2008 Ford Falcon Orion and FPV Orion Ute
27 Dec, 2007
222 Comments 
Ford Falcon Orion - Futura
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More on the next page.
- 2008 Ford Falcon CGI
- 2008 Ford Falcon Orion Ute - FPV
- 2008 Ford Falcon Orion Ute - Base Model
- 2008 Ford Falcon Orion - XR6 Turbo
- 2008 Ford Falcon ‘Orion’ Video
Location: Home / spy photos, Falcon, Ford, Gallery, Australian Car Industry News / ...
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December 27th, 2007 at 5:42 am
Looks like a bigger version of the Mondeo, which isn’t really a bad thing.
The ute would look better with a single panel tho.
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December 27th, 2007 at 5:59 am
have always been a fan of the Ute set up - ensures one press for either the style side or tray back. the Holden tray back looked awkward IMHO.
Is it a Futura or a Gjia - the front chrome strips on the bumper look like the crrent BFII Ghia
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December 27th, 2007 at 6:19 am
Dont like the look at bottom two smaller air intakes on front bumper bar as angled wrong way and looks plain as. For me looks to close to existing Falcon.
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December 27th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Alloys on a base model?
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December 27th, 2007 at 7:47 am
well alloys are a factory option…
i like the ute, looks tough!
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December 27th, 2007 at 9:06 am
I think the sedan actually looks nice.
I think though the problem with Ford and Holden’s is they’re just too large.
In australia the 4 child family is dying.
Picture this car with those HUUUGE Aussie number plates and it will look like shit.
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December 27th, 2007 at 9:07 am
OMG! That Pursuit would be in my garage as quick as it went on sale!
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December 27th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Whats with wheels of the sedan?They are Alfa-Romeo copied wheels…..
Oh, copying Italians, fancy that
Cheers
F-O
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December 27th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Looks Good. I like the way the arc of the headlights on the sedan let the bumper flow [outwards and upwards] into the sedate wheel arches
However; the Matt Black “warpaint” under the headlights and that fold over the rear wheels on the ute detracts from it a bit - looks like a tacky after thought
Ford should take advantage of the sepperate Cab and offer a Step-side / Pick-Up style body as an option
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December 27th, 2007 at 9:40 am
I like the artist’s impression on the FPV UTE! Personally I have always thought Falcon Ute’s look better than the Holden’s…I don’t think its a bad thing sticking with separate cabin section.Any one know what it costs to insure the new Holden Ute??Surely it must have gone up cause replacing the whole side of the ute just for a a mangled front or rear guard would be much more expensive . Plus I still don’t like the look from the rear of the GMH’s.
I think Wheelnut Ford where tricking us with raccoon front…..Remember they where the so called leaked photos found on the tip!!
Elitist…..I think your wrong…look at a lot of other makes over the years and they seem to be getting bigger…I think the average family still has 2 kids not 4 and Aussie like their room.There will always be a market for a family sized car…also remember people in general are getting bigger!
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December 27th, 2007 at 9:49 am
frugal one - if we could copy cars by the italians and get it right how would that be a bad thing…… i mean its not like they would be re badging daewoos, one would think i t would be an improvement - besides u cant rely on insignificant little facts like that until it is released
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December 27th, 2007 at 10:26 am
if you look at the gap between the cab subject it looks like it has decreased by around 20mm so that now the tray actually touches the cab with a rubber in between.
BM,
just did a couple of insurance comparos on the utes and the base models from ford and holden. fords ute comes out around $42 cheaper.
i would think there would be a premium for driving a holden full stop. i would think holden drivers would be placed in the same sort of risk category as say under 25 drivers. im sure stats would show that more holden drivers have accidents. i know the stats do show that more holdens are stolen aswell which wouldnt help their premiums.
i tried to get a ss V XR8 comparo but it was too much mucking around. i based them on being over 25 and a perfect history.
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December 27th, 2007 at 10:46 am
MMMMMM…..thanks AndrewM,one would have thought that I guess.
HSV is even worst,they took out this years worst drivers in Performance cars in Insurance Claims!
I guess in 10-15 years when people are trying to replace the side on a UTE and GMH has stopped making them…..trying to buy a full side from a wreckers is going to be a real problem!Think of that…..so more old Ford Utes will be on the road!How much extra strength is in using a one piece panel to gain the safety you think?
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December 27th, 2007 at 11:00 am
well i wouldnt think there would be any strength advantages in using a continuous panel????
i actually have had the side panel of the tray replaced on my falcon ute. they remove the tray from the vehicle first and stow the rest of the vehicle away in a safe place. it must be a hell of a lot cheaper and easier for them do do that. well atleast you would think the vehicle would be better looked after that way, but i have a good story of my 6 odd visits back (3 with an assessor) with a massive “Recto” list…….i know im pretty fussy but the way it was returned was an absolute joke!!!
has anyone ever seen a quote to replace the side skin on a commy ute? ill try and dig mine out for a comparo
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December 27th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Hey guys… i work insurance…… some facts 4 Yous
HSV is the highest in the performance cars and cars in general to have a single vehicle accidents, also one of the most stolen vehicle are Holdens….. Audi is the most just to let you guys know….. Ford ranked pretty low in Stolen vehicles and single vehicle accidents.
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December 27th, 2007 at 11:07 am
thanks chopstar,
i already knew holdens were up there as the most stolen and only had to put 2 and 2 together to find they were also the most claimed upon vehicles.
the real interesting and key word to what you said was “single vehicle accidents”.
that surely shows where the silly commodore driven behavior i see on the roads end up. and also the countless fatalities we see on the news in…….well…….commodores
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December 27th, 2007 at 11:08 am
well chopstar have you seen a quote on a new commy skin replacement then?
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December 27th, 2007 at 11:13 am
not shore of the differance…. but i know it can be a bit of a problem some times…. because if there is minor damage to the font side but the panel needs to be replace the whole boldy side needs to be replace which can turn in to a costly excercise….. i see i can find the costings for yous
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December 27th, 2007 at 11:22 am
I know someone is just going to say “well of course you see have more theres more of them” Some of us at a party recently were discussing the same thing about Holdens and single car accidents,I guy said he saw 3 off the road going to work in a week a while back ,one on its roof! And all with P plates,not good.
Thanks Chopstar would be interested to know.AndrewM Holden I thought said the one panel was safer,me I think its just a way for them to make money,they seem to be recouping the cost of the VE with spare parts!
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December 27th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
one panel safer? id like to know how……
id actually say it would be safer the other way like ford has it if anything. at the corner of the falcon cab it rolls around, and anyone with boiler maker back ground will tell you the greater the roll on a bit of rhs/shs the stronger it is. also i would think if you were hit just behind the cab in a falcon ute the cab would be un touched where as on a one piece like the commy the panel would also buckle the side of the cab
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December 27th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
“of course there would be more, cause there is more on the roads” - one would think that the insurance companies would be pretty handy with statistics, and when quoting such a stat as the more crashed vehicle it would also be calculated as a percentage of total vehicles on the road, therefore it is fairly represented when ranked as worse and not affected by whether there are more or less of them driven.
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December 27th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
I think with all this conv, that Holden may as well not even attempt at a new ute after the VE!
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December 27th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
convo*
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December 27th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Hmm, I’m seeing the same AU->BFII shape from the side, might just be the camo, but I thought that was finally going to be turfed. I still think the door handles do not flow with the car - they stick out sorely. Flush handles please! Apart from that looks like a winner.
I doubt the ute will outsell Holden’s (has it ever? I don’t know) but it will be a fair battle!
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December 27th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
ImportJap - the Falcon Ute has outsold the Holden HEAPS of times. The falcon is favoured by tradies, the Holden gets picked up by Show Ponies..
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December 27th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I don’t have figures (surely someone does?) for the last 10 years or so, but if my recollection serves me, Falcon has nearly always sold more in the utes, sometimes double. Except perhaps HSV vs. FPV.
It is the one class Ford beats Holden in for the majority of the time, besides SUV (Territory vs Adventra/Captiva).
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December 27th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
importjap,
ford has easily always outsold holdens ute. holden comes in at 3rd.
ford was also beating the hilux which isnt bad considering the lux comes in a tonne of variants. only recently has the hilux been able to claw top sales spot off the falcon but thats prob also due to the aging falcon argument.
oh and yes even right throught the AU series the falcon ute held top spot for sales.
i do agree though import that flush handles look better. ford seems to be the last one to ditch them and i dont know why
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December 27th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
market research suggests that the grab handles are easier to operate, but the biggest factor is the global suppliers trend in moving to them.
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December 27th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
The one piece panel on the VE ute adds to the structural rigidity of the vehicle as there are less joins eyc.. this inturn adds to the safey of the car
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December 27th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
wheelnut,
yeah i still dont buy it though. its not like the tray on the falcon ute is welded at the cab/tray junction as opposed to a continuous sheet.
the gap on the falcon ute could also be termed a “construction join” therefore not allowing damage on the tray to transfer to the cab
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December 27th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Wheelnut, does VE ute have chassis rails or is it a one-piece floor pan like a sedan? If no rails maybe that’s why it has to have a one piece panel.
Also, what did VY/VZ utes use? I would have to think chassis rails because they also had a tray back variant??? (can’t “really” call it a one-tonner)
I always thought Ford used the same design features because they went together so well. ie. leaf springs for load carrying, separate cab to easily accomodate style-side or one-tonner, chassis rails for strength and to make the first two features work.
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December 27th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
The insurance stats do show that there are more Commodores are stolen than Falcons . Even though Holden may be 1-2 there are a couple of Flacons in the top 5
The most popular amongst thieves are VL-VN Commodore.. then The XF-EB Falcons. All of these models don’t/didn’t have as advanced security or anti-theft systems fitted as the current models do.
The reason the VL-VNs are the joy riders favourite could be because
- [Apart from utes] Holden made/sold more Commodores than Ford sold Falcons.. Therefore there’s going to be more Commodores around
- [Old] Holdens last longer and are easier to fix than fords.. Which could be another reason for their popularity
Yet as the thieves usually destroy the cars they nick there are less VLs around so overtime they’re having to look at other cars with the same level of security as the VLs…. that is none
But there wouldn’t be a premium on the VE as there is on a VL.. because it’s new; parts are readily available and its security/safety rating is higher.
As for Holden Dirvers being in more accidents that would also come about as a result of Holden selling more cars than Ford.
However; the thing is with statistics is that you can use them in a positive or negative way depending upon how you manipulate/interpret them - and how wide your scope is.
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December 27th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
The VE ute is built on the same LWB platform as the Statesman - Because it uses the same IRS set up as the Statesman it needs the extra mounting points etc.
I believe the VZ [Crewman and One Tonner] used chassis rails which were bolted to the cabin for the sepperate tray section and covered up by the rear cabin facia.
Despite its relative popularity Holden execs believed it was a costly exercise to use a sepperate chassis/platform which is why there is no VE Crewman.
As for Holden not building a ute after VE. I expect they ill given that Holden [like Ford] is the Global RWD R&D Centre and they’re be exporting the Ute to the US as a Pontiac Sports truck
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December 27th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
I like what I see. I think the ute is going to be very good with the different door arangment. I hope the FPV utes get the full same suspension set ups as there fpv sedans as i think the utes r more show ponies the work horses. That should be left for ford.
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December 27th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Ute looks hot. Front looks like an assassin’s mask, it’s angry and wants to bite your head off.
Sedan looks plain in comparison, not my cup of tea in that outfit.
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December 27th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
At just under 6′2″ in the old lingo, I’ve had to stoop to get into Falcons for the last 9 years. Once ensconced, I went into battle against the downwards curvature of the upper right side of the windscreen, which retained its AU shape on the inside for the full 9 years, and bouncing my noggin against the side of the roof.
An easy solution was at hand, although the respective owners had trouble understanding how I murdered their favoured driving position with, “Why can’t you just move the seat back instead of stuffing it up for me?”
Step 1. Raise the leading edge of the seat as far as it goes, which has the effect of lowering one’s butt.
Step 2. Ahh, but that rakes the backrest back too far. Adjust backrest forwards. Move seat base aft.
Step 3. Pull steering wheel all the way out and up.
Ta dah! Comfy.
We know that Ford have been addressing this. I dare say that the new one will be easier to get in and out of. It looks promising in the pictures.
bavarian Missile, I’m back on air after one of the maddest Christmases EVVAAHH! Hope you had a good one, catch you soon.
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December 27th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
What, no side mirror indicators!?
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December 27th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
wheelnut,
dont forget in the earlier days holden hasnt always sold more than ford so the road population argument isnt correct to start with.
you have to be joking if you think commys last longer aswell.
i believe falcons to be cheaper to fix especially the older models. parts for XF’s for eg are a dime a dozen and the 250 X-Flow motor of the same era was incredibly basic and unbreakable. the only part where ford stuffed up was the changes to make the EA, but with the EB ford jumped right back on it again.
you would have to be fooling yourself if you think holden has the better engine and driveline. and not just talking todays comparo but also going back to when we are talking about
the interiors in the VN right through to VS simply fall apart. VS era especially has terrible electrical problems that seem to plague every model VS from when they first ran them off to the last VS in ‘00.
also the reason the taxis use them is they do last longer and above that, they are easier and cheaper to fix
the reason more holdens are crashed or stolen is because of the hot headed image holden choses to reflect upon their vehicles.
Watto,
wheelnut is right,
the VZ tonner and crewman used chassis rails that bolted to the cab whereas the style side variant didnt. they obviously couldnt justify the cost of running 2 ute platforms. on the other hand ford runs the same platform for both meaning they wouldnt have the same cost issues as holden did in making a tray back and a s/s ute
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December 27th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Azza,
the FPV ute has them,
it will only be for the upper spec models.
any how i reckon thats a futura not an XT.
XT would have cheese covers and black mirrors one would think
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December 27th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
Andrew M, a last of the line VS Commodore was the worst new car I have ever owned. So, luckily I didn’t own it. It was a company car that I ran for 100,000 kms.
Its interior never suffered the sagging door rubbers so common to its type, but does a whole generation of youngsters think that leaking rear main seals and haemmoraging power steering pumps are par for the course of car ownership? Hmm, I wonder.
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December 27th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
hahaha……Golfschwein! Mine in 6.3 and even though Im 5.8 every time I drive the Cobra I have to put the seat back so the same doesn’t happen! Iv even been blamed for him hitting his head on the Rear vision mirror! Mind you him getting into my car is like Clarkson getting into a 911! Yep seats are sitting on the floor my shoulder almost level with the bottom of the window frame {try that sitting in your falcon and you will realize I feel like Im driving a Bus when in the Cobra}But his head almost hits the roof lining even with the seats being that low! I hope you haven’t melted away down there!!!!! I take it you have recovered then??
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December 27th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Well said AndrewM….a good reply on the quality argument!
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December 27th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Thanks for that info Wheelnut and Andrew.M. I was kinda surprised months ago when I heard they were dropping the Crewman and then the tray-back (I just can’t call it a one-tonner when it has coils). The crewman seemed pretty popular around where I am, despite the back seat.
Azza85, Andrew.M is on the money. As far as we know, mirror indicators are reserved for the FPV variants to help differentiate them from the regular Falcons.
As far as I knew, XD-XF Falcons sold more than Commodores of the same period. I had to break into my own XE numerous times when I left the keys in the ignition, dead easy (can’t do that anymore).
Cortinas were the highest on the stolen list about 10/15 years ago with VL’s in second. Cortinas were as easy to break into as XE’s and many had the same 4.1L X-flow donk which was even better in a smaller/lighter car. I have fond memories of how hard my stock TE Cortina went. They are getting rare now, though.
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December 27th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Regarding the seating, I don’t find a problem with my AU, maybe because I’m only 5′10″. I have both seat base adjusters (front and back of the seat base) up at their highest, but I don’t sit high in the car. Had a mate who is 6′2″ whinge until I dropped the seat base for him.
I’ve sat in the back numerous times and find plenty of head room there. No problems with entry/egress. I don’t understand it but there must be a problem there when so many people seem to mention it on this site. *shrug*
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December 27th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
I know that in the past there were times when Ford sold more cars than Holden. Yet as you were referring to stats I thought I’d average it out.. and on average Holden made/sold more cars than Ford..mind you; you can do pretty much anything with stats.. its a matter of perspective.
I take your point as to the quality of the VN-VS yet the XF wasn’t that great either nor the EA.
The reason I said Holdens last longer is because after going through my collection of xar magazines [Street Machine etc] I foundd that there are more performance workshops etc selling more parts and accessories for Holdens. Therefore it’s easier to find parts for them etc.
Particularly if you happen to own a VL or VN as they’re are the ones being stolen and written off.. just go to an auto wrecker which makes the parts cheaper as well.
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December 27th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
hahaha…..Watto……I know what you mean on the lower the seat,XA sits on the floor!!!!He took out the spacers!!
The mighty Cortina……hey I guess you don’t watch the ABC ??Life on Mars…..yes a repeat but good.Based in 1973 the Cops drive a Cortina TC I think that year wasn’t it…..not the 4.1 us Aussies got though!!250 x flow were great,my first hubby had one in his XC panel van!!Till it got the death rattles and replaced with 5.8 .
Yep Wheelnut late 80s weren’t a good year for Aussie stuff,not as bad as the Yank stuff though! I will say there has always been more performance stuff available for GMH and GM stuff…..which makes it cheaper for them to go faster than us Ford guys!Thats why the Rodders inject Chevs into 34s ect than Ford hardware! For instance when we bought Carrillo Rods for the Cleveland $2000…….Chev $1200……sucks! That was 10 years ago!
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December 27th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
I guess I shouldn’t stand next to you in high heels then Watto……hehehe
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December 27th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Oh yeah, I agree you can manipulate stats to reflect whatever you wish and the criteria has to be defined carefully and also looked at as a whole.
And yep EA’s were buckets of …… Except the one my bro-in-law had. It was a Special Edition with the electronic 4-speed auto and actually didn’t fall to bits. I thought the XF was fine though. I’ve had XEs and XFs, no probs there, just the EAs, lol.
Hey BM, actually I rarely watch any TV. My brothers first car was a TC non-x-flow 250. Geez, could it line-lock? (our younger days). I haven’t seen that show, unfortunately.
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December 27th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Come on Orion release date…..
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December 27th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
BM .. I’d say there are as many GM-H cars with Ford 9 inch diffs as there are Fords with GM-H Blocks etc. Even some Jag owners opt for the 350 chev whilst Chrylser owners tend to stay true to Mopar.
Which kinda proves that if you made a car out of variuos Ford and GM-H parts [Old or New] it would be a pretty good Street Machine.
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December 27th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
True,true true.Wheelnut, Rodders also opt for Jag rear ends years ago cause they looked spec.
You had a line lock on it Watto?? You raced it??
Its on 9.30 Wednesday…….funny too watch….soooooo many political correctness-ess on it! I think we have gone made on some aspects!!
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December 27th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
The reason the side panel on the VE ute is of only one piece is mostly due to the easier assembly process.
Car manufacturers these days are trying to minimise the time it takes to assemble a vehicle and so less parts means quicker assembly, it also turns out cheaper too… plus there are less parts to organise in the inventory at the manufacturing plant.
Back to the CGIs, the ute looks awesome!!! The artist has done a good job with these pics. Looking forward to how accurate they are when the orion is finally released.
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December 27th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Sorry guys, didn’t know the Holden utes trailed the Ford ones in sales, that said I do see more Holden utes though in general in SA.
I thought the VE ute was a pretty sharp looker and performer if nothing else.
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:35 am
The biggest problem with Ford design is the fac t they design their consoles with TAXI’s in mind. This looks rubbish nd not sporty hence why they lost soo many sales.
Its cooler to be a cop car persuiter than a yellow silver top taxi. Wonder if anything has changed?
Australia needs to invite the germans down and get them to open up a car factory here and build local golfs, audis etc here and phase out this yank crap that is Holden and Ford.
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December 28th, 2007 at 4:15 am
Its twats like you who should be phased out the new design is better than ve and their utes,euro aussie who cares.go the boss in 08.
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December 28th, 2007 at 4:54 am
There’s a couple of problems with that comment Elitist.
A taxi inspired console wouldn’t be the sole reason a car is selling poorly. Besides, Ford have been trying to get away from the taxi image. In recent years they’ve dropped taxi yellow as a paint colour and no longer offer the very cheap “taxi pack”.
Ford and Holden(GM) are Global companies. Their origin and head office may be yank but with Ford you have Europe (Germany), Canada, Australia, South Africa, etc and GM operate in Canada, Europe (Germany/Opel), Australia and Korea (Daewoo), etc.
If you want German quality and refinement, go look at the Focus or Mondeo and don’t lump them in the same boat as the garbage Crown Victoria or Taurus.
Some yanks are starting to realise we can make RWD cars better than them, hence GM taking the VE stateside. FordUS need to wake up and get the Falcon over there to replace the ancient Crown Vic.
The Focus is currently German designed/engineered and built in South Africa with the exception of the FocusST (our XR5T) which is fully German. From 2010 the Focus will be built here and still designed/engineered in Germany.
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December 28th, 2007 at 5:09 am
Love the style of the Orion. You Aussies are lucky that Ford and Holden will listen to you and give what you largely want. We have to stick with FWD rather than RWD. If only they would listen and take on BMW which is what everyone drives here i.e RWD.
The Orion name was the name given to the old Escort sedan over here and was dropped 10 yrs plus ago here.
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December 28th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Elitist…
Completely incorrect.
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:13 am
Import Jap: The reason you see more Holden utes in SA is either because there are more Holden dealers than Ford Dealers in SA or more likely the fact that Holdens are built in Elizabeth.. Just as there would probably be more Ford utes in VIC.
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Rather the console of a Falcon then then rubbish euro crap of the Holden - like look at the weirdo crap finish of the handbrake and the non-existant console that is not higher enough for elbows. Like might look flash in Holden - but still fails for comfort!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:43 am
I was in the market 6 months ago for a large car and looked at the usual suspects. I looked at an SV6, loved the outside etc but the inside was cheap and put me off buying the car altogether.
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December 28th, 2007 at 9:48 am
Oddly stirring comments from Elitist. I suspect he’s playing a game and is actually far smarter than he looks.
I rode in lots of Mercedes Benz taxis in Europe 14 years ago. As someone somewhere else once wrote, the things that make them good taxis are the very same things that make them good luxury cars.
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December 28th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Hey outback
Dont get a SV 6 cause they are gutless holden cars. Get a Ford XR 6 cause they go much better and faster. BA XR6 stil faster than a VE dunnydore.
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December 28th, 2007 at 10:15 am
oi BK. we can tell ur just a ford fan, let the otgher people have there own say. i am holden but yes the sv6 quite doesnt have the power as the xr6, but really its enough, its still very close if not faster then the xr6. but holdens base model 6 is pox as.
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December 28th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Andrew M and Bav Mis, what were you saying earlier about Holden driver attitudes? I think your side has just been let down.
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December 28th, 2007 at 11:16 am
The ute doesnt have much changes to the whole exterior the only main things are the front grill and lights and the door handles!
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December 28th, 2007 at 11:19 am
hahaha…..Golschwein,hes no Farm Yard friend as you well know!How many run ins have you had with him!
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December 28th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Ford and Holden need to prep and test their cars on the Nürburgring track , this is what gave the new GTR and Z06 real cred.
The Holden is not an original car, its simply an Opel rebadged and detailed to meet redneck standards like big rear vision mirrors so you can see the smoke from your burn-outs and go fast stripes with speed holes…And big spacers in the bumpers for big dumb NUMBER PLATES so people can read “car-plate ebonics” easier…
Always judge a car on its most basic model… Ill take my Ford in Taxi yellow with extra sized console because that was only a coincidence…
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December 28th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
What a good way to come back from holidays and see a new Orion post!!
Can’t wait to see a real life pic “naked”!
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December 28th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
ah so now we are picking on consoles???? ha ha ha ha ha
consoles are another reason why i prefer the fords interiors.
holden have typically had consoles you struggle to even put your wallet in let alone rest your arm on.
and then take it back to the poor quality VN-VS argument. the foam they put on their lids was like 50mm thick and must have been of poor quality cause it didnt take long before it sagged and the top was left looking like a wrinckled old vinyl handbag glued to the top.
Ill take my “Taxi” console anyday. its a hell of a lot more practical, comfortable and by far better built.
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December 28th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
From Next year, Taxi driving never gets better!!!
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December 28th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Gee…..AndrewM ,consoles are a vital part of a purchasing a car I thought! I mean we need some where to put all our bogan CDs,throw the odd VB in when the cup holders are already full and of course all those Taxi drivers in mind {what do they store in them anyway} Gee I cant explain how BMW ever managed to sell M3s without a console let alone cup holders!! Beyond explanation!hehehe.
Cant sell cars because of the console…..please!! Obviously inviting BMW to Australia wouldn’t work……
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December 28th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
yep BM i was trying to politely dismiss the silly claim that ford cant sell them due to console size aswell.
yeah i nearly went there in saying at least you can fit a six pack in the falcon console as opposoed to a single stubbie in the commy. (well it might even have to be a can due to the height of them)
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Elitist…
Are you Toyota paul!? I stuggle to find any value in what you type.
Ford has actually had the BA falcon on the ‘famous Nürburgring’ ring, want to find another irelvant point to whinge about?
If falcons were truley designed soley for the taxis industry, why would they do such a silly thing and design the AU shell with a rear door opening, rear egress/ingress so poorly!?
Duck…
The ute body is ALL NEW like the sedans, just because YOU don’t see the differences doesn’t mean it’s not NEW.
OZ…
I agree!
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Elitist…
What does places like Germany etc use as taxis??
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Elitist, check your facts, son. The VE Commodore is not based on any Opel. Everyone on here knows that…except you. Sad. Embarassing, even.
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Yep I guessed that Andrew but Im a better bitch..hehehe Waiting for him to comeback and say that if the Orion doesn’t make it for Ford next year their DOOMED in Australia!
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Hope this will sell, if not, it’ll be like BM said DOOMED!
I Can’t wait! enough said. When this car comes out……BUY IT!!
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Elitist: The VB-VN Commodores were based on the Opel Rekord which Holden Engineers including Peter Hannenberger made slight changes to so that the steering suspension etc was more suitable to Australian conditions.
The reason Holden used the Rekord as the basis for the Commodore wasn’t because they didn’t have the skill or capacity to do it on thier own.. but because back in the 70s-80’s Holdens position in the GM hierarchy wasn’t as high as it is today.
When Opel ceased production of the Rekord in 95 Holden stuck with the rekord platform as overtime they had rectified its inherant problems etc.
They continued to make improvements to to it from VN to VS.
and VT to VZ with a few more cosmetic changes on the way
However; The VE commodore is a completely new original Australian design.. [I suggest you read Peter Robinsons book “Autobiography” if you want to Know more]
Back in 2000 When Holden were looking at a replacement for the VZ; GM suggested the Sigma platform used by Pontiac.. Holden engineers tested it but found it top be unsuitable.
They knocked it back and started work on designing a new platform which they believed would help create the best commodore ever..
For example - they pushed the front wheels further forward so the engine sat inside the wheelbase to improve handling.
At the time Denny Mooney was CEO at Pontiac and he couldn’t see what was wrong with the Sigma.. it wasn’t until he [unfortunately] became Holdens CEO and saw what the Holden engineers were doing with their new platform that he was able to understand why the went it alone
It’s ironic though that GM wanted Holden to use the Sigma Platform from Pontiac and now Holden is exporting a car with their own platform to the US badged as a Pontiac. to replace a car which uses the Sigma Platform.
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
If consoles are so important to you I suggest you buy either a Toyota Aurion or better yet a Hummer as their centre consoles are very prominent and quite wide too.
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Hi five Wheelnut!hahaha
Na OZ…….the large falcon although a required asset in the Ford line up is not their bread and butter like previous years taking 30-40% of Fords sales! Even Gorman says this!
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Adam,
Of course it is new but with minor upgrades!
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Looks like minor upgrades is all they need. So it goes to show how good the current BF Falcon is.
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
im not sure if any ones read the latest wheels mag, but the had a comparo between xr6t, trd aurion and liberty. xr6t puled a 5.7s 0-100kmh time which is faster then they got the typhoon whats going on. are wheels so much holden that every time they test a fpv they purposely make it go slower to make hsv better or what.
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December 28th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
I feel [based on looks alone] that the new Falcon will be a success.. Just as the Commodore has become a “World Class” car so to has the Falcon. Which is why I believe
what would help even more would be if Detroit allowed it to be exported to the US or Europe. However; it appears the only thing standing in its way is [CEO] Ford Jr.
I mean Lutz [GM] has realised we have the talent to build quality cars here why hasn’t he?
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Duck…
You must be bored! I shouldn’t have to explain this to a person who visits an auto enthusiast web site, should i now?
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
This Falcon should sell well, but as we all should know that won’t mean it has to be the best selling car in Australia and over take Toyota. - Or even the VE Commodore for that matter!
I believe the Falcon sales are down because: Base models look too much the same as the 2002 BA. And in the upmarket segment, the XR/FPV lack power to their rivals…
…So when they fix that in the Orion, Ford Australia should be right.
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
OZ,
more like ford Aus need to learn a few marketing skills cause that is the only real area they are leting the side down sales wise
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
I Know one thing though the base line falcon will look crap compared to the Omega, but when it comes to HSV and FPV that will be a hard one!
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
And can anybody tell me if holden are going to make a VE Crewman?
I think they are!
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
I generally agree, except for the fact that Ford has and for a many years had a better 6cyl drivetrain than Holdens, as were the reverse is true for the V8 ranges.
Remember Falcon will never outsell the VE as Ford simply can’t build enough to do so and territory takes the slack in lost falcon volume, why do you think Ford did territory and not a jacked up wagon that was the holden adventra that crashed and burned!
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Duck i know plenty of holden people that think the omega looks crap,
and crewman no way, i highly doubt it.
why do you want one?
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Duck..
you deserve no more attention from me! all you like is attention like a blonde airhead in a night club.
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
No crewman, that was an expensive action by Holden.
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
thats right adam,
even if ford got the demand they wouldnt be able to fill it.
im betting those wanting an XR6 orion and up will have a lengthy wait just like they did when the BA started in ‘02
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
bob… if you read the whole article on the TRD,XR6T and lib… they state its the second fastest ford they have ever driven… they have gotten 5.2 out of the Typhoon… they also stated with the prices the typhoon should been in the test not the XR6T as the XR6T was about 12K cheaper then the other 2 cars in the test and the FPV typhoon is about the same price as the TRD…. but it would be a waste of time because the typhoon would win hands down as the Typhoon is on whole different level then those 3 cars….. so it shows how much the XR6T is a bargin(even thou for some reason has never won bang for ur bucks…. dont ask me how it hasnt???… and how good and great value the Typhoon is!!!!
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
The Adventra drunk the fuel like hell in it’s origanal V8, I supose thats a reason why it crashed & burned. But the V6 never saved it.
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
The thing that looked funny with the Wheels test is the XR6 was so old and it looked old, but it was still the fastest.
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
chop,
it did win PCOTY in its first run though if memory serves me right
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Yep it did!
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Typhoon won PCOTY. XR6 2nd&3rd.
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Sorry XR6″T” 2nd&3rd, WHOOPS
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December 28th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
And adam, By the sounds of it you obvisouly hate holden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You dont have to go on about it!
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December 28th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
uhuh…
I’ve had a go at you because you simply spit shit out to stir people up and then claim to ask a valid question!? but you already know it all remember…
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December 28th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Some people seem to think that the Falcon won’t out sell the VE… Why do people think that? The main aspects that attract buyers is power and economy. I understand that Ford are having trouble with money, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have any. I know if I was Ford’s president, I would be using every resource into making the new Falcon the best it could possibly be. For 2 reasons: To shove it up and shut up all the Holden fans; and because it is the last Falcon model to have the I6 Engine.
All the Holden Fans don’t seem to realise that Ford still has everything over Holden. There are constant comparisons between the B series Falcon and the VE… Um, comparing a 6 year old model to a last year model is just plain stupid and unfair. The funny thing is, the VE just beats the B series Falcon! Holden have nothing over Ford.
There are the constant stupid comments on how the Holden/HSV VE has so much more power over the Falcon. In every category (6cyl and 8cyl) i think it’s by 5kw. And still the Falcon has the same if not then a higher Torque level then what the Commodore does.
Just think Holden supporters, when the new Falcon comes out, the standard XT Falcon will have the same amount of power as a VXII SS. Ford are going to go all out with the last generation of the Inline engine. Ford’s V8 league, is just a bonus.
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December 28th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
HI AZZA, 320KW now I can’t wait that’s a 5.4L and it has better power than a 6.0L!!!
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December 28th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Duck - There ISN’T going to be a VE Crewman.. The VZ Crewman was a relatively costly exercise for Holden.
The fact that you see a car on cgi automotive website doesn’t automatically mean the manufacturers are going to make it
Alot of the images are as from photo editing programs where they have mixed up features from a range of cars to see what it could look like not what it will look like.
If you want a Crew Cab ute I’d go for the unbreakable HiLux
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December 28th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
holden need to make or think about should they make new models?
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December 28th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Wheelnut,
dont you mean the overrated hilux?
Duck,
new models like what?
the only prosperous model holden/GM may have is the new torana platform.
they have tried a lot of other models that have died. i think holden got a bit cocky at one stage and thought the public would buy in masses what ever holden dished to them.
the next phase might be the daewoos on the chop especially barina and epica
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December 28th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
The lights on the new falcon remind me of the old camry …..kinda.
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December 28th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Why do Holden need to make new models? They have come up with lots, but they just died out.
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December 28th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Wheelnut,
dont you mean the overrated hilux?
Duck,
new models like what?
the only prosperous model holden/GM may have is the new torana platform.
they have tried a lot of other models that have died. i think holden got a bit c-o-c-k-y at one stage and thought the public would buy in masses what ever holden dished to them.
the next phase might be the daewoos on the chop especially barina and epica
ha ha ha this is a re-post as my last one is being moderated because i didnt space out that “c” word as i have now
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December 28th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Duck, I think the headlights on the new falcon remind me of the new camry.
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December 28th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
“Just think Holden supporters, when the new Falcon comes out, the standard XT Falcon will have the same amount of power as a VXII SS.”
Really Azza? You were going on about comparing the VE with a 6 year old BA/BF model? The LS1 is an 11 year old motor, and is *detuned* from stock in the VXIISS to 225kw/450nm. Are you telling me the next ford inline 6 is going to exceed 225kw,450nm?
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December 28th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Geez, I didn’t realise how much the XR6T had over a VXIISS. It looks like VE NEEDED the new 6.0L, and we reap the benefits of this competition.
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December 28th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
what azza says just really puts into perspective how quickly we keep uppint the power in our stock cars.
the equivalent XR8 also only had 220kw.
the following Gen111 only had 240kw and then 245kw if you ran it on premium.
then holden put out a 260kw hsv to match the 260kw XR8.
now we are talking fords performance 6cyl range will embarass all of these when they will hit 300kw.
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December 28th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Watto: Not really. The LS1 was good for 285KW, 300 in the C4B stock power. Holden, devoid of brains as usual, should have considered a 6cyl turbo to stack against the XR6T. Nothing like a modded XR6T pushing a lazy 300 at the wheels
That said I’ve seen modded N/A LS1’s dump 360KW (from a stock 225kw at the fly motor) at the rears with a big head and cam combo.
Holden probably wouldn’t (sadly) have changed from the LS1 if new emissions laws didn’t come in. Hence several variants of the 6.0. (L76, L98 and LS2).
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December 28th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
ImportJap, I agree with that. I meant detuned engines for the non-FPV/HSV sporty models (XR,SS), of course you can get more with decent tuning.
Wasn’t there a Monaro CV6 that had super-charged V6? Hardly sold any from what I remember (what is a Monaro without a V8?)
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December 28th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Ahh I see what you mean. Yeah you could get the CV6 with the L67 supercharged 6. Rare car now, not many were made, but the engine was woefully underpowered in stock form (171KW I believe it was) in comparison to the bruiser the XR6T has in stock form.
Ideally holden should offer super6/turbo on the SS, they did for a short while on the VT SS.
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December 28th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Really? What kind of figures did that make?
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December 28th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Wouldn’t it be horrible if our favourite cars were never improved?
Duck, giving any creedence to what appears on CGI dot com is a bit like believing what a clairvoyant tells you. It’s not real…Computer Generated Image, yeah?
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December 28th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Watto: Same as the CV6, 171KW stock, not sure on torque, somewhere under 400nm. You could get the VT SS optioned as a super6 or v8 (not sure if it was the gen3 5.7 or the aussie EFI 5.0)
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
It would be nice to see if holden got rid of the stupid barina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and replace with the Opel Corsa sold in Europe
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Duck, why are you on about Holdens on a Ford post and now your winging about the Barina?
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Yeh!! The Hilux is overrated it is about $5000 more than its rivals and it is made in Thailand.
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Because the new barina is crap…….does anybody agree?
And the corsa is alot better!
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
My sister won a Barina in some supermarket comp. She sold it within a month advertised as an “unwanted prize/gift”.
If it had been a Euro Barina on the other hand, instead of rebadged Daewoo…
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
The old Opel Barina SRI was a good little car. Holden chose anticipated profit over their customers when they replaced a great little small car with a cheap daewoo no one ended up buying.
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Watto,
the supercharged holden 6cyl that was around put out less power than the falcon N/A 6cyl
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Those Opel Barinas are lemons and I don’t like the sound of the new Holdenwoo ether. The Suzuki Barinas I think were alright.
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Yep Andrew.M, I remember thinking “they won’t sell any of those” when there is a V8 Monaro and it fell short of a N/A I6 Ford engine.
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December 28th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Umm..Frugal One…
Yeah, OK.
What was that 300Kw HSV a long time ago? It had 300KW & 510NM.
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December 28th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Yeah im preety sure it was. Piss weak when you compare it to the new FPV GT.
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December 28th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
The Holdenwoo ether is a beautifully serene and peaceful place high in the heavens that is the final resting ground of Daewoo-sourced Holdens and bloggers with bad spelling. There is no justifiable reason for Oz not to like it.
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December 28th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Duck, iwas just reading through the post, n i came across the section where you said the Omega will look better then the base model falcon! Mate, ur a fuckin idiot, n a keyboard fuckin hero. The current base model falcon already looks better then the VE base model CLOWN CAR. As you may have guessed I hate any GM Product. Although the hummers n the commodore ute r alright.
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December 28th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Man, for me swearing they got this voice activated thing on 4 me. Im sorry car advice please take it off LOL. I cant believe it, but what i said is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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December 28th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Love the new ute. But if look at the real car pics u will see at the head lights it wont have those big black panda marks on it. Looks sweet though.
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December 28th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
OZ: probably thinking of the HSV GTS - I think it’s VX series, so getting on.
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December 28th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
golfschwein, not to like what?
Yeah I remember that HSV GTS with 300kw, it sounded amazing at the time, but it was the touqe that didn’t make it as quick as later V8 with less KWs.
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December 28th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
The Holdenwoo ether!
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December 28th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Ahh yes, there is no reason for me to hate Holdenwoo after all.
Cobra 302: See on the offcial spyshots you can see the outline which is the same as this FPV CGI. But I saw somewhere a pic that had the bumber panted the same colour as the car. So it’s hard to say what it’ll look like.
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December 28th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
I like the colour of the one that could be the Futura… So is Ford bringing back ‘Blue Perl’? - I sure hope so.
That colour is now on my car shopping list some time next year!
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December 28th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Yeah like a cv8z monaro 260kw 500nm 5.7, against a xr8 260kw 500nm 5.4, monaro is manual and weighs 1692kg and xr8 is 1700kg or so and auto but guess who wins?The boss hits its peek before the gen does,go the boss in 08.
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December 28th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Adam, yes Ford did bring its BA XR8 to the Nurb, it didnt score well at all.
I remember reading in the mag that the Germans said it was an OK car for 5 years ago..
Ford never setup shop there and tuned it for the track, they simply just shipped it over, met up with an Italian, French and German engineer and asked them what they thought while taking it for a spin on the track like tourists for 12 euros a lap.
They mostly were nice about it but didn’t impress them a tall.
If they tuned and engineered an FPV for the track…..You’d get a car that sits in the likes of the GTR and Z06 for that price range…
Germany uses different cars depending where you go for taxis.
In Bavaria they use BMW, up here in Berlin, Passat and Mercedes diesel.
As too Opel influencing the majority of the Commodore, this is taken from Wiki…
“Holden looked to Opel (another GM subsidiary) for inspiration, and based the Commodore on the Opel Rekord. The German marque continued to provide the basis for future generations until the launch of the fourth generation model in 2006, which came to be Holden’s most expensive project yet and boasted an all-Australian design.”
Hope this helps you for future reference…
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December 28th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Oh, it’s not for our reference, Elitist. It’s for yours!
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December 29th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Yeah true oz, thanks for pionting that out for me. I hope the bumper doesnt get the black on it though, what you think
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December 29th, 2007 at 12:06 am
Looks like blue print may return,then the lighter blue velociy,vixen red will be used again which is good news.
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December 29th, 2007 at 12:26 am
Hey Elitist, Golfschwein obviously doesn’t like your facts about the performance at the Nurby
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December 29th, 2007 at 12:28 am