was quite seamless, and even with full throttle kick-downs
there were no nasty thumps to upset grandma in the back.
The steering was precise and the “feel” is speed
dependent, to give the driver better control of the vehicle. Turning circle is
good for a front wheel driver too. I should mention the IR parking hazard
warning. This is a great idea and saves all that “parking by Braille” that
occurs all too frequently. With the high boot lid on the Tierra it can be a
little difficult to visualise exactly where the rear of the car finishes (and
the front of the car behind begins) but the parking warning beeper worked a
treat. By the end of the week I had really learned to trust it! However,
remember that it cannot “see” gates!
The headlights deserve a mention, even if just for the rocket
launcher “Star Wars” treatment of them. As far as illumination was concerned
they seemed no better or no worse than ordinary headlights, but I’m sure
somebody at Ford styling thought they looked super.
The Tierra was easy to live in. The glove box was cavernous,
there were pockets in the doors and under the dash and a small bin under the
central arm rest, but nothing to store CD’s or tapes, and a twin drinks holder
on the console between the seats. I don’t know that I really want to “drink
and drive” (non-alcoholic of course) but the holder worked OK for my mobile
phone. The air conditioner worked well and had sufficient adjustments, both in
outlets and in temperature and fan speed (simple rotary, easy to use dial
controls).
The vehicle seats five people easily (and farang sized too)
and the front buckets were adequate as far as lateral support was concerned. The
rear seat was interesting in that it not only had a fold-down arm rest
(something the Ford owned Jaguar X-Type 2 litre V6 does not have), but also the
seat back could be folded down to give access to the boot, to allow you to carry
long things like pole vaulting equipment or small trees. The boot was also large
enough for a family’s luggage plus room for the pogo stick.
My dislikes with the Tierra were few - I have mentioned the
interior trim colours in the test car, but I am sure there are better
combinations available. While on the interior (and this goes for most new cars,
not just Ford products), if it is considered to be a selling feature to have a
lump of tree on the dashboard, please give me real wood and not plastic
imitation trees! With the aforementioned baby poo brown dash, the Tierra
interior stylists also gave me baby poo brown imitation plastic tree around the
centrally placed sound system and also around the ‘fast glass’ controls on
the doors.
Which leads me to my next dislike - the sound system, better
known as the noise device. My parrot could reproduce sounds better than the
radio in the Tierra. Plays CD’s, tapes and wireless, sure. And if you can find
your way through the multi-function push this way and that switches then
you’re a better man than I am Gungadin! Two push button switches for volume
control - one for up and the other for down, when a simple rotary dial would
have been so much easier. Tune the radio? You have to be kidding, even after you
get it into “tuner” mode it requires a post doctoral degree in
micro-computing to do that simple task. I gave up. Use the noise-maker as
underwater d้cor in the goldfish tank and replace it with a radio that
works.
Next hate - the chromium toothed grille. Ford, it looks
dreadful. I had to stop myself taking it to the nearest orthodontist to see if
they could correct its splayed toothy grin. In Ford’s defence, this style also
looks dreadful in the Nissan Sunny, the Mitsubishi and even the Corolla. The
1960’s look went out in 1969 - why bring it back? Again, the Mazda variant
looks much better with the open fronted air intake look. Or use chicken wire
like Ford does on some of its other products, like Jaguar. Please get rid of the
chromium teeth at the next face-lift.
To slip yourself into a Laser Tierra is not too breaking of the bank. The 1.6
manual is yours for B. 756,900, the auto 1.6 version is B. 795,900, while the
1.8 auto Ghia as tested is B. 879,000. Ford Sales Thailand informed me that they
have a promotional campaign for 1.6 auto with 15% Down payment and one year 1st
class insurance free.
