Ford Falcon G6E review

Garry Fabian has filed this Ford Falcon G6E review.

It’s been around for half a century, but the Ford Falcon is still looking pretty hot.

Ford Falcon G6E review.

Some people who are the same age and have been through practically the same bodywork changes, costing about the same price, are no longer in as good a shape.

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.

The external appearance of the Falcon has not changed dramatically, but it’s still neat as a pin and chamfering the tail and nose has made it appear more compact, and even sporty.

The Falcon, even with falling sales, along with the Commodore, can be considered the essence of Australian motoring.

There’s a turbo six-cylinder engine up front driving the rear wheels, and while the rest of the world has gone all space-efficient, here in Australia we have 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.

Ford Falcon G6E review.

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.

On the road it still is “driver friendly”.

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 you will find in the XR6 so chase out of a corner and the six-speed auto will slot into the right ratio for maximum acceleration.

One negative is the central prop shaft that 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.

It has all the standard items you would expect in a car of its class, power windows and mirrors, remote central locking, quality sound and climate control systems, well designed seats with ample adjustments to suit all shapes and sizes, lots of storage, sat-nav, reversing camera and proximity sensors.

If there is one item that is missing, it’s a left foot rest, which is a bit annoying particularly on long drives.

Safety is excellent, with air bags, ABS and all the other features of quality car of the 21^st century.

The advertising slogan Ford used in the past – “Falcon, Taut, Trim & Terrific” still rings true with the current model.