MotorWeek | Retro Review: '02 Ford Thunderbird

motorWeek is made possible by Rock auto tech and diehard well it didn't take us long to realize that this new 2002 Ford Thunderbird flies pretty high indeed the new t-birds looks alone were enough to make us a bit lightheaded from every angle that was indeed love at first flight Thunderbird designers did a masterful job of blending styling cues borrowed from long hood short dekhti birds of the 50s and 60s into a thoroughly modern driving machine that is instantly recognizable as a Thunderbird the most obvious heritage inspired details include the chromed egg-crate grille that's topped by the classic long winged Thunderbird emblem a distinctive but subtle non-functional scoop races the hood while the also non functioning chrome louvers set high in the front fenders also embrace early t-bird roadsters and at the rear the large round taillights stir up memories of the fighter jet school of design a look that was popular with many cars throughout the 50s another tip of the hat to the good old days can be found in the optional 83 pound removable hardtop complete with its nostalgia feeding t-bird porthole windows but the smooth operation of the fully lined electric soft top instantly propels the t-bird back to the 21st century it requires nothing more than the flip of a latch and the push of a switch to release it from the chrome trim header and put you in the wind there's no wind blocker but our drivers didn't feel it was much of an issue as wind buffeting is minimal but there is a nice and welcomed heated glass backlight there's plenty of 21st century technology under the Thunderbird smell bodywork - as it shares its platform with the Lincoln LS and Jaguar s-type in fact two-thirds of the parts come from other Ford vehicles the structural rigidity loss - it's topless nostalgia is somewhat compensated for by the addition of three sturdy X braces mounted to the underside of the car and for the most part they work well Cal shake is barely perceptible and it's not until you encounter really rough going that the t-bird begins to feel a little squishy contributing to this t-bird smooth and why Android is the generous 100 7.2 inch wheelbase and a nearly 50/50 weight distribution front to back another is the careful tuning of the independent short long arm suspension found at each corner Ford engineers targeted what they called a relaxed ride by using coil springs with fairly low spring rates but don't confuse relaxed with sloppy indeed our drivers were pleasantly surprised when maneuvering the t-bird through our low-speed slalom course body roll for this softly sprung ride was minimal and the side-to-side transitions were very controlled giving the t-bird a secure and stable feeling the variable assist vehicle speed sensitive rack and pinion steering unit is precise and offers plenty of useful feedback and the grippy and quiet 17-inch michelin tyres seem a perfect match still in keeping with the original 55 bird this head-turning new coupe is more Sunset Strip cruiser than road course bruiser cruising power is also borrowed from the Lincoln LS as under the hood is the LS sedans all aluminum 3.9 liter double overhead cam 32-valve v8 with the same 252 horsepower and 267 pound feet of torque despite some very hot days during our test schedule we experienced none of the engine overheating problems that stalled early t-bird production with the twin cam v8 connection to the LS is five-speed automatic transmission we flew past 60 and 7.7 seconds now that's almost a second faster than the heavier LS and we crossed a quarter-mile stripe in 15.8 seconds at 92 miles per hour now our cars engine did stumble slightly upon launch but then pulled strongly all the way to the 6,500 RPM redline oddly there is no manual shift mode like in the LS and from a performance effective ships could be crisper but the final drive ratio has been lowered to give the bird some extra momentum is slowed by four-wheel vented discs with abs and electronic brake-force distribution we average stocks from 60 in a fine 120 feet stability under hard braking is first-rate and to help this rear drive bird fly in bad weather all speed traction control is optional while the t-birds exterior design may stir the best memories of days past there is far less nostalgia to be found in the up-to-date interior true it is still a two-seater and the door trim panels and the tuck and roll leather seats are unmistakable t-bird touches but the driver gets six way power adjustable seating with manual lumbar adjustments and there's front and side impact airbags a power adjustable steering wheel which fronts is set up simple but clear analog gauges and the center stack which houses the stereo and climate controls where more or less lifted directly from the LS and deposited into the t-bird with just a few subtle tweaks a competent functional approach that while not inspired is cost-effective behind the seats is a carpeted shelf for small stool bowls and the truck is a capacity of 6.7 cubic feet just enough for a drive down the coast when it comes to putting your money down one of the 25,000 2002 Ford Thunderbirds can be had in any of five colorful flavors also drawn from the past the deluxe convertible is priced in thirty-five thousand four hundred ninety five dollars for the slightly more optioned Premium convertible bring 36 thousand four hundred ninety five dollars add the removable top to the deluxe package and you're looking at thirty seven thousand nine hundred ninety five dollars drop it on the premium model and your price is thirty eight thousand nine hundred ninety five dollars but even in bad we expect key birds to fly off dealer lodge for the foreseeable future so our first impressions have been confirmed we are still very high on the 2002 Ford Thunderbird has done an outstanding job of recapturing everything romantic about the original Thunderbird and putting it in a modern competent and thoroughly enjoyable to drive machine and back we think this t-bird is the only way to fly I hope you'll join us next week for more motor week when we'll test the new Kia Sedona minivan and take an Icelandic adventure in the nude Land Rover Freelander I'm John Davis we'll see you then

Channel: MotorWeek

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Keywords: EV, Diesel, MotorWeek (Award-Winning Work), CUVs, Exotic, Road Test, SUVs, Trucks, PBS, CUV, Clean, MotorWeek, Ford Thunderbird (Automobile Model), Pickups, Pickup Trucks, Electric Vehicle, Fuel, Automotive, Auto Show (Event), MPG, Gasoline, Utilities, Car, PHEV, Automobile (TV Genre), Fast, Speed, Ford (Automobile Make), Track, Cars, Hybrid, Consumer, Fuel Economy, SUV, Review

Id: cc0JV75eNMU

Length: 6min 51sec (411 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 28 2015