chicagotribune.com's view

Chalk up another one for Ford Motor Co.

The 1988 Merkur Scorpio is the best car out of the Ford stable, albeitvia Germany, since Taurus and Sable.

In fact, the 4-door Scorpio sedan strongly resembles the Sable, thoughlarger, more luxurious, quieter and peppier.

Scorpio is the new entry in Lincoln-Mercury Division`s Merkur line-up,joining the 2-door XR4Ti coupe. Don`t let the fact that the XR4Ti is amediocre car discourage you from checking out the Scorpio. Luckily, Forddidn`t give up on tapping its European sources for Scorpio after the XR4Tibombed.

We expected to be disappointed with Scorpio, which has been sold inEurope for about a year. We drove the European version last February, minusU.S. emission controls. At the time, we said the addition of the hardwaresurely would rob the car of its power. Wrong.

The European 2.8-liter V-6 was modified to a 2.9-liter V-6 with multiport fuel injection. Though Scorpio tips the scales at about 3,300 pounds, the 2.9 is quick, responsive and actually feels as if it delivers more power than the 3-liter V-6 in the Sable. Perhaps that`s one reason a 3.8-liter V-6 will beoptional in the `88 Sable. Scorpio`s EPA rating is 17 miles per gallon cityand 23 highway.

The 2.9-liter V-6 is teamed with a 5-speed manual transmission asstandard; an automatic is a $550 option. Automatic is preferred.

One problem Ford encountered with the XR4Ti was loading them with 5-speeds. The car didn`t start to sell until an automatic was added. You`d thinkFord would have learned its lesson, but the automaker is obsessed with 5-speeds, because European makers offer them.

The rear-drive Scorpio features fully independent suspension, stabilizerbars front and rear, power rack-and-pinion steering, 4-wheel disc brakes andsteel-belted radials. All those items combine for sure-footed ride andhandling. After a few minutes in a Scorpio, you tend to feel as if you`re in aMark VII LSC.

An added safety/insurance feature is 4-wheel antilock brakes as standard, to keep you in a straight line when you hit the binders hard on wet, snowy or icy roads.

Scorpio is built on a 108.7-inch wheelbase (versus 106 for Sable) and is186.4 inches long (Sable is 188.4 inches long). It looks much longer than the dimensions indicate. Interior room is spacious. Perhaps only the Cadillac 60Special has as much rear-seat room and comfort.

Scorpio has a low-slung front end and raised hatchlid in back. Thetapered body adds to the illusion of enormous length. Note that we saidhatchback lid in back.

Scorpio has the look of a notchback sedan with a trunk in back but is ahatchback sedan. You get the ease of cargo entry from the hatch, yet thesecurity of an enclosed compartment, just like a trunk.

Standard equipment includes all the power goodies–steering, brakes,windows, seats, mirrors and door locks, along with air conditioning, AM/FMstereo with cassett e, tinted windshield, rear window wiper/washer (the wiperautomatically goes on when you turn on the front wipers and put the gearselector in reverse), cruise control and tilt and telescoping steering wheel. The only options are 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive for$550; power tilt/sliding moonroof for $1,055, or a touring option thatcombines the power moonroof with a four-function fuel computer that measuressuch things as average mileage and fuel consumed; and leather seat trim inplace of cloth for $2,465.

As nice as the car is, there are some glaring faults. Power down thewindows after a rain and you`ll saturate yourself when you turn a corner.There`s no roof gutter to direct water away from occupants, resulting inlittle waterfalls that form to keep occupants awake.

Another irritant is trying to turn off any of the numerous dash/floorducts for air conditioning and inside recirculation. Can`t be done. You`llnever hear the wind whistling inside the car, because the sound of the fanmoving interior air will drown it out.

Finally, the power seat has one of those controls that looks like a seatin miniature. You`d think when you touched the seat back on the little unitthat the back of the seat would go back, not forward, and when you touched theseat bottom down, you`d think the bottom would go down, not up.

The Scorpio starts at $23,248, to which you add a mere $142 in freight to bring it by boat from West Germany and rail and truck to your favoritedealership.

You have to wonder why a German-built car only requires a $142 deliveryfee when it costs three times that or more to get a Taurus delivered withinthe boundaries of the U.S.

Because the car carries a hefty price tag, Ford has come up with somespecial incentives, such as guaranteeing the trade-in value when you decide topeddle your Scorpio in favor of a new one within 24 to 48 months.

The guarantee assures buyers the Scorpio trade-in value will be equal, as a percentage of the original retail price, to that of a much smaller, 4-doorMercedes-Benz 190E, or Lincoln-Mercury will pay the difference.

Why such an offer? Because by doing so, Merkur associates itself withMercedes. It used to be that Ford copied Mercedes grilles; now it`s goingafter the retained-value image.

Scorpio owners also get a “RoadCare“ plan, which offers 36 months ofemergency service reimbursement such as towing expense as well as a 24-hourhotline to call for help, just as Mercedes offers.

Also, participating dealers will provide Scorpio owners with a freeMercury loaner when they bring their car in for scheduled service.