Car and Driver Article

Car and Driver Article


From Car and Driver, August 1992

Ford Probe GT

This make over for 1993 trades turbo terror for six-cylinder silk.

"This time, we were in on the project earlier". Ford designer Mark Kelly told us. All along, we had thought the Ford-Mazda partnership that produced the Probe and MX-6 front-drive two-plus-twos had been an even-Steven deal from day one, so we wondered: had Ford just been tagging along when these cars first appeared in 1988?

Kelly and production development chief Neil Ressler explained that the first time around, they were handed an existing Mazda platform, that of the 626 sedan. For their half of the joint sports coupe project, they could only restyle the skin and fiddle with chassis tuning. All the "hard points" had already been dealt before Ford walked into the room.

For the second generation, 1993 models, however, Ford engineers were able to spec out the new platform the way they wanted it. They started with a considerably bigger and more stable foot print by stretching the wheelbase almost four inches and pushing out the track, front and rear, more than two inches. Dropping the cowl height a dramatic three inches and pulling the windshield bas forward nearly four inches provided the canvas on which a lean, long, contemporary shape could be drawn.

Ford is hoping this two-pronged attack -- improving handling dynamics and styling -- will extend the car's productive lifespan, which is usually fleetingly short in this hotly contested sportscoupe category. Company marketing people acknowledged that a catchy new player has about eighteen months (often less, we rekon) before its drawing power fades and everyone starts looking to the next hot debutante. Ford's intent with this new Probe was to lay on the good looks and driving fun so thickly that the new Probe would hold its own in this fashion-fickle market segment for something closer to its four- or five-year production cycle.

We can't see clearly that far into the future, but we can report that the 1993 Probe packs a lot of appeal into its sleek new package. It looks fresh and flowing, with none of the slab-sideness of the previous, high-cowl body. And it drives with spirit and maturity, feeling stiff, stable, sporty, and controllable.

Probably the biggest single aesthetic improvement is one you can't see, because it's nestled under the gently arched hood of the Probe GT model. Mazda's small, free-spinning, V-6 engine has been punched out to 2.5 liters (from the MX-3's 1.8) and called in the replace the reasonably strong but unreasonably raucous turbocharged four of the former Probe GT.

We found on our April 1992 sports-coupe comparison that time and relentlessly rising standards had overtaken the 2.2-liter twelve-valve turbo motor. Its 203 pound-feet of torque gave the previous Probe GT great mid-range thrust, and the car trounced all comers in street-start 5-to-60-mph acceleration and in the top gear 50-to-70-mph roll on. But it was a noisy, buzzy bugger, and it contributed to the twitchy full-throttle torque steer that grabbed and held adrenal glands better than it held a heading.

In market contrast, the new six spins out a liquid stream of torque, whisking straight to its 7000-rpm ceiling in an easy rush. It never generates the obvious kick of an abnormally aspirated engine, and the apparent flatness of its torque curve minimizes the sensations of acceleration. But its 164 horses (compared with a conservative 145 for the previous turbo four) do a fine job propelling the car. The new Probe GT's performance is a touch better than that of its stablemate, the Mazda MX-6 LS all the way up the speed range. The Probe hit 60 mph in 7.0 seconds, 0.2 quicker than the MX-6. It's quarter-mile clocking of 15.5 seconds at 89 mph also edges out the MX-6's 15.6-seconds/88-mph performance. And the Probe's 133-mph top speed is 4 mph faster than the MX-6's.

Credit the Probe's wider and taller tires for the improved performance. Goodyear VR50 Gatorbacks in size 225/50-16 may not rival exoticars' boots, but they tower over everything in this sporty-coupe class. The MX-6, for example , rolls on mere 205/55-15's.

The Probe's suspension calibration follows in this more aggressive vein with a thicker anti-roll bar and markedly stiffer springs than the MX-6 use. As a result, the Probe corners with a flat, stuck down cornering posture that delivers 0.86 g of road holding compared to the Mazda's 0.85 g. However, the Probe's ride is considerably less supple on rough roads. Power rack-and-pinion steering and the GT's standard disc brakes (the base four-cylinder car uses a disc/drum setup) feel precise and accurate, with light effort and smooth, positive action. Coupled with the Probe's wider tires, this braking system delivers 176-foot stops from 70 mph. The car makes a benign partner in crime for strafing mountain roads. It understeers safely if you muff a corner and otherwise changes directions cleanly and grips tenaciously.

The new Probe's handling--and every other facet of its performance--benefits from weight reduction. As in other recent Mazda-engineered products (the MX-6, the RX-7, and 626), overall mass was trimmed even as body ridgity and control of noise, vibration, and harshness were improved. Both the base Probe and the GT carry higher levels of standard equipment than did last year's models--including a new driver's air bag. Even so, this new GT weighed 2894 pounds, 66 pounds less than the last GT we tested.

Of course, as Ford and Mazda made the new Probe lighter, quicker, smoother, better composed, and nicer looking, the MX-6 twin was improving apace. Which can't make life in the already-nasty two-plus-two coupe market any easier. To distinguish its version, Ford went for a more aggressive, sports-oriented character. In the GT especially, you see it in the "angry face" front-end treatment, whose many air slots and sculpted chin spoiler echo the racetrack (even if the result is less pretty than on the base car). And you see it in the retracting headlights, the glass-over-C-pillar, and the dashing up-kick in the belt-line over the rear wheels.

A good-fitting bucket seat in a tidily laid out cockpit enhances the driver's sense of control. The instrument panel, with its hooded gauge binnacle, has a more conventional shape than the new MX-6's dramatic wraparound design, and the reach to the small controls and the sight lines to the white-marked (soft blue at night) gauge faces all work out very neatly.

If you have the impression that our April comparison is crying out to be rerun, we agree. At the Probe press introduction at Willow Springs Raceway, Ford had a four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Eclipse (clone of our comparo-winning Eagle Talon) and a Honda Prelude (a close second) for comparison. Our impression was that the Prelude might have slightly better high speed manners. The turbocharged Eclipse definitely has more motor. But the Probe's balance of performance, style, and value may well bump it to the head of the class, especially because Ford is almost holding the line on price. Stickers climb only slightly, despite the higher equipment content. The GT starts right at $15,504 (with ABS adding close to $1000). April's loaded 1992 GT came in at $21,000. the base 2.0-liter four-cylinder Probe will open just over $13,000.

Ford has a strong player here. It sure helps to be at the table when the game starts.

The Verdict:

Highs: Sweet engine, friendly handling, serious tires.

Lows: Some excellent competitors have more sheer punch.

The Verdict: A grownup GT, with sleek styling and smooth manners.

Counterpoint

The Probe GT and Mazda MX-6 are so much more refined, more velvety than their forebears that I need to buy one. But which? Mechanical twins in a sibling rivalry. It shakes out like this:
Probe GT: fatter tires, sharper turn-in, crisper handling.
MX-6 LS: better at swallowing potholes.
Probe GT: sportier cabin, warmer surfaces, maroon stripe describing a semi-circle.
MX-6 LS: muted, severe instrument panel by Nancy Regan.
Probe GT: hood doesn't flutter, doors slam with conviction, vault-like feel.
MX-6 LS: lighter touch, more maneuverable in commuter-city cut-'n'-thrust.
Probe GT: true hatchback whose rear seat headroom is predictably compromised.
MX-6 LS: large, rear trunk; Waterford and Wedgwood are hidden from miscreants.
Probe GT: "GT"-decal foofaraw on flanks, graceless pop-up headlamps, Firebird-esque nose, lopped-off tail--never mistaken for anything but a Probe.
MX-6 LS one of this planet's great V-6 engines.
Probe GT: one of this planet's great V-6 engines.
The winner? Hey, I am shallow and decide such things on looks. Where's the Mazda showroom?

                                            --John Phillips

If you've been waiting for a car that performs well but also performs with smoothness and dignity, I'd say that you owe yourself a look at the new Ford Probe GT. A long look.

The Probe's V-6 engine will move you on more than one way, and there is no oversupply of noise to remind dullards and drones that they are at the wheel of a sporting car.

We were able to drive this car on both Ford proving grounds track and on the streets of Ann Arbor. It feels better on a smooth track, but the firm suspension--once you've got accustomed to it--more than makes up in handling for some minor bumpiness. Unless of course you live in one of the six American cities with smooth roads.

I'm still not altogether whelmed by the rear-window treatment, but it is at least distinctive. Otherwise, the exterior is quite handsome.

Inside, the interior is one that we can hope foretells the future for Ford. It's nothing short of excellent; good to sit in and good to look at.

Ford gets my four-star attaboy for the new Probe GT.

                                           --William Jeanes

When a manufacturer redesigns a car, we expect to see substantial progress on all fronts, and that's exactly what Ford has given us with the new 1993 Probe GT.

The original car's 2.2-liter turbo four was gutsy but coarse and wheezing over 5000 rpm. The new 2.5-liter 24-valve V-6 gives up none of the turbo's performance, but it sets the class standard for refinement and pulls to 7000 rpm as eagerly as another V-type engine with red heads made in Italy.

The old GT wiggled its head like a hooked bass if you asked it to accelerate hard on pavement that was less than perfect. The new chassis is far more tolerant of our roadways' bumps and grinds, despite its wider, grippier tires and firmer springs and shocks.

Throw in: taut new exterior styling, a slick interior that artfully combines flair and a logical layout to the detriment of neither, and an air bag--and leave out a huge increase in price--and you have a Probe that reclaims its position as one of the pace-setters in the supercoupe class.

                                          --Csaba Cserez

Ford Probe GT

Vehicle type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 2+2 passenger, 3-door

Price as tested: $19,000 (estimated)

Price and option breakdown: base Ford Probe GT (including $330 freight), $15,504: preferred equipment package (includes air conditioning, tilt steering, rear defroster, power antenna, tinted glass), anti-lock brakes, power windows and locks, cruise control, CD player

Major standard accessories: power steering

Sound system: Ford AM/FM stereo radio/CD player, 4 speakers

Engine

Type V-6 aluminum block and heads
Bore x Stroke 3.33 x 2.92 in. 84.5 x 74.2mm
Displacement 153 cu in. 2497cc
Compression Ratio 9.2:1
Engine Control System Mazda with port fuel injection
Emissions Controls 3-way catalytic converter, feedback fuel-air-ratio control, EGR
Valve Gear Belt- and gear-driven double overhead cams, 4-valves per cylinder, hydraulic lifters
Power (SAE net) 164 bhp @ 5600 rpm
Torque (SAE net) 156 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm  
Redline 7000 rpm

Drivetrain

Transmission 5-speed
Final-Drive Ratio 4.11:1
Gear Ratio MPH/1000 RPM Maximum test speed
I 3.31 5.2 37 mph (7000 rpm)
II 1.83 9.5 66 mph (7000 rpm)
III 1.31 13.3 93 mph (7000 rpm)
IV 1.03 16.9 118 mph (7000 rpm)
V 0.80 21.7 133 mph (7000 rpm)

Dimensions and Capacities

Wheelbase 102.9 inches
Track, Front/Rear 59.4/59.4 inches
Length 178.9 in
Width 69.8 inches
Height 51.8 in
Ground Clearance 6.1 in
Curb Weight 2894 pounds
Weight Distribution, Front/Rear 63.1%/36.9%
Fuel Capacity 15.4 gallons
Oil Capacity 5.2 quarts
Water Capacity 8.0 quarts

Chassis/Body

Type Unit construction with one rubber-isolated cross member
Body Material Welded steel stampings

Interior

SAE volume, Front Seats 49 cubic feet
SAE Volume, Rear Seats 31 cubic feet
SAE Volume, Luggage Space 11 cubic feet
Front Seats Bucket
Seat Adjustments Fore and aft, lumbar support, upper side bolsters
Restraint System, Front Manual 3-point belts, driver air bag
Restraint System, Rear Manual 3-point belts
General Comfort poor fair good excellent
Fore-and-Aft Support poor fair good excellent
Lateral Support poor fair good excellent

Suspension

Front Independant strut located by a control arm, coil springs, anti-roll bars
Rear Independant strut located by one trailing link and two lateral links, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Steering

Type Rack-and-pinion, power assisted
Turns lock-to-lock 3.0
Turning Circle curb-to-curb 35.4 feet

Brakes

Front 10.2 x 0.9-inch vented disc
Rear 10.3 x 0.4-inch disc
Power Assist Vacuum with optional anti-lock control

Wheels and Tires

Wheel Size 7.0 x 16 inch
Wheel Type Cast aluminum
Tires Goodyear Eagle, P225/50VR-16
Test Inflation Pressure Front/Rear 36/26 psi

Car and Driver Test Results

Acceleration

0-30 2.3 seconds
0-40 3.6 seconds
0-50 5.0 seconds
0-60 7.0 seconds
0-70 9.2 seconds
0-80 12.1 seconds
0-90 15.8 seconds
0-100 20.4 seconds
0-110 28.7 seconds
0-120 36.5 seconds
Street Start, 5-60 mph 7.6 seconds
Top-gear Passing Time 30-50 mph 8.3 seconds
Top-gear Passing Time 50-70 mph 8.8 seconds
Standing 1/4 mile 15.5 sec @89 mph
Top Speed 133 mph

Braking

70-0 mph @ Impending Lockup 176 feet
Fade none moderate heavy

Handling

Roadhandling, 300-foot-diameter Skidpad 0.86 g
Understeer minimal moderate excessive

Coast-Down Measurements

Road Horsepower @ 30 mph 5 hp
Road Horsepower @ 50 mph 14 hp
Road Horsepower @ 70 mph 29 hp

Fuel Economy

EPA City Driving 21 mpg
EPA Highway Driving 26 mpg
C/D Observed Fuel Economy 20 mpg

Interior Sound Level

Idle 43 dBA
Full-throttle Acceleration 77 dBA
70-mph Cruising 74 dBA
70-mph Coasting 73 dBA

information courtesy of Scott Streeter