2012 Ecoboost Falcon First Drive Review
ECOBOOST FALCON REVIEW
Vehicle style: Large family sedan
Engine: Ecoboost 2.0 litre I-4 VCT turbo
Fuel consumption (claimed): 8.1 l/100km
Pricing: Falcon Ecoboost XT $37,235; Ecoboost G6 $40,835; Ecoboost G6E $46,735 (plus on-road costs for each.)
There are a couple of things you need to know about Ford Australia's new 2.0 litre I-4 VCT Ecoboost Falcon.
First, it's not slow: far from it. From the wheel you would barely pick that there was anything other than a big strong 'Aussie' six under the bonnet.
It's the long flat torque curve that's responsible here. There's a lusty 353Nm under the toe available from 2000rpm. And with a power output of 179kW, it's got both the higher and lower ends of the rev-range covered.
Second, the Ecoboost Falcon is inherently better balanced than its six-cylinder counterparts - there are only margins in it, but it's there.
While 73kg lighter overall, most of the weight-saving is found over the front end, giving a better fore-aft weight distribution. It also sits on lowered suspension.
After a day in the saddle - a brief stint on the track at Tasmania's Baskerville raceway for time-trial comparisons with Ford's inline-six and LPi models followed by a long lash through the Tasmanian Midlands then back into Hobart - the question is not whether the Ecoboost is up to the task or not, but whether it's a better car, pound for pound, than the six cylinder models it sits alongside.
We think it might be.
Towing capacity is down: 1600kg for the Ecoboost compared to 2300kg for the i6. But on nearly every other metric, the 2.0 litre Ecoboost is a match or better.
And of one thing we're convinced: the Ecoboost Falcon provides the same loping, effortless highway cruising, the same stab of power for overtaking, and, of course, the same large-car internal space, as Ford's naturally-aspirated six-cylinder range.
It feels at least as eager away from the line and in rolling acceleration, as - say - the Commodore Omega 3.0 litre V6. It feels quicker than the Camry and also quicker than sporting mid-sizers like the Mazda6 and Accord Euro.
But we shouldn't be surprised. A potent four under the bonnet of a larger car is no new concept. It's been understood by Mercedes-Benz and BMW drivers for years. Their best selling mid-sizers - recognised nearly everywhere as the benchmarks for sporting 'family' saloons - are potent fours, petrol and diesel, not sixes.
In the case of the Ecoboost Falcon, there is something 'right' about the feel of this car from Ford Australia.
Maybe it's the coming together of a whole lot of increments, but it adds a subtle layer of finesse to the Falcon in the way it feels at the wheel and the way it goes about things on the road.
There is also a lot right about its fuel consumption and CO2 performance (192g/km for the XT, 201g/km for G6 and G6E).
On the drive through the Midlands, we gave our G6 a very serious workout. Hard acceleration and sustained high speeds, followed by a slow poke back through Hobart to the waterfront, produced an average fuel consumption of 9.2 l/100km.
Our colleagues in an XT, with whom we tag-teamed for a 'tortoise and hare' comparison, and who drove as a family driver might, recorded an average of 8.2 l/100km.
On that unscientific basis, Ford's claims of 8.1 l/100km for the XT and 8.5 l/100km for the G6 look achievable.
It's hard in fact to find a debit. Perhaps the Ecoboost sounds a bit drab - it's quiet and spins effortlessly, and, even when working hard, isn't thrashy or breathless - but it doesn't emit the satisfying burble of a BMW, or even the sporting rasp of the Accord Euro.
And perhaps the FG MkII range is starting to acquire something of a 'grandpa's axe' quality about it - that despite the styling update it doesn't look as crisply modern as the lines of its key imported competitors.
Interior
Nothing new here: the Falcon XT and G6 models we drove are known quantities. These are identical in trim, interior style, feature-list and comfort as their six-cylinder counterparts.
We like the Falcon's interior - always have. There's a stylish soft-feel dash, appealing metal highlights and tactile surfaces, robust switchgear and a very good marriage of lines and surfaces throughout.
The seats are broad and comfortable, even in the base model XT, and while it doesn't exude the classy premium feel of the new Camry and Aurion, it's spacious and well-designed.
There are a lot of fussy, overdesigned and plain gauche interiors out there - this is not one of them.
FG Falcon MkII EcoBoost MLP* $ XT 37,235 G6 40,835 G6E 46,735
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