Talk:Ford Orion
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[edit] Clarifying?
I would imagine the line "Less legroom than the sierra but a larger boot" compares the Orion with the Sierra hatchbacks, however there was also Sierra "three box" Saloons, which would have had a larger boot again. But then again for people who really wanted a HUGE boot there was estate Sierras and Escorts. I guess the Orion was really for people who wanted a "small car" but wanted something more "traditional" than Escorts. Might get an Orion myself if i can find one that hasn't rusted away to nothing XD. Felneymike (talk) 22:22, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Ford Orion
I have a 1987 Ford Orion, equipped with a 1.6 liter "Smoke-sledge" or "Ash-Hammer" as the diesels are being called here in Finland. Although Ford Orions have a bad fame because of their 'good rustying capabilities' I like that car a lot. (For those who do not know the conditions these cars have to withstand, in Finland roads are salted in the winter to prevent their freezing. In the summer there is most certainly no need for that in the 30 degree Celsius temperature.) The best parts of the car is its engine, soft suspension, relatively good brakes for a car of its era and good steering-gear ratio.
Engine, although it does not pull the car off under you even with full throttle, is relatively tough for its size and 'pulls from the beginning' (of the rpm range), meaning that you do not necessarily need to press throttle at all to get the car moving with the first gear in place even with a true (manual) transmission. But because it has only 40 kilowatts/ 54 ps of power to move the 1400kg mass it is slow in acceleration and a difficult car to use in the situations when you have to overtake a slower vehicle ahead. The 1.6D is also quite durable when maintained well and mine has travelled over 450 000 kilometers (280 000 miles) without larger problems.
The relatively soft suspension (as far as I can tell is factory original) is nice when driving the regular roadspeed (which in Finland is 80 km/h or about 50 mph) but when the speed increases after this point the car becomes somewhat unstable.
What I can tell about the brakes is that they have quite good stopping power compared to other cars of the same era that I have driven.
It is customary to like or not to like the powersteering. I seem to belong to the group that prefers non aided steering. The steering-gear ratio in the car is just correct for me as it is not too slow or too fast in the highway and you have the feeling of the cars motions. In the parking situation it is a bit heavy/slow, but what kind of finn is one who has not enough 'rye in his whrists' (a directly translated phrase meaning that you are strong).
Well, the car has its bad sides too. It rusts quite fast in finnish conditions if not kept and maintained well and the taxation of diesels in Finland tends to make the carkeeping a bit costly. Though this is in some degree offset by the cheaper diesel fuel vs. gasoline ratio (diesel at the moment costs about 1€ per liter vs. 1.35€ per liter of gas. [diesel aprox. 4.56$ a us gallon, gas aprox. 6.156$ a us gallon] Quite expensive, is'nt it?) and the fact that the car can run about 4-6 liters per 100 kilometers (58-39mpg ) depending the enviroment and driving habits. When driving in mixed conditions, mainly highway and utilizing the new ways of efficient driving habits, I have been able to keep the fuel consumption in 5.5 L/100km (45.5 mpg). It is possible because the 80km/h (50mph)roadspeed is close to the optimal speed for the car as the biggest gear is used in nearly the best torque rpm and because the drag is relatively small, good efficiensy is achieved.
About the technical data of the 1.6 D
A swhirl-chamber indirect injection diesel engine
A four cylinder inline, (S)OHC Single Overhead Camshaft with inline valve configuration
Displacement: 1608 cm3/cc
Power: 40 kw (54 ps) @ 4800rpm
Torque: 95 Nm @ 3000rpm
Bore/Stroke (and Stroke/Bore) ratio: 1 (a square engine)
Bore/Stroke: 80mm x 80mm
A machine enthusiast from Finland 29.8.2005 (day.month.year)
Orion now appears to be the project name for the 2008 Falcon from Ford Australia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Falcon
Lukeyson
It's also interesting to note that Ford Australia dropped the import of the Escort with the MkIII, and instead starting importing and locally assembling variants of the new FWD Mazda 323.
The same differentiation in naming of hatch to sedan that saw the names Escort and Orion become separate entities of the same car in Europealso affected the Australian Equivalents.
The Hatchback version was known as the Laser (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Laser) while the Sedan Version was known as the Ford Meteor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Meteor). Ford stuck with this naming convention in Australia for two versions on a single model run (KA/KB Laser and GA/GB Meteor) before giving up and releasing Sedan and Hatch versions of the Laser for the next model (KC/KE Laser).
Of some additional curiosity value, it is in fact the later Mazda 323/Laser architecture that was sold into the US and Canada as the Ford Escort.
Lukeyson
[edit] Bodystyle & Engine cc
Have adjusted the Mk numbers from 3, 4 & 5 to 1, 2 & 3 as when the Orion was launched in 1983 Ford were at the time selling it as a seperate model (independant of the Escort) and as such the original model was branded Mk1, then came 2 and 3 accordingly. Also have adjusted the entry of the engine sizes from the 1.3L and 1.6L to 1300 & 1600 cc, as the person who reads the entry would think that it was the 1.3 or 1.6 "L" trim designation and not L for litres. Hope this is of some help.
[edit] Skoda Octavia
I have removed the line about the Skoda Octavia replacing the Orion as the private hire/minicab vehicle of choice. I am sure that before this the Daewoo Espero and Peugeot 406 were the car of choice. However, if you have evidence or a strong knowledge thereof please return it as was.
Also have removed the line from the edit page (not displayed in display page, why?) about saloons being worth less than hatchbacks (line refered to:- look at Vauxhall Belmont), have removed as no source to back up claim, again if you have sources please post for us to see. Many thanks - Anthony.
