The latest Lynx

In the country since mid-1999, everything took place so quick. But as things past are rekindled at the recently held Ford Lynx ride-and-drive affair, all we can do is hand it to Ford and its latest Lynx.

Held last April 12 and 13, the Manila-Subic-Manila gig was apparently drawn to illustrate what Ford and many of us have known over the years; that the Lynx is quite an entertaining drive. After all, the car has always displayed perfect handling manners, boasted a solid structure translating to a very refined ride, packed an impressively long list of features, and flaunted its looks in a not-so-shy way – thanks largely to lavish amounts of chrome.

But familiarity breeds indifference, so no matter how competent the previous Lynx was, Ford deemed it fit to come up with some new interesting things. Especially since it faces fierce competition from the all-new models of other manufacturers.

So in 2002, the Lynx received its first major makeover. Sporting new design cues, the car’s Ford New Edge look appears less New Edge yet manages to be even edgier. The familiar face is bolder, sprouting fashionable projector lamps and a new grille design.

At the opposite end, the car’s rear has cleaner styling, with flat surfaces replacing the complicated angles and lines of old. Gone are the ornate taillights, with smaller, simpler but still triangular pieces taking its place. The odd swath of chrome above the license plates is also noticeably absent, but not sorely missed at all.

More new pieces appear everywhere. The new chrome grille, new rear chrome garnish, new chrome exhaust tips, new chrome bumper inserts, and more chrome moldings gracing its flanks tells you there are stuff Ford didn’t scrimp on – which are, you guessed it, new things. Chrome side mirrors are optional.

All that glitters notwithstanding, it’s in the driving department where the latest Lynx truly shines. Ford has treated the car to a new front suspension job, stiffening certain bits and pieces, dialing in less assist in the power steering boost, and making the body structure more rigid. The result is steering precision and feel that are unparalleled in the car’s class. Either that or the increased steering effort required makes men feel more macho, hence the admiration.

What’s not debatable, though, is the level of refinement the latest car has. Noise, vibration and harshness levels are impressively kept low, even managing to improve on the previous car’s figures. Driving over potholes, fault line-like cracks and haphazardly laid asphalt, all that can be heard inside the vehicle are muted thumps. There’s a bit of tire noise, largely due to the relatively low-profile rubbers, but nothing that one could get annoyed at.

Engine noise isn’t also loud enough to be intrusive. Speaking of which, the latest Lynx retains the 1.6-liter, 16-valve, DOHC power plant of the previous model’s. An engine that has proven itself to be more than adequate in providing the car with the oomph to match the competition, it has also time and again allowed the car’s driver to indulge in a bit of overtaking theatrics, as some have illustrated during the drive up to Subic. The automatic four-speed or manual five-speed transmission this engine is bolted to, meanwhile, has been tweaked to shift gears more smoothly than ever.

If circumstances do not require much hustling, though, it’s perfect to simply luxuriate in the car’s interior. Slide into the leather seats, open up the tilting and sliding moonroof, and pop in the six-disc player all the cheesy Dire Straits CD you want.