2014 Ford Falcon revealed

[19jacobob93]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
That looks like a Ford Fusion. Is it front wheel drive ?


Nope absolutely RWD, there would be a civil war over here if they changed it to FWD!
In reply to someone else, yes I have the I6 in an older model and it is a very long block, half again of the V8 so the hood has to be super long to compensate, but being much narrower and everything being on the side they are probably the easiest engines ever made to work on, ill take a pic of my engine bay, you could probably live at either side of the block

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Fact is there is a notable market in the USA for RWD sedans like this, and NO ONE has chosen to fill that niche, a lost opportunity.


Not too sure it's a "notable" market! AWD seems to be all the rage right now.

The new Falcon seems to be like a "four door Mustang". The mass produced performance car market seems saturated.

 

[michaelluscher]

ThunderCougarFalconBird...........

I want one, and it would sell a [censored] of a lot better then the current platform Taurus SHO, and might actually compete with M3, SS, S4

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: 19jacobob93
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
That looks like a Ford Fusion. Is it front wheel drive ?


Nope absolutely RWD, there would be a civil war over here if they changed it to FWD!
In reply to someone else, yes I have the I6 in an older model and it is a very long block, half again of the V8 so the hood has to be super long to compensate, but being much narrower and everything being on the side they are probably the easiest engines ever made to work on, ill take a pic of my engine bay, you could probably live at either side of the block


I just wish someone would still sell a RWD, Gasoline, Inline 6 vehicle here in the states.
I also am wishing someone would take 2 of the new ford 1L 3cyl econetic/EcoBoost engines(from the Fiesta), and join them @ the Crank(similar to how the 6L V12 Aston uses is just (2) 3L Duratec V6's joined @ the Crank), to make a 2L(240ishHP) twin Turbo I6.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: earlyre
I just wish someone would still sell a RWD, Gasoline, Inline 6 vehicle here in the states.


Doesn't BMW sell one of those ?

 

[Subdued]

I came here to say ThunderCougarFalconBird but someone beat me to it

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Not too sure it's a "notable" market! AWD seems to be all the rage right now.

The new Falcon seems to be like a "four door Mustang". The mass produced performance car market seems saturated.


Nah, better (IMO) history than the Mustang...

Back in 1971, 351 cubic inches got the Falcon to 140MPH, making it the fastest 4 door in the world in that era.

http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/ford_falcon_xy_gthoiii_technical_specifications.htm

 

[Silk]

Mustang was born of Falcon....

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
I don't think I have ever seen a current gen SHO in person.


They`re beautiful! Only wish they were RWD.


They're nice, and RWD would be a home run.

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: earlyre
I just wish someone would still sell a RWD, Gasoline, Inline 6 vehicle here in the states.


Doesn't BMW sell one of those ?

i don't know. do they?
Barely even on my Radar. Nearest Dealer is about 100 mi away.

 

[19jacobob93]

Yep it's sad that this is the last of a dying breed, the best breed too! And one with a 60 odd year history coming to an end. It's like watching an animal become extinct

That's why I have the AU (1998-2002) model Falcon which was the last 'old school' one with a very basic and absolutely bulletproof engine (which is an understatement!), live axel and everything else from the stone age
The BA came in 2002 and teched things up and added IRS which ain't my scene!

I'm still glad the mustang is still going, keeping the v8 RWD theme alive beyond the demise of the Falcon and the good news is the new one hits Aus shortly after the new Falcon

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: earlyre
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: earlyre
I just wish someone would still sell a RWD, Gasoline, Inline 6 vehicle here in the states.


Doesn't BMW sell one of those ?

i don't know. do they?
Barely even on my Radar. Nearest Dealer is about 100 mi away.

so they do. as does Volvo. heck, the Volvo's built on the same platform as my ford use a transversely mounted straight 6.

I should have specified that I Wished a US Domestic Manufacturer offered a RWD Gas Inline 6. in a car, not a truck.

 

[antiqueshell]

The thing about the RWD Falcon is that unlike those much more expensive makes from BMW, when optioned properly the car is very much an affordable car.

What do we have in the US that fits this category....NOTHING.

 

[route66mike]

For cheapest RWD performance cars in the U.S., we have new $22,000 Camaros (Zeta Chassis) with 323 hp, and $25,000 Dodge Chargers (with many Mercedes components, including the Mercedes-Benz W220 S-class control arm front suspension, the Mercedes-Benz W211 E-Class 5-link rear suspension, the firewall and floor pan, the W5A580 5-speed automatic, the rear differential, and the ESP system). A BMW 5-series costs twice as much.

 

[route66mike]

The Mustang is another good RWD U.S. car for as cheap as a Camaro, and maybe we could include GM's very good Cadillac ATS, although its at least $31,000. Any of the above are great alternatives to a Ford Falcon if given the choice.

 

[mcrn]

Nice car

 

[artificialist]

US crash test regulations might be why such cars never came to the USA. An inline 6 doesn't allow for much of a crumple zone when compared to a V6 or V8. Also, the fuel tank may not meet American needs, just look at the 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO as proof. Smog might also be an issue, I don't know how strict the laws are in Australia, but I'm fairly certain they aren't as strict as California laws. Having an extra engine family means another engine to certify, and that expense may make the I-6 even less practical to bring to the USA.

So Australia gets Ford RWD performance cars, and the U.K. gets Ford rally cars. It makes even less sense than the USA not getting the previous versions of the Nissan GT-R.

 

[19jacobob93]

Yeah you could be right, makes sense and it's definitely no where near as strict over here which is why most new falcons and even the I6s are normally just tweaked versions of the previous model!
I'm not sure what you mean by the fuel tanks not meeting needs in the US? Australia has much more vast distances between fuel stations I imagine, my Falcon has a 70l tank which i can squeeze up to 1000km out of on the highway. Most I've gone in between stations in the desert is 240km!
Smog isn't as much a problem here as all our major cities are located on the coast with an almost constant breeze.
Saying that the I6 is surprisingly a VERY economical engine to run, even mine which is 14 years and 185k old still blows me away and puts some 4 cylinders to shame

 

[Shannow]

Our emissions controls laws are probably pretty close to those in the US, as we tend to copy that sort of thing...dunno about Ca.

Fuel tanks are a hangover from the Pinto...when Holden shipped the Commodore/GTO, they had to move the fuel tank to avoid the cars becoming an inferno...while they tend not to become infernos in Oz anyway.

As to crashworthiness, the Falc probably has less engine ahead of the front wheels than say a Subaru, and does alright at crash testing... http://www.ancap.com.au/results?Search=1

 

[19jacobob93]

Nice info bud

I think Australia leans more to copying Euro rules for some reason, which isnt accurate since Europe is so densly populated and fuel is also nearly $3/litre

And as far as i understand California has very strict laws especially on the emissions front as i read some car companies arent allowed to sell certain models with certain engines there!