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By
EWAN KENNEDY
9 June 2008
We have just spent a solid week with one of Ford's new FG Falcons.
In our home area and over known roads, hills, corners and the
mundane stuff like parking and shopping the Falcon G6 has been put
through the real world. And it has proven itself to be highly
competent in every important way.
For
those of you who haven’t caught up with Ford Australia's new
naming scheme, the G6 is approximately the equivalent of the now
superseded Fairmont. Thus it’s a midrange model that’s likely
to be a big seller to the private buyer. The ‘6’ indicates a
six-cylinder engine is installed.
There's more interior
space than ever before in any Falcon, because the sides of the new
FG series have been pushed out, and also made squarer in their
shape. The roof has been flattened slightly to increase headroom
in the rear. Combine that with doors that have bigger openings and
that open wider than previously and you get a nice feeling of
volume and space.
This
is backed up by wider seats than in the superseded BF series.
There's good head, elbow and leg room for all occupants. Four
adults travelling in company will all find they have wide,
supportive seats, those in the back will be particularly impressed
by the headroom. However, the person consigned to the centre-rear
seat will find it much less comfortable than the others, both in
the seating area and in the restricted foot room caused by the
centre transmission tunnel.
NVH
(Noise, Vibration and Harshness) are damped down to the sort of
levels that are normally heard and felt in a much more expensive
European or Japanese cars. Indeed, on coarse-chip surfaces even
the best of these imported machines would struggle to beat the
refinement of the locally designed Falcon.
There's
noticeably more noise intrusion into the rear seat area than the
front. This is not unusual in Falcons, but is surprising when you
consider this is a car that’s aimed at the family buyer who will
frequently use all the seats.
Handling
is excellent, partly due to the improved front to rear balance
offered by having drive to the rear wheels, but chiefly by the
decades of knowledge built up by engineers at Ford Australia. This
car is neutral and stable at speeds and cornering efforts far
higher than those likely to be attempted by any day-to-day driver.
And those who want even more in the dynamics department can always
look at one of the Ford XR models, or at the products of FPV (Ford
Performance Vehicles).
Long-distance
cruising comfort is a real forte of this big Aussie Ford, a car
that’s obviously been designed for this huge country of ours.
The
FG Falcon's dash design works nicely, there are two separate pods,
one for the instruments, the other for the minor controls such as
those for the audio and ventilation systems. Clever design
separates the pods without the centre one looking like an
afterthought.
We
found the analog instruments to be a bit on the small side, but
reasonably easy to read. The digital readouts, which can include a
second speedometer and trip computer information are pleasing
large and easy to scan. Thus minimising the amount of time your
eyes are off the road.
Though
all the visible panels on the FG’s body are new, the styling is
on the conservative side. So much so that it really doesn’t
attract any attention on the road. At no time during our test did
we find people staring at it. Though several who saw us in
carparks did recognise what it was and wanted to chat and ask
questions. However, the unassuming shape may prove to be just
right for a large number of potential buyers in what is often a
conservative market segment.
Our
test Falcon came with the 4.0-litre straight-six in its 195 kW
format. It produces more than enough power for all but the hot
heads, has slick response to the throttle, produces good torque at
low speeds, is happy to rev all the way to the redline. And feels
and sounds sweet and willing at all times.
In
the Ford Falcon G6 the engine is mated to a six-speed automatic
transmission that’s of European descent and ties in well with
the powerplant’s characteristics. The auto is generally in the
right gear at all times and we found all the shifts to be sharp
and precise without being over abrupt.
This
engine / transmission combination is an excellent one and
typically resulted in fuel consumption of under nine litres per
hundred kilometres in motorway and flat-country running. On the
hard grind of commuting consumption is likely to be in the 10 to
12 litres per hundred range if you drive with economy in mind.
Pushing hard should seldom send the petrol usage above 15 litres
per hundred kilometres.
These
are good figures for a car of this size and performance, but there
must be some who would like to see Falcon offered with a
turbo-diesel option. Then again petrols are so much smoother and
quieter than diesels that many prefer them.
Ford's
new Falcon is a competent family car at an excellent price. It
deserves to succeed, but its sales figures are likely to be
hindered by the fact that Australian large-car buyers seem to have
fallen in love with SUVs and 4WDs and are therefore moving away
from big family sedans.
AT
A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
XT 4.0-litre four door sedan - $36,490
G6 4.0-litre four door sedan - $39,990
G6E 4.0-litre four door sedan - $46,990
G6E 4.0-litre turbo four-door sedan - $54,990
XR6 4.0-litre four door sedan - $39,990
XR6 4.0-litre turbo four door sedan - $45,490
XR8 5.4-litre four door sedan - $45,490
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: No-cost option in XR6, $1500 option in XR6
Turbo and XR8, standard in all other models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS
(Ford Falcon G6 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: 195 kW @ 6000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 391 Nm @ 3250 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Five-speed or Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 2.73:1
DIMENSIONS,
WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4967 mm
Wheelbase: 2838 mm
Width: 1868 mm
Height: 1433 mm
Turning Circle: 11.0 metres
Kerb Mass: NA
Fuel Tank Capacity: 68 litres
Towing Ability: 2300kg with braked trailer
SUSPENSION
AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Virtual Pivot Control Link, ant-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, control blade, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: NA
Standing 400 Metres: NA
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Petrol 91RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 10.5 L/100km
GREEN
VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS
Greenhouse Rating: 5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 5/10
STANDARD
WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
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Marque Publishing Company
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