2014 Ford Falcon Ute revealed

We reported on the FG X Falcon’s revisions yesterday — see the full list here — but have since come across the first official image of the Ute. 

The front-end picks up the same new hexagonal grille and sleek headlights as the sedan. If there are any tweaks at the rear Ford is keeping quiet about it. 

As before, there are five Falcon Ute variants — Falcon, XR6 and XR6 Turbo — across either cab-chassis or Styleside box body-styles, powered by one of a trio of six-cylinder engines, two that drink petrol and one that drinks LPG. 

The upgrade to this final FG X generation brings to the Ute a number of equipment upgrades broadly in line with the sedan, and include Ford’s SYNC2 infotainment and Australian-accented voice-control system affectionately called Karen, Emergency Assistance, digital radio DAB+, a dual antenna system, WiFi hotspot and redesigned alloy wheels. 

However, Ute versions do miss out on the sedan’s new standard-across-the-range front and rear parking sensors and reversing camera. 

New to the base models are body-coloured front bumpers and door handles, and redesigned 16-inch steel wheels. The XR6 versions pick up new 18-inch alloys (19s on the Turbo), LED daytime running lights, rain-sensing wipers and front fog-lights. 

As with the outgoing FG II, the Falcon and Falcon XR6 versions in both body-styles are powered by the Geelong-made 4.0-litre inline-six petrol, producing 195kW and 391Nm.

Both the base model and XR6 can also be had with the unheralded 198kW/409Nm 4.0-litre I6 EcoLPi gas engine, while the Styleside box XR6 Turbo gets a thumping force-fed version of the 4.0 I6 engine pumping out 270kW and 533Nm. 

The base model and EcoLPi versions are six-speed automatic only, mounted either on the floor or as a column-shifter, while the petrol-powered XR6 and the XR6 Turbo can be had with either a six-speed manual gearbox or six-speed auto with a manual mode.  

The only piece of the FG X Falcon puzzle left now is pricing, which will be revealed by early October ahead of the reveal of the XR8 at a gallery event in Melbourne. The current range kicks of at $27,590 plus on-road costs and tops out at $39,190 for the XR6 Turbo. 

Don’t be surprised to see price reductions to bring them in-line with actual regular transaction pricing. Holden did the same with its VF Commodore range last year. 

The final iteration of the Falcon Ute represents the end of an era. The original ute is widely attributed to Ford Australia, in the form of the 1934 coupe utility designed by Lew Bandt.