Julian Edgar, 50, has been writing about car modification and automotive technology for nearly 25 years. He has owned cars with two, three, four, five, six and eight cylinders; single turbo, twin turbo, supercharged, diesel and hybrid electric drivelines. He lists his transport interests as turbocharging, aerodynamics, suspension design and human-powered vehicles.
Initial thoughts on driving the FG Falcon XR6
Day #1, Urban
Power steering heavy, good (apparently variable) ratio, good feel
Suspension gives firmly damped ride
NVH very good
Performance at full throttle nothing special – air con switches off at merest hint of lots of throttle and seems to stay off for a long time (relatively speaking eg 5 secs)
Cabin feels surprisingly enclosing, not spacious – cf colours of trims, width at driver’s knee level poor, distance between back seat and rear of centre console poor
Speedo and tacho have stupidly fussy markings + silly ‘XR6’ colouring
Central instrument panel LCD is model of clarity – good range of selectable options, including digital speedo
I-phone connectivity (including charging) but no on-LCD display of tracks, etc
Around town fuel consumption with air con on – 12.5 – 13.5 litres/100km – this is progress?
A/C and sound system control buttons poor ergonomics – too many ‘like’ buttons for styling’s sake. Temp and fan speed control better done with rotary knobs.
Boot hasn’t level floor – deep centre recess with suit some but not others. Proper spare wheel.
Despite insulation, right-hand side of boot floor gets very hot from muffler
Dors shut tinnily, orange peel paint, variable panel margins
Day #2, Country
Steering too slow around centre at country road speeds – don’t quite know where you are in corners
Ride can be lumpy around town but smooths impressively on country roads at speed – urban ride variable… can be good, can be poor
Air con poor – astonishingly so for 8000km car
Fuel economy country – about 10 litres/100km in real world conditions, A/C running
Fuel and temp gauges – tiny – people with poor vision would barely be able to see them
Overtaking performance OK but nothing startling
Loading-up on brakes off line gives much better launch
Excellent cruise control – setting (read-out of speed), resume, engagement, maintaining speed
Awkward sloping centre console – rises hugely towards back – gear lever quadrant massively sloped
Tyres can be noisy on coarse surfaces – but very quiet car on smooth surfaces
Boot lid opens vertically, but opening length for cube-shaped objects only average; overall boot volume large; rear seat very comfortable but head room limited (also window line drops fast so you sort of peer out from under roofline), excellent rear foot space and good knee space, rear seat base tilts a lot (under-thigh support but gives knees-up seating position)
Day #3 – Reflections
Feels very much like Mitsubishi 380 in that the FG is a car that with exception of some minor electronics, could have been released a decade ago – nothing special in performance/economy, interior space utilisation, interior design, styling (inside and out). Highly competent car but at the things (eg handling, long distance cruising, NVH) that are not a priority for most people.
A ‘nothing’ car in terms of progress. Feels like design priorities were set for what would work in mid Nineties – RWD handling, long distance Australian road travel, inoffensive (and unexciting) conventional styling inside and out. Needs – far better fuel economy option (eg diesel, LPG on downsized engine), much better interior design (literally zero progress made here!), better centre dash ergonomics.
on November 6th, 2008 at 8:35 am
I sometimes wonder who in an automotive company comes up with the list of requirements for a new model.
Case in point. Mazda. “Zoom Zoom” is their tagline. We know they can build cars that handle. Yet they seem unable to get NVH controlled in their models yet they improve handling year upon year. Surely for 99% of shopping trolley buyers NVH reduction would be a more important goal to strive for.
On the other hand Mazda seem unable to produce a sports model (zoom zoom) with any major performance credentials. Yet again they rely on handling when bragging rights for sports car drivers is steeped in performance!
on November 6th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Who sets the priorities?
During FG development the Ford Australia Chassis group produced a survey showing potential customers concidered vehicle handling the most important attribute. This was sold to management. The result was $100m+ spend to change the front suspension.
Worth it? Hmm… you decide.
on November 6th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I was surprised by some of Julian’s observations on the FG XR6. I recently had a chance to check out a FG and came to some different conclusions in certain areas. I’m also highly familiar with the old BF Mark II as I own one myself. I found the interior improved in the FG. It feels modern and functional now and with better trim materials and finish.
Your comment about the performance of the standard I6 engine makes me wonder how many Km’s this car had done., especially as your fuel consumption figures seemed high as well. I do know that this engine takes a few km’s on the clock to loosen up and deliver maximum performance and economy. My eperience with the FG was an average of 2 l/100km better.
Having said that, this is not a massive improvement over the BF MkII (mine has the 6 speed ZF auto transmission which makes a significant difference to both performance and economy). I’ll assume your FG XR6 had the standard 5 speed auto. That could partly explain part of your increased fuel consumption and less than stellar performance (even more so if you were driving the manual).
If I were buying a FG of any variety I would definitely option in the ZF 6 speed auto. Although the 5 speed is a big improvement over the previously standard 4 speed auto, the ZF 6 speed is incredibly refined and notably more efficient.
On the subject of the steering, my observations were that it is better weighted than the BF MkII was and more progressive, albeit a little less sensitive initially. There was a lot of criticism over the previous Falcons for being a little too sensitive in the steering, especially at speed.
MP3 tracks are displayed with the optional premium sound. As for the interior space, they have made little change to space in the cabin, however entry and exit to the cabin is greatly improved over the BF. It is still a roomy place to be even if it is not as large as a front wheel drive vehicle would be of similar dimensions (such as the Mondeo which is huge inside).
Your concluding comment that the interior is literally “zero progress here” astounded me. Maybe you haven’t been in a BF for a while to make such a comment. The quality of trim has clearly improved and the dashboard is far more modern with better and more visible control layout.
You are harsh in saying that it is a nothing car in terms of progress. The Falcon is an excellent car for Aussie conditions and is surprisingly efficient, especially when teamed to the 6 speed ZF auto. Certainly it is more efficient and better performing that the V6 VE Commodore.
The real question is that in a world of rising fuel prices and global warming, do we really need our cars to be this big? In my case, the answer is yes but for many they are downsizing. Mind you, the gains in economy by down sizing a class are not great. Just compare the economy of an auto Camry to a Falcon with the 6 speed auto to see what I mean.
A final comment on performance – the one I drove took off like a started cat! Performance was excellent and well ahead of class average. Certainly far more that is normally necessary today. It isn’t a huge step forward over the BF MkII but few had any complaints over the engine performance in that series either, however it is remarkable that Ford have made further performance and efficiency gains with the I6 in its last iteration. 10.2 l/100km for the 6 speed auto (official combined economy) is excellent in anyone’s language for a car of this size and performance capability.
As for styling and appearance, I think that there have been big gains in that area, especially with the XR6 which looks hot! Some models are a little conservative but it is clearly more modern and practical than the outgoing model, as it should be.
on November 6th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Doors shut tinnily, orange peel paint, variable panel margins
These things you mention, added to the really cheesy interior are the things that most dissapointed me. Doors just got ‘clack’ instead of woomf (same as commodore). Paint is really not very flat at all (better than commodore tho) and the panel margins, especially I noticed the side skirts and bumpers are poor. On the other hand, nice handling and a far superior gearbox to the old model, Im interested to see you didnt comment on this Julian?
on November 6th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Rental or Press car Julian ????
on November 6th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Re: Richards comments on Mazda…
Noted Richard, but bear in mind they are selling the ‘concept’ of a sporty drive – much like the SUV crowd sell the concept of ‘escapism’ – the realities are very different, and less relevant to most consumers. If not, why on earth would anybody have bought a Hummer?
on November 6th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Thanks for the honest, non sponsored review. A year or so back I admit to having owned an XR6 Turbo. Quite an enjoyable car overall and though it was commonly compared to the Subaru Imprezza, I found the WRX way more fun to drive and park!
on November 6th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
John, it appears that most of your comparisons are to the previous model. That’s not my benchmark in terms of progress.
Perhaps it’s Ford’s, though….
I might add that the fuel consumption is proving to be even worse than I said – a tank fill shows the trip computer read-out to be understating consumption.
on November 6th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Jason – rental car. Ford has now specifically stated that while they are happy to lend press cars to another Web Publications staff member, they won’t do so for me!
on November 6th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Day #4 reflection:
Outstanding grip and high level of handling prowess, with excellent stability control intervention
Even thirstier than I thought
VERY much like Mitsu 380 – no great gains anywhere except when driving really, really hard (ie hard enough to get a police booking!).
BUT unlike 380, Falcon has std stability control and 5-star crash test safety. And safety is the only reason I would recommend this car. And, it’s an important reason too.
on November 6th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Holden Parts – it’s NOT a review. The blog comprises only initial thoughts.
on November 6th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
You state in your Day 3 Reflections: ‘Highly competent car but at the things (eg handling, long distance cruising, NVH) that are not a priority for most people.’
Surely NVH is important, especially on coarse Australian road surfaces? In a noisy car it’s much harder to converse, listen to music, and is generally much more wearing on long journeys. Also, isn’t long-distance cruising something people do in Australia? I would have thought so, given the size of your country! Finally, although a lot of your highways are pretty long and straight, don’t Aussies enjoy driving along twisty roads?? Is handling really unimportant to the buyer who needs a family-sized car but also likes to have some fun now and again?
I’m a Brit, not even an Australian, but even from the time I’ve spent in your country I can’t agree with some of your comments!
on November 7th, 2008 at 6:15 am
Ben, measured as the percentage of the population that lives in large cities, Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world. In these days of cheap air fares, very few people drive interstate – in terms of distances travelled, by far the majority of car use is in cities.
Of course handling and NVH are important, but it’s the priorities that concern me.
It struck me today that the Falcon is designed like the benchmark car was, say, a 5 series BMW.
Cruising at 160 km/h? Check!
Time around a race track? Check!
Peak lateral acceleration? Check!
Digital LCD screen? Check!
Rear seat room? Check!
And so on.
The trouble is, the benchmark cars (each for different design aspects) should have been things like a Honda Jazz, a Peugeot diesel and a Mazda 6.
Remember, no export market for this car – it’s supposed to survive just on the number it can sell to Australian fleet, government and private buyers! Remember also that policing here is so strict that even attempting to explore the max performance of a car will land you in jail.
on November 7th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I think that the economy and performance have been affected significantly as this is a rental car with only 8000Kms. It probably has not been run in properly and is probably a 5-speed auto (not the ZF).
I’m not saying that this is an excuse for it, but it is an important factor considering that two very quantifiable things (performance & economy) are way off from what everybody else is saying about the car. A lot of publications are easily meeting the ADR economy and sometimes beating it (admittedly usually with the 6 speed Auto)
My uncle just bought a G6E and he recons (haha not sure how reliable he is) that it has been more efficient than his wifes Camry (2008, 4cyl) and a much better drive to boot.
on November 7th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Both Ford Australia and Holden are very good at making excellent heavyweight, long-distance touring cars and I don’t think anyone could argue that there is a better tourer on the local market for the same money. Whilst it is true that city dwellers don’t actually need such vehicles for their day-to-day driving, they are cheap enough for people to buy them on the basis of a plan to take perhaps one or two family holidays in the car per year, maybe with a caravan. The fact that they use too much fuel in the city is unfortunate for the environment, but in economic terms, it is often cheaper to run the big car all the time than to buy and operate a small city car as well. I hope that Ford Australia survives to give Holden a bit of competition in the future, but I don’t think they can realistically make a profit on local manufacture of a smaller car like the Focus due to the smaller profit margins involved. If the imported Focus starts strongly out-selling the Falcon then Ford may have to stop local manufacturing altogether, which would be a shame indeed.
on November 7th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I am regularly amused by car critics comments/opinions on interior design. Apart from the fundamental ergonomics it really is like judging a piece of art. Most other attributes can be accurately measured & tested (power, noise, handling, space, etc…) but the ‘look’ & ‘feel’ of the interior design, colouring, materials etc is in most cases up to individual taste. I always ignore (with a passion)the critic’s opinion of interior styling as it something that really needs to be inspected for yourself…
on November 7th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I am talking literally about design, not styling.
The Falcon is way behind where it should be. An Australian car (that is, a car produced for the driest habitated continent in the world!), that has door pocket bottle holders that are hopeless and doesn’t even have an air-conditioned centre console box or glovebox.
Not to mention having a width at driver knee level that I reckon is close to being as narrow as my Honda Insight*; has a boot that makes its contents VERY hot; has silver stripes on the dash that reflect the sun more badly than the silver I last saw used like this on a R30 Nissan Skyline, etc, etc, etc.
*I am currently in Cairns but I will measure the kneeroom width of the Falcon and compare it with the Honda when I get home.
There are literally NO outstanding design features in the interior of this car.
None.
Zilch.
A Honda Jazz just murders the Falcon for cabin space utlisation and intelligent interior design. In a car at less than half the price.
on November 7th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Both Ford Australia and Holden are very good at making excellent heavyweight, long-distance touring cars and I don’t think anyone could argue that there is a better tourer on the local market for the same money.
Sorry, but having driven the mentioned cars, I’d take an Aurion.
on November 7th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Day #5 reflections:
Very good turning circle
Cruise control will engine brake down hills by downchanging – cruise control is best part of this car!
For normal family use, this is simply a ho-hum car. In Turbo form with 6-speed auto, probably be a very different story for an enthusiast. In fact, when I think about it, likely to be a brilliant car for the money. But that’s not this car.
Family buyer can do much better.
Fleet buyer can do much better.
Government buyer can do much better.
on November 7th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Julian: You mention that handling, long distance cruising and NVH are not really important in this segment. If so then does this make the Holden Epica you reviewed last week the perfect car?
It had excellent economy, reasonable power and enough features to make it competative (especially at the price).
However I get the feeling that you didn’t like it because of the poor (but not unsafe) limit handling and some NVH at idle.
Maybe the buying public agree because sales of Epica’s are pretty poor. Also sales of other diesel cars are not actually that good (although rising) compared to the traditional large car.
If not Falcon/commodore or Epica then what is the perfect car in the medium/large sedan segment?
on November 7th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I can’t understand why anyone would buy an XR6 anyway – they’re pretty much the lowest in the ford pack when it comes to features (yet they’re everywhere). Its fairly obvious to me that Ford have focused on the higher-end models, such as the G6E, as these bring far greater profits.
Julian, if your were working in PD at Ford, what would you have set as the benchmark?
You’ll have your oddball engine choices soon enough too.
Oh and Wave, your comment “I hope that Ford Australia survives to give Holden a bit of competition in the future” interests me. Why do you assume that Holden will still be here?
on November 7th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Julian, I haven’t actually driven an Aurion but having driven Falcon and Commodore I’d take the Commodore. I actually forgot about the Aurion but I was referring generally to locally made large sedans being far better value for money as tourers than an equivalent import.
Also, to Andrew, I make the assumption that Ford’s Australian manufacturing operation will go out of business before Holden’s one because Holden has excellent export markets in the USA and the middle-east who demand power and luxury and can afford to buy and operate large, high-performance cars. Ford does not have the benefit of such markets and therefore will presumably suffer worse from any drop in local large-car sales.
on November 8th, 2008 at 12:39 am
I have to say.. who gets in a what is marketed as a sports car and expects fantastic economy? If you want economy, buy a prius or ride a bike.. some people love to tow things and have big car requirements..
Judge it for what it is, not what you’d like it to be.
rgds
Frank
on November 8th, 2008 at 12:43 am
also forget the safety aspect.. only australian made car with 5 star safety.. has to count for something…
on November 8th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Wave, your assumption is based on the fact that Ford Australia will continue to only build large cars, with no alternative engines (not the case).
on November 8th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
So how do you come to the conclusion on the country drive of dead on centre steering around a corner surely their is some lock being applied?
No progress! Double A aluminium front suspension front mounted steering rack. The rear end being able to ride and handle at the same time & a 5speed or the best in the business 6speed auto. 5star safety without having the having to resort to sprouting marketering about have twelvteen airbags that wont stop you having an accy in the first place.
What is progress then? A CamAurion with a 20 year old chassis a steering wheel attached to the front wheels via a females best friend from an adult toy store and a downright dangerous ESP calibration. Or a commodore with a woefully course and inefficent v6 with a 4spd slusher?
on November 8th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I honestly don’t believe that any Australian manufacturer can make a profit on building a small car. I’ve spoken personally to engineers at Holden who said that they couldn’t feasibly make a Barina or Astra-sized car in Australia because the production volumes would be too low. I don’t imagine it would be any different for Ford trying to make money on a locally made Focus/Fiesta. The profit margins on small economy cars are much smaller than they are on big luxury cars and you need to be thinking of about five times the Commodore or Falcon production volumes before it makes sense to manufacture small cars. An Australian made small car would never be cost-competitive with Asian or even European imports unless we could export far more cars than we sell locally, hence the local manufacturers must continue making money from large powerful cars for as long as they can before they have to close the doors forever.
on November 9th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Wave. look at what’s happened over the years. A Focus is about the size of a EH or XR perfectly adequate transport. Each model when its renewed with few exceptions grow’s in dimensions to lure previous buyers back in the showroom…”if its bigger its better right?” Look what happened when holden had the audacity to shrink the Kingswood into the VB commodore.
Today however, Buyers have changed. Today the family car can be big boofy xr6 or SS, SUV or a dual cab 4wd ute under that scenario the second car is likely to only need be focus size or even smaller. When the average punter walks into a showroom the perceived versatility and cost competitiveness of an SUV/UTE wins out.
With ford having the Territory onboard it was a perfect opportunity to shrink the falcon a little bit. lets call it rightsizing. Looks like it was opportunity lost.
The business case for the focus is based on a sharing of facilities with the Falcon Territory to utilise capacity. Focus has been hamstrung in Oz by the SA factory inability to deliver the spec of car our consumers are wanting. Hence the wildly fluctuating sales month to month.
Again JE, how do you come to going around a corner vague just off centre feeling?
on November 9th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Again JE, how do you come to going around a corner vague just off centre feeling?
I might be able to answer if I could work out what you are talking about…
on November 9th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Not to mention having a width at driver knee level that I reckon is close to being as narrow as my Honda Insight*; has a boot that makes its contents VERY hot; has silver stripes on the dash that reflect the sun more badly than the silver I last saw used like this on a R30 Nissan Skyline, etc, etc, etc.
*I am currently in Cairns but I will measure the kneeroom width of the Falcon and compare it with the Honda when I get home.
Am home now. My tiny Honda Insight, amongst the smallest of cars on the road, has a width at driver knee level that’s a measured 50mm greater than the Falcon!
on November 9th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
The more I think of the ‘nothing car’ Falcon, the more I think the Mondeo diesel might be very interesting – it appears to answer most of my Falcon criticisms.
However, I don’t have any way of driving one.
If anyone knows where I can borrow or hire a Mondeo diesel for a min of 24 hours in Brisbane (or Gold Coast), Sydney or Adelaide, I’d be very interested.
on November 9th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Good car the mondeo – more interior room than the falcon! And definitely a class above equipment and quality wise
on November 10th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
i see the govt giving more money to car manufacturers today, hopefully they spend it in the right areas, such as r&d for hybrid and diesel develeopment, not more of the same, no wonder the industry is in such trouble, yet us the tax payers are paying for this year in year out, mitsubishi proved a point, the writing is on the wall, unless they get smart, quick?
back to the fg falcon thoughts, how does this car compare to the VE commodore, is it in front, behind, equal, if you can provide insight without starting up the entire ford vs holden debate would be good, after all they are competitors in the market place.
thanks.
on November 10th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I thought the Aurion better than either of them.
on November 10th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
JE
“Steering too slow around centre at country road speeds – don’t quite know where you are in corners” ring a bell?
I haven’t driven one but from all other accounts the turn in is crisp and it’ll stay composed through the corner presumably with some lock applied! Driven a BF no issues with its country cornering ability. It did walk a bit on highway.
I have however had the misfortune of driving a CamAurion. Are you sure the CamAurion with its flacid/disconnected steering response is better? How about the fidgety rear end, sloppy rebound control or the Dangerous ESP calibration? and the ye old word chassis/ suspension tech isn’t exactly progress now is it?
truth betold if we are to believe Toyota’s marketing blurb that the game has changed then we’ve gone from halo back to space invaders.
Dont fall into the trap of downsizing the motor as a sign of progress either. Fuel economy suggests the 4.0 is rightsized for the weight of the vehicle. You could wack a 2.3disi turbo from the CX7 in (roughly the same weight ) there and guess what? it’d use more.
Given that front wheel drive typically adds a couple of mpg to efficiency then the falcon’s engine is well on par with the CamAurion. Again, yet another case that proves the point the rubbish 2.4 asthmatec in the Camry benefits economy very little.
on November 11th, 2008 at 6:41 am
From the upcoming test:
The Falcon uses steering that has a very slow ratio around centre. The ‘sneeze factor’ (you can sneeze, yank on the steering wheel, and not go off the road) is large: drive along at 100 km/h and wriggle the wheel and nothing much happens. However, the corollary of that is it’s hard to judge where you are when entering a country road bend, especially one of gentle radius. You tend to turn-in with several bites of steering, then adjust steering angle mid-corner.
In fact it’s very much like Magna steering, that also always had that slow ratio around centre.
on November 11th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Richard needs to research before he comments. “Mazda seem unable to produce a sports model (zoom zoom) with any major performance credentials.” He obviously didn’t check out the
Mazda 3 MPS. My partner has one and it is classic to see the look on the ss, xr6t WRX drivers face when this UNDER RATED car from MAZDA pulls away from them. Not only that it handles like a go cart… see auto speed atricle on the MPS and search youtube mazda 3 speed as marketed in the USA…..
BTW I drive a capa enhanced BF XR6T and standard this car was beaten by the MPS!!!
on November 15th, 2008 at 5:30 am
So JE were not really talking about corners at all. So you think its dead on centre fair enough. What about turn in on something a little less straight?
Didnt you find the steering low geared like a ocean racing yatch in the camAurion. I found i was still applying lock 100meters after the corner.(not a sweeper, I dozed off on them).
Care to quantify what progress is.
on November 15th, 2008 at 6:58 am
trackdaze, your comments on the Aurion steering (like an ocean racing yatch, steering that uses a female’s best friend, applying lock 100 metres after the corner, etc) are so bizarre that I don’t see much point in discussing steering with you.
I’ve said that in my opinion the FG’s steering is much too slow around centre, and I have told you what will appear in the test story on that car.
Agree or disagree as you wish.
on November 19th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
ive just driven a xr6t today. id agree fully with the deadness around center comment. you turn in, turn in, turn in then suddenly it turns. makes for a bit of a handfull in tight stuff, find yourself doing a lot of wheel work
on October 15th, 2010 at 7:42 am
Ive got an fg xr6 and would disagree with you wholeheartedly on everything you said,you sound like a holden fan who cant handle that ford made a better car than tha commondore
on December 27th, 2010 at 7:04 am
I have xr6 6sp auto. Done 6000k. Paid $29000.00 showroom demo with 75 klms. Fantastic car for the money and I could not be happier. Brisbane to Port Macquarie 560 k’s 7.8klms to the 100 and I gave it some stick at times.