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Unfortunately, the light and wiper stalks have been carried over from the previous Lynx and need improvement in switch feel, as do the window switches and secondary controls. On a good note, Ford introduces the concept of multiple options package. For instance, this car has the option for moon roof, no moon roof; leather seats or velour seats; automatic transmission or manual—these touches give more power to the customer and give the Lynx a more dynamic range that allows it to battle the entire range of the Corolla Altis with just two model lines (Ghia and GSi). Driving Admittedly, the driving experience is the most under-appreciated strong point of the Ford Lynx. Although it is still no Honda Civic, the 2002 Lynx has been improved in everyway to bring it closer to the handling of its Tochigi competitor. For instance, the McPherson Strut / Dual Strut system has been retuned to give a sportier experience. Handling is flat and stable through any kind of corner while the body roll is almost nonexistent and the car squats less, giving the Lynx more driver confidence than the would the Toyota Corolla Altis or the Nissan Exalta. The Mazda-sourced 1.6-liter engine has been retuned, although on paper it still has 118-bhp at 5,500 rpm and 148 Nm at 4,000 rpm. On the plus side, even without VTEC or VVTi, the rev happy and potent nature of the engine is still very much alive and kicking. However, though powerful on long straights and quick-burst acceleration, the power plant lacks the modern smoothness of the Honda or Toyota engines and at the same time, it lacks the bite below the 3,500-rpm range. Moreover, even with the improved engine insulation, the engine can still make its baritone voice heard inside the cabin. On the other hand, Ford realized that their 4-speed automatic needed extensive recalibration, an area of improvement very much addressed on the new Lynx as there is now less shift-shock during hard acceleration and high-speed record attempts on C5. Unfortunately, when taken in connection with a weak low rev range, the Lynx can get confused when going uphill especially with a full set of occupants. During our test, the Lynx had the tendency of shifting back and forth between first and second gear trying to compensate for the loss of power when going uphill. On the negative side, the ride quality of the Lynx hasn’t improved dramatically over the previous version. In fact, it can still be as stiff as a Popsicle especially on slightly uneven roads. A welcome improvement is the presence of rear back-up sensors—something that even Toyota forgot to pop into its top-range Corolla Altis. Although not as high-tech as the Nissan Exalta’s (which tells you the exact distance in mm), the Lynx’s sensors work just as well providing an accurate beeping tone that means excuses of poor rear visibility just won’t work anymore. Overall Package As an overall car, the 2002 Ford Lynx is not just a revised, face lifted model. Rather the updates are done in a very convincing manner; it turns out that this car is more substance than cosmetics after all. In fact, this has more improvements and modifications compared to the Nissan Sentra when it was transformed into the first ever Exalta model. The very fact that Ford is offering a wide array of choices compared to the Japanese makes it a good alternative. In addition, all the gizmos and features available as standard makes the Lynx a much better buy given the high-priced bare-look interior of the Honda Civic. |
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