By ALISTAIR KENNEDY
9 October 2006

With the fanfare surrounding the launch of Holden’s all-new VE Commodore now over and that car on sale, Ford has taken the opportunity to remind us that it’s still a major player in the Australian family car market with the release of an upgraded version of its BF Falcon.

At this time of year the Holden-Ford rivalry is at its peak and the launch of the new Commodore, together with the imminent release of Holden’s new Captiva SUV, has intensified the competition between the two big car-makers. As is usually the case buyers are the big winners with prices being pruned back in search of comparative sales point scoring.

We were given a preview of the BF Mark II a couple of months ago but have now been able to see and drive the car.

External changes include a new tapered bonnet, grille, front bumper and headlamp surrounds as well as revised rear bumpers on sedan models. The upmarket Fairmont Ghia has been given a sportier look with a chrome grille, jewelled fog lights and front bumper finish and seven-spoke 17-inch sports alloy wheels. It also gets XR-style side skirts and rear bumper and an exposed chrome exhaust. For what is effectively a four-year-old design Falcon has held up particularly well and, in our eyes, still looks fresh and contemporary.

Perhaps the biggest news with the Mark II is that the ZF six-speed automatic transmission which was introduced with the BF is now available in all Falcon petrol sedans. It comes standard with the Fairmont Ghia, and V8 versions of the XT and Fairmont and optional on all other models. It’s not available with the LPG-powered E-Gas model which, interestingly, now accounts for around 25 per cent of all Falcon sales.

Engines in the Mark II Falcon are unchanged. There are three straight six 4.0-litre units, the Barra 190, turbocharged Barra 245T and E-Gas LPG units, as well as the Barra 230 single-cam and Boss 260 twin-cam V8s. On the road the Falcon remains superb with all engines pulling strongly and the six-speed transmission remarkably smooth, almost as seamless as a CVT.

One of the big selling points for the new Commodore has been the inclusion of stability control as standard fitment across the range. While the BF Mark II Falcon range doesn’t come with this important safety feature as standard it is available in all sedan models.

However, in what is surely one of the best-value option packs ever offered, buyers can get the six-speed automatic transmission, DSC (dynamic stability control), Sports Control Blade independent rear suspension and 17-inch alloy wheels for just $250. With Ford valuing this Euro Sports package at $3900 it’s hard to imagine anything but a 100 per cent take-up rate. Note that the package is being offered for an unspecified limited period, no doubt with the aim of boosting Falcon sales during the VE’s honeymoon period. The package is only available to retail customers.

A similar package is available on the Falcon XR6 with the optional six-speed automatic transmission and DSC (valued at $2350), again for $250.

Pricing of the BF Mark II has been largely dictated by that of the VE Commodore so it comes as no surprise that Ford has cut $6370 from the price of the Fairmont Ghia in line with the big price cut in the Holden Calais. There has been a similar drop in the price of the XR8, while XT and Futura models have risen fractionally. XR6 and Fairmont prices are unchanged. All great news for the Australian family car buyer.

The complete BF Falcon Mark II range, with prices (excluding on-road costs) is:
Falcon XT sedan $34,990 (manual), $35,990 (automatic)
Falcon XT wagon: $37,720 (automatic)
Futura sedan: $39,290 (automatic)
Futura wagon: $41,375 (automatic)
Fairmont sedan: $43,195 (automatic)
Fairmont Ghia sedan: $46,490 (automatic)
Falcon XR6 sedan: $39,710 (automatic)
Falcon XR6 Turbo sedan: $43,990 (manual), $45,490 (automatic)
Falcon XR8 sedan: $44,990 (manual), $46,490 (automatic)