Ford Falcon 2010 Review

For a 50 year old, the Ford Falcon is looking pretty hot. I know a few people who are the same age and have been through practically the same bodywork changes, costing about the same price, and still don't turn heads like the Falcon.

Upgrading bits and pieces of humans can be difficult to interchange but though car components make the upgrade process less traumatic, it still carries the weight of time and cost. Which is why the Falcon today looks a lot like the Falcon of five years ago. But it's still neat as a pin and chamfering the tail and nose has made it appear more compact, and even sporty, than its near-5m length would first suggest.

Mechanical

This is, along with the Commodore, the essence of Australian motoring. There's a six-cylinder engine up front driving the rear wheels and all set in a three-box shape. It's been this way since most of us care to remember and while the rest of the world has gone all space-efficient, we as a nation defied offshore trends. That could place the Falcon in a position, which has often been hinted, similar to that of the dinosaurs as they eyed off a rather conspicuous comet flaring through the skies. But it has yet to make a dent with the potential calamity of the comet.

Against the Ford Mondeo, front-wheel drive hatchback made somewhere else, the Falcon could look aged. The Mondeo is roomy, has a versatile cabin, has a small four-cylinder engine that claims frugal manner and won quite a few awards in Europe. But behind the wheel, the Falcon is more confident, more comfortable, far more engaging and heaps more powerful than the Mondeo. And the real-world fuel consumption is similar.

On top of that, despite niggling quality issues and noises from a band of owners about specific issues, Falcons can be durable. It's why taxi owners all over Australian capital cities regularly flock to auction houses to buy a used Falcon, much to the chagrin of Ford Australia.

Falcon prices start at $40,290 and close out with this model here, the $59,447 G6E Turbo. For this volume of cash you get a sedan that goes like stink, is one of the country's safest cars (should you go like stink) and has practically every feature you'd want in a car from leather to eight-speaker sound.

Driving

It drives great, too. That's a lot to do with the steering and suspension which, though firmer than some may expect, are sufficiently in sync with the stiff body to produce a taut machine through the bends. But the key element is the engine. This is the same as the XR6 and whacks out 270kW and 533Nm of torque which is laudable given the history of this powerplant.

Torque is flat from 2000rpm right through to close on 5000rpm and this plateau of oomph is responsible for the G6E Turbo being virtually permanently on heat. Chase out of a corners and the six-speed auto will slot into the right ratio for maximum acceleration. Or, flick the gearshifter to sequential manual mode and change cogs yourself.

It's a very good gearbox, after all, it's in machines such as the latest Jaguar and Aston Martin, but the shift in the tester was surprisingly lumpy. Not hard, but it pronounced the upchanges more than you'd expect.

I mentioned that this isn't as space efficient as its sister, the Mondeo, and that means the boot is big, but could be bigger, and the central prop shaft makes it hard to find a comfortable place for the rear seat's centre passenger. But the features and fittings are excellent and drivers commented on the plush look of the piano-black dash trim, the ease of switchgear and the usefulness of the central monitor.

I really liked this. True, most are bought by fleets or packaged up in the salary for top-end employees. But it's still an enjoyable car to drive and that's not something you can say about most Australian fleets.

FORD FALCON G6E TURBO

Price: $59,447
Engine: 4-litre, inline-6, turbocharged
Power: 270kW @ 5250rpm
Torque: 533Nm @ 2000-4750rpm
Fuel: Standard unleaded
Fuel tank: 68 litres
Economy (official): 11.7 litres/100km
Economy (tested): 11.8 litres/100km
Greenhouse: 278g/km (Corolla: 175g/km)
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, sequential; rear-drive
Brakes: 4-wheel discs, ESC, ABS, EBD, brake assist
Turning circle: 10.8m
Suspension: struts, coils (front), multi-link, coils (rear)
Wheels: 18-inch alloy, 245/40R18 tyres; space-saver spare
Length: 4970mm
Width: 1868mm
Height: 1433mm
Weight: 1745kg
Tow (max): 2300kg
Warranty: 3yr/100,000km, roadside assist
Service: 15,000km