Cars Service

USED CAR REVIEW 1997 Ford Telstar TX5 V6

IN 1994 Ford of Japan shoehorned a 2.0-litre quad-cam V6 into the body of its Telstar, chucked some large tyres and rims on it, put sports seats and trim inside, and called it the TX5. This was made available in Malaysia only as a four-door manual hatchback.

If you are looking at the option of buying a used sedan for about RM$35K, then you have to test-drive this car. If you like to drive, you have to drive the Ford Telstar TX5. This is a sports sedan without an identity. First of all, there are two models: the sedan V6 and the five-door hatchback V6 manual. The TX5 with the V6 manual gearbox is what I’m talking about, and if you like to crunch gearboxes, then take a look at it.




First, take a long hard look at the Telstar TX5’s picture. The Ford Telstar TX5 has always been a good predictable sedan that outshone the competition but never made the top ten sales figures in Malaysia. The TX5 had to sell against locally made Perdanas, Honda Accords, Toyota Camrys and its sister the Mazda 626 in both the medium (the four-cylinder models) and upper-medium (V6) segments that almost ensured quality. Performance can be spirited and, for some drivers, the V6 auto will lack low- to mid-range torque and low prestige value.

When you’re out on the road, this car is wonderful. The suspension and firm body gives this car superb handling. BMW drivers take heed, as this car will give you a surprise. Road noise is acceptable and the boot eats up two large luggage bags with ease. Back seat drivers will not complain.

Acceleration from the 150hp V6 is much better than you would expect. With its handling abilities, you might want more horses under the hood, but the Telstar TX5’s engine is more than up to the task. Top end grunt is impressive with the needle going past the 200km/h point where possible. The car handles road bumps very well, and gives the passenger an excellent sense of stability when on the highway.

Back to the identity crisis: On the one hand, for most gear heads the Telstar TX5 looks like a family car. And the interior is obviously the result of too many cost cutting measures that Malaysians who can only afford locally produced cars have been forced to accept for years. These features will attract cost conscious family car buyers who appreciate an imported looking and feeling car.

The excellent acceleration and wonderful handling would appeal to drivers who like BMWs. If this car looked as good as the 5 series, this car would eat up buyers as well as it eats up miles. This car has nearly every option you could think of. Central locking, ABS, air conditioning, cruise control, rear wiper/washer/demister, power steering and more and non of this is public knowledge!
The manual Telstar TX5 hatch is very, very hard to locate. Bags of power and style and an unbelievable price to match! A 1995 manual 2.0-litre sedan will sell for as low as RM$33,000 and they run all the way up to RM$38,000 for a good 1997 V6.

Conclusion: this car is an excellent compromise between comfort and performance. It is an easy manual car to drive for those spoilt auto box lovers. It’s an excellent point-to-point performer and inspires a great deal of confidence with its roadholding ability.

Verdict! Smooth V6 engine. Classy, sleek almost fish-like bodywork. A better buy to any locally produced V6, even new ones! Performance is lively if not rapid, and reliability is up there with the best. Hard to beat used price for overall value.

Source of information: http://www.autospeed.com/