Thunderbird Review
Review of the Thunderbird, 1985, Two door, 50K miles.
I was not at all pleased with the performance of this car. Here's why:
STEREO SYSTEM
As with all cars that have standard factory autosound, the wattage and bass
sucked. However this car's tape playing abilities were exceptionally low, a
great deal of "wow and flutter" was present. The controls were also located
at an inconvenient distance, requiring me to lean forward a little for
proper operation.
ACCELERATION
The acceleration on a flat surface was very disappointing, however the car
was able to go from 30 to 76 MPH while climbing the grade. The Thunderbird
definitely has more power than my lowly Mazda GLC station wagon, able to
speed to about 65 MPH on the grade, but I would expect more from a V6.
There was no feeling at all of being pulled back into the seat when
accelerating on a flat surface, but I attribute this to the car's automatic
transmission, and perhaps also a Ford comfort feature (?)
SPEED
The car was exceptionally disappointing in this category. Although able to
go 75MPH up the grade, I could not take the car over 80MPH on any surface
because around 80 MPH the Thunderbird begins to shake like a vibrating bed
in a cheap motel. At 85 MPH the car shook so badly that is was an extreme
challenge to stay within a two-lane space. Sadly, the Mazda GLC outperforms
the V6 Thunderbird in the speed Category
IMAGE
The Thunderbird projects the image of a well to do man in his early 50's.
That's fine for my Dad, who is in his late 40's, but for me... well... It's
definitely more stylish that MY car, most anything is, but I'd much rather
drive a Saturn or a Datsun than a Thunderbird >:)
STEERING
Power steering & automatic transmission, along with no feel of acceleration
caused a sensation of complete isolation from the driving experience.It was
very discomforting.It would be more fun to drive a good VR simulation while
wearing a walkman.
ENVIRONMENT
Bucket seats, although comfortable, pose a potential discomfort for anyone
who wishes to attempt a multi-seat position. Legroom was short and I hit
my head on the roof more than once while seated.Climbing out of the car was
easy however, because of the recessed opening, leaving ample headroom for
standing up in a hurry.
Air conditioning, while nice and cool, was not fun to use at all because of
poor vent placement. My legs froze while my upper body became warm. Upon
rolling down the window I discovered that the car had very nice window
placement, allowing lots of air to circulate the entire vehicle, while not
excessively blowing in my face. I was very pleased with the window / air
arrangement.
In conclusion I find the car to be suitable, but not anywhere close to
perfect.It's suited for someone who doesn't like a lot of air conditioning,
listens to the stereo at low volumes or not at all, and never wants to feel
the road. Its a comfortable car, but its just not FUN to drive. Maybe in 40
years...