July 1992 - Automobile Magazine

1993 Ford Probe
A New Flavor-Tasty, But Not For Everyone
By Douglas Weisz

Since the introduction of the Ford Probe in the 1989 model year, the sporty-coupe market has been inundated with flavorful automobiles. Lately, in comparison, the Probe has begun to seem a little like vanilla. That's not only our assessment, it's Ford's-expressed by the company's manager of small-car development, John Valentine.

His point is that cars such as the Diamond-Star Laser/Eclipse/Talon Turbos, the Volkswagen Corrado, the Nissan 240SX, the Toyota Celica, the Honda Prelude, and the Acura Integra are plenty tasty competitors. We once called the original Probe GT "one of the finest front-wheel-drive performance cars ever," but the hard truth is that yesterday's trendy flavor has slipped from the must-have list.

Now the good news: We recently sampled the all-new 1993 Probe GT on the track and on the road, and we're happy to report that it has gone from vanilla to mocha almond fudge. It now delivers its considerable performance with creamy engine refinement, rides and handles with caffeinated edginess, and offers looks as tempting as Ben and Jerry's finest. That adds up to a distinctive mix of flavors, and not everyone is going to love it.

To create the new Probe, Ford once again pooled its talents with Mazda. Ford's primary responsibility was interior and exterior styling, whereas Mazda engineered all the heavy metal-tire engine, the chassis, and asserted mechanicals. (The Probe shares its running gear with tire all-new Mazda MX-6.) It's never that simple, of course, and since Ford wanted to make sure its objectives for the new Probe were met, the two companies engaged in numerous communal running evaluations and reviews.

The 1993 Probe, like many of today's new cars, is longer, lower, and wider than the model it replaces. The changes
include nearly four inches more wheelbase, almost two inches more overall length, about two inches more width, and a fraction of an inch less height-but no more interior room. The Probe remains an intimate four-neater. What is surprising is that the Probe is about 125 pounds lighter now. Applause here, please, for a manufacturer that has bucked the trend toward ever bulkier cars, a direction that has never been consistent with good engineering.

From our afternoon behind the wheel, it was clear that the revamping has paid sweet dividends in almost every way. Nowhere was that more apparent than on Ford's Dearborn, Michigan, handling course. Wailing around at ungodly speeds, we found the GT Probe's handling well balanced; it delivered absolutely no unpleasant surprises when pushed to its limit and beyond. We tossed it from turn to turn, and it responded by holding fast, not unlike a roller coaster speeding along its twisty track. Lift-throttle oversteer, a do-it-only-if-you-want-to-go-backward-into the-ditch characteristic of the first-generation Probe, is virtually gone.

The strut suspension layout is basically the same as before, with the changes being of the evolutionary variety. The old model's electronically controlled dampers were scrapped, allowing Ford to lower the cowl and hoodline by about three inches. Spring rates are up significantly, and shock control is much tighter. Longer rear lateral control arms reduce toe change between jounce and rebound. Ball-joint links were employed on all anti-roll bars to improve response, and the front caster angle was increased to help clarify steering feel and cut down on torque steer. All of this results in a very pinned-down-feeling automobile. As we exited Ford's test track and began driving the real (winter-ravaged) roads of Dearborn, we discovered that the Probe's handling does have a downside. Although we still appreciated the quick turn-in and the sure-footedness that made this car dynamite on the track, we realized that the trade-off is a stiff ride that borders on being too harsh on the road. Our concern is that commuters who spend a lot of time traveling frost-pitted highways will be reminded too often of another famous ice cream flavor, rocky road.

We loved the gutsy, abrupt, turbocharged four-cylinder engine of the old Probe GT. But Ford and Mazda decided the new car should have a more refined powerplant. The previous 145-bhp four-cylinder (underrated by probably 30 bhp) was eschewed in favor of an all-new 164-bhp, 2.5-liter, 24-valve V-6-an upsize version of the engine powering the new Mazda MX-3. The base car-the only other Probe model-has a new 115-bhp, 2.0-liter, sixteen-valve four-cylinder. The new engines, coupled with the 125-pound weight loss, improve the Probe's overall composite fuel economy number by almost 2 mpg.

We didn't drive a base car, but the new V-6 in the GT does what it's supposed to. The sound it emits is smooth and rich, and it pulls strongly. Thanks to the Probe's diet program, it's also every bit as quick as it used to be (0 to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds), even though there are fewer ponies underhood. The shifting is as effortless as ever. Even better, the new chassis puts the power down in the lower gears with none of the torquesteer-induced feinting and darting of the old car, behavior that had you clenching your teeth while making abrupt corrections with the wheel.

The old Probe's interior, which was already quite handsome, has been replaced by one that is absolutely scrumptious. The seats are firm, supportive, and good-looking; by themselves, they go a long way toward making the car feel more sporty. Motorized belts are a thing of the past, banished by a standard driver's-side air bag that allows conventional three-point harnesses. The adjustable instrument cluster is gone, but the new one is curvaceous and laid out efficiently.

We like the new Probe GT a lot. It is now unquestionably in the first echelon of sporting coupes. We think its flavorful blend of muscular styling, V-6 power and refinement, and racer-sharp handling will entice a fair share of buyers into dealership closing rooms.

What it won't do is redefine the sport-coupe genre or bring the competition to its knees. It's going to take something pretty amazing to do that, because the sport-coupe division is a lot like Baskin Robbins: There are so many taste sensations, it's awfully hard to choose.