Latest Ford Falcon Orion Spy Shots
June 5, 2007 by Paul Maric
Our spy photographer seems to barely have a chance to sit his camera down without snapping more photos of Ford’s new Falcon – the Orion.
This time around, our stealth lens operator managed to fire off high-quality photos of what seems to be a base model Orion, along with a sporty Orion (possibly XR6 or XR6 Turbo) undergoing testing.
1.
This vehicle seems to be a base model Orion. The wheels don’t carry any alloy wheels or low-profile tyres, suggesting it will be the new XT model. Our spy photographer told us that this vehicle was sitting stationary for nigh on 20-minutes, suggesting that mechanical problems may have occurred!
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2.
These second set of photos suggest a sports oriented Orion, possibly the XR6 or XR6 Turbo. Our spy photographer said “The trailer attached to the car was providing a braked load. As the car drove by, you could hear a significant humming noise from the trailer.”
This suggests that Ford may be testing the XR6 Turbo variant in this case, constantly monitoring engine temperature and turbo performance. Mind you, with freezing temperatures around Melbourne today, the car shouldn’t have had many troubles keeping check.
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Our spy photographer said that Ford has been testing a variety of vehicles recently, including competitor’s models and models currently available in the Ford range, suggesting that Orion mules – with BF Falcon skins – are floating around. So keep your eyes peeled.
Our eyes and ears are hot on the heel of Ford’s new Orion. CarAdvice will keep you posted with any further developments. Remember, if you have any spy photos of Ford’s new Falcon – or any other vehicle for that matter – contact CarAdvice, if the photos are decent, we’re willing to pay cash (more than the major magazines).
High-resolution copies of the images attached are available. Please contact CarAdvice to request copies. Our spy photographer will also be on hand to reply to any questions people have about the vehicles spotted, please simply ask the question in the comments area below.
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brock 05 i have owned two AU falcons ( Fairmont ghia and FTE TS50) and have to say they were years in front of my mates VT VX VY commodores, they were smoother, better on the road, more comfortable. Just because jurnos bagged them out doesnt mean they were a s!#t box! infact they had lest recalls than your billion dollar baby VE!!
Street commodores cost you $8.95, maybe you should go buy that rather than waster money on your internet connection!
Brock05 – The main reason why sales of the current falcon have stalled or declined somewhat is because of the upcoming release of the Orion Falcon.. Think about it
It happens everytime there is a completely new vehicle just around the corner.. people tend to hold off on buying the soon to be superceded model.
Therefore inorder to move stock manufacturers often release limited editions such as the Storm/Thunder or the Craig Lowndes Ute..
Brock05,
the fairlane got discontinued because ford failed to sew up the fleet contracts with them like holden has with the statesman. fleets buy those LWB luxury cars not the general public.
holden and huge contribution to the australian economy shouldnt be used in the same sentence. well maybe keeping the guys pulling containers off boats at our docks does help our economy so maybe you do have a point ;)
anyone who bags the Au simply doesnt know anything about it, so to keep yourself from looking uneducated dont mention the AU again.
the billion dollar only JUST managed to eclipse the 6yr old falcon in terms handling and thats prob the only thing it has over it at the moment
i dont know if i have any more energy for these arguments! where are they comming from? i dont know!
You guys know how much of a ford fan i am but my current job is forcing me to drive something else and i have to say i miss my AU a little! maybe cause i have been spoilt driving European cars and fords!
if you have a ford – enjoy it! if uou have a holden – enjoy it. save your time and energy of all this ford – holden dribble. after all these years its just plain boring.
If you have low energy for this Tonyn, i have none.
Wheelnut: yes it is these pics and an aging design is why falcon’s sales are down.
Brock 05: if you just want to spruck on about how you love Holden over ford. What brought you to a Ford Article in the first place?
Wheelnut: yes it is these pics and an aging design is why falcon’s sales are down.
What a lame excuse I didnt see the vz or vy decline in sales as i said 12 years in a row consistent performance. If i was a ford fan i would be worried this is the worst ford has done with the falcon in 47 years its got nothing to do with the age, the vz was just as old. and anyway isnt this new car on the same platform as the au LOL?
The VE had much more publicity than the orion falcon it didnt affect sales maybe slightly, but holden sold almost 30,000 more cars than the falcon which is a big differnce when it comes to holden v ford. I dont care what u guys think about holdens but the facts are there.
No the new falcon isn’t built on the old AU platform.
Just as Holden did with the VE – Ford designers have pushed the front wheels further forward which means the bulk of the engine will sit behind the front axles thus improving weight distribution Plus the track is also slightly wider which will also improve handling.. as it has on the VE.
As for publicity – leading up to the release of the VE and the new Falcon.. it has been pretty much the same because on both occassions then [with the VE] and now [with the Falcon] reports/rumours and speculation about both cars were flying around a good 6-9 months before the cars were actually released.. not to mention CGIs.. all of which created interest and intrigue > more speculation etc.
Over the same 6-9 month period sales of the VZ stalled did decline slightly – similar to that of the current Falcon. it happens with every NEW Model.
I mean you wouldn’t buy a VZ if you knew the next model due out in less than 6 months was going to be more advanced; have more features; more power etc would you?
BTW I prefer the look of the BF to the VZ
If the Facts [about Holden] are there BrockO5 then why not refer to them
Because you got your facts wrong in relation to the new Monaro and the “expansion” of the Holden Factory..
BTW its not the assembly line that determines how easy it is to built LHD or RHD cars its the intrnisic design of the car itself.
Because all the sub assemblies of the VE are now built off-line in special areas then meet up as the body of the car makes its way down the mainline
[Quote] Brock05: Hello Ford supporters im wondering how you guys are comparing the VE commodore to the new orion falcon, when the car hasn’t been realeased yet.
Aahh aren’t you also comparing the VE to a car that hasn’t been released yet by saying
“….this is the worst Ford has done with the Falcon in 47 years….” ????
Brock 05,
I’m also a HOLDEN fan mate! But, there is one falcon that i think that may be as good or better than HSV Cubbie the new FPV range looks outstanding! Coming from a guy that says that i hate/dislike fords most of the time, its hard to say that! But i still think that ford might not be able to compete with HSV’s Grange and Senator! Because they are both too superior!
You’re right Duck
FPV don’t have anything to compete with the Grange.. as its based on a Statesman and Ford no longer make a Fairlane.
However; in terms of the Senator.. I think the Force8 [Based on the Fairmont] is a pretty good rival to it.
Wheelnut,
When does the Holden Commodore VF come out? 2010?
And if you have any websites of pictures of what it could look like, could you please tell me?
Thanks!
Wheelnut,
But WebWombat did a test between the HSV Senator and FPV Force 6 not Force 8!
“Orion” is not an all-new design, but a considerable update of the AU–BF platform. Apart from the firewall onwards and from the sills up, the existing structure is rumoured to remain unchanged.
^That’s off wikipedia
The EL falcon sold more cars than the au falcon. Ford had the au for 4 years and el for 2 years and the el still sold more cars. That just shows that a new car worth 700 million and on a newer platform, was not successfull. wheelnut your tellling me that australains are waiting for the knew orion? is that why the bf sales are the worst in fords history, it does not make sense. By the way the platform is basically the same get your facts right! It has just been improved.
and this comes from the very guy who was critical of people making statements about the orion before it arrived?
Brock05, you should know that Wheelnut is a huge Holden fan and really knows his stuff. Like many of us here he appreciates other makes as well.
I am one of those in the boat waiting to buy an Orion and I’m not the only one.
What has the platform got to do with sales?
Well you guys a making all kind of predictions of the new orion check out the forums mate, your comparing the orion with the ve. when the ve has proven its self on a world scale check out the reviews across the world thereas been huge wraps and you ford fans do not aknowledge that as an australain you should be proud of what holden has done with the ve. I just want you guys to think what holden has done in 2 years with ve, ithas been a huge success. This is proven by the huge publicity huge sales
GOOD LUCK TO FORD AUSTRALIA MAKE A SUCCESSFUL CAR FOR ONCE SO IT COULD COMPETE WITH HOLDEN.
Who isn’t proud of that anyway? If a VE can be good, so can a Falcon.
Actually a bit further up I said Holden has a great V8 and I like the fact they export (yep jealous), and hope FordUS grow a brain and get our Falcons over there.
“GOOD LUCK TO FORD AUSTRALIA MAKE A SUCCESSFUL CAR FOR ONCE SO IT COULD COMPETE WITH HOLDEN.”???
BA/BF are generally better cars than VT/VX/VY/VZ. The VE came along and raised the bar quite high, and I hope Orion will leapfrog again. We, the consumer, benefit from the competition.
Brock05,
just curious mate,
so do the Ve’s that have proven themselves on the world scale have to be sent back to australia for all of the recall rectifications or has GM set up a group of world leading recall experts too
VE Commodore sedan – August 2006
HSV E-Series sedan – Late August 2006
WM Statesman/Caprice sedan – September 2006
VE Commodore utility – October 2007
VE Commodore wagon – March 2008
VE Monaro coupe – Late 2008
by: mike simcoe, is that correct?
The AU also had many recalls don’t get me wrong it’s not a big deal take it easy, everyone gets there car back to normal.
GOOD LUCK TO FORD!
Yep, looking forward to the VEII vs. Orion battle. I hope both are still around for a long time to come.
The VF is expected for release by 2010.. around the same time as the Camaro and possibly the Torana.
However; it will probably be just a facelift [like VT-VX] so I wouldn’t expect too much change inside or out
The VT Commodore outselled the AU falcon!
The VT was getting old after a few years so Holden brang out the VX to refreshen the commodore a bit!
Brock 05,
I dont think HOLDEN will make the monaro again!
GM CEO Bob Lutz said that the next gen Monaro has been put on ice.. which is the industries way of saying it won’t be going into production; as there are other more important projects in line such as the Camaro and the “compact” Pontiac G6 [Torana].. and quite possibly the new Crewman
Brock05,
what were the “many” recalls on the AU falcon?
please jog my memory….
Ford US mightn’t be showing any real interest in the new Orion Falcon at the moment..
However; from what I have read on other autoblog sites there are a fair few american car enthusiasts who appear to be pretty interested in what we have down under.
And if the interest in the G8 is anything to go by.. we can only hope that Ford Jr will “grow a brain” and decide to import the Orion if not to match the G8 at least give customers what they want.
thats right wheelnut,
from what ive read many americans are sick of what ford US dishes them and are pretty much begging for our falcon range.
well ok maybe it might not be worth exporting it to them but how about taking the Falcon recipe and building it there with a few spices to suit their different taste?
it would be better to make the one car in 2 places rather than 2 different cars in 2 places
I believe 4 or 6 recalls, you refresh my memory.
One major one affecting the steering over 230,000 au’s recalled. guys get over the recalls it’s not always the car company’s fault.
yes i remember the steering one.
it was a result of poor seriving where they concluded that the overtightening of a particular bolt could somehow result in loosening.
this recall came in around ‘03 if memory serves me right, and not something i would attribute to being a “teething problem” as the AU’s finished 1 year before the recall.
i believe they found the fault in a few Taxis (presumably high K’s)
you better jog my memory better than that too by the way. what else was there?
also dont forget the equivalent commys at the time were being recalled for seat belt and fuel problems as they still are today.
so you still have 5 recalls to remind me of…….
yes its not always the car companies fault. very true.
quite often it is the manufacturer of a particular component that has failed.
for eg, VE had a recall on their LPG converted vehicles due to a faulty LPG filler valve (or something) and that very same recall affected ford. why????
because they both source their parts from the same manufacturer and they are the ones that warrent their suppliers quality. i think even toyota was affected by the same recall
Brock05,
Can I please ask you nicely to stop stating facts from 10 years ago. You probably won’t find a bigger Ford fan other than me but even I thought the AU Falcon was a piece of crap. What you and the others need to realise is that the BA – BF range was an excellent car IN ITS PRIME which was 3 years ago. Your comparing the new VE which is around 18 months old to the 6 year old Falcon. Once we see the new range at M.I.M.S Melbourne Intl. Motor Show and the drive tests are completed you can try to find a problem them. On a different story I had to drive a VY Calais for work and not a word of a lie it looked as if the whole drivetrain was going to fall out. I asked the mechanic who serviced the car and he told me most of the VN – VE Commodore manuals experienced clutch problems in the first 3 months of driving. On the subject of recalls you can expect the VE to have mainly the same recalls as GM America is. The VE uses many GM America parts. But the recalls on the blue side of the fence are normally less because our parts are made here as well as imported from overseas. It is the car companies problem because of their sources.
ha ha ha its amusing how the awkward styling and poor sales of a vehicle (AU) puts forward a message of a mechanical catastrophe ha ha ha ha
gee perceptions are a very powerfull tool
True Andrew.M. Nothing mechanically wrong with my car.
guys if you think about it the au-bf was worth 1.3 billion as 700 million was spent on the au and the ba was 500 million all the same platform, and it was a good investment as everything worked out, with awards sales etc. I’m sick of people saying shit about the ve, it cost alot to change from an old platform to a new one and i believe it was a 1 billion dollars well spent by holden, as the car was succesful in awards, sales and on a world scale. I hope this Ford works out for ford:)
Good luck.
I’ve been a ford fan all my life until i came across this BA falcon ute which i bought brand new. It’s had problems every since, the worst problem is with the brakes which shudders everytime you brake which is very dangerous and ford has done nothing about the car and it’s under warrenty, the service is a disgrace. The other problem is with the oil it keeps drinking to much oil, ford have been monitoring it every month but still don’t know the problem. Now because the car is out of warrenty ford don’t want to know about it, all this has done to me has cost me money and mmy time. I will never buy a ford again despite how good this new ford might be. I’ve been looking at car reviews and found that i’m not the only one with the problems:
http://www.drive.com.au/Editor.....&vf=15
apparently 90% of the ba have these brake shudder problems. Now im wondering how am i going to sell this car it’s worth nothing now, who is going to buy a dangerous ford which keeps drinking oil! FORD AUSTRALIA IS A DISGRACE.
I believe they should of recalled the BA Series 1 because the brakes are faulty and dangerous, all this car has done has wasted my time and money. I’d rather buy a Ve Ute which has had huge warps in reviews, atleast they recall the car when there is a problem ford dont give a dam, i just want the problem fixed thats the point of recalls, every major car manufactory has recalls in time to time, to rectify the problem do ford do this? as a ford fan i feel betrayed by ford australia!
fair comment Brock05,
well i suppose you could say “us ford fans” are sick of those that think the AU was recalled 6 times or are percieved that it was a total piece of junk.
or that we are sick of those saying the orion is doomed before it even lands its wheels on the ground.
or that we are sick of those saying the falcon is a piece of junk because it doesnt sell as well as the commy.
you see i suppose you can understand why the hair stands up on our back when people say this for the same reason yours does when people call the VE a waste of money.
Ill respect your views if you respect ours……
DEAL???????
even though i am a true ford fan, i do have respect for holden. its just the earlier comments you let off with, that got me/us in a “well cop this, holden aint so great” mode and probably same for you
Thanks andrew really apprecate that. these arguments could gone on forever, but we need to enjoy our ford or holden. I hope the new orion goes well it looks very impresive btw:)
Recalls aren’t really the manufacturers fault.. they’re actually our fault because we the consumer wnat the latest technology as soon as it s available but we are only prepared to pay X amount of dollars for it.
We want BMW Quality and Features at an Omega Price
Therefore the manufacturers are forced to look for third party suppliers who have the capacity to produce various components in large numbers for the lowest possible cost.
Brock05, yep I’ve always thought “good on ‘em” for finally making an all-Australian platform for Commodore and been envious of their export program.
FordUS need to wake up and use Falcon to replace their ancient platforms.
The car is to covered for any1 to comment on, we will see on sunday wat peopl realy think. And to all those lesbian comments i think u guys r idiots that is completely off the topic + its not a very nice way to talk about your mums!