|
Petrol: | 1593 cc
TL16H I4 | 1699 cc
Taunus V4 | 1993 cc
TL20H I4 | 1999 cc
V6 | 2792 cc V6 | 2112 cc (Peugeot) I4 }} }} The square and straight-lined Granada Mark II – known internally within Ford as "Granada 78" – was released in August 1977 (for the 1978 model year) and was produced until April 1985, following a mild facelift and attention to drivetrain
noise, vibration, and harshness in 1981. The Mark II was essentially a reskin of the 1972 car, with new external panelwork that brought the Granada into line with Ford's new design language initiated by stylist
Uwe Bahnsen, taking styling cues also used on the recently launched Cortina/Taunus Mk IV and Mk I
Fiesta. Even non-Ford styling was considered: during the 1971 Geneva Motorshow, Bahnsen and
Joe Oros, from the US Ford design team, fell in love with the
Fiat 130 Coupé, a design by
Paolo Martin of
Pininfarina. The Ford design studios in
Cologne-
Merkenich, Germany, purchased a 130 Coupé, and Bahnsen told
Patrick Le Quément, at the time in charge of the department Forward Design at Ford, to 'design a car looking just as good as this one'. Much of the Mark I bodywork was retained, such as inner door pressings – the curved uptick at the rear doors now disguised with black paint behind the horizontal chrome trim strip on the saloon – and the estate version effectively grafted the Mk II nose to the Mk I body, retaining the same panels as the old car aft of the
A pillars. The engineering was very similar, the main differences being the
"Cologne" V6 engine in 2.0, 2.3, and 2.8 L forms replacing the older "Essex" unit, and the introduction of features such as
air conditioning and, for the top-priced 2.8-litre versions, fuel-injection. In mainland Europe, a 1.7 L V4 was originally available. By the time of its introduction, UK Granada production had been quietly abandoned "for some time"; UK market Granada IIs were imported from Germany. Internally within Ford, the "Cologne" 1.7, 2.0, 2.3, and 2.8 units were the last derivatives of the 'V-Taunus' range of engines. UK and Irish spec 2.0 Granadas used the 4-cylinder "
"Pinto" (or TL-series) engine, as did continental market 1.6 versions - this smaller capacity was deemed too small for the British and Irish markets and was therefore not offered. Predominantly, like the MK1; the MK2 Granada continued to fit 175R14 on the smaller wheels and 185R14 on 6" with the 195/70R14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36 becoming more commonplace, while the new 190/65VR390 Michelin TRX became the wheel and tyre combination for the top of the range cars. Ford Granada MkII pre facelift ca 1980.jpg|Although most surviving Granada Mark IIs feature the body-coloured post-facelift (1981) grille, earlier cars came with a simple black grille regardless of body colour. 1979 Ford Granada L 2 Door (14770307772).jpg|1979 Ford Granada L two-door saloon (Mark II) 1985_Ford_Granada_2.8_Ghia_Automatic_Estate_(13824683473).jpg|1985 Ford Granada Mark II Estate: panels from the windscreen back were carried over from the Mark I Estate Ford Granada rear 20080808.jpg|Granada 2.8 GLS, showing pre-facelift taillamp design. The coupé was discontinued when the new model began production, although there was a two-door saloon version in certain European markets. A relatively low number of vehicles were also produced with an
Indenor four-cylinder
diesel engine in 1.9-, 2.1-, and 2.5-litre capacities. As their own, commercial diesel engine production lines had no extra capacity, Ford signed a contract with Peugeot to buy their 1.9 and 2.1-litre
XD engines. Soon after the arrangement was complete, Peugeot announced their new, more powerful 2.3-litre iteration, which was not made available to Ford. The smallest 1.9 was quite underpowered and was soon supplanted by the somewhat more powerful 2.1, which was presented as the "Granada GLD" in March 1979 at Geneva. By 1982, this was replaced by the more capable 2.5. Fuel-injected 2.8 models were originally rated at 160bhp and offered with a unique 'S' pack (based on L trim but with updated suspension, TRX wheels and tyres and spotlights) or with normal GL or Ghia trim. In 1979, the “iS” and “iGL” were replaced by the 2.8i GLS. A limited edition “Sapphire” model was also announced with slightly different trim and two tone blue over silver paintwork (strangely, the rocker panels were painted in body colour rather than matt black which made the side profile of the car look deeper and less sleek). Today early injection models are particularly rare. The 2.8i S model was immortalised by the silver vehicle used in the TV series
The Sweeney. Changes for 1980 were limited to new colours and new, more comfortable seats. The Granada was a strong seller in the UK, peaking in 1979 as the seventh best selling car with more than 50,000 sales, and also appearing in the top 10 for sales figures in 1978 and 1982. It remained the best selling car in this sector in Britain throughout its whole production run, despite competition from the likes of the
Leyland Princess,
Rover SD1 and
Vauxhall Carlton. Due to import restrictions, Ford was only selling the Fiesta in Spain (as it was manufactured there) in the 1970s. In 1979, Ford received authorization to sell the Granada and
Taunus as well, but competing manufacturers accused Ford of
selling below cost to lower tariffs. Import authorization for the Granada (as well as the Taunus) was briefly suspended but eventually reinstated with the proviso that Ford raise the sales price by fifteen percent.
Ford Australia's 1979–1982
XD series Falcon bears a strong visual resemblance to the Granada Mark II, however the only parts common to both cars are the headlamps; the Falcon being a larger car with a significantly longer wheelbase and US-derived engines and chassis architecture. In the mid-1970s, Ford Australia President Brian Inglis had taken particular interest in the development of the forthcoming Granada, and in 1976 arranged for a key member of Ford of Europe's design team, Trevor Creed, to produce a Falcon
clay that reflected its design. However, by the time it reached production, the Falcon also incorporated design elements from the
1979 Ford Mustang, including a lower belt line with larger windows and a more steeply-sloped bonnet, and featured lightweight plastic bumpers. The 1981 facelift of the Granada introduced a further visual similarity, with the restyled taillamps of the saloon being of similar design to those of the XD Falcon.
Facelift The range had a facelift in September 1981 with larger wrap-around bumpers, a three-bar body coloured grille, revised dashboard, restyled taillights, and redesigned seats which improved driver and passenger comfort. The two-door saloon was discontinued. There were also a number of detail improvements under the shell; the gearbox, clutch, and brakes were revised, the
semi-trailing arm rear suspension geometry was altered, and variable rate rear springs became standard across the range. A special Ford of Britain-only marketing pack edition of the Ghia X model was later introduced as the "Ford Granada Ghia X Executive" which standardised luxury appointments such as the high-grade
Connolly Leather interior that had previously been an optional fitment. Further refinements such an electric slide and tilt sunroof, electric boot release on saloons, electric seat adjustment, heated seats, a trip computer, and air conditioning set the Granada
Ghia X above most other cost-comparable executive cars available in the UK in the early '80s. The special "Taxi" edition was available only in black, which included a foot-operated "panic button" in the driver's footwell which would operate the alarm system. In addition to these two models, the range was complemented by estate models which reflected the same appointment levels as the entire saloon range, including the Ghia X, but not the Ghia X Executive model. Ford Granada Estate (15053833387).jpg|The facelifted Granada Estate File:1982 Ford Granada 2.8 GL (14615790269).jpg|A 1982 Granada 2.8 GL, showing restyled taillamps and wraparound bumpers introduced with the facelift. Ford Granada rear 20080127.jpg|Granada Turnier 2.8i GL - the estates retained the earlier sheetmetal at the rear
Special models Ford subcontracted assembly to
Hyundai Motor Company in
South Korea for sales in that market, where it continued to be sold from October 1978 to 1986, when it gave way to the
Hyundai Grandeur. Production continued from stockpiled kits until December 1985, after 4,743 had been built. The car originally received a 2.0-litre
V6 engine with a two-barrel
Solex carburetor and four-speed manual transmission, but after the 1980 oil crisis had slowed down sales, the more economical 2-litre four-cylinder was also made available. The Granada competed with the
Saehan Rekord (Royale), as well as the
Peugeot 604, imported by
Kia Motors. Taxes were very high on imported cars, with the Granada (and 604) landing in an even higher tax bracket for cars with wheelbases of over . , the eldest son of Hyundai's founder
Chung Ju-yung, died in a car accident in a Granada. These included the slightly stretched "Minster" 15 cm, and the 68 cm longer "Dorchester" and better equipped "Grosvenor". As of autumn 1982, the Dorchester was also available in an estate version with elongated rear doors, called the "Windsor". ==Mark III (1985–1994)==