Send to a friend...

Your Name

Friend's Name

Friend's Email

Posted on: Jun 08 2007

Hindustan-Ambassador

The venerable and much-loved Ambassador is probably older than most of our readers, but it keeps going like some immortal being, getting an engine update here, a design change there. Still, at nearly 60 years old, is it worth this wizened old grand-daddy’s time to keep going on, or is it time for a dignified retirement?:

Design, Engineering and Interiors:
The design is extremely old, dating to the pre-Independence era, when words like monocoque, airbags, all-independent suspension, chassis electronics and Euro NCAP safety norms didn’t exist.It still uses time-honoured shell-on-ladder-chassis construction, with independent front suspension and a ‘proper’ pig-iron body (prone to rust) instead of the wimpy sheet metal of today’s cars.

There are now a few different versions, including the traditional-look Classic 1500, 1800 and 2000, the slightly jazzed-up Grand and the strange-looking Avigo.Some bits have been modernised, like the addition of power steering and disc brakes on the Grand and Avigo versions.Build quality has improved, but it’s still half a century behind new cars, and though shut-lines and panels gaps are still wide, they are at least consistently wide.

If there’s one reason to still love the Ambassador, it’s the supreme rear seat — comfy, upright and perfectly cushioned, it could teach newer cars a thing or two. There’s even a flip-down armrest now. There’s plenty of leg- and head room, thanks to the upright passenger cell, and you sit high, with a good view out of the rounded windows.

Comfy but poorly bolstered bucket seats are available on all except 1500 and Grand models; there’s good room here as well, as well as the inspired relocation of the handbrake between the seats. The bench will seat three, but the middle passenger is in danger of being emasculated during spirited gear changing.

Most variants have the standard, basic dashboard, with rudimentary instrumentation and shoddy plastics. The air-con is pretty effective, however. The Avigo has a parody of the Mini Cooper’s dashboard, finished in silver with centrally located dials. This has more standard equipment on offer, including leather upholstery and a high-end stereo system.

If the Amby used to be a favourite of old Bollywood villains, it’s because of the multiple corpse-sized boot, now even bigger and put to better use as a CNG-kit platform.

Performance, Fuel Economy and Handling: 
The Amby uses three engines: a 1.5 diesel, a 1.8 Isuzu-sourced petrol, and a 2.0-litre diesel. The 1500 diesel, with 36bhp to drive about 1200kg, goes like a snail out of hell. This still uses the archaic and clunky four-speed gearbox, which is quite a pain to use. Unless you simply can’t do without an Amby, and can’t afford anything else, this one is best avoided. The 2.0-litre diesel comes in two states of tune, one with 56bhp and 11.5kgm of torque (in the Avigo diesel) and one with 52bhp and 11kgm, in the Grand and 2000. This works reasonably well, with decent driveability, and is the better diesel option by far. This is partly because it uses the slick five-speed Isuzu gearbox; the gear ratios have been haphazardly chosen, with a big gap between first and the too-tall second, but is acceptable in this day and age.

The best by far is the 1817cc Isuzu petrol, offered with 75bhp. This is a smooth, surprisingly refined and very eager engine, and performance comparable to a Honda City’s. Fuel economy is fairly poor, at 8.7 and 12.0kpl. The ancient chassis and comfort-biased suspension mean you’d be insane to throw it around corners. Slow and steady does the trick, the 15-inch wheels and heft smoothening out most bumps and thumps. Steering is very vague, and the non-power version is far too heavy to use in the city. Braking is a very weak area: even the disc-equipped versions are not too effective, and the drums-only ones take a death defying 51 metres to stop from 80kph.

Verdict:
If you wear khadi, indulge in billion-rupee scams and have a ministry portfolio, you probably have one already. However, if you are about to spend your own money, the Amby isn’t the wisest choice, except for nostalgic reasons. It makes great sense if you have a fleet or run a taxi service, with its great rear seat and low price, but not otherwise. The good news is that it is cheap to run, easy to service, with cheap spares, and any mechanic worth the name will be able to fix it. Resale values are low, however, and quality is a matter of astrology and praying.
Source: autocarindia.com