FPV F6 E Review & Road Test
December 23, 2009 by Paul Maric
Colossal torque comes at a price.
Model Tested:
- 2009 FPV F6 E; 4.0-litre inline six-cylinder; six-speed automatic – $79,740
Options:
- Satellite Navigation $3230;
Engine, transmission, fuel consumption, comfort.
Price, traction issues.
CarAdvice Rating: 
Words – Paul Maric
310kW and 565Nm, they’re figures not uncommon to many performance cars with V8 engines. Ford Performance Vehicles went against tradition in 2003 when it released a turbocharged version of its six-cylinder engine, bucking the V8 stronghold that began as far back as the Aussie motoring enthusiast can remember.
With over 40% of FPV sales going toward FPV’s potent turbocharged six, it’s a market segment FPV has attempted to capitalise on with the F6 E. The FPV F6 E is a luxo version of the F6, offering the same intoxicating performance with a little more leather and a lot more wood.
From the exterior, it’s hard to differentiate the F6 E from any other Falcon. A subtle boot lip spoiler, alloy wheels and single colour FPV body kit are the only visual enhancements. As with all turbocharged Falcons, the front-mount intercooler bares itself through a mesh grille at the lower portion of the front lip.
It’s inside the cabin where the F6 E shines. Lashings of woodgrain feature throughout the cabin, along with leather padding on the doors and centre console. The chunky sports steering wheel sits comfortably in the hand, but doesn’t tilt high enough for taller drivers.
A cheesy starter button and unique vehicle number sit in a panel that deletes the tissue holder fitted to the non-FPV Falcon range.
The audio and climate controls are easy to use and easy to find, which is crucial when searching while travelling at speed. The only disappointment is the lack of backlighting on the steering wheel controls, making them hard to see at night.
Music lovers will enjoy the sound system’s ease of use. iPod owners can plug their device directly into the jack located in the centre console. Music is controlled via the central interface, allowing the user to select playlists and navigate folders.
Unfortunately, the quality of the speakers goes against the ease of use and functionality. A lack of clarity and audible distortion ruins the experience. It’s about time Ford invested in a quality audio setup for their cars.
Driver and front passenger leg and head room is fantastic. Rear passenger leg room on the other hand is slightly cramped, while head room is accommodating for both adults and children.
The seats are very comfortable, but don’t offer much side and lateral support. The flat based seats will send you sliding around the cabin if you don’t watch your P’s and Q’s during cornering. Although the driver is treated with an electrically adjustable seat, the passenger is left with full manual adjustment.
Powering the F6 E is Ford’s renowned 4.0-litre, inline six-cylinder engine. Featuring forced induction by way of turbocharger, the menacing six produces 310kW and a back shoving 565Nm of torque from a low 1950rpm. The F6 E is only available with the German ZF Sachs six-speed automatic gearbox. The official combined fuel consumption figure is 12.1L/100km, on test that figure was easily achieved with the vehicle averaging 11.8L/100km.
If you’re yet to drive a modern turbocharged inline six-cylinder such as the Falcon or the offerings from BMW, you’re missing out on an engine note that assaults the senses. It doesn’t assault them in a bad way, more in the way that Jen Hawkins would assault your senses if she was standing in front of you, nude.
When you give it some serious welly, the inline six begins to moan soon before the turbocharger spools and brings on a tsunami wave of torque that doesn’t relent until 5200rpm. The induction noise, in addition to the exhaust note can be heard from a mile away.
If the acceleration wasn’t brutal enough, the menacing noise on up-shift is sure to get your senses tingling.
Braking is taken care of by a set of 355 x 32mm cross drilled and ventilated front rotors with Brembo 6 piston callipers and 330 x 28mm cross drilled and ventilated rear rotors with Brembo 4 piston callipers. The pedal is firm, but offers plenty of bite and feedback. The steering is spot on, erring on the heavy side to give the driver a sense of effort during cornering.
The gearbox features manual shifting and a sport mode that holds gears and shifts with intensity when it notes the driver’s style change.
The ride is soft with a hint of firmness. As a result, cornering is sloppy with a considerable amount of body roll.
While I’ll wax lyrical about how impressive this engine and gearbox combination is, it’s let down by lazy engineering and the battle of power with FPV’s HSV competition.
If you stand on the throttle from a standing start, the rear tyres attempt to erupt in tyre smoke, only to be reined in by the traction control. The 245mm wide rear tyres don’t have anywhere near enough grip to contain the torque this engine produces. It’s amusing at first but becomes frustrating when you are simply trying to drive without the theatrics.
Matters become even worse when the road becomes damp. Traction is harder to obtain and the slightly late intervention of the stability control during instances of traction loss make the F6 E more of a handful than it needs to be.
More attention needs to be paid to traction – or the lack thereof. HSV embarked on wider tyres to tackle the issue, while Ford has only increased tyre width on performance Falcons by 10mm since the AU Falcon bit the dust, despite a 15% increase in power.
If the chaotic traction problems weren’t enough to frazzle you, just wait for the price. $79,740. That’s almost $80,000 for what is essentially a warmed over Falcon G6E Turbo.
Although FPV needed a luxury version of its F6, the F6 E is simply too expensive and doesn’t offer enough differentiation from its siblings.
If I was buying, I’d go straight for the G6E Turbo. Not only does it come with the same features (aside from the brakes and increase in power and torque), it’s over $20,000 cheaper and in my opinion also looks better.
Maybe I’m going mad, but I simply can’t see any reason to spend almost $80,000 on something that’s as good as its $57,490 sibling. Long live the G6E Turbo.
Ratings:
CarAdvice Overall Rating:
How does it Drive: 
How does it Look:
How does it Go:
Specifications:
- Engine: 3984cc inline six-cylinder
- Power: 310kW @ 5500rpm
- Torque: 565Nm @ 1900rpm
- Induction: Turbocharged
- Transmission: Six-speed automatic
- Driven Wheels: Rear wheel drive
- Brakes: Four wheel discs
- Top Speed: N/A
- 0-100km/h: N/A
- CO2 Emissions: 289g/km
- Fuel Consumption: 12.1L/100km (ADR)
- Fuel Consumption: 11.8L/100km (As Tested)
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 68 litres
- Fuel Type: Unleaded
- ANCAP Rating: 5 star
- Airbags: Six
- Safety: ABS brakes with EBD and BA. ESP.
- Spare Wheel: Full size spare
- Tow Capacity: 1600kg/650kg (braked/unbraked)
- Warranty: 3 years/100,000km
- Weight: 1881kg
- Wheels: 245/35ZR19
Disagree.
That wood grain makes it worth 30k more.
It’s a bargain!
id probably go the G6ET aswell. as nice as the F6E is, an unflashy FPV doesnt make much sense.
Agree the G6ET looks better, my accountant has one which replaced a VW Passat, and he loves the Ford, says its great on fuel too.
i agree with paul.buy some suspension and rims,and save 15k.woodgrain is so 70’s.nobody in this price bracket use’s it anymore(taiwanese walnut)…
Paul, good write up if perhaps a little harsh.
Agree regarding the stereo, need for bigger tyres and the price is too high.
Having said that the brakes on a G6ET will be grossly inadequate if its driven hard, (they will last okay as long as you only want to stop from high speed once, and then give them a long rest to cool down) and my understanding is that there’s close to 10K worth of premium Brembo brakes on the F6E.
Whether the extra grunt, 40KW and 30nm or thereabouts over a G6ET, the nineteen inch rims, the woodgrain and suspension changes are worth the rest is a matter of choice. Personally I think its maybe $5K over-priced, and I expect that most buyers will give the dealers a good run for their money when it comes to price negotiation.
I can’t believe how much better this looks without those stupid “raccoon eyes”. And that is far from an $80,000 interior, if it was matte and didn’t shine, it wouldn’t be quite as bad though.
80k for a Falcon. Haha, the world has gone mad. Start the engine ,drive it out of the showroon and watch it bleed 30k immediately. It’s a Falcon.
Most cars suffer quite bad depreciation, dont get me started on the amount we lost on our Audi over 12 months. I actually think I would have been better off with a FPV or a HSV depreciation wise.
Its always a thrill to take delivery of a brand spanking new car, and one like this F6E would be no exception and probably more of a thrill than most others, But they all depreciate at least 20% the moment you turn the key for the first time. Last time I checked you can’t take your money with you when you go so if you really have a passion for a car, why not get a new one if you can afford it ?
Haha your funny
The world already went mad when HSV asked $150k for a Commodore
!
Yep, good call, 150K for a W427, what a great investment LOL.
Time will tell who laughs last re ‘investment’…the buyers of the W427 or certain keyboard warriors
I’m putting my money on the keyboard warriors. The W427 is a POS and all the bogans wanting to buy one (it’s core market) will be dead b the time it’s worth anything. Seriously if you invested that $160K spent on the bogan W427, in 20 years you could buy ever single bogan W427 ever made.
What a joke you clowns are thinking you baught a W427 and it somehow would rocket like a Phase 3 HO or something LMAO. You just poured you money down a toilet. Even look at mightyPhase 3’s a couple of years ago feral sanata clause bearded clowns were getting loans and paying up to $500K for one. Today you would be lucky to get $250K for the same car. Have a look at aussiemuscle cars plenty on that site sitting on $200-300K now for well over a year and no one is interested in buying them. The craze is over for Aussie taxis with big engines and bad engineering!
Spot on! $80T for this car!! I could buy 2008 Mercedes E350.
Second hand Benz, or anything euro will no doubt leave you stranded and poor. Nobody wants a used euro, and you need to think – why is that?
You will be poor if you buy this car. Resale value…lose min 50% in 3 year.
Once again what you are describing is euro resale values. But hey, don’t take my word for it, do your own research…
…drive it the way it was intended and watch that fuel figure jump to 20 ltrs per 100k’s. There isn’t much going for this type of vehicle anymore. If you can refrain from burning a hole in your wallet (excluding depreciation) these cars are good long distance haulers.
Not good for much else. This is a car you buy with your groin, not your head.
20L per 100km ???? have you even driven one, we are averaging 10.4L from our G6ET. Our Mazda CX7 uses about 60% more. The Falcon turbo motors are incredible good on fuel for the power they put out and the weight they carry.
You must be driving like an old woman, what a waste of money. You should of just bought the base model on gas.
My point exactly.
My brother has just taken delivery of a G6ET. He loves it, but after 2 tanks of fuel, he’s getting 21L/100km economy. As Callous Aussie suggests, drive it like it’s meant to be (and my brother is), then you’ll get some fairly shocking fuel economy. But yes, if you want to go easy on the throttle and drive it like your nanna’s Camry, you’ll get 10L/100km.
mdt,
it will get better economy with age.
They will get better from their complimentry service on.
Dont judge a car by its first tank full, they do something to the computer at the first service.
Drive a Camry like a ferrari, and you will also get 20L/100k out of that aswell
“Drive a camry like a ferrari…..” hehehe
Andrew M you crack me up.
When was the last time you saw a car on test that’s been hammered in performance evaluation get lower than the ADR fuel figure, 11.8 on test, 12.1 ADR ? Never !!
At least with this puppy the 12.1 litres per 100 km’s is easily achievable, and compares extremly well with HSV’s averaging 14.5 litres per 100 Km according to ADR but more often than not in the very high teens in the real world.
Its faster and about 20 – 25% more efficient than a HSV.
A HSV will come close to this if driven nicely.
Trust me, this wasn’t thrashed to get those type of figures. The turbo motors drink just as badly as LS engines when you are on it.
But hey, atleast its a nice option to have 310kw and the ability for it to be frugal.
Thats about as much as a VZ/BA 6 cylinder in fuel usage.
Actually this thing is slower than a new HSV
Slower in what sense?
0-100Km/H?
1/4 mile?
80-120Km/H?
Top speed?
Timed or “claimed”?
Calling it slower needs to be substantiated and the context defined.
We cant all buy sensible cars like Corollas.
Please forgive those of us who want driving enjoyment…….
From a Ford, haha what a great joke.
Yes mate,
I think everyone has gotten the picture, you hate ford…..
move along, nothing to see here for you
Aaahh…. I think only being able to get 225 Kw from a Supecharged Hi-tech supposedly F1 inspired V6; is a bigger joke than getting 300+Kw from a supposedly antiquated Inline 6 cylinder – Don’t you?
in europe ford is seen as a premium brand.
europe doesnt have bogan kids who worship commodores hahahahahah
What!!! Ford a premium brand are you kidding get real. Skoda stand higher than Ford here.
the point is morons, that this car can do BOTH!
it can use 20L per 100 OR MORE if u drive it like it wants to be….
but if you dont feel the need to drive like a p plter in a commodore, you can slow down, and get under 10l per 100 on the highway.
very flexible motoring
re w427…. clubsport, with 6 grands of mods would OWN a w427!!
I agree with this reasoning as my car is one of the few things in life I enjoy daily. Driving a high power V8 (in my case) on the way to work, feeling it gently rock the car side to side helps me relax & focus on the day ahead. And on the way home, if I time the traffic conditions just right, I can enjoy some spirited driving.
It appears that FPV understand the market better than we think.
I’d get the F6, what makes this a luxury car anyway? The tachy woodgrain? May as well just buy a F6 and call it quits.
Up spec an F6 with leather, six pot brembo’s, reverse camera, power adjustable pedals and they’re pretty much the same price.
Good, because i don’t want any of that crap.
Tom21 I’m sure you’d be happy with a std F6 but calling leather six pot Brembo’s and reverse camera, “crap” is a bit harsh.
I do agree the standard F6 is a better looking car BUT I’m not fond of the racoon eyes.
^^^^ I agree, I’d take the F6, but I’d get the brembos :) now all I need is a new job.
A poor attempt to emulate a Senator…read Wh##ls this month for some perspective.
Bragging rights for excessive meat-headness to the first Ford fanboy to say that Wh**ls is baised towards Holdens while ignoring the fact that they placed GS above SSGXP the month before
This reminds me of the old Tickford TE and TS 50’s
Dont forget the TL50 too
$80k is a bit rich for what is essentially, a tarted up Falcon. But then again, $80k could barely get you into an entry level E-class or 5 Series (without options!). An XR6T delivers 90% of the thrills of this F6E at half the price.
The only way to get more traction is to get stickier tyres (width is not the key factor for straight line traction). However, with stickier tyres comes lower kays per set, so not such an attractive option unless you race (or drive like you race – bad idea). Then you just have to make a decision – more expensive stickier tyres more often, or less traction on OEM tyres.
Otherwise, review looks right – G6ET for me thanks.
As much as I could see a place for this version, FPV have crueled its chances with the silly asking price. I just would not spend $80K on a Falcon; it’s so ludicrous it is almost comical.
In January’s Wheels comparo with the F6E, and the Senator(The E63 was just there for benchmark), Wheels thought exactly what CA thought. It is too soft and lacks differentiation from the rest of the FPV range let alone the G6ET. If they could justify the sport aspect by making it a bit more stiff and some better body control. The Senator easily won because it managed to bring both aspects of the sport and Luxury side to the table. The Falcon on the other hand only could manage the luxury side.
Bringing fuel economy into the argument for or against this car seems pointless…you are not buying a 310kw, 565Nm car based on it’s economy. It’s a handy side effect that it’s as low as it is, but I think most purchasers of the ford turbo I6 do so based on it’s low down grunt & amazing traction from any gear any time…not to mention the 80-120km overtaking ability of these cars. On the highway there is no better car out there. If you like Mazda 6’s or Honda accords, good for you. I’m sure you’ll justify your economical purchase while the rubber band winds up for that sensational overtaking manoeuvre around thost pesky b-double road trains & caravans..meanwhile cars such as the F6/F6E/G6ET/XR6T (& HSV’s for that matter) will just continue to breeze past you with that useless power & torque. And no, I wouldn’t spend 80K on this car…I’ll just grab the base XR6T than you very much.
CA it seems as if the reply system is not working. My reply went into a new box, and did not flow onto my other replies.
What are you two (Shak and Martin) on ? Dud brakes ? Have had my territory for over two years and my brakes still function as recommended. That is I haven’t face planted into anything of note lately. Seriously where do you come up with this conjecture ? Bizarre.
I think the review was a little harsh and didnt really recognise the market place for this vehicle.
I too reckon the G6ET would be my choice for many reasons, and I also reckon there could have been some better styling changes to make this more recognisable, but this vehicle still has a place, and it seemed you started to only get picky at things by the end of the review
things that should be different from all FPV cars to the falcons should be head lights, tail lights, and wider rims, not bigger, just wider for better traction. Body kits, colours, strip kits and interiors are great (altho a badge on the left hand side of the dash example GT for a GT and F6 for an F6) would be really great to see, give it that 70’s connection with the older GT falcons. But thats just my thoughts
Maybe FPV could/should do more to make their cars stand out more.
However; look at what HSV have done with the VE-2 to make their cars more distinctive to the Calais on which they are derived..
The original HSV VEs looked good lbut then with the VE-2s they went that extra step further and made them look “tacky”
yeah I agree with that, the new hsv’s look horrible, hate to think of what they will bring out next. N I wouldnt mind seeing the body kit stay essentially the same, it already lloks great, except the recoon eyes, but they have grown on me. Id just like to see some old school heritage brung back to these cars, give them a 70’s muscle car link, and wider tires!!!!!!!
What’s stopping an owner from putting wider rubber on the rear?
On a related but different note: I could swear I saw an FG WAGON in Brisbane today. It was on Kingsford Smith Drive at Eagle Farm.
Familiar FG front, radically different (from BFIII) rear!
Got any pictures of it?? I thought they where gonna can the falcon wagon, hope they bring it out
Sadly no pics, I was driving in the opposite direction. I’m guessing it was a prototype.
could it have been a mondeo or something..?
No it was 100% FG at the front.
Maybe it was a Mondeo wagon?
Checked out the one they had at the V8’s in Sydney the other weekend…Very,very nice car. But so is the G6ET. Personally, i dont think the F6E is worth that much extra, especially considering sat-nav is only an option on the F6E and standard on the G6ET.
Yeah, the G6ET seems to be the perfect blend of sportiness, power and luxury…for me anyway.
Sat-Nav is an option on the G6ET too. At least it was when I bought mine in June this year.
The ultimate bogan drug dealers cruiser , wow $80k looks no diff to a xr6 , what the hell , the wheels could be a tarted camry .
Man you could spend more wisely than this .
Oh man I wanted an F6. Saved like mad for a over a year. When time came to buy I could afford a used F6 with 10,000 kms or a new G6E Turbo. I went the G6E. It ticks every box.
95% of the power/torque, looks understated and classy at the same time, goes like a rat up a drainpipe, gorgeous cashmere leather interior, kicks you in the back when you want, all the tech you could need, overtaking has never been easier, extremely comfortable and surprisingly economical, it really hammers, did I mention how hard it goes?
When it comes to bang (and luxury) for buck, the G6ET wins hands down. Just check CA’s own 6 car review.
When talking 80-120 km/h times, nothing under $100K comes close to F6.
Weird stuff happening with CA. My response posted at 10:03pm ends up before a response posted at 11:39am.
I’d guessed what you meant about the TS/TE50 BM. God to see Wheelnut, Andrew.M, Bavarian Missile around.
Good lord I think hell may have frozen over…
With that body kit and colour and angle and without the racoon eyes. I actually quite like the look of it.
WHAT IS HAPPENING!?
According to the FPV website the F6E is running the same suspension as the F6.
The F6E is however running much softer seat bolsters so perhaps the extra body movement disturbed the reviewers lateral perspective.
Not everyone wants racoon eyes and big rear spoliers. Its perhaps one of the greatest muscle cars, (wolf) in sheeps clothing.
Another angle on it is this, plenty of people want a real rocket that’s disguised to look like an executive car, (means it looks for P.C. for business purposes) and its probably less likely to be stolen.
As far as I’m concerned I’d prefer the std F6 but paint out the racoon eyes.
How did this score lower than a Toyota Yaris?
falcon g6e Turbo 44k demo -60k brand new
extra 20 k for a marginal improvement on fantastic performance, and a splash of woodgrain.
Lets keep in mind the previous F6 figures are now the current xr6T and G6ET figures, they are impressive enough for most buyers.
But hey, Im sure someone wants the woodgrain that bad they are willing to pay for it.
i love this car, but…..
FAR TOO DEAR
g6ET is awsome value for $, my mate got one drive away for 53 grand. the baffled backfire it makes as it changes gear on full throttle is to die for. this is also the car that is making the holden fanbois look at turning BLUE!
the guys on ford forums have seen them run high 12 second 1/4 mile passes STANDARD! one fella on there had his mrs run a 12.9 straight off the road!!!
$80 000 for a falcoon, how could anyone be that stupid!
I dont see all the Toyota taxis on the road you are talking about. And every Toyota taxi I’ve been in was not fairing any better than a Ford. Ask the Toyota Taxi drivers how much it costs for an auto tranny rebuild – or any parts for that matter. The Aussie built Toyotas are rubbish quality just like Commodore and Falcon. Its just that Falcons last longer pure and simple. Lower revs, inline 6 – tried and trued longevity. We’ll see in a few years if your ‘point of view’ turns into reality. Right now, Ford is the number one choice of taxi operators. Cheap to repair, rugged. Everything Toyota and Commodore are not. Also – a lot of the jap and german cars are not what they used to be. VW/Audi are not as reliable as people think – check the surveys. A lot of the Jap cars aren’t actually made in Japan any more. Granted the ones that are – generally are very well screwed together – probably at the top of the heap up there with the best German cars. Personally I think in 5-10 years the Koreans will be up there with the Japs or maybe even ahead of them (except for Daewoo who have a l-o-n-g way to go – and being controlled by GM is like having a noose around their neck) Also a tip for you – although being as narrow minded as you are I doubt you will isten anyway – but here goes – dont judge a car by driving a rental car. 9 times out of 10 its been abused to within an inch of its life. Unless you are lucky enough to be one of the first ‘johns’ to get it, it will be flogged out.
i know this is off topic but the 2011 mustang that will be released next year has been revealed as someone has broken the embargo – the 5.0 V8 has 307KW and 528Nm – that will be very good for the XR8 or GS that power taking in mind the wieght loss of 100kgs
We drove from Melbourne to Brisbane up the east coast doing largely highway miles and did indeed get over 1000 k’s per tank constantly seeing around 5- 5.5 ltrs on it’s trip computer. City driving gave it a range of 900. Still a damned site better than that barge you love so much and from a much smaller tank. The fact it has a 55 ltr tank and still manages to beat the Falcon for boot space is even more remarkable given it is smaller.
Most cabs are owned by one driver and he has a second driver who does an alternative shift as a subbie. It wouldn’t occur to you that for presentation reasons they are “frequently” touched up in the sills.
You can try all you like to convince me on the falcon. As a previous owner I have been convinced otherwise. Why don’t you wait a year and buy it for 40 grand. ;)
I’ll take bets from you right now that the Jetta will murder it on resale too. Just like most cars will.
Callous, We all know Falcons have bad resale, and Commodores are worse. The Jetta will have better resale, but you pay horrendous money for a service and spare parts. I dont see anyone trying to convince you to buy a Falcon, just correcting your comments on the taxis. I dont think anyone cares what car you drive, each to their own.
Commodores hold their value better than Falcons.
Sorry.
Last time I looked at redbook Commodores were a few % behind, very close almost the same. Check your facts first. And before you start carrying on with excuses why you think you are right, prove to me why I should listen to you instead of redbook. Sorry.
Either car is a good bargain second hand after three years, if I was inclined to purchase such a car I’d go with a Falcon personally, I hate Commodores harsh, thrashy and gutless Alloytec – chalk and cheese to Falcon’s torquey, smooth and efortless I6. And Holden’s IRS system is more backwards than a Datsun 180B.
I’d be inclined towards a Mitsubishi 380 were I buying a late model sedan
Yes, they are a bargain. Problem is they have too much power for FWD platform.
lord this thing is ugly
When it comes to the risk of replacing parts I know which one I’d rather own. As I own neither I doubt I’ll get desperate ;) . You’d need to be to buy a Falcon though as the parts cost arguement is more than offset by the horrendous resale value of the Falcon.
Furthermore anyone that knows anything about the spare parts industry knows you don’t go direct to a dealership whether it’s ford or vw. Now go do yourself a little experiment and get a price on a headlamp assembly for both from the respective dealerships.
Probably the only Aussie manufactured car I’d consider!
But I would have to over look the nasty xt interior, and the wishfull asking price…
hmmm….Nah, can’t do that!
The Realist, it’s the Czech Republic…get it right.
As for the Jetta, VW claiming that you have to use ‘that’ oil or the warranty is made void is rubbish.
As for Jetta vs Ford for taxi, ask anyone who has visited or is from the Big Apple…they have ditched their Fords en mass for Jetta diesels…smart people in the big apple.
And for the Falcon, really if you want to spend a significant amount of cash on a performance Ford, buy an RS Focus. It is a better engineered machine better bolted together and will give more thrills for the the buck.
“The only disappointment is the lack of backlighting on the steering wheel controls, making them hard to see at night”
You actually look down to the steering wheel contols under your thumb to see which one you are pressing? They are on the steering wheel so you don’t have to go looking for them. Must’ve taken ddddaaaaaaayyyyyyyssss to type up his review, looking down at each key before pressing each one…
First thing I wanted to do when driving my brother’s Golf at night was turn off the horrible red glow that came from the steering wheel controls
This car and HSV is only good for Australia. Who is buying this car and where is the technology??? HSV with pushrod….hahahahahahahaha! 50 years old design! Falcon and Commodore is good only here. Soon as Nissan and BMW beat them in the ATCC race rules were changed to protect HSV and FPV. In German touring car race you can enter with any car! They race with 4 liter V8 and they will beat this V8’s easily! It was in the latest Australian car magazine.
I own one of the first BA GT’s, GT-P. Its a four speeder auto, 290kW standard car, recently upgraded front disks to a 6 spot caliper system. I neighbour owns a 2009 F6 310kW now making 325rwkW. When we take both of our cars for a spin. It seems that he has no real chance to get away from me. Yet my car only makes 236rwkW stock on regular 91 octane fuel. He still needs time, and i mean time like 5 to 10 seconds to pull away from me when we do a roll start 80-120, 120-180, his car seems NOT to pull away as you have dramatized it people! reality speaks for itself. No wonder why his wives brothers BF XR8 with 265rwkW mildly worked, extractors, tune, air intake, keeps up with it 60-200km/h.
ps: people who buy an Aurion or a Camry, DUH what are you thinking, 200kW? yea sure but at what RPM 6400rpm? duh , how fast or how often do you rev up your piece of crap up to 6400rpm to get those miserably derived 200kW.
any company car manufacturer can crank up the RPM and make more power, but at the cost which is higher RPM and yet unusable for an ordinary librarian chick or a office clerk. Duh!
and how about torque, miserable 336Nm at sky high 4700rpm, a load of crap!
Get a Falcon, and you will see what the TORQUE is!!!! it is not about those miserable 200kW, its about what torque it makes and drive-ability of a car.
And not sitting at 60km/h at 30kW like in Aurion, try a BA-BF-FG and ride at 56-60kW at 60k per hour at around 1250-1500rpm. That is what you need!
Not some front wheel drive crap that warps and can flip on the road and under steer in wet!
A friend had the typhoon. Start using the power and the economy is dreadful. 20ltrs per 100k is easily done. The turbo six is a thirsty motor .
Oh and yes I have owned several performance cars. Enough to know that over time turbo vehicles have durability issues. If you want to maintain 10 ltrs per 100 k’s why bother with the performance engine?
……and the car is still ridiculously expensive.
… at the end of day I would never consider a vehicle like that. 80 grand for a Falcon. Yeah right. They must love the suckers that buy these things. Profit, profit, profit ,and all for a car that is restricted to 110kph by law.
For that money I could get a top spec Honda Euro and a top spec Mazda 6. Both will enjoy far better resale, use less fuel and be a damned sight cheaper to insure. Not to mention, better built and a damned sight more likely to be trouble free.
Why you would spend over 20 grand for a front-wheel-drive, 4 cylinder is beyond me, but each to their own.
I agree it seems quite expensive. I guess the beauty of this thing is while it can be extremely thirsty, if you decide to drive it conservatively, it will return lower consumption than a comparable V8. It’s nice to have “acceptable” normal consumption yet the flexibility to go nuts when desired.
The current FG Falcon has one of the lowest TGW (things gone wrong) ratings in the industry – its a very well built car. But dont let facts get in the way of an opinion….
And Callous what are the servicing fees for you lovely cars from Euro or Japan. Or for that matter replacement parts for your lovely overseas machines ?
The way you are commenting here you would think cars in Australia are made with wooden parts like from the 30’s or 40’s. You are hilarious. I gotta say from experience in actually owning Australian made Falcons/Territory’s from EL right throught to BF I haven’t run into these multitudes of dramas or troubles you say exist. I must be the only one eh, as there must be thousands who have constant issues all the time as you say ?
This car is expensive based on a target market of enthusiast exec’s who want cheap bang for your buck. I for one wouldn’t pay that dosh on the I6 but would rather get a V8 GT-P but that’s just me. Nothing compares to the Aussie I6 turbo for bang for your buck period.
You’re right why pay that much for a car when you are restricted to 110Km/H by Law?
However; you are also restricted to 110Km/H by law in your Honda Accord Euro / Mazda 6 aren’t you?
If the car companies designed and engineered a car [and its engine] to reach a maximum speed of 110Km/h it would be so lowly geared that it would be similar to a slightly enhanced ride on lawn mower or old farts cart.
….and overtaking would be virtually impossible – particularly as all other cars on the road would also be limited to 110Km/h
One minute you are worried about fuel economy, then you think a Honda accord is going to improve on that when many reviews prove otherwise???
We get your hate for the Ford product, but dont over do it because your double standards are showing
Its only been out for a year, so of course hardly anything is going to go wrong. Its not an Alfa, give it one more year and things like what happened with the territory will start to crop up.
Like dud brakes?
its been out for almost 2 years, will be 2 years may next year. How many things went wrong with the holden commodore within the 1st year n a half??
Among other things yes.
At least it doesn’t have dud looks of an Alpha…..a face only a mother could love. Even the F6 with it’s god awful racoon eyes looks better than any alfa hand crafted with an ugly stick.
FG is coming up near 2 years now.
How many recalls did the Commodore have in its first 6 months????
Come on, you gotta admitt Ford have really concentrated on turning around perceptions of bad quality with the FG.
You only have to compare the FG with previous Falcons to realise Ford are really concentrating on improving image not only on quality, but also the market it attracts. Ive never thought of the Falcon to have big reliability issues, but I have thought over time “they could have done this and that a bit better”.
With FG they have dont “this and that” better.
I could list a few things that Ford has changed over the years that would account for less and less little picky warranty claims
So yeah, cant deny 2 years out of the box with no dramas is a fair old go.
..and yes I admit they have worked on reliability Andrew. They had no choice.
yeah true they do have lil faults here and there, but for there cars that range from $30,000 to nearly $80,000 (FPV) there pretty well on ball for an autralian built car. Was the first vehicle to get a 5 staer saftey rating for the sedans aswell
Improved big time I think since the BA ,then again, I agree with Callous Aussie,they had no choice .
You know that is still the funniest thing that you lot come up with. The Un reliability of Falcon. Yet every time you have to many to drink and want to be responsible you ride home in a strange coloured one that has doen over half a million kilometers being driven by people of dubious licence and driving skills.. Other Brands try so hard to get into that fleet, get a few cars in but ultimately the owners end up back with the Falcon…
Not bad for such an unreliable POS don’t you think…
Now before you go all defensive and say that othere companies don’t make taxi packs, Ford doesn’t, hasn’t since BF1. But Toyota does with Camry..
Most of these unreliable Falcons are bought from the government Auctions and given a jam job paint cover, very few are new.
which is why there were a gazillion falcon taxis before the prius became a fad, and 3 commodores!!!
ask a taxi driver why there were no commodores… and no its not because they never offered a taxi pack, as seems to be the holden boys replies.
i have a ba mk2 in the driveway ( my bro inlaws ), 254 thousand kays on it, NEVER been back with any issues, and still drives better than a vz with 1/4 of the kays on it. highway it returns 8-9L per 100 at 100kmh.
brilliant car
Couldnt have put it better myself, well said mate
Mine have all been new and they have been very ordinary, but thank god I woke up to myself and won`t ever have another one. Well the way the Ford and Holden are going they won`t be around next time I`m up for an update.
Yes, well put.
Other brands try so hard to get into that fleet? Are you serious? There isn’t a manufacturer in this county that wants their vehicles to be labelled as taxis. Now for the true reason Falcons were used in such big numbers for so long. It had zero to do with reliability. They broke down a lot.
There were two main reasons they were used. Firstly Ford did massive dsicounts to get them out there because Holden were murdering them with the private sector. Secondly they weren’t built to the same tight tollerances as the Commodore and so spent less time in the workshop when involved in a shunt.
Apparently taxis are involved in a higher proportion of accidents than other drivers. Go figure ;) . The commodore ,with what was essentially a better finish was more difficult to repair and Holden weren’t prepared to slash it’s profits for a market it didn’t and still doesn’t want.
Yes ,you saw Falcon cabs with 500,000 k’s on them. But you didn’t see how often they broke. Your comments show a rather ignorant view of the world. Price is the main reason cabs are chosen. Toyota now do massive deals to keep their product in fleet. Hybrids (there are 40 Prius cabs here in Cairns) are slashed massively to get the vehicles in the public eye.
Nowadays you will notice Falcon are minor players in the cab fleets. Ford aren’t interested anymore. There is no margin in it and it is considered demeaning to the brand.
Yeah BM, but they really werent that bad, especially for the dollars
JON,
Thank christ you stopped buying them, I cant stand the nobs that give these cars bad names
Jon [Will]: You say that you believe Holden and Ford won’t be around by the time you are due to trade in your Toyota.
Yet; you also say that you would never buy a Holden or Ford ever again.. so why would you care if Holden and Ford are still in Oz or not.
Yet as I have said before there is more likelihood of Toyo-oz being the first to leave; as the Cam-rion is built in 4 other factories around the world. Toyo-Oz helps meet overseas demand hence the high number of exports..
So if/when Tariffs are reduced to 0% Toyota could close the Altona plant as they already have the same robots building the Cam-rion in Japan Europe and the USA.
BTW – There is a report which says the fate of Toyota Australia’s engine plant is hanging in the balance as Toyo-kyo decides whether to give the necessary funding for re-tooling for the “next generation” of engines putting approx 400 jobs at risk
mmmmmmmm,first of the low number BAs were pretty average even for the money…..TS 50 would have been a much better car,did get better by the mark 2 and the BF though .
TS50 wasnt done in the BA. Were you implying it was or am i crossing your words??
What do you mean low number???
Are you talking strictly FPV’s?? me thinks so
ya, I know sweet cheeks….it was in the AU……….I should have made myself a little more clear. I meant the TS 50 was a better made car than the first of the early BA GTs………..
Ya get the email I just sent you ??
Andrew yeah I know guys like you.Falcons and Commodores are definitely the cars of choice for the tools.
There is also a report that says that tax payers funding will be getting turned off for Ford and Holden. So how in the hell will they survive then? Bottom line is they won`t. Get use to them being importers of American crap, or in Holden`s case bolting together Daewoo crap.
You haven’t been watching what’s happening lately Have you? Holden won’t go to Daewoo if it is sold.
obviously NEVER spoken to a cab driver… they might not speaka da englais where u live?
but ive spoken to dozens about their choice of cab etc.
the general idea i got… falcons…. 8 hundred thousand kays plus, 2 diffs, maybe 2 transmissions. THATS all, other than maybe a few bits of plastic falling off here and there.
and NO commodore has ever had a better finish to ANY falcon. LMFAO!!
So essentially what you are saying is that there aren’t many commodore taxis because they are better? Hahahaha you one-eyed Holden fans are dumber than I thought. Twist any story around to make a Holden look good. No wonder they sell so many Daewoos.
You’re not too bright are you Jon – Because Toyota benefits from the same level of protection as Holden and Ford do.. and they receive just as much funding/support as Holden and Ford do..
More if you take into account the $70m the federal and victorian gummint gave em to build the Hybrid Camry – a car which Toyo-kyo were already going to build here anyway.. again to help the overseas Toyota factories meet demand
So if the Govt does stop funding Holden and Ford; they will stop funding Toyota as well which will be another reason for them to be the first to pull out of Australia
BTW Callous Aussie is right Daewoo [SAIC] could be sold back to the Korean Govt which could mean that Holden will go back to importing Opels :)
no more money because Toyota has drained the gov wallet perhaps??
jon says:
“So how in the hell will they survive then? Bottom line is they won`t. Get use to them being importers of American crap, or in Holden`s case bolting together Daewoo crap.”
Hey, atleast Wheelnut will finally get his Torana he has been going on about for so long (Deawoo Epica with sport decals)…
Dumb Robin? It was straight from the guys at a late night taxi depot I used to eat at after a night on the town. No-one knows better than the guys that drive them. Don’t show your ignorance. For the record I will never buy another commodore or falcon from my own experience.
So I don’t have a preference for either of them. To suggest I am favourable to Holden based on the comments from Cab Drivers themselves is ridiculous and shows your complete lack of brains or desperation to remain loyal to a car company which in itself is bogan enough.
Breaking news ford fanboy, you are supporting the bottom of the industry ladder.
The VL Commodore had a better fit and finish than the XF Falcon; not to mention looks better had better performance and handling; more features/specifications etc… Compared to the VL; the XF is a Hollow Shell.. An Aluminium Can
The EA/EB wasn’t much better than the XF either.. although they were competing against the VN which I admit was a bad car [compared to the VL].
Then there’s the VT Commodore which was better than the AU[ful] Falcon in almost every area. Even Ford execs have said that the BA Falcon is what the AU should have been.
Callous – You obviously spoke with the jockeys, not the owners and trainers. To suggest that they dont use Commodores because they are a better car is idiotic. Built to tighter tolerances? Right. Most taxis are second hand anyway – so your comments about factory discounts dont stack up to reality. The weak link in the Falcons is the Borg Warner 4spd Auto. The rest of the car is tough as nails. Commodores fall apart when driven all day and all night for those sorts of KM’s Thats from a taxi operator who’s been in the game many years with many cabs, not some half-baked driver who wouldnt know a gearbox from a power steering pump. And for the record, I’ve never owned a Ford or a Holden, just the facts.
I don`t own a Toyota so I don`t care Wheelnut
You will if/when we lose our Local Automotive Industry…. 10s-100s of 1000s of workers lose their job and your taxes are increased in order to help Centrelink cope with the increased demand for social security.
Even if you don’t work in the Auto Industry you will be affected.
A) You are clearly in love with ford.
B) Your comments about them being secondhand are tripe.
C) I said the panel tollerances are tighter in the Commodore. Not that it was a better car. I wouldn’t own either. Don’t put words in my mouth.
D) I spoke to the drivers ,who are the first to be told “hey you have no work tomorrow” because the cab is busted. So your claims are crap. My neighbour was a cabbie who owned his car (like many of them, so your claims they are just jockeys are tripe too) and he went from a Falcon to a Camry. Bits literally fell off the Ford. Dodgy power window tracks that dropped the window inside the door due to a dud clip. Handles falling off. Rubber door seals falling out. Faulty locks. Key remotes locking him out of the car.
E) Ford will be the first to tell you that cabs are bought new in massive buys at slashed prices. The market has swung now to Toyota.
F) Holden were never interested in slashing margins to supply the cab market. Don’t believe me. Ring Holden.
G) The fact that you think the Ford engine is ever reliable shows you know nothing. They have had problems with it for years and those problems have amplified as they have taken it to the edge of its limits with boring and honing. I would link them as I have them on my pc but it is against this website’s rules to link to other sites. So go check it out.
H) There is more to a car than it’s engine and the fords have been plagued by power steering pump issues, brake issues, transmission issues and remarkably for this day and age rust issues. Go check the ford websites. It’s all there.
I) The Holdens never fell apart as you say, because the cab drivers never drove them (refer back to fleet deals above).
J) Ford’s taxi market has all but dried up because they no longer want their vehicles given away with no margin. Toyota now dominate the cab market in Australia and off the back of massive discounting and the cars are indeed new.
K) Expect to see many of toyota’s new Camry hybrid in taxi fleets due to massive discounting. They will be new cars.
I should add that when we went on holidays in August we flew to Adelaide and had a booking for Europecar and were supposed to get an Aurion. Instead we were given a Falcon with 75,000 k’s on the clock. By the time we got to Melbourne we were over it.
It had a horrible shudder that felt like it was in the tail shaft and not simply a wheel balance issue. The steering was drifty at best and the gearbox couldn’t make up its mind when to kickdown. On wet roads it never felt secure. Upon arrival in Melbourne we exchanged it for a VW Jetta Diesel which retails for the same price. What a transformation.
The equipment levels in the Jetta creamed it. It had full leather and heated seats. Split climate air which came in very handy as we headed up towards Brisbane. The DSG gearbox always knew where it should be as far as gear selection was concerned and remarkably it had a bigger boot for our luggage. Throw in 1000 k’s plus per tank which I believe was only 45 ltr’s with ample power and far superior wet weather grip and it was a no-brainer.
Whilst I wish I could be a better ambassador for our local product ,the fact is it really does not cut it against international brands. I was once very much a lover of our vehicles and in fairness by comparison to the Euro garb that some still desire (bmw ,Mercedes) both Commodore and Falcon represent decent value.
But unless you are after a fuel guzzling large car then they just don’t stack up anymore. The Japanese and Korean vehicles offer comparable comfort , acceptable performance for most people’s needs and are cheaper and arguably more reliable. Don’t take my word for it. Look at the sales charts in the past 5 years. Expect the swing away from these large cars to continue indefinately. Australia has just been slow to follow the trend that started in Europe. Even the Yanks are doing it now.
When I look at the opyions available for 80 grand the Falcon is so far down the list it just doesn’t matter.
The Jetta has a 55ltr tank, and its consumption is 6.2L/100k meaning it doesnt get 1000ks
Also what you are saying about Taxis is BS.
You only got to look inside the door sills to realise your source is feeding you BS. They are 2nd hand cars that have been given a quick respray job.
Ford stopped the Taxi pack years ago.
I also had a Taxi fleet owner tell me the reason they prefer the Falcons is because they will do a millions ks no worries, the only thing they have to worry about is keeping a spare diff and tranny in the shed.
Also what I was told, and simlilar to your tale is that the other bonus about the Falcon other than longevity is that if something does go wrong, they are cheaper and easier to fix
Also your claims that most cabbies own their car also shows your lack of knowledge on the industry.
Quite often one particular person owns a fleet of them and just lets them out on a commission basis. Many even share cabs for the obvious reason that one or 2 people alone cant run a cab 24/7
We drove from Melbourne to Brisbane up the east coast doing largely highway miles and did indeed get over 1000 k’s per tank constantly seeing around 5- 5.5 ltrs on it’s trip computer. City driving gave it a range of 900. Still a damned site better than that barge you love so much and from a much smaller tank. The fact it has a 55 ltr tank and still manages to beat the Falcon for boot space is even more remarkable given it is smaller.
Most cabs are owned by one driver and he has a second driver who does an alternative shift as a subbie. It wouldn’t occur to you that for presentation reasons they are “frequently” touched up in the sills.
You can try all you like to convince me on the falcon. As a previous owner I have been convinced otherwise. Why don’t you wait a year and buy it for 40 grand. ;)
I’ll take bets from you right now that the Jetta will murder it on resale too. Just like most cars will.
No one is trying to convince you to buy a falcon, just trying to tell you not to convince others that everything you say and have seen or even heard from a mate of a mates neighbours brother is always right.
If you dont like the Falcon, take a hike.
There are’nt really any vehicles that could replace what I get from my falcon.
Oh and on the milage stuff, do you not realise that on Hwy K’s a Falcon is much beter too????
Even commodores 10 years ago were getting 1000k’s to a tank on a hwy run, and the much bagged SIDI versions are actually greener than you beloved Jetta.
Each to their own
Convince yourself however you want.
Your stay around here seems as though you have to keep drumming it up just to convince yourself
Try owning a diesel VW though. I’ve had 2 dealers threaten that I will void the warranty if I don’t use the VW specified oil.. @ $30 per litre. Fuel costs are low, but it’s all negated by the high servicing costs.
Chalk and cheese argument Falcon taxi Vs Jetta.
Who cares about resale on a taxi after its done 500,000+ Kms?
Taxis run LPG. Parts for a falcon are cheap and readily available.
Jetta does get good mileage but its running costs will be higher than a LPG falcon per KM.
Falcon is bigger – better for taxi purposes.
Sorry but comparing the two in this context seems a little silly. They serve different purposes and appeal to different people for different reasons.
I don’t need to convince myself. I’d never own another Falcon. I drove the two back to back and the smaller VW murdered the Falcon. I am aware of the oil cost but at $30.00 per litlre they saw you coming. A client of mine pays $21.00 up here. It is also only needed at each service so to suggest that negates the massive fuel savings in between services is laughable. They only hold 2 ltrs of the stuff.
…and their service costs were the same as my navara. Now for anyone to suggest the Falcon will match the VW for fuel consumption on the highway is straight up desperate.
you’ll be getting desperate when it comes time to replace parts or go in for a full service for it
Who suggested a falcon will match a diesels consumption???
All I said is you were comparing Worst case Falcon consumption to best case Jatte consumption.
To be fair, compare their HWY consumption figure. Then the Falcon is only like 2L off of the diesel.
Want to compare parts prices…..
Tell me, whats a windscreen worth for a Jetta for eg
Oh, so you don’t even have direct experience with ownership of a diesel VW. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thoroughly pleased with my Jetta, but the running costs per km compared to our BA Falcon (both of which have covered over 120k kms) is only marginally in favour of the VW. Also, whilst it is well equipped, there are some obvious cost saving measures lurking below the surface. Or maybe it’s just the Mexican build quality.
Routine servicing of the Jetta was a minimum $375. Average about $450 and that’s not including the major service at 105k which came to $1230. Thankfully, the DSG is yet to require any special attention. ($6k to fix a colleague’s Passat DSG)
Average for the Falcon about $280 incl. the 105k service. The only additional cost has been aftermarket rotors and pads – $420.
They might both be high, but that’s what you get living in a town with only one dealer for each make.
When the Jetta is out of lease, we’ll get another VW, but probably a manual GTi as a keeper.
More pearls of wisdom from Mr Czechoslovakia. I don’t see much posting from your wife Pauline Hanson these days. Still running her fish and chips place while fearing for the yellow skinned race?
January 1st 2010 will be a good day indeed.
LOL, Wheelnut’s De-facto still posts a fair few comments, it’s just under many different names….
How often do people replace a windscreen? I have been driving for almost 30 years and haven’t had to yet. At least apply some commonsense in your debate Andrew. Screens usually get a chip at most which is repaired and depending on your insurer often for free.
Most imported vehicles have higher screen replacement costs. That’s pretty standard. Now go ptice the headlamp assembly for that car you are fixated on. They do get broken more often than windscreens due to minor bingles.
Same goes for fuel consumption. Drive the cars like most Austrlains with a majority of city driving and there is no contest. The Jetta will get 900 k’s +. From as you pointed out 55 ltrs. Now go check the falcon’s economy from a much bigger tank. I’d hedge a guess at around 500 k’s. The tank is at least 70 ltrs is it not?
who cares about fuel consumption!!!!
if you can afford a $80,000 car you can afford the little increase of fuel consumption.
but the driving experience of a fpv is going to make you forget all about it.
Why are these two cars being brought up in the same sentence? One is a cruise missile that will comfortably carry around 4 adults, the other, a gutless cramped german golf with a boot. By the way, my wife owns one, the vw has been o.k. apart from it needing to have it’s $17,000 transmission replaced! Thankfully the vw was still under warranty, just. Think twice before you buy German in Australia, because apart from the extremely over-inflated price you could end-up in serious trouble.
Hello, whats wrong with you???
Diesel econo shopping cart cart vs blown performance car, and your comparing economy!?!?!
She`s doing well to keep her racist comments in check – I haven`t seen a negative comment about Chinese and Japanese in the past few weeks! Perhaps she`s in Bali with the rest of her bogan clan…