Ford Falcon Current

All content The Dog & Lemon Guide 2011. All rights reserved 1

Ford Falcon current models

Quick SummaryFords make or break Falcon model.

How Reliable?Dodgy, probably. See what goes wrong below

How Safe?Excellent. See our general comments in the links page that follows this review

ALSO CONSIDER: Toyota Camry, Holden Commodore

TYPICAL UTE

New around $44,000-$64,000, inc. GST

Depends on age, mileage & condition. See our devaluation guidelines in the links page that follows this review.

New around $31,000-$59,000, incl. GST

Depends on age, mileage & condition. See our devaluation guidelines in the links page that follows this review.

TYPICAL CAR

All content The Dog & Lemon Guide 2011. All rights reserved2

SUB MODELS: Various, including G6, G6E, G6E Turbo, XR6 & XR8 & XT. Details @ford.co.nz or ford.com.au.

Despite its apparent similarities to the model it replaced, the 2008 Falcon was about 80% new, say the boffins.

Ford was in a difficult situation when this car was being developed. Globally, Ford was in meltdown, while in Australia the Falcons arch-rival the Holden Commodore was easily outselling it. Worse, the Commodore was being successfully exported, while the old Falcon was sitting, unsold, on dealers lots.

High fuel prices coupled with economic uncertainty didnt help, either. In the past, Australian carmakers could rely on Australians having large families that needed large cars. Not any more, and anyway, large families now use yuppie four-wheel drives or people-movers to carry their precious cargoes. In days of old, families took their Falcons and Commodores on holidays across Australia. Nowadays theyre just as likely to catch a plane. Or stay home.

Thats why 80% of Falcons were being sold as fleet vehicles, at not much profit. Worse, as employees had more and more say about the cars they use for work, less and less of them wanted Falcons. The Falcon has been around longer than most Australians have been alive, yet at the time this model was released, sales were at their

lowest point ever.Thats why this Falcon, despite being

fairly new, was deliberately designed to alienate as few people as possible. The Falcons appearance which would actually have been the easiest thing for Ford to change, because it simply requires a new set of outer panels was kept similar to the previous model in order to minimise the risk of alienating buyers with something too bold and new looking.

Because the people who drive these cars in the course of their daily employment are likely to influence the purchasing decision in the first place, a lot of care has gone into making the Falcon a nice place to spend your day. Everything from the choice of plastics through to the choice of volume control knob on the stereo was designed to make the prospective buyer feel at home. Theres also more standard equipment even on the basic (XT) models, such as steering wheel volume controls although, unlike the Commodore, theyre not back-lit at night. The previous Falcons smallish side mirrors have been upgraded to larger ones that give a better view of the road behind.

The Falcons basic engine is a four-litre unit thats been around since the days of the dinosaur, but its reasonably reliable and it was tweaked for this model in order to squeeze the maximum amount of efficiency with the minimum amount of pollution.

Transmission-wise you get to choose between a five-speed automatic and a six-speed. The advantage of the six-speed is a smoother drive and better fuel economy. Neither will help all that much around town, because the Falcon is a heavy vehicle to move around in stop-start traffic, so its hard to get high efficiency. On the open road, however, the more gears the better.


In a bid to save weight (and therefore fuel) the standard spare tyre is a spacesaver. A full-sized spare is a pay-extra option.

The Falcons suspension has been heavily reworked, and it shows. Whereas the previous model disliked bumpy roads, this one handles rough road surfaces with far more ease. The ride is comfortable without feeling detached, and the steering is direct without being nervous.

All versions come with Electronic Stability Control, which can reduce your chances of a fatal collision by up to 56%. All versions also get dual front and dual side airbags, with optional side curtain on cheaper models (these are standard on expensive models).

Would we buy one of these with our own money? Yes we would, if we had a use for a car this big and thirsty. Theres a lot to like about the Falcon.

XR6 & XR8

Weve said it before and well say it again: there are only two nations on earth that can build a decent muscle car: America and Australia. Subtle and high tech they are not. Theyre relatively crude brutes of vehicles with decent sized engines driving some big wheels. Theres not much in the way of fancy electronics, and such electronics as are there dont seem to interfere very often. We tried out several performance Falcons and easily kicked the back end sideways even through relatively mild manoeuvres.

If you enjoy the roar of an engine and the sensation of great speeds, youll love these cars. The problem, however, is threefold: first, there are fewer and fewer places to drive them. Muscle cars had their heyday in an era that was shockingly casual about both fuel wastage and road safety. These days there are cops on every corner. Second, traffic density is too high in many towns and cities to be able to make decent use of these vehicles. Third, fuel is an issue these days. These cars may be better than the models they replaced, but theyre still shockingly thirsty if you start booting it.

These are really racetrack machines. Thats where they shine; theyre hugely fun and exhilarating and can be driven at high speeds without placing other road users at risk. However, most people dont have access to a racetrack, so owning one of these dinosaurs may be very, very frustrating.

All of the performance vehicles we tested had noticeable noise from the rear end under acceleration, and we have doubts about the long-term durability of the differential assembly.

XR6 & XR8 UTES

The XR6 & XR8 utes are similarly fun and frustrating. The fun factor is high in straight lines, although cornering is something of a lottery. Worse, they appear to have a certain randomness about the way theyre built. The traction control and even

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the transmission shifting style seemed to vary wildly between various test vehicles. One ute left a long pause before it changed down with a sudden flood of power and a spinning of the rear wheels. Another delivered its power in one smooth wave.

The utes rear vision is very poor, mainly due to the mirrors being to small and close, and the blocking effect of the massive side pillars. The tiny rear side windows make no difference as they are too far back. These three factors combine to make lane changing somewhat hair-raising.

The utes rear tonneau cover has plastic running along the sides to clip it onto the tray but these clips are made of hard plastic with only one join in the middle to allow the cover to fold in half, making it hard to store (it takes up a fair amount of the total load area).

Also, the ute is a great weekend fun machine, but as a commercial vehicle its bit on the low side; it only just clears speed bumps. With a load on board you quickly start bottoming out. Daft. See also our comments onTurbochargers in the Links page that follows this review and also our comments on Ford at the end of this review.

Too soon to say, however:

Falcon BF Series II/III & FG Falcon models with E-Gas (LPG) engine, built between 16 January 2007 & 22 August 2008 The brake booster check valve may develop a vacuum leak, reducing brake effectiveness. VIN numbers: not disclosed. Details @recalls.gov.au

Ford BF Series III & FG Falcon sedan, wagon & ute models (with fac-tory LPG system) built between 20 Oct 2008 & 4 Sep 2009 The brake booster may develop a vacuum leak at the check valve, resulting in reduced power assistance to the brakes.VIN numbers: not disclosedDetails @recalls.gov.au

Ford FG Falcon ute 3-seater models (with column shift auto) built between 23 Jul 2009 & 22 Feb 2010 The handbrake may fail.VIN numbers: not disclosedDetails @recalls.gov.au

ANCAP crash tests, Australia In actual road smashes the driver of a smaller (lighter) car is far more likely to die than the driver of the larger (heavier) vehicle it collides with. (A Daewoo Matiz weighs about 725kg and a Range Rover weighs about 2500kg. This vehicle weighs about 1700kg, depending on the model). See also our comments in the links page that follows this review.


VIN PLATE LOCATION: Information not supplied

ENGINE TYPE & SIZE: (petrol)

4.0 JG 3984cc DOHC VVT MPI 4.0T JG 3984cc DOHC VVT MPI turbo 5.4 FPVP8 5408cc DOHC MPI

(LPG) 4.0 LPG JG 3984cc DOHC VVT EFIRECOMMENDED FUEL/S: (petrol) RegularHOW MUCH FUEL?: Realistic urban averages:

(petrol) 4.0 15 litres/100km 6.7 km/litre 19 mpg 4.0T 17 litres/100km 6 km/litre 17 mpg 5.4 21.6 litres/100km 4.6 km/litre 13 mpg

(LPG) 4.0 LPG 20 litres/100km 5 km/litre 14 mpg HOW GREEN? 4.0 L CO2 emissions (g/km) 251-264 4.0T L CO2 emissions (g/km) 281-287 5.4 L CO2 emissions (g/km) 334-348(LPG) 4.0 L CO2 emissions (g/km) 240 See our article Its Not Easy Being Green in the links page that follows this review.

SafetyPROPER SEATBELTS THROUGHOUT: YesPROPER SPARE TYRE: Spacesaver standard, proper spare tyre extra cost option.ANTISKID BRAKING (ABS): Standard all models.AIRBAGS: Dual front and front side standard all models. Curtain airbags standard on G6E models only.ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC): Standard all models except LPG.REVERSING CAMERA: Not available on XT, standard on G6E models, optional all others. SUITABLE FOR TOWING? YesTOWING CApACITy: (typical) unbraked 750kg, braked 1200kg-2300kg

FORDOfficial name: Ford Motor Co.

Owned by: Ford family (40%), plus massive public shareholding.

Used to own: Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover & Volvo, plus nearly 34% of Mazda.

Current situation: Ford is currently the worlds fifth largest car company. After making hay during the economic summer of the 1990s, Ford struggled to survive the economic winter. In 2008, Ford lost US$14.6 billion. Ford recently sold Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover & Volvo, having lost billions in the process. Fords 33% share in Mazda was reduced to 13.4%. On paper, Ford is currently profitable, but is still heavily in debt. Chances of survival: okay. The American government would never let Ford simply collapse. However Fords pain is nowhere near over

Henry Ford came from a trou-bled background. Intensely anti-Jewish, he was also a pathological control freak who probably helped fund the German Nazis before World War II.

At the age of 17, Henry left behind his unhappy farming background and moved to Detroit, where he became an engineer. In 1896, Henry finished the first Ford car, built in a shed beside his rent-ed house. Ford soon realised that his future lay in building mass-produced, reliable, af-fordable vehicles for ordinary people.

Contrary to popular be-lief, Ford did not design most cars that bore his name; rather, he hired several talented en-gineers and coordinated their efforts. Even Fords most fa-mous innovation, the modern assembly line, was the work of others.

Fords first successful car was the Mod-el A (he later used the same name for a different vehicle), but it was the Model T that made Henry Ford into a popular hero. Basic and reliable, yet streets ahead of the competition in terms of affordable technology, the Model T was the first car that captured national attention in Amer-ica.

After nearly twenty years and fifteen million sales, the Model T became gradu-ally obsolete and, in early 1927, it was dis-continued. Such was Fords charisma that half a million Americans paid deposits on a promised new Ford, even though it had never been publicly shown. The new Ford the Model A was finally released in December of 1927. It clocked up one million sales in 16 months.

Henry Ford became an international hero. He used his money and prestige to promote anti-Jewish, anti-trade union, pro-Nazi causes. Fords biography: The Fords: an American Epic describes how Ford protected his plant from the taint of Jewish conspiracy:

Henrys reaction to the [union] move-ment was to make [the factory complex] into an industrial concentration camp overseen by [underworld thugs]...There was no sitting, squatting, singing, talk-ing or whistling on the job. Smiling was frowned upon...Anyone even suspected of being a [union] sympathiser was not only summarily fired but usually beaten up as well.

Besieged by paranoia and terrified of losing control, Henry Ford gradu-ally went mad. By the early 1940s Ford

Motor Co was losing around $1million a day and hadnt made a profit in 15 years. Henry Fords grandson Henry Ford II took over and gradu-

Henry Ford with his model T

ally brought the company back from almost certain bankruptcy. In 1956 the

Ford Motor Co was made a public com-pany and launched a series of new cars for all price ranges. Under the direction of the legendary Robert McNamara, a new and surprisingly successful car was commis-sioned, the Falcon.

Following the exit of Mc-Namara, Lee Iacocca tarted up the Falcon and developed the legendary (and chronical-ly unsafe) Mustang, naming it after a World War II fight-ing plane. The Mustang sold 410,000 units in its first year of production.

In 1973, the fuel crisis hit and Iacoccas big gas-guzzlers became white elephants over-night. American Ford simply didnt know how to build a small fuel-efficient car.

The Ford Pinto, for ex-ample, was overweight, un-derpowered and liable to

burst into flames if hit from the rear. Ford was eventually forced to recall 1.5 million vehicles for repairs.

Realising that the Japanese made better small cars, Ford Motor Co bought 25% of Mazda in 1983 (later increased to 33.39% then reduced to 13.4% in 2009).

The insane American financial bub-ble of the 1990s, combined with cheap fuel and a public craze for huge SUVs, made Ford Motor Co very rich and very careless. Ford went on a spending spree, buying up dozens of companies, includ-ing Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo.

After the party came the hangover. High oil prices combined with high do-mestic costs and a burst economic bubble saw the entire Ford empire falling apart. In 2008, Ford lost US$14.6 billion. Ford was forced to sell Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, having lost bil-lions on its investments. Fords 33% share in Mazda was reduced to 13.4%.

Ford narrowly avoided bankruptcy, but its not out of the water yet. On pa-per, Ford is currently profitable, but is still heavily in debt. Fords investments in de-veloping countries, especially China, are vulnerable to any downturn in the global economy. The U.S. government would never let Ford Motor Co actually die, but its still vulnerable to massive restructur-ing.

Fords Australian assembly plants, which have been losing money for years, will probably be closed soon.

Globally, Ford will probably survive, but it will be a very different company

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Both the ABS (anti-skid braking) and airbag warning lights should go on and then off when you first start the vehicle. If this does not happen, the vehicle may require a major, extremely expensive repair immediately (if either the ABS or airbag warning lights do not go on at all, someones probably disconnected them to hide the fact that the ABS or airbag system is faulty). If either warning light comes on while you are driving, this may mean a serious malfunction in the vehicles safety systems, and the vehicle should not be driven, let alone purchased.

Modern engines work hard. Because of this, they tend to get hot and frequently blow their top, especially if the engine has been overheated or run without fresh antifreeze. Head gaskets may be very expensive to fix and if left unfixed youll probably end up broken down at the side of the road. Worse, blown head gaskets sometimes lead to total engine failure.

The symptoms of a blown head gasket are mysterious coolant loss, sometimes accompanied by rough running and overheating, clouds of white steam coming from the exhaust, oil in the water, water in the oil, and/or white goo under the oil filler cap (see picture opposite). You should also lift out the oil dipstick. If the oil is the colour of the white goo in the middle of the oil filler cap in the picture, you have a cracked cylinder head and/or blown head gasket. You should also be suspicious about any vehicle with a heater that leaks coolant into the interior of the car. A leaking heater is sometimes a symptom of a head gasket problem. So is a blown or leaking radiator or its hoses.

Blown head gasket warning

ABS & airbag warning

Automatic transmission warning Automatic transmissions that do not shift smoothly during a test drive are probably not long of this earth. Also, with the vehicle at normal operating temperature (so that the engine is not idling too fast) put the handbrake on and try switching the gear selector between forward and reverse this should happen quickly and smoothly without any clunk if not, suspect big repair bills in the near future.

Note: the advice below may not apply on some modern cars, because there may be no dipstick to check. For further information, see our articles on automatic transmis-sions and CVT transmissions in the links page (one page back).

With the transmission in neutral and the engine running at normal operating temperature, lift out the transmission dipstick, wipe it clean, put it back in and then remove it again. The automatic transmission fluid should be a happy cherry red colour & should be within the marked area on the transmission dipstick if its not, abuse and/or neglect is pretty likely and the vehicle should be avoided!

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Ford Falcon Current