Volvo 122-S AUTOMATIC Overview
VOLVO 122-S AUTOMATIC
The familiar Swedish sedan is now available with automatic transmission
WHEN THE VOLVO
122
was introduced at the
London Auto Show in 1957, it was a thoroughly
new and interesting sedan that reflected the sound
engineering practices and scrupulous attention to quality
control for which the Swedish manufacturer was widely
respected. These attributes, plus a pleasant appearance and
better-than-average road manners, assured the new model a
warm welcome. Since that time it has undergone a number
of changes that have kept it mechanically up to date and has
enjoyed continuing popularity among drivers to whom a car
is
more than a styling exercise. The latest change is to offer
an automatic transmission as an option and this version of
the 122-S is the subject of our test.
As it has been four years since we lasted tested a 122-S
(the "S" stands for Sport, incidentally, and distinguishes it
122
from the lower-output version sold in the home market), a
brief examination of the basic machine is perhaps indicated.
The 122-S is offered as a 2-door or 4-door sedan and as a
station wagon. In overall size, with a wheelbase of 102.5 and
a length of 175 in., the sedan is about the size we think
American compacts should be. It is big enough to be practical in U.S. driving conditions, small enough to be easy to
drive and yet not so tiny as to be accidentally stepped on.
The body/chassis is a welded-up unit and consequently displays both the vices and virtues of this type of construction.
On one hand it is strong, rattle-free and durable, but there
is also the inevitable kettle-drum effect which results in considerable noise inside even though extra-thick padding is
used on the floor.
The front suspension of the 122-S is conventionally inde-
VOLVO122-S
AUTOMATIC
AT A GLANCE
Price as tested
$3015
Engine
4 cyl. ohv,1780 cc, 90 bhp
Curb weight, lb
2510
Top speed, mph
90
Acceleration, 0-60 mph, sec
15.8
50-10 mph (2nd and 3rd gears), sec
11.6
Average fuel consumption, mpg
22
pendent, with A-arms, coil springs, tube shocks and an antiroll bar. There is a live axle at the rear, but a series of arms
and links assures that the axle stays where it is supposed to
be and it is consequently far more satisfactory than the
average live-axle rear suspension arrangement. It behaves so
well, even over rough roads, that it makes you wonder why
anyone bothers with independent rear suspension on a frontengine sedan.
Since our last test the engine has been increased in displacement to 1780 cc (from 1586) by enlarging the bore,
and there has been an increase in horsepower from 85 at
5500 rpm to 90 at 5000. In design the engine is a completely
straightforward 4-cyl ohv with five main bearings and it is
carbureted by a pair of 1.75-in. SUs. It is a beefy engine with
reserves of ruggedness obviously built in. Other changes in
the 122-S include the adoption of the now-popular disc/drum
front/rear brake combination and these we found to be fully
up to their job.
The driving position is good, the seats are high enough to
afford a commanding view of what's going on and are adjustable enough to be comfortable for almost anyone. The steeri
ng is quick for a car of this size (3.25 turns lock-to-lock)
and its accuracy contributes to the driver's feeling of rapport
with the machine.
When the 122-S is driven hard there is considerable body
l
ean and a pronounced understeer, but once the driver has
become accustomed to these characteristics it is an easy
car to handle at pretty near its limit.
Other features of the Volvo that we like include the overthe-shoulder-and-across-the-lap seat belts that are standard
on all models, the impressive care with which everything is
put together, and the heater which is one of the most effective in the business. We also heartily approve of the manufacturer's
policy of making a genuinely useful range of
accessories available. By this we mean that there is not only
the usual assortment of sideview mirrors, floor mats, roof
racks and convenience baskets, but also that one can obtain
such items as a complete service manual ($15), a tourist kit
that includes basic spares ($13.19) and even an emergency
gas can that fits into the spare wheel ($7.50). Good practical
stuff.
The automatic transmission that is now available in the
1
22-S is the Borg-Warner Type 35, a torque converter with
3-speed planetary gearbox. This is not the finest type of
transmission ever built, in our opinion, but it is available to
European manufacturers at a reasonable price ($180 more
than the manual gearbox in the 122-S) and is adaptable to
such widely different machines as the Sunbeam Alpine and
the Jaguar 3.8-S sedan. From the enthusiastic driver's point
of view, there's simply too big a gap between the three gears,
the shifts are relatively slow and, when this transmission is
used with a typically small-displacement, low-torque European engine, there is an annoying lurch and a noticeable loss
of steerage way after each shift.
We covered a total of about 3000 mi in the 122-S automatic and were able to drive it in conditions that varied from
downtown rush-hour creeping to hours of flatland cruising
and hundreds of miles over an assortment of mountain roads.
Only in heavy downtown traffic could we see any advantage
to having the automatic, where it relieved the necessity of
rowing through the gears. In highway cruising, where only
high gear is used, the automatic was neither a plus nor a
minus, but it demonstrated better than average efficiency as
we consistently got 23 mpg in this kind of driving. On mountain roads we found the automatic a damned annoyance as
it
buzzed back and forth from gear to gear and we wished
we had a manual box so we could stick it in third and leave
it there mile after mile.
We realize that the manufacturer didn't add the automatic
transmission to the option list expecting that the experienced
enthusiast would become rapturous over it. The automatic
is
offered because there is an ever-growing segment of the
auto driving public that has never learned to use a manual
transmission and isn't going to learn. So the manufacturer
sells cars that he would not have been able to sell otherwise.
It's good business. And, as we've said so many times in the
past: a few days spent in the heavy traffic of most of our
l
arger cities will convince anyone that there is an advantage
to an automatic transmission.
But don't let us give you the impression that we didn't
like the 122-S automatic. It's just that we think the prospective shiftless buyer is missing part of the fun and pleasure
that the 122-S can be.
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