Motoring Value for Money Two of the most interesting ears
I have tried for a long time arc the new 14-hp..Wolseley and the new Vauxhall of the same powei.-- Without any close resemblance in design and little in character, they represent excellent examples of what pleasant cars you can buy for very little money today. - They have good bodywork, quiet engines which run exceptionally smoothly, swift and easy gear-changing, and in general most of the qualities most people want. Each car is decidedly a high-grade machine, and the longer. I drove them .the more I was impressed with the high standard reached by their designers. Like the ledding members of the famous " £300 " class, these two arc obviously remarkable value for money. - That is a phrase that is used in season and out and generally misapplied—particularly when it refers to some superb piece of luxury that costs anything up to a couple of thousand pounds. The value of what some people call the finest cars in the world can very nearly be compared. with the value of jewels, that is to say that it is estimated by a very few. Your £1,500 car may be the best-built, best-finished motor-car you can buy, but it does not necessarily give you better service than another costing half the money. The second £750 is perhaps (not always, of course) the price you pay for the pleasant ornaments of a great name and reputation, " hand-made " parts and all the glories of perfect engineering finish: The matchleSs hnei of sapphire and diamond. Like most of them, the analogy limps badly, but those who have owned and driven all sorts and qualities of cars will see what I mean, and the trite phrase is really sensible in respect of these two cars.
The Wolseley is a new car altogether, a different model front the last two of that power described in The Spectator. The engine is of the. type used in what they call the " Super Sixes," the 16-h.p., 21-h.p. and 25-h.p., of which the last was reported upon on this page in May last. It is a six-cylinder with overhead valves and two S.U. carburettors, and there are several points of interest in its design. The pistons, for example, are steel-skirted, a design for which a slowing-down of bore wear is claimed, with resultant economy of oil. Cooling is by pump, with automatic thermostatic control and a special gadget in the lubrication by which the oil is taken front the top level in the sump by a constant- level intake pump which works in the filtered oil.
The overall gear-ratios are on the low side, top being 5.3 to 1, third 7.8 to 1, second 12.1 to 1, and bottom the emergency 21.75 to 1. The engine does about 1,300 revolutions at 20 miles an hour, the claimed maximum speed being about 70. Top and third are synehromeshed. Lockheed hydraulic brakes are used, and the Jackall permanent jacking system is fitted, whereby all four wheels can be raised from the driver's seat in half a minute or so. The frame is a thoroughly sturdy job and the whole car is built on trustworthy lines. The model I drove was. the normal five-seated saloon, with six windows. The seats are exceptionally well- upholstered and comfortable, and there is room for fairly long legs in the rear compartment. The front seats arc the pride of the car, in my view, not only because there is all the elbow-room ordinary-sized people can need, but also because the angle and position of the screen arc such that the outlook is almost ideal. I have not yet,' driven a car in which the view of the road-width was less testricted. • The special charm of the Wolseley is its liveliness. As I said, it runs very quietly, but its apparent docility does not long disguise the fact that ,it gets away really smartly. The gears require a pause between changes, as is almost invariably the case with synchromesh, but one need waste little time. I liked the steering very much. It was light and firm and; With the .good front springing, gave safe fast cornering.. The wheel• struck me as a size too small for complete - comfort. The springing in general was good, :though „the__ shock- absorbers needed attention. It proved- a - fast- climber on easy as well as On steep gradients. -The- :price is £265.
The new Vauxhall interested me .specially because it marked a decided advance on any other model of the make I have driven, chiefly in suspension. The front-wheel independent springing has been much improved since it was first introduced, as several "flat spots" have been eliminated. The steering, :for . example, is now almost faultless ; all the reactions to I.F.W.S. to which steering is sonietimes liable have been corrected. There is plenty of castor action and it is as steady at high speeds as at low. At sixty miles an hour I found it particularly confidence-giving. As is often the case with front " knee-action " springing the riding of the whole car is improved. I have seldom driven-a ear of this type; power or price' which is 'so coinfoitably 'sprung: It- rides ordinary surfaces as if it weighed 35 cwt. instead of 23. Thi§ is a great achievement.
This new model is an advance upon its predecessors in , other respects. The engine, for example, is smoother under load (it does not vibrate perceptibly) and it runs almost silently. It is lively and picks up without Apparent effort from-low speeds on top. The best description of it - is to say that it moves with distinction. That is the main impression I got.
The six-cylinder engine has a bore and stroke of 61.5 by 100, giving a cubic capacity of 1782 c.c., a rated power . of 14 and a ten guinea tax. There have been 'ilium: improvements in the familiar Vauxhall overhead valve,. gear, but in general there are no changes of importance iii the engine-design. It is very well finished. The gear, ratio is fairly high, top being 4.7, third 7.2, second 11; and bottom 18.7 to 1. The vacuum-controlled synchro mesh between top and the silent third gives unusually easy and quick changing. The plain brakes are excellent; but the lever of the handbrake is too far away from the driver. Other features I liked were the camshaft-driven - screen-wiper and petrol-pump, the Stevenson jacking, system and the multiple fuse-box. It is a very well- equipped car. The bodywork is really comfortable, and; a good deal roomier than it looks. The seats are deep; and well raked, with plenty of elbow and leg-room. The ventilation is excellent. A very comfortable, well-; mannered car, a long way ahead of its forerunners. It costs £220 for the touring saloon.
Joux PRIOLEAt.
[Note.--Readers' requests for advice front our Motoring. Correspondent on the (hake of new cars should be accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope. - The 'highest Price 'payable must be given, as well as the type of body required. No advice can be given on the purchase, sale or exchange of used cars.]
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