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By
EWAN KENNEDY
5 March 2007
Ford's Falcon is struggling in the sales race at the moment. A
victim of falling sales in large cars in general, the onslaught of
advertising by Holden for its all-new VE Commodore and the fact that the
Falcon itself is getting on in years.
For decades the Falcon has sat, apparently impregnably, in
either first or second place in the Australian car market; these
days it’s often languishing halfway through the top 10. Falcon
is being outsold by small cars as there's a big trend in that
direction, but most galling of all to Ford is the fact that the
Commodore is still sitting in either first or second spot.
As is often the way car buyers are the big winners when things
get tough in the retail business, with Falcon prices being pruned
in an attempt to claw back sales. Special editions are on offer on
a nationwide basis and individual Ford dealers are pushing various
plans in their local areas. Contact your nearest dealer/s and see
what you can do in the way of arm twisting, there are some great
deals out there.
We were given a preview of the BF Falcon Mk II a few months ago
and have now been able to drive the car for a solid week in our
home territory.
Falcon has had a far longer history of being built exclusively
for Australian conditions than any other model. This shows in the
way it copes with our rough and ready country roads – indeed,
there is no shortage of rough and readies in the suburbs either.
It simply lopes over rough surfaces with a minimum of fuss.
There's less tyre noise on coarse-chip road surfaces than you
get in many imported models, some of which cost tens of thousands
of dollars more than the home grown Ford. To many country buyers
this is a sufficient reason in its own right to buy either a
Falcon or Commodore.
Interior space is good, with plenty of room for four large
adults, and getting a smaller person into the rear seat isn’t as
difficult as in many smaller cars. Boot space is generous and the
relatively long tail of the Falcon makes it easy to load.
The biggest news in the latest Falcon is that the ZF six-speed
automatic that was introduced in topline versions of the BF is now
available in all Falcon sedans with petrol engines. It comes
standard with the Fairmont Ghia, V8 versions of the XT and
Fairmont, and is an extra cost, at $1500, option on all other
models.
However, the LPG-powered Falcon E-Gas model, which now accounts
for around 25 per cent of all Falcon sales, has to make do with
the old four-speed automatic. That auto was significantly improved
with the launch of the BF series so that’s not the handicap it
might once have been.
On the road the Fairmont Ghia we tested is superb, the
straight-six engine pulls strongly from just about any revs and
remains quiet unless you really get stuck into it. The six-speed
auto is smooth and refined and is almost invariably in the ratio
you would have chosen yourself for the conditions.
There's the opportunity for a fair bit of driver input over the
six-speed auto thanks to a tiptronic-type setup. In day-to-day
driving this seldom comes into play, but if pushing in a sporting
manner or towing a fair load it can be handy to dictate to the
transmission just what you want the car to do.
Our test Fairmont Ghia impressed us with its fuel economy for
such a large car. Running easily on motorways and in quiet country
byways it had no trouble getting below 10 litres per hundred
kilometres, indeed nine was there if you didn’t mind putting in
a bit of extra driving effort. This climbed considerably if we
drove moderately hard and 11 to 13 litres per hundred was fairly
typical in the suburbs.
One of the selling points for the VE Commodore is the inclusion
of ESP stability control across the range. While the BF Mark II
Falcon range doesn’t come with this feature as standard, it is
available as an option in all sedan models.
External changes to the shape of the BF II Falcon are greater
than you would normally see in a facelift at this stage of its
life. Another sign that head office is concerned about the next
two years – we don’t anticipate getting an all-new Falcon
until late 2008 at the soonest.
There's a new tapered bonnet, grille, front bumper and headlamp
surrounds as well as revised rear bumpers on sedan models. The
Ghia has been given a sportier look with a chromed grille,
jewelled fog lights and front bumper finish and seven-spoke
17-inch sports alloy wheels.
The changes are instantly recognisable from a distance so that
should help Ford Australia to snare buyers anxious to keep up with
the Joneses.
Ford's Falcon remains an excellent car at a more than
affordable price. It remains very popular with those who live in
the bush and with its latest update we shouldn’t be surprised to
see it regain quite a few adherents in suburban areas as well.
MODEL RANGE
XT 4.0-litre four-door sedan - $34,990
XT 4.0-litre five-door wagon - $39,290
Futura 4.0-litre four-door sedan - $39,290
XR6 4.0-litre four-door sedan - $39,710
Futura 4.0-litre five-door wagon - $41,375
XT 5.4-litre four-door sedan - $40,990
Fairmont 4.0-litre four-door sedan - $43,195
XR6 Turbo 4.0-litre four-door sedan - $43,990
Fairmont 5.4-litre four-door sedan - $49,195
XR8 5.4-litre four-door sedan - $44,990
Fairmont Ghia 4.0-litre four-door sedan - $46,490
Fairmont Ghia 5.4-litre four-door sedan - $51,490
FEATURES:
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: Optional on XT, XR6 and XR8, standard on
all other models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Standard on all models
Driver Airbag: Standard on all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Optional on XT, XR6 and XR8, standard on all
other models
SPECIFICATIONS (Ford Falcon XT 4.0-litre four-door sedan)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 3.984 litres
Configuration: Six cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.3:1
Bore/Stroke: 92.3 mm x 99.3 mm
Maximum Power: 190 kW @ 5250 rpm
Maximum Torque: 383 Nm @ 2500 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.45:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4916mm
Wheelbase: 2829mm
Width: 1864mm
Height: 1444mm
Turning Circle: 11.0 metres
Kerb Mass: 1672kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 68 litres
Towing Ability: 2300kg with braked trailer
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, double wishbone, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, control blade, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 7.8 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 15.7 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 91RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 10.2 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
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Marque Publishing Company
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