1975 Granada: Forgotten Automotive Adverts | The Each day Drive

June 6, 2025

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1975 Ford Granada comparison Ad — 1975 Granada

I’m not eager to belabor this level, however Ford promoting from the mid-Seventies was fairly closely laden with baloney. And by baloney, I imply fraud-level lies. Take a look at this advert for the 1975 Mustang II. Not less than the Mustang seemed type of sporty.

1975 Granada: Forgotten Automotive Adverts

Daring Comparisons

By now, you’re conscious that for the 1976 mannequin 12 months, Ford advertising varieties started evaluating the compact Granada with Mercedes-Benz merchandise. However again in 1975, when the mannequin debuted, Ford people in contrast the very boring, predictable, and in each approach mediocre Granada with one of the best Cadillac accessible on the time, and, what would turn into one of many most-important Volkswagens of all time.

Cadillac Seville and Volkswagen Rabbit

Sure, have a look at the advert: The Cadillac Sevilleand the Volkswagen Rabbit.

And whereas, to Ford’s level (we guess), the Granada was about the identical dimension because the Cadillac, and about the identical value because the VW. However the comparability falls aside hilariously after that.

Downsized Ford

Ford did design the Granada to emulate the look of the maker’s bigger vehicles, and to a fantastic extent the styling labored. Customers accepted the downsized automobile as a legit Ford product, regardless that the Granada was significantly smaller than the maker’s LTD giant automobile, and the midsize Torino which it successfully changed within the lineup. (The Torino did dwell on till the top of 1976, for Ford’s advertising vitality was firmly dedicated to launching the Granada.)

Granada Gross sales

Right here’s the deal, the Granada offered rather well. The boxy, chrome-laden Granada discovered greater than 400,000 patrons in 1975, this regardless of bringing no developments or new expertise to the market. Appears there are (have been?) automobile buyers who positioned sluggish, unchallenging, change above all else when looking for new wheels.

That is what makes the comparability to the Rabbit so absurd. Whereas the image of the VW is supposed to make the automobile appear small and fundamental, the Rabbit was as a substitute a groundbreaking product for Volkswagen.

Trendy Volkswagen

Whereas the Granada was principally the identical front-engine, rear-drive, pushrod-powered automobile that Ford offered at each value stage, the Rabbit was very a lot all new.

Inside Quantity

Launched within the U.S. for 1975, the Rabbit boasted lightweight unibody building, front-wheel drive, fashionable overhead-cam engines, and stunning inside area. Certainly, whereas the cumbersome Granada clocked in at as much as 3400 kilos, stretched 198 inches, and offered an estimated 95 cubic toes of inside quantity, the trim little VW was simply 155 inches lengthy, weighed slightly below 2000 kilos, but offered house owners with practically as a lot cabin area because the Ford (90 cubic toes).

Granada versus Rabbit

Additionally, the Granada’s lineup of unhappy, under-powered engines offered little in the best way of efficiency. The bottom 200-inch six coughed up a scant 70 horsepower, whereas the accessible 302-inch V8 was good for simply 129. Relying on the testing group, the 302-powered Granada lumbered to 60 mph from a cease in a sedate 12-13 seconds.

In the meantime, the Rabbit, powered by a 70-horsepower free-revving 1.5-liter overhead cam 4, was able to 0-60-mile instances of 10-11 seconds. As for gasoline financial system…effectively, Highway & Observe noticed 12.5 mpg of their testing of a 1975 302 Granada. In the meantime, Automotive and Driver bettered 20 mpg of their testing of the brand new VW.

Granada versus Seville

The advert’s comparability of the Granada to the Seville is, on its face, much less absurd, but it surely’s nonetheless fairly doubtful. Sure, the Seville is pricey, but it surely additionally boasted some authentic technological options that have been unavailable on the Ford.

The Cadillac got here commonplace with an electronically fuel-injected V8 good for 180 horsepower. Regardless of weighing roughly half a ton greater than the Granada, the Cadillac was at the least a second faster within the 0-60 dash, it additionally returned significantly higher gasoline financial system.

However, extra importantly, the Seville boasted a complicated impartial coil-spring rear suspension. The high-end chassis contributed to the Caddy’s famously clean journey and practically sporty dealing with. That Granada, nevertheless, made use of a dated leaf-spring rear-suspension setup, critically limiting the automobile’s dynamic potential.

Sure, hundreds of thousands of American’s purchased Granadas, and little doubt the vehicles served these customers fairly effectively. However the Granada was un-special in a spectacular approach, and was merely not in the identical league because the Rabbit technologically, nor the Seville by way of energy or refinement. Wanting again at this advert, we’re nonetheless a bit delay by all of the, effectively…baloney. Click on right here for extra classic-car promoting.