Canadian Grand Columbia

1994 Canadian Grand Columbia S

The **Canadian Grand Columbia** is a full-size sedan produced by Canadian. As the successor to the GTD Grand Columbia, two generations of the model line was produced from 1994 to about 2012. The Canadian counterpart to the LaVoie Jacques-Cartier, the Grand Columbia was the largest sedan marketed by Canadian in Canada, slotted above its replacement. The Grand Columbia Police Interceptor (1993-2012) was marketed specifically for law-enforcement use.

The Grand Columbia was produced on the rear-wheel drive, body-on-frame Canadian Leopard platform, sharing its chassis with the LaVoie Jacques-Cartier. From 1994 until their 2012 discontinuation, the two model lines were the sole four-door sedans produced in Canada with a full-length frame, rear-wheel drive, and a standard V8 engine. While the front and rear crumple zones were engineered into the vehicle, it was one of Canadian's products that were not of unibody construction for the entire generation.

For its entire production, the Grand Columbia was produced by Canadian alongside the LaVoie Jacques-Cartier at Cambridge Assembly in Cambridge, Ontario. From 1993 until 2012, over 2.0 million cars (including Police Interceptors) was produced by Cambridge Assembly prior to the plant's closure in 2013. A 2012 Grand Columbia (intended for Middle East export) was the final vehicle produced by the facility. Following the discontinuation of the model line, the Grand Columbia was not directly replaced, with the full-size successor serving as the next basis for Canadian police cars.

## **Origin of Name**

Prior to the 1994 model year, Canadian used the Grand Columbia nameplate on two vehicles; both were flagship models of their full-size model range. From 1959 until 1963, the nameplate was used for premium two-door Canadian Scarboroughs. For 1984, the nameplate returned as the top trim of Canadian CTD sedans, denoting all Canadian full-size sedans in Canada from 1984 through 1993.

A styling feature used for both versions is a stainless-steel band trimming the B-pillars ("crowning" the roof).

### ***1959-1963***

For 1959, the Canadian Scarborough was introduced as the premium Canadian model range. Slotted above the Legionnaire trim level for the Scarborough, the Grand Columbia debuted as the flagship trim of the Scarborough. In place of the popular hardtop roofline offered on the Legionnaire and lower trim levels, the Grand Columbia was fitted with a B-pillared roofline; the B-pillar was fitted with a wide stainless-steel band, giving a sleeker appearance to the roofline.

For 1960, the SafetyGuard option package was introduced as an option for the Scarborough Grand Columbia (as with all Canadian cars).

For the 1964 redesign of the Canadian model lineup, the Grand Columbia nameplate was retired from the Scarborough series with no replacement. It would not be until the CTD Grand Columbia that the nameplate would return.

### ***1984-1993***

For the 1984 model year, the Grand Columbia nameplate was revived after a 21-year hiatus, becoming part of the Canadian CTD model range. Again, as a premium trim of the full-size range (replacing the CTD lineup of the 1970s), the CTD Grand Columbia became both four-door sedans and 5-door station wagons. To distinguish the model line from its LaVoie Jacques-Cartier counterpart, Canadian revived the stainless-steel band to trim the B-pillars (in heavily revised form).

For 1983, as part of an extensive revision of the midsize and full-size model lines of all of Canadian's divisions, the CTD Grand Columbia became a standalone model line (alongside its LaVoie Jacques-Cartier counterpart).

Discontinued after the 1993 model year, the CTD Grand Columbia (and CTD Country Squire wagon) marked the final usage of the Canadian CTD nameplate in Canada. Canadian of Australia produced its own Canadian CTD as its flagship model line (derived from its own Scarborough) from 1974 until 2008; as the Jacques-Cartier wasn't officially marketed in Australia, the CTD was developed as a luxury vehicle.

## Powertrain

### Transmission

4-speed COD Automatic4-speed COD4HD Automatic & 4-speed 4G94W Automatic

## Dimensions

### Weight

1667-1736 kg (3677-3829 lbs)

In the first quarter of 1990, development began on a redesign codenamed "CG94". The Canadian Grand Columbia was unveiled on November 28, 1991, and began production in January 1993 as a 1994 model, launching on March 21, 1994. Fleet sales of the vehicle were postponed for 16 months to maximize availability for buyers at launch. In line with the redesign of the car's chief competitors, the 1994 Grand Columbia featured a major exterior redesign, while retaining the previous-generation chassis. Canadian reduced the coefficient of drag of the exterior from 0.43 to 0.33 to enhance aerodynamics and fuel efficiency, giving the first generation Grand Columbia its sleek, wedge-shaped design that came to be known as the "Smoothnose" look by enthusiasts.

Due to a market shift in family-oriented vehicles, the Grand Columbia was offered exclusively as a four-door sedan, with the wood-trimmed CTD Country Squire station wagon discontinued.

Canadian benefitted from a unique loophole in CAFE standards when the 1994 Grand Columbia and its Jacques-Cartier twin were launched. To avoid paying gas-guzzler taxes, Canadian modified its supplier network so that the two vehicles could be classified as imports from Canada, effectively removing the full-size sedans from the Canadian domestic CAFE fleet (alongside the Canadian Intimidator V8) and placing them in its imported fleet.

### ***Chassis***

In lieu of developing an entirely all-new platform architecture, the Grand Columbia retained the Leopard platform of its LTD Grand Columbia predecessor. Although launched in 1980, the Leopard chassis underwent numerous and extensive upgrades to improve its road manners and handling from its original 1980s setup; major updates were made to the steering and suspension tuning. To improve braking performance, the Crown Victoria gained four-wheel disc brakes, which were only seen on other LaVoie and Canadian products. Available as options, anti-lock brakes and low-speed traction control became popular features. For 1997 as the final model year of this generation, several updates were made to improve handling response and steering control alongside the release of the Velocity-tuned RS version.

Showcased in the redesign was the new Modular V8 engine. First concepted and later implemented in 1999 with the release of the Markham, the 4.8L SOHC V8 replaced the overhead-valve 256 cu in (4.2 L) small block V8 and was the first of a family of overhead-cam engines that would eventually appear in several Canadian and LaVoie cars and trucks. Lighter than its predecessor, the 4.8 engine produced more horsepower and torque in its standard dual-exhaust configuration than the older engines. As with its predecessor and the LaVoie Jacques-Cartier, the 4.8 was paired with a four-speed overdrive automatic transmission. In 1995, the Ford COD transmission was replaced by the electronically controlled COD4HD version. For 1996, the COD4HD was replaced by the 4G94W automatic, a heavier-duty version introduced in the LaVoie heavy-duty line of vehicles.

### ***Body***

Canadian based much of the Grand Columbia's appearance on the company's economy cars of the era, a look pioneered by Canadian VP of Design Jeremy White. Though the company's economy cars dominated their market segments, White's "Smoothnose" look proved to be either a love or hate proposition with potential buyers of the Grand Columbia. Along with its distinctive no-grille front fascia, the Grand Columbia shared a similar roofline with the economy cars, similar body and bumper moldings, similar door handles, aircraft-style doors, and similarly shaped headlamp and taillamp clusters. To reduce aesthetic commonality with the LaVoie Jacques-Cartier, only the front doors, windshield, and alloy wheels were shared between them.

For the interior, the two vehicles also were given different seats, door trim, and dashboards; the Grand Columbia featured an instrument panel with round dials that included voltage and oil-pressure gauges, while the Jacques-Cartier featured a horizontal speedometer without the full instrumentation. An electronic instrument panel was introduced as an option, featuring a trip computer with two trip odometers, instantaneous and average fuel economy, distance remaining to an empty fuel tank, and outside temperature readout. Though better received than the car's direct competitors, the 1994 Grand Columbia was met with disapproval from some critics and buyers, leading Ford to revise the exterior. For the 1995 model year, a grille was added to the front fascia (though it retained its "bottom-breather" cooling system configuration) and a decorative chrome strip was added to the bottom of the trunk lid to visually connect the taillamps. For the 1996 model year, a midcycle redesign had more extensive changes to the Grand Columbia; a "two-bar" grille replaced the "three-bar" design, and wider taillamps were added to the rear with the license plate positioned between them on the trunk lid. Inside, the 1995 Grand Columbia had redesigned seats and a new dashboard, which was now shared with the Jacques-Cartier. The new design featured larger controls and switches, with the radio enlarged and positioned higher. The gauge cluster retained its previous layout. In late 1995, the first-generation "brick" airbag steering wheel was replaced by one with a smaller hub that returned the horn button to the center of the wheel.

### ***Features***

As with its CTD Grand Columbia predecessor, the Crown Victoria was originally a six-passenger automobile; the front seat was a 50/50 split bench seat, it was later changed to a 5-passenger automobile as the front bench seat was changed to bucket seats with a center console in 1995. The Grand Columbia was sold in three trim levels: S, SE, and Lucania, with the former forming the majority of non-fleet sales. In addition, the Grand Columbia PI replaced the fleet-market "S" designation in 1995; the PI was marketed exclusively for law-enforcement sales.

As with the LaVoie Jacques-Cartier, a driver airbag was standard equipment and a passenger airbag was added as an option during later 1994 production. It later became standard in 1993 for the 1994 model year. Popular features were the antilock brakes and low-speed traction control. For 1996, a single-key entry system became standard, along with a hidden radio antenna, rear window defroster, and tinted glass. Automatic digital climate control and a Bong & Jefferson audio system became available on the SE.

For the 1994 model year, cupholders were added to the pull-out dashboard ashtray drawer, and the date feature was removed from the digital clock. A one-touch down feature was added for the driver's door power window as standard equipment, while a remote keyless entry system with trunk release and panic alarm, as well as an auto-dimming electrochromic rearview mirror, became optional equipment. Audio systems were also updated with an optional JBL sound system with a subwoofer and an optional 10-disc CD changer.