Ford Taunus TC suspended with a conventional wishbone suspension, which eschewed shock absorbers and gave the car a soft 'freeway' ride and, with the heavier 6-cylinder engines, a tendency to excessive understeer. Press criticism of the trade-off between the car's road-holding and ride-comfort soon evolved into a more general critique, not convincingly addressed by the manufacturer for several years, that Ford had launched the Taunus TC before they had finished developing it. A telescopic steering column designed to collapse in the event of a frontal collision (rather than penetrate the driver's chest) had been mainstream in competitor models from Opel and Volkswagen for
Ford Taunus TC in Argentina, and now with the "TC3" nose and its own unique taillights lay-out. These post 1980 Argentine Taunus fast-back coupès also featured improved performance and a refashioned interior: they used the name "Taunus SP" or "Taunus SP 5", the "5" referring to the five-speed manual gearbox now available as an option. Apart from the five speed option, the transmission choice, as for the European Taunus TCs, lay between a four speed manual and, for larger engined cars, a three speed automatic gear box. The Argentine Taunus TC models did not share the European engine range, instead using the similar