Ford Falcon G6E Ecoboost review

Joel Helmes has filed this Ford Falcon G6E Ecoboost review.

After three weeks of checking out the Ecoboost Falcon I end my run in the big Ford in the top of the range G6E.

The G6E, which would be on par with what was the old Fairmont Ghia, offers a number of added features and is aimed no doubt at business types and those who like a touch of luxury.

Some of the main equipment inclusions on the G6E include a leather interior, electric driver’s seat, electric anti-glare rear view mirror, premium leather steering wheel, satellite navigation, reversing camera, dual-zone climate control, 18” alloy wheels and indicator lights on the wing mirrors.

All this sets you back from $46,735, or $9,500 more than the base model XT.

Interestingly the increased features list and price tag didn’t leave me any more impressed, quite the opposite in-fact.

As we have already covered the Ecoboost engine is a winner, the six-speed auto is terrific, the current Falcon (especially the G6 and G6E) looks great and it has plenty of leg room and boot space.

But overall the Falcon G6E, in my opinion, fails to deliver what the price tag seems to promise.

Firstly I was really disappointed with the ride and steering provided by the 18” alloys and low profile 245/40 series tires.

Sure the wheels look great but the low profile tires almost completely destroy the Falcon’s usually pleasant ride.

With a reduced side-wall on the tires you feel every bump, crack, pot-hole and imperfection on the road and that’s really disappointing given this is the “luxury” model.

The tires also tend to follow the grooves and ruts in the road (sometimes called “tram-tracking”) and this means you are constantly having a fight with the front wheels.

Low profile tires also leave you with no gutter protection for when you are parking, so unless you are extremely careful you will end up getting scratches on the alloy wheels.

I also think putting tires as low as 40 series on non-performance models such as this does nothing to actually improve the handling, the big Falcon has quite soft suspension and in the corners the body roll is evident.

No amount of tire side-wall height reduction will make it handle any better; in fact all you end up with is a mix bag of suspension and handling quirks!

Ford Falcon G6E Ecoboost review

I was also disappointed to find that the horn in my test car, which had completed nearly 9,000 kilometres, didn’t work!

Inside the G6E my test car was fitted with the optional (at no extra cost) Cashmere leather which comes in a light bone type colour.

To match the seats and leather door inserts the carpets and much of the rest of the interior is also finished in this very light colour.

It looks great but it is just a nightmare to keep clean.

I had the G6E during a sunny week with no rain and even after just a couple of days the drivers seat was showing signs of dirt, the lower door trims were scuffed up and the carpet looked pretty sad.

I would hate to think how dirty it would have looked if it had been raining!

The leather on the driver’s seat was also showing signs of cracks or rips (as evidenced in the provided photo).

To match the light coloured interior the climate control/stereo control panel, which is already quite complicated, is decked out in a silver finish with very small and fine black writing on each button – thus you have to really concentrate to make the right selection.

I was also disappointed that the G6E, despite its premium price tag, still has an old fashioned fold-out key rather than a remote push button ignition system.

It also is a bit of a letdown when the front passenger’s seat isn’t electric, and a premium model like this should probably offer seat warmers which are now standard on many models that boast a more reasonable price tag.

On a much more positive note the Falcons large centre touch screen is easy to use and the sat-nav software is excellent.

From a safety perspective I also like the indicators in the wing mirrors and the addition of the rear-reversing camera is also welcomed, naturally the G6E is 5-star ANCAP rated.

Summing up my three weeks in three 2012 Ecoboost Falcons is pretty easy, if you’re in the market for a new Falcon don’t look past the new four-cylinder turbo engine but head towards the G6, starting at just $37,490 it represents the absolute best value for money in the range.