| tion of the
laudable, if slightly naive resolve with which Buick intended to keep their
car stock. The Gran Sport is in may ways good in spite of itself. Its springing
is soft to the point of absurdity, but this is partly offset by an excellent
suspension and chassis. You are given the im pression that Buick isn't
really at tuned to what this performance market is all about and they aren't
about to find out. "I didn't like the car at first," said Gregory, "because
I thought it was much too soft, but as I got used to it, I started liking
it quite a bit. I think it had less preparation than any of the cars and
it was probably the only one that was just driven off the factorv floor
and to the test. When I first drove it around, the tires were too soft
and it felt a bit mushy-but not bad. Later we blew up the tires and though
it was still too soft, it was much better. I didn't like the gearbox. 1
don't think a two-speed automatic is adequate for a car of this type. But
it is a well-balanced automobile. Definitely too soft on the suspension,
but with stiffer springing it would be a very good car. Despite this, I
really got to like the car and I think it might be great for regular driving." |
The softness
in the suspension was as bad as any we have encountered in some time. The
mere pres ence of one person in the back seat would cause the car to bottom
fre quently on secondary paved roads, and we are sure that a full load
of passengers and luggage would make the situation intolerable. Despite
its 401 cubic inches-the largest engine in the test-Gregory and the staff
agreed that it felt the least powerful. We all drove the car in the wet
for rather lengthy periods of time, and were impressed with its control
lability and roadworthiness. Gregory said that it was the most forgiving
of the six, and that is eloquent testimony to the car's suspension geome
try. The seating is excellent, though the interior and instrumentation
is pure middle-class America, with a liberal allotment of idiot lights
and generally uninformative dials. It is too bad Buick doesn't really pay
some close attention to the demands of this super-car market, because the
Gran Sport has tremendous potential. If they ever decide to go to work,
look out. Fairlane GT/A
|
| CHECK
LIST
(Cars rated numerically, with 6 as maximum) |
Oldsmobile
4-4-2 |
Chevelle
SS 396 |
Pontiac
GTO |
Buick
Skylark GS |
Failane
GT/A |
Comet
Cyclone GT |
| ENGINE | ||||||
| Starting | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Response | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Noise | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Smoothness | 5 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
|
|
||||||
| DRIVE TRAIN | Oldsmobile
4-4-2 |
Chevelle
SS 396 |
Pontiac
GTO |
Buick
Skylark GS |
Failane
GT/A |
Comet
Cyclone GT |
| Clutch action (manual) | 6 | 5 | 3 | --- | --- | 4 |
| Shift smoothness (auto.) | --- | --- | --- | 3 | 1 | --- |
|
|
||||||
| BRAKES | Oldsmobile
4-4-2 |
Chevelle
SS 396 |
Pontiac
GTO |
Buick
Skylark GS |
Failane
GT/A |
Comet
Cyclone GT |
| Response | 4 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Pedal pressure | 4 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Fade resistance | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Smoothness | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Directional stability | 5 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
|
|
||||||
| STEERING | Oldsmobile
4-4-2 |
Chevelle
SS 396 |
Pontiac
GTO |
Buick
Skylark GS |
Failane
GT/A |
Comet
Cyclone GT |
| Response | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Accuracy | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Feedback | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
|
|
||||||
| SUSPENSION | Oldsmobile
4-4-2 |
Chevelle
SS 396 |
Pontiac
GTO |
Buick
Skylark GS |
Failane
GT/A |
Comet
Cyclone GT |
| Power-to-ground
transmission |
6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Harshness control | 5 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Roll stiffness | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Tracking | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Pitch control | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Shock damping | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
|
|
||||||
| CONTROLS | Oldsmobile
4-4-2 |
Chevelle
SS 396 |
Pontiac
GTO |
Buick
Skylark GS |
Failane
GT/A |
Comet
Cyclone GT |
| Location | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Relationship | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Small controls | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
|
|
||||||
| INTERIOR | Oldsmobile
4-4-2 |
Chevelle
SS 396 |
Pontiac
GTO |
Buick
Skylark GS |
Failane
GT/A |
Comet
Cyclone GT |
| Instrumentation | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Storage space | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Wind noise | 3 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Road noise | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
|
|
||||||
| QUALITY CONTROL | Oldsmobile
4-4-2 |
Chevelle
SS 396 |
Pontiac
GTO |
Buick
Skylark GS |
Failane
GT/A |
Comet
Cyclone GT |
| Materials, exterior | 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Materials, interior | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Exterior finish | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| Interior finish | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Hardware and trim | 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
|
|
||||||
| GENERAL | Oldsmobile
4-4-2 |
Chevelle
SS 396 |
Pontiac
GTO |
Buick
Skylark GS |
Failane
GT/A |
Comet
Cyclone GT |
| Service accessibility | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Bumper protection | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Exterior lightning | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Resistance to crosswinds | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Luggage space | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
|
|
||||||
| COMFORT
(2 front, 2 back) |
Oldsmobile
4-4-2 |
Chevelle
SS 396 |
Pontiac
GTO |
Buick
Skylark GS |
Failane
GT/A |
Comet
Cyclone GT |
| Steering wheel position | 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Seat adjustment | 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Seat design, front | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Seat design, rear | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
|
|
||||||
| TOTAL | 181 | 167 | 157 | 155 | 91 | 90 |
|
|
||||||
| CAR and DRIVER | MARCH 1966 | |
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