1975 Autocar 4 way selecting secondhand

DURING the past two years motoring has suffered a series of body blows which even two world wars could not inflict. The first was the cut-back in oil_production by the OPEC countries, coupled with a four-fold increase in the price of the products. This in turn led to the world recession, and in Britain especially, inflation has meant rocketing costs and prices. All this meant that fewer cars were being bought - and the big, luxury cars have suffered the worst.

But it does now seem that at least petrol costs have settled down, and with the price war being waged on the forecourts, some real savings can be made in motoring costs. So now might well be the time to have a look around the luxury car market to see what is being offered.

In this selection, two are British - Jaguar XJ and Rover 3500, and two Europeans - Mercedes-Benz and Citroën DS. None of these cars are “upstarts“, and are all well established in the UK, with excellent dealer and repair networks to back them up. But one should be aware that these cars do require a certain amount of specialist knowledge to maintain them, and this could cost a good deal.

The ranges

Let’s start with the two British cars first. The Jaguar XJ6 made its début at the London Show six-and-a-half years ago, and was an immediate and resounding success. People were offering £1,000 over the list price for the privilege of owning one, and right up to the 1973 oil crisis there was a long waiting list. Initially there was no Daimler equivalent, and the Sovereign continued on the old 420 body. The XJ6 was introduced with two engine sizes, both based on the famous XK six-cylinder, twin ohc engine. The 2-8-litre version was intended mainly for the Continental market, where some countries base road tax on engine capacity, the 4.2-litre version was the principle one in Britain, and both versions were available initially with four-speed manual gearboxes, with optional overdrive, or Borg-Warner automatic transmission.

While Jaguar were always ready to let Autocar have 4-2 litre engined cars for full Road Test, they never managed to get round to letting us have a smaller-engined car. We eventually borrowed a Daimler Sovereign 2.8 from Hurst Park Automobiles for the original Secondhand Car Test series, published on 2 August 1973. In October 1973, the long wheelbase versions were announced, with 4in. extra behind the B-post, but this model was restricted to the 4.2-litre cars. A year later came the Series 2 cars, with a new facia, heating and ventilation system, central door locking and revised control layout. Externally, these cars can be distinguished by their higher front bumper and different grille. The 2.8 was at last dropped from the UK line-up, and this summer, the “old faithful” 3.4-litre engine was brought out of retirement. At the same time, the title XJ6 was dropped, and the six-cylinder cars were called simply the XJ 3.4 and XJ 4.2.

The Rover 3500 range preceded the XJ6 by a few months and was a natural addition to the 2000 series. Rover had in fact been using the Buick-based V8 engine for a year, in the much-loved but now defunct big 3-5. Unlike the other cars in this review, the Rover is very much only a four-seater - a real driver’s car. Originally the car was called the “Three Thousand Five”, but the badge simply said 3500. Now the cars are generally called Thirty-five Hundreds. The V8 engine was designed by GM in the United States for the Buick Special; when the Americans developed their new thin-wall cast-iron technology, Rover acquired the licence to make the all-alloy engine in the UK. It is interesting to note that this 3,528 c.c. engine is within a few pounds weight of the cast-iron 2000 inline four-cylinder engine used in the smaller cars. The 3500 was offered with a Borg-Warner automatic transmission as standard, simply because at that time the company did not have a suitable manual transmission. At the 1971 London Show, the 3500S was announced, using a carefully strengthened 2000TC gearbox. The S is a very much quicker car than the automatic version, due in part to the slightly higher power output due to the revised exhaust manifolds and the lower transmission power losses.

One has to go right back 20 years to l955 to find the birth of the incredible Citroën DS. In those days the car was a totally new concept in motoring, with its revolutionary shark-like lines, self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension, semi-automatic manual gearbox and power steering. Alas, the DS is now no longer made, having been replaced by the equally sleek looking CX. To trace the entire development of the car would be impossible in the space allotted here, so we will pick up the story at around the same time that the Jaguar XJ6 and Rover 3500 came on the scene, in 1968. At that time, the old DSI9 was replaced by the DS20, with uprated version of the venerable four-cylinder 1,985 c.c. engine. The DS21, with the 2,175 c.c. engine also got a boost in power. At the 1969 Paris Salon came the fuel-injected version of the DS21, with the EFI 139 badge. This put the power up from 109 to 125 bhp (net). At the same time the ID was dropped, to be replaced by the D Special range. The following year, the DS21 was given a 5-speed manual gearbox, with the semi-automatic 4-speed system remaining an option. Although a fully-automatic Borg-Warner gearbox was available on the Continent, it was never brought into this country. The Paris Salon in 1972 saw a further change, with the DS21 being replaced by the DS23 with a capacity of 2,347 c.c. and developing 115 bhp on carburettors and 130 bhp with petrol injection.

Again, the Mercedes-Benz line-up starts in 1968 with the “New Generation” cars. Initially, there were four engines, ranging from 2 to 2 1/2 litres, and a couple of diesel versions. The 200 was not imported into the UK until recently, as the importers did not want to lower their enviable image. The smallest in the range, the 220, first came to Britain in March 1968, and continued until it was replaced by the current 230/4 in September 1973. The 240D (diesel) was not imported until September 1973 - and since the fuel crisis has enjoyed huge popularity. For the 250, things are a little more confused: as the name implies, it was initially made with the 2 1/2-litre engine, but in September 1972, the engine size was increased to 2.8 litres, but the title was unchanged. The 280E (with petrol injection) came into Britain in June 1972. The two-door coupé 250CE came to this country in 1969, and was replaced by the 280CE three years later, at the same time as the 280E saloon.

The engine line-up is as follows: the 220 six-cylinder and 250 six-cylinder, with single overhead camshafts. The “new” 280 six-cylinder engine has twin overhead camshafts.

The 220D diesel is a comparatively rare bird in Britain, and the current 240D is more popular.

The bodywork and chassis of the New Generation cars was entirely new. The low-pivot swing axle rear suspension was replaced by a new type, using semi-trailing arms. A great deal of development work was done on making the body shell immensely strong, although there is none of the ponderous ESV look about the range.

Tester’s view

In their own ways, each of the cars is a delight to drive. The XJ6 is still remarkable value for money, and the XK engine, despite its years, gives a totally smooth output throughout the range. No matter how hard the car is driven, it refuses to get noisy, and the silky-smooth ride is probably among the best available. The 2.8 cars need to be driven fairly hard to get much performance from them, and as a result fuel consumption suffers. If the majority of your driving is out of town, the manual transmission with overdrive will give the most relaxed cruising, but the automatic would be better if the car is to be based in an urban area. The Series 2 facia layout is probably rather easier to understand than the earlier one, but both are mightily impressive.

The Rover 3500 is very much a driver’s car - fast, comfortable and with good handling. Automatic or manual? Well, this is very much up to the individual driver, but with all that torque, this car certainly does not have to be rowed along with the gear lever. The power steering is better, especially if the car is to be used a lot in town traffic. Rover engineers did a lot of ergonomic planning with the original 2000, and while the switches may look a bit odd, they are very easy to distinguish. Some people find the suspension on the soft side, but this does not mean that the handling is sloppy. But do consider the seating aspect of the car - five can be carried, but the rear seats are definitely shaped for two persons only.

As we have said, the Citroën has a character entirely of its own. The four-cylinder engine tends to be rather lumpy and gets noisy when worked hard. The choice of transmissions, between the manual and semi-automatic, is again a personal thing, but we would generally recommend the manual because of the relative simplicity. The steering column change is good, but the mixture of pedals - normal for accelerator and clutch and a black button mushroom for the brakes can initially be confusing. On a fast, twisting road, the DS is a delightful car to drive, with tenacious road-holding and good handling. The self-levelling suspension can occasionally get caught out by road irregularities, but one never ceases to be amused by the steering headlamps, which make night driving such a pleasure.

The Mercedes, on the other hand, still retain a slight air of Teutonic stuffiness about them, although the New Generation body style has done a great deal to brighten them up. A great majority of cars have the power steering and automatic transmission option, and this we prefer, except on the 220 and 230/4, where the manual gearbox does cut down the power losses and give better performance. The handling is good, and the ride comfort superb; some people may criticize the seats for appearing to be too hard, but in use, they prove to be very comfortable.