The 1972 Ford Torino was a particularly big deal. The automaker had bestowed upon its mid-sized offerings the first all-new platform since they were introduced in 1962. Ford ditched unit-body construction and increased exterior dimensions to the point where four-door Torinos were almost as large and heavy as a “full-sized” LTD from only five years earlier.
Popular Science was not impressed with the Torino when it road tested the car along with its three most direct competitors: the Chevrolet Malibu, Plymouth Satellite and AMC Matador.
Jan P. Norbye and Jim Dunne noted that the Torino was five-to-10 inches longer than competitors and 250-to-350 pounds heavier. However, ease of entry and exit had “been sacrificed for an exciting roof line,” rear visibility was “poor due to small glass area in the back” and the trunk had a “poor layout” (1972, p. 30, 34).
In addition, Norbye and Dunne complained that the Torino had “an extra 12 inches of unused space ahead of the radiator (not counting the space needed for the headlights), adding a lot of sheet metal (and weight) to the car just for styling purposes” (1972, p. 30).
Mediocre roominess and performance but nice ride
The data table told an even more damning story: Despite the Torino’s bigger footprint, its interior room was only average, luggage capacity was on the small side and the trunk’s lift-over height was the greatest of the test cars.
Norbye and Dunne were also not impressed with the Torino’s performance. They noted that acceleration came in a distant fourth among the test cars and that both handling and braking were worse than in previous years.
Also see ‘1964-77 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu shows growth of mid-sized American cars’
The biggest thumbs up Norbye and Dunne gave to the Torino was for its ride, which they said had been “improved to a very high level.” Noise levels were also the lowest of the group (1972, p. 30, 34).
That aligned with Ford’s advertising. Richard M. Langworth noted that marketing “stressed the new Torino’s kinship with with big LTD in matters of ride, luxury and room” (1987, p. 293).
Popular Science recommends a more practical car
Both Norbye and Dunne concluded that the AMC Matador was their top choice. Norbye wrote that the Matador was a “car designed for people to use, not for looking pretty on the showroom floor. And it’s backed up by the most comprehensive guarantee now in existence” (1972, p. 123).
That recommendation was a real coup for AMC because the Matador’s body was the oldest of the test cars — dating back to 1967.
Popular Science’s road test doesn’t appear to have impacted intermediate sales all that much. The Torino did very well for 1972, almost hitting 497,000 units — up 52 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile, the Matador saw a more modest 26 percent increase to almost 55,000 units. AMC had become an asterisk in a field where it was once a major player (go here for further discussion).
Production figures were drawn from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (2006) and Gunnell (2002); product background from Langworth (1987).
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, Ill.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised 4th Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- Langworth, Richard M. and auto editors of Consumer Guide; 1987. The Complete History of Ford Motor Company. Beckman House.
- Norbye, Jan. P. and Jim Dunne; 1972. “How Good Are the ’72 Intermediates?” Popular Science. January issue: pp. 24, 30, 34, 123).
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcaradvertising.com: Ford Torino (1972)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Ford Torino (1972)
Interesting to note then Road Test magazine had chosen the Torino sibling, the Mercury Montego as Car of the year 1972 (Motor Trend had chosen the Citroen SM).
It could be interesting to see how the Torino would have done if GM had decided to release their all-new intermediates originally for the 1972 model year instead of 1973?
Sometimes I think the Plymouth Valiant and Dodge Dart were the only rational sedans produced by the Big 3 automakers in the early to mid 70’s. I guess a good argument could be made the AMC Hornet and Matador sedan and wagon were also sensible. The 1972 Torino was everything wrong with the domestic automakers of the era, and its successor, the LTD II, was outdated the day it debuted.
Ford was headlong into its corporate “malaise era”, which started with the 1967 Thunderbird and culminated with the 1972 Torino, 1973 Ford L.T.D. and the 1974 Mustang II. The common denominator: Lee (Let’s not spend much money !) Iacocca, in my opinion.