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By
EWAN KENNEDY
18 February 2008
Ford Australia has launched the all-new Falcon at a special
ceremony in Melbourne. Called the FG Falcon, 100 per cent of all visible
body parts are fresh and some 80 per cent of underbody parts are of a
new design. Most of the mechanical components have either been renewed
or extensively modified.
The body is unmistakably a Falcon in its shape, the new family
Ford being a solid evolution of the old theme. Which is certainly
no bad thing as the about to be superseded BA / BF Falcon has an
elegant style that still looked good towards the end of its
six-year life.
The slightly more upright shape of the FG's body compared to
the BF gives increased interior room, chiefly thanks to the
squarer shape of in the roof/side area. Ingress and egress is
easier than in the AU through BF series cars thanks to a roof
design that’s less domed, thus giving greater clearance over the
doors.
Incidentally, the FG designation comes uses the initial letters
of the long running Fairmont Ghia series of upmarket Falcons. The
Fairmont Ghia has now been discontinued as part of a realignment
of the model’s names.
Inside, the style is completely different, with an almost-Audi
look that gives this affordable Falcon the sort of ambiance you
would expect in an upmarket European machine.
Engines are a continuation of the twin-cam, four-valve
straight-six series seen in Falcons for several years, but with
significant improvements to not only increase power, but also to
make them use less fuel and produce fewer emissions.
As Ford Australia's new president, Bill Osborne, says,
"Buyers want everything in their cars, they want performance
and economy, we had to provide both."
Retaining the longtime capacity of 4.0 litres, the latest
Falcon straight-six engine has an all-new cylinder head design and
a special intake manifold flow-modification valve. Together with
other detailed changes, this engine now manages to crack the
psychological engineering barrier of 100 Newton metres per litre
of capacity. Only the very best of European and Japanese engines
manage this feat.
The Ford six generates 409 Nm from its 4.0 litres, an excellent
number. However, it requires the efficiency of premium (95 RON)
unleaded fuel to do so. On standard petrol (91 RON) it still
manages a creditable 391 Nm. The engine automatically senses which
fuel it is being fed.
Peak power is 195 and 198 kW on 91 and 95 octane petrol,
respectively.
Fuel consumption has been cut by between one and two per cent
based on figures measured by Ford Australia in the AS testing
regime.
Transmissions are now five-speed automatic in the lower grade
models, in place of the old four-speed unit. Upmarket variants
continue to use the highly-regarded six-speed ZF. As before the
six-speed can be specified in other models for an extra charge.
The exception is the E-Gas Falcon, running on LPG, which
continues to use the four-speed automatic transmission.
A new design of front suspension, using some of the same
principles developed for the Ford Territory, has been introduced.
Interestingly, it is largely made from aluminium components to cut
overall vehicle weight, as well as to gain the benefits of reduced
unsprung mass for better ride and handling characteristics.
A great deal of work has gone into reducing noise, vibration
and harshness and Ford says it has measured the cabin at as much
as three decibels quieter under some conditions. That is a most
significant improvement. We haven’t yet driven the new Falcon,
but will comment on refinement as soon as we do so.
Ford has revamped the model names with the new FG range. The XT
designation of the base-line model has been retained, but the
Futura, Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia have all been discontinued, to
be replaced by what Ford terms G-Series tags. In ascending order
these are G6, G6E and G6E turbo.
Safety is a major feature of the new Falcon, with ESP fitted in
all but the LPG model. At least four airbags are installed, with
six on the upmarket versions. The extra two airbags, curtain
units, are offered as an option on all models.
Utilities will be introduced in the new FG Falcon series. The
high-riding, tough ATV will be discontinued as Ford says its new
Ranger ute is proving so popular that there simply isn’t the
need for a vehicle like the Falcon based ATV.
The Falcon station wagon will continue to be built in the old
BF series. Wagon sales have slowed in recent years, principally
due to the increase in the number of SUVs, including Ford's own
Territory, on offer.
However, there are still quite a few buyers who want an
old-style station wagon, especially if it can be sold for a modest
price. Hence the retention of the BF series Falcon station wagon,
now in BF Series III format with some upgrades, including the
installation of ESP as standard.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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