Ford Fires Back At 'Thirsty' Holden Commodore With BF Falcon MkII

By Feann Torr - 11/Aug/2006

Melbourne, Australia — Though it may not look quite as flashy as Holden's new VE Commodore, though it may not have colour coded interiors and 19-inch wheels, Ford's new MkII Falcon will tempt large car buyers with gains in fuel economy that best the new VE Commodore's and even come close to matching Toyota's feted 4-cylinder Camry.

Though Ford couldn't show us the car in the flesh at it's media conference in Melbourne on a chilly Thursday night, the Blue Oval's top brass were clearly confident that the subtle changes they've made to the look of the Falcon, and indeed the improves to fuel efficiency, will keep interest in Ford's large car keen.

As Tom Gorman, Ford Australia's President said, "I don't think they've [Holden] listened to the customers as well as we have when it comes to fuel economy."

It's not just media hyperbole either. Ford's 4.0-litre inline 6-cylinder engine, the volume seller for Ford - and despite being larger and developing more torque than Holden's current 3.6-litre V6 - drinks less fuel than Holden's V6 Commodore. Ford will also offer it's 6-speed automatic transmission on all sedan models - including the entry level XT as an option - which further reduces fuel consumption.

Here are the current fuel consumption figures:

• Ford: BF MkII Falcon 6-speed auto: 10.2L/100km

• Holden: VE Commodore 5-speed auto: 10.9L/100km

• Toyota: Camry 5-speed auto: 9.9L/100km

Ford is basing its new BF MkII Falcon push on fuel economy reductions rather than an all-out new model like Holden, though the visual differences will be noticed when Ford launches the new model in early October.

There are three main areas that have led to the reduction in fuel economy in the BF MkII Falcon and as Ford explained, they include:

    Improved aerodynamic performance (reduced drag) of the new front bumper design.

    Improved transmission thermal management – faster warm-up and reduced friction losses allow it to reach optimum efficiency earlier, improving fuel consumption during cold starts and on short trips (a common usage pattern for many drivers).

    Revised Powertrain Control Module (PCM) calibrations in line with the optimised transmission thermal management.

As interest rates and rising fuel prices take their toll on the average weekly expenditure, fuel economy will become and even more important issue when it comes time to buy a new car, and with the recent launches of the VE Commodore and mid-sized Camry, and not to mention the impending arrivals of Ford's updated Falcon and the eagerly awaited Toyota Aurion V6, interest in the large segment is expected to improve - but who will be the victor?

Ford will also offer a range of new colours for the MkII BF models, including the intriguingly named Octane, and a new Chromaflair colour for the XR range,and it has given the Falcon range of sedans and utes new front and rear end styling to boot.

Though not as thorough as Holden's all-new VE Commodore, the new styling appears to improve the BF look with angled headlight clusters and sportier front fascias, and the pick of the bunch was easily the Fairmont Ghia, which is now a much more sporty proposition than before and will give the Calais something to think about.

As Ford says, "Fairmont Ghia leads the way with a new European-inspired sports luxury exterior look, reflected in its new, dark accent headlamp treatment, tapered bonnet, chrome grille, bejewelled fog lights and front bumper finishes, and new seven-spoke 17-inch sports alloy wheels."

Like the performance oriented XR models, the Fairmont Ghia also receives an exposed chrome exhaust, matching rear apron, contoured side skirts and bold Ghia badging. All models except for the sports XR models (XR6, XR6 turbo, XR8) get the new look, and when quizzed on when the XR models would come in for a face-lift, Ford was non-committal, saying that XR owners were more than happy with the current sporty look.

As well as the sportier front ends, all models - including XRs - get new instrument clusters including speedometers and tachometers, and some models will benefit from new trim levels and seat upholstering. XR models get a new "Chicane" metallic weave seat trim, and some customisation can be had (like VE's SS and SS V models), such as different stitching and embroidery colours.

Mr Gorman added, "BF Falcon MkII builds on Falcon's core strengths of world-class engineering, state-of-the-art technologies and superior driving dynamics, with a fresh and aspirational design that is sure to appeal to customers and keep the Falcon nameplate at the vanguard of the local car industry."

As well as improved economy in the new Falcon models with the 4-speed automatic gearbox, Ford will now offer the German made 6-speed auto in all sedan models, including the entry level ST. For most models it is a $1250 cost option, and improves fuel consumption further over the 4-speed auto, but Ford kept tight lipped over how much the 6-speed auto would be in entry level XT models.

"The introduction of the new BF Falcon MkII is the next step in the evolution of the iconic Falcon brand," said Mr Gorman.

Taking a swipe at the entry level VE Commodore's 4-speed auto only option in Omega and Berlina models, Ford Australia's president added, "In the last two years we've delivered a seven per cent improvement in fuel efficiency on the Falcon XT. The availability of the 6-speed automatic transmission on [entry-level] Falcon XT with the BF MkII program has taken the level of improvement even further, to more than 11 per cent."

Equipped with the 6-speed automatic transmission, the XT Falcon is expected to match the 2.4-litre 4-cylinder Camry on the road and best the Commodore.

Ford has also made changes to the Falcon's options list by offering DSC, or dynamic stability control, across its entire range of sedans. This is seen to be a move in direct response to Holden's ESP, or electronic stability program, offered across its VE Commodore range. Previously, DSC was only offered on sports and luxury model Falcons.

"Now the BF Falcon MkII raises the bar even further with the availability of DSC on Falcon XT, Futura, Fairmont and XR6 sedans, adding to the high levels of active safety already built into each Falcon," explain Tom Gorman, stating that there are four different levels of DSC calibration spanning sports and comfort models.

However, DSC won't be an option on it's own, buyers will have to fork out for an optional sports pack, which includes the 6-speed transmission, sports rear suspension and 17-inch alloy wheels and tyres. Ford said that it hadn't confirmed pricing yet, but expect the pack to cost roughly $2,000.

Ford said that it wasn't looking at diesel power for its Falcon in the short or even mid-term, and would concentrate on its LPG model instead, something that Holden is yet to offer with its new VE Commodore (but is expected to offer sooner rather than later). Ford Australian's president, Tom Gorman, also mentioned that there will be "...more surprises with Focus," which we took to be a sign that it will be bringing the Focus convertible here later in the year, which wouldn't harm the small car's already solid reputation.

But the big news is the BF Falcon MkII, coming to dealerships in October. Ford wouldn't disclose price based on the fact that it has not yet finalised costs, but now we are finally getting to know the lay of the land in the large car segment: Ford stands for fuel efficiency, and Holden will tempt buyers with comprehensively re-engineered model. As always, it should be a most excellent stoush, and with Toyota trying to muscle in with its V6 Aurion, they may even be casualties...