Motortrend First Look - 2008 Ford Falcon

[Drowned]

Although still more than two months away from its on-sale date Down Under, Ford Australia has revealed key details of its new-look Falcon. The early roll-out of information on the Pontiac G8-sized sedan is fascinating fodder for Ford-watchers trying to determine what Dearborn might be planning for its forthcoming global rear drive platform.

Known as 'Orion' throughout its development, and now officially christened 'FG' Falcon, the car provides evidence that Ford at last is beginning to get its global product development act together. The exterior of the upmarket versions, for example, is styled so the Australian-designed sedan could slip into a snapshot of European 'Kinetic Design' Fords without looking out of place.

And beneath its all-new skin, Falcon is engineered for best-in-class handling, ride and steering. The directive to deliver A-grade dynamics came straight from FoMoCo HQ in Dearborn, say senior Ford Australia product development executives, along with a bunch of other 'Ford DNA' instructions affecting everything down to the placement of electric-window switches and rear-view mirror adjustment knobs.

While program approval for the FG Falcon was given about one year before the September 2006 appointment of Alan Mulally as Ford president and CEO, the finished job apparently has impressed the ex-Boeing executive. During a personal trip to Australia in September 2007, Mulally dropped by to visit the local Ford folks at their Melbourne headquarters. Shown the upscale G6E Turbo variant of the new Falcon, his reported response was simple: "I want one".

Mulally wasn't the only high-ranking Ford official to show up in Melbourne through 2007. A couple of months earlier, global product development boss Derrick Kuzak and his team of helpers had stopped by. They checked out Ford Australia's engineering and design facilities, proving ground and manufacturing plants.

Since that time, rumors have gathered strength that Ford Australia will win the lead role in development of the global rear-drive architecture, in much the same way GM's Holden subsidiary did a lot of the heavy lifting on Zeta. The production timeframe for Ford models using the architecture is 2011 or 2012. Such timing matches the product cadence of both the Mustang and the Falcon.

Senior Ford Australia executives are tight-lipped on the topic, although they will admit to having won respect in Dearborn by economically handling design, engineering and development programs for vehicles like the unique, Indian-made sedan version of the European Fiesta. And they're currently working to complete the global T6 light truck program.

Top North American officials are almost as uncommunicative, but the notion that Australia will be assigned the task of coming up with the new rear-drive architecture persists. The occasional unguarded mention keeps the rumor mill supplied with enough fuel to keep turning.

Put it all together -- the close timing of the next-gen Mustang and Falcon, Ford Australia's product development expertise and rear-drive know-how, Mulally's apparent enthusiasm for their work, Kuzak's official visit, and rumors that just won't go away -- and you're looking at a good reason to take an interest in the FG Falcon.

It's a big car -- a little over 195 inches long more than 73 inches wide -- that must cover a broad spread of roles. The base XT model is Australia's equivalent of the Crown Victoria, popular with taxi companies and police. Three XR models target the sporty-driving customer, and three G Series models aim to appeal to buyers wanting Euro-flavoured looks and luxury -- it's no accident that the G Series front end resembles the new Mondeo. About 80 percent of the car's structural sheet metal is new compared with the previous model.

The engine line-up is interesting, but, ultimately, irrelevant. The updated-for-FG, Australian-made, 4.0-liter in-line six, built in 260hp naturally aspirated and 360hp turbocharged versions, is to cease production in 2010. At that time Ford Australia will switch to importing a US-made Duratec V6, most likely the 3.7-liter version. The 5.4-liter V8 of the XR8 variant pumps out almost 390hp, but it, too, is an Australian oddity. It uses North American-made block and heads, but is hand-built in Australia using many locally made parts, including crank and pistons.

Falcon's transmissions are imported. The base automatic is a US-designed but French-made Ford five speed. A six-speed made by ZF in Germany is standard in more expensive models and optional in the cheaper Falcons. A Mexican-made Tremec six-speed manual, basically the same gearbox used in high-performance Mustangs, is offered in XR models.

Much more relevant to future Fords is the new Falcon's chassis. Its unitary construction body has gown a little in size and a lot in strength for the FG, yet there's scant weight increase over the previous generation. The base XT, for instance, is only 20 pounds or so heavier than the model it replaces.

Some of the credit here is due to Ford Australia's team of dynamics engineers. While the FG Falcon uses a wide-track version of the very good 'Control Blade' four-link IRS first seen in the 2002 BA Falcon, its front suspension is all new. It's also almost 50 pounds lighter than the simpler set-up in the previous generation thanks to the liberal use of aluminium parts.

In line with Ford's determination to endow its cars everywhere with excellent steering and handling, the front suspension is a near clean-sheet design that incorporates design features more often associated with premium-price European rear-drive products. With its double A-arms, it technically outpoints the strut and single A-arm set up beneath the nose of any current BMW (excepting the X5).

The new Falcon's lower A-arm is in two pieces, each of which connects with the steering kingpin via a ball joint. This feature allows the kingpin's axis of rotation to be projected outboard of the ball-joints to align sweetly with the centre of the front-tyre contact patch. 'Virtual Pivot' is the marketing department-approved name for the system.

Another key feature of the FG Falcon front end is its front-mounted steering rack. The location is designed to increase what chassis guys call 'compliance understeer'. Nothing to do with slip at the contact patch, it means the steering stays calmer when large lateral forces, such as those generated by high-speed cornering, are fed into the rack. Holden decided to locate the steering rack of the Commodore/Pontiac G8 ahead of its front axle for exactly the same reasons.

While Ford Australia is yet to provide FG Falcons for road-test duty, its dynamics engineers are quietly confident it's going to beat the Commodore. And that, by extension, means it should ride and handle, steer and stop better than the near identical G8. Time will tell...

In the meantime, the FG Falcon is sure to provide material for those who like to idle away the hours wondering what a large, rear-drive, global achitecture developed by Ford Australia might look like.

[realxite]

que virgo esta...

el interior esta increible..... .... que buen diseño.. .ta madre me gusta


PD: ahorita viene bullitt y dice... FORD ....

[YENKO]

verga... interesante ke ford este sacando ahora carros con tan buena suspencion!

[Bullitt]

.. y en Gran Turismo no te gusto que hasta buscaste info afkjasfkjajksf

[k-lin]

parece honda ....

[LSpec]

se parece muchisimo al subaru legacy

[wicho]

Esta virgo

[mauricio vasquez]

esta bonito el carro, se parece un poco al lancer 2008

[viniii]

supertalega!

[Ivan]

ta lindo

[GIO07]

puta de lado es igualito al lancer

[Ranferi]

el frente se parece de un Subaru pero si esta lindo

[SEBASTIAN]

[master mustang]

Muy bueno el diseño exterior, el interior se ve mejor;muy interesante las opciones v6 y v6 turbo. Y para america no hay produccion...?