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By
EWAN KENNEDY
26 November 2007
With the withdrawal of the Fairlane from the new-car market, Ford
Australia’s topline model is now the Fairmont Ghia. As the current BA
Falcon series nears the end of its life, the runout models, including
the Ghia offer exceptional value for money. Just take a look at the
Ford's table of standard equipment and compare it with that of much
smaller European cars, often with four-cylinder engines, selling for a
similar price.
Canny buyers often prefer the end-of-life cars for several
reasons: firstly, any problems in the factory have long been
sorted out; secondly, detailed design changes to the car have been
introduced throughout its lifetime; finally, manufacturers install
additional equipment as the models mature in order to keep buyer
interest high.
We have just spent three weeks road testing a Fairmont Ghia.
Calling it a great Australian road car probably sounds like a bit
of a cliche, but it really does handle our conditions so well that
it deserves that title.
Rough bush roads are handled with ease and refinement levels
are very high. This is the sort of car that can be thumped over
dirt roads all day with the passengers being barely aware how
tough the outside conditions are. Running on motorways, the big
Ford simply lopes along with barely a sound from the engine and
suspension.
The refinement is best in the front seats, there's more noise
intrusion in the rear-seat area than you might expect on
moderately harsh roads. It’s certainly not noisy, but we feel it
could be better. That will have to wait for the next generation of
big Fords. Running with a project name of Orion, these will be
launched in the second quarter of 2008.
In the meantime, the BF Fairmont Ghia's suspension is
beautifully sorted, with a slight bias to sportiness in its feel,
something that Ford Australia's chassis engineers have understood
as a customer need for many years. However, the suspension is not
firm to the extent of making it too hard for day-to-day driving.
The steering is nicely weighted, the big Ford is reasonably happy
to change direction mid corner should the need arise, though its
weight tells against it when asked to do this. All-in-all this big
family Ford is a real pleasure to drive.
The Ghia we tested came with the standard 190 kW six-cylinder
engine. This 4.0-litre, twin-cam unit has more than enough power
for almost all drivers. There’s plenty of torque at virtually
all revs so few drivers will every use more than about 3500 rpm.
Which is maybe just as well because the engine does become a bit
on the raucous side towards the top end of the tacho.
All Fairmont Ghias have an upmarket six-speed automatic
transmission with a sequential override. It’s a delightful
tranny that seems to have the ability to be in the correct gear
virtually all the time.
Fuel economy in normal country running ranged around the nine
to ten litres per hundred kilometres most of the time. Suburban
testing saw the figures climb fairly substantially, usually in the
12 to 14 litres per hundred bracket.
Fairmont Ghia is a full five-seater with good legroom for all
five, even when the front occupants need their seats a set a fair
way back. The centre-rear position suffers from the amount of
foot-space taken up by the transmission tunnel so is best left to
children for trips than more than those of short duration.
The odd shape of the boot floor can cause hassles with some
large items and one large suitcase may be all that you can squeeze
in. However, there will be plenty of room for several small bags
around it.
Above all the Fairmont Ghia is an excellent long-distance
touring car that’s ideally suited to the great Australian bush.
If you want a bargain in big cars, and aren't particularly
interested in the image offered by one of the German giants then a
Ghia should sit somewhere near the top of your short list.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Fairmont Ghia 4.0-litre four-door sedan - $46,490
Fairmont Ghia 5.4-litre four-door sedan - $51,490
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in both models
Air Conditioning: Standard in both models
Automatic Transmission: Standard in both models
CD Player: Standard in both models
Central Locking: Standard in both models
Cruise Control: Standard in both models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in both models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in both models
Stability Control: Standard in both models
Traction Control: Standard in both models
SPECIFICATIONS (Ford Fairmont Ghia 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: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 2.83:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4930 mm
Wheelbase: 2829 mm
Width: 1864 mm
Height: 1444 mm
Turning Circle: 11.0 metres
Kerb Mass: 1694 kg
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: 8.0 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 15.9 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Petrol 91RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 10.6 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
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Marque Publishing Company
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