FG X, The Last EVER Falcon - Picture & Discussion Thread

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by b0son

This. The little touches in my VF make it such a hard package to go past. Little things like aircon that turns itself down when you take a call, HUD, speed limits that show up on the HUD, satnav directions displayed on the HUD, etc.

They might seem ****y, but really, the only people I hear saying those sorts of gadgets are pointless are those people trying to feel good about owning their woefully underequipped Falcons.

Honestly, unless Ford are going to sell the FH for a bargain price, why would you even look at it?

I dont think so. There are plenty of cars that sell in the top 10 without all the **** the VF Commodore has. Yes its desirable and yes its good but how often do you use half of it. Ive had 2 WN Caprices now and the blind spot monitoring in them isnt precise, I still have to check blind spots. The HUD I turned off after the first 200 kms because it was annoying. The lane departure feature in the commodore is crap, it doesnt vibrate the steering just beeps and show a light in the cluster if your outside the lane. Same goes for the crash avoidance, it only works half the time I have found?? All useless **** that cannot be relied upon.

The Falcon still has superior motors and gearboxes, but never mind that, we all like cheap toys!

[Tock]

I consider myself a tech head, have all the gadgets at home, work in IT, yada yada. The FG for me has just enough cabin tech (BT, screen, etc). Combine that with what I think is a great looking car that goes like all buggery... Can not complain.

YES, all that tech in the VF and other cars is great (and super interesting for me personally) and I will certainly look at it for my next purchase. But I can honestly say that the extra tech is not one of my considerations. Surely I am not on my own...

EDIT: 100% understand why people want all that, and why it sells cars. My point is that not *everyone* wants that stuff, as generalised in above posts. Should the new Falcon have all the tech to sell cars though? Yes it should!

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by Dauphin

Why's that mate?

Because all those names were dated.

See how most "Falcons" dont even have a Falcon badge anymore? Why is that? Because people associate Falcon with taxi and renter car. Same goes with Fairmont Ghia. It was seen as being an old mans car, with an undesirable name. For a 25 - 35 year old a G6E is far more desirable then a Fairmont.

[Rodge]

Originally Posted by blk6t

You make a point, its tech and gadgets that are going to get people to even consider taking the time to look at a Falcon, let alone buy one.

I'm the first to admit my GT is very under equipped...for a GT. I know FPV chose to invest and focus on the motor which I think was the better option to take than investing in tech and gadgets.

But Ford should have made greater tech advancements with the FG, especially when they knew what the VE had to offer and could also see what other makers like Hyundai were offering.

Essentially to draw people away from other cars in the Ford sales yard, the Falcon needs to be more advanced than the Mondeo and Focus....otherwise what's the point of buying a Falcon when people could buy a cheaper, more economical more technically advanced Mondeo or Focus...it would be good if someone was looking at a new Focus and the sales person could say "why don't you look at the all new Falcon which is only slightly more expensive, however is safer, has more gadgets and features and is on par with fuel economy and it looks fantastic"...like I said, if a sales person can't say that about a Falcon, why would the average person consider one???

Classic case in point...I was at the Holden dealer just before Xmas stitching up a red hot deal to help my daughter into a brand new small city car, (she'd had so many problems with old junk cars I thought I'd bite the bullet and help her into her first brand new car), Ford had no car to get anywhere near the cost what I could get my kid a new Holden Barina Spark for) and they had a new VF SSV-Redline sitting there in the showroom.

I went though some of the features of the Redline with the salesman and compared them to my Mk1 GT-P and I was profoundly shocked at how out of date my 2011 car is.

Fact of the matter on the tech front is Mr Market is telling Ford they need to dramatically lift their game. The VF SS-V redline is selling really well OTOH the Falcon, oh dear.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by Rodge

Classic case in point...I was at the Holden dealer just before Xmas stitching up a red hot deal to help my daughter into a brand new small city car, (she'd had so many problems with old junk cars I thought I'd bite the bullet and help her into her first brand new car), Ford had no car to get anywhere near the cost what I could get my kid a new Holden Barina Spark for) and they had a new VF SSV-Redline sitting there in the showroom.

I went though some of the features with the salesman and compared them to my Mk1 GT-P and I was profoundly shocked at how out of date my 2011 car is.

You bought your kid a Daewoo??

You can get Fiesta's here for like $14,990! Far better car then a Daewoo Kalos!

[Rodge]

Cheapest Fiesta I could get here was $6,000 Kiwi more. Barina Spark came up trumps in a crash test survey for micro cars.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/267514/h...hs-crash-test/

[russellw]

Can we please keep this thread on topic.

Cheers
Russ

[Thunder]

Originally Posted by Thunder

Hi Ford Australia

I am a business owner, looking for 2 new FH Falcons.

Both to have some fruit inside including:

Keyless entry
Keyless start
Heated seats
and of course carry over current features........

I never asked for "safety" tech like HUD, Lane departure, idiot's brakes, fools indicators etc.

Im asking for "comfort" techs. I do 40,000km per year. I want comfort. I am a consumer, i have the cash, i have a right to ask, i have the right to move to another brand.

In 2008 when the FG came out, it was "still" acceptable for the Falcon to lag in "tech". When the Mk2 came out in 2011 it was "still" acceptable for the falcon to lag in "tech"......but 2014???????

Democracy is a wonderful hypocrisy when it comes to the Falcon. But what is the TRUE majority of new car buyers in 2014 wanting???

Truth hurts sometimes guys!

[janddbone]

FG is out of date, tech wise, as it was signed off on in 2007! All serious investment since then has been put in to the motors as everyone was winging about fuel economy and changing emissions laws. This current update will be to little to late overall, but I don't blame them at all as the sales do not justify it.

(People speak about Government cash bail outs, how about basic practical help with all these ever changing environmental laws etc! Imagine the dollars saved if they did not have to fiddle with the motor all the bloody time!)

Personally it is not a problem for me as I consider leather, cruise control, climate control and a stereo input about top notch! Ha ha!

[Fordman1]

I think you'll find that the new Falcon will be priced accordingly - low tech, low price.

[Motorbreath310]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

I dont think so. There are plenty of cars that sell in the top 10 without all the **** the VF Commodore has. Yes its desirable and yes its good but how often do you use half of it. Ive had 2 WN Caprices now and the blind spot monitoring in them isnt precise, I still have to check blind spots. The HUD I turned off after the first 200 kms because it was annoying. The lane departure feature in the commodore is crap, it doesnt vibrate the steering just beeps and show a light in the cluster if your outside the lane. Same goes for the crash avoidance, it only works half the time I have found?? All useless **** that cannot be relied upon.

The Falcon still has superior motors and gearboxes, but never mind that, we all like cheap toys!

It wouldn't be so bad if the rest of the car wasn't so lacking. The FPV's should've had the R-spec modifications upon release in '08, the XR6t should've at least had the option of a brembo 4/1 upgrade, the diff bush issue should have been resolved with FG...

And then there's the minor stuff. Black hood lining in premium models, the option of a sunroof, 'follow-me home' lighting (VE's illuminate when you unlock them which is handy when you're in low-light areas at night)

I would have bought a brand new one in 2011, but didn't see the point when an '08 F6 was still as well-equipped as they get.

[brismike]

Originally Posted by nightchook

So would those who paid $70 odd for a 335 GT be upset to see an identically powered 335 XR8 for $50 odd? just asking

No . . not upset because I didn't pay $70k odd, I paid $64k odd and got leather and sat nav.

And I get a GT badge which is better than a XR8 badge. (No offence to all the XR8 owners )

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by brismike

No . . not upset because I didn't pay $70k odd, I paid $61k odd and got leather and sat nav.

And I get a GT badge which is better than a XR8 badge. (No offence to all the XR8 owners )

Did the price change over night? Yesturday it was $64,500?

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Yeah good luck with heated seats!!

Just sat in a new Transit Custom and would you believe it's standard. Sadly, with all the tech now available within Ford globally one hell of a large car could be built, economies of scale allowing...which we know won't now.

[brismike]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Did the price change over night? Yesturday it was $64,500?

Sorry Dash GT . . That was a typo . . too late to edit it . . it should be $64150.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Was going to say.. have they increased the discount!!

[b0son]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

The Falcon still has superior motors and gearboxes, but never mind that, we all like cheap toys!

Enthusiasts are sold by the drivetrain, no question. But enthusiasts are a bit more discerning aren't they? They're going to look at an FH and see the same drivetrain and no interior improvements, so its going to be a hard sell if they already have an FG. And the non-enthusiasts do look at the standard features list as a means of judging the car as a value proposition. If the price is comparable to a Commodore but it comes with so much less, its just not going to add up.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by b0son

Enthusiasts are sold by the drivetrain, no question. But enthusiasts are a bit more discerning aren't they? They're going to look at an FH and see the same drivetrain and no interior improvements, so its going to be a hard sell if they already have an FG. And the non-enthusiasts do look at the standard features list as a means of judging the car as a value proposition. If the price is comparable to a Commodore but it comes with so much less, its just not going to add up.

Well I think my FZ XR8 335 super charger will be a better proposition at 55k then a lets say VF GTS at 95k...

[b0son]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Well I think my FZ XR8 335 super charger will be a better proposition at 55k then a lets say VF GTS at 95k...

I agree. COmpared to FPV or even lower HSVs, its hard to justify a GTS.

I'd have waited a little while for an XR8 to compare, but with expected release being October (?) and sales falling every month, I had doubts whether it would even be released. Time will tell.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Motorbreath310

image

But, what's wrong with regular fries?

Why bother with power windows when a winder does the job fine? Because as each year goes by, the standard is raised. And Ford can't get away with offering 2008's standard in 2014. That's one reason why Commodore is outselling Falcon 5 to 1 at the moment. Whether you like the technology or not, if you want to be competitive it needs to be there.

[FalconXV]

Originally Posted by b0son

Enthusiasts are sold by the drivetrain, no question .

And unless XR8 has 275s, that equation will also be incomplete.

[XR Martin]

If tech is so important why do all the dual cabs sell so well?
Oh and how many Accords do Honda sell again?

[Motorbreath310]

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

Why bother with power windows when a winder does the job fine? Because as each year goes by, the standard is raised. And Ford can't get away with offering 2008's standard in 2014. That's one reason why Commodore is outselling Falcon 5 to 1 at the moment. Whether you like the technology or not, if you want to be competitive it needs to be there.

I agree. My post was meant as a pickle-take to those who question the need for all the added gizmos cars have now.

The attitude of "what more do you need?" versus "this is what you could have!"

Whilst I do agree, to some extent, that most of the equipment offered now, borders on 'gimmickry'; The market ultimately dictates what a car needs to have, in order to win more buyers and ensure it's future survivability. Falcon unfortunately fell behind in that department, and well - here we are, unfortunately.

In a perfect world - we'd have a global RWD platform, with a back-to-basics 'XR6t/XR8 Sprint package, for the enthusiasts, and a Calais-V-matching G6/8E for the rest. And the option of a V8 XT*

*and a healthy market for said products.

[GTMOND]

There is one thing people can do if they want more tech, buy another brand of car if it means that much, it would be nice to have a fully kitted falcon as the last one, but they have a small budget for the update. We are lucky to get any update at all, so there is no point flogging a dead horse.

[jay289]

Get a grip people.

I assume everyone on here loves Falcons, but 80% of people on here bag the Falcon for not having this or that.

No wonder they can't sell them when even the Blue Bloods bag the **** out of them.

I will never own another car without a Falcon badge!!!!

I for one will be buying the new Falcon no matter what the handbrake says(wife)

[Bobman]

Originally Posted by jay289

No wonder they can't sell them when even the Blue Bloods bag the **** out of them.

They can't sell them because they aren't listening to potential customers!

That and poor quality using cheap parts from China, thus causing problems that should simply not exist on a car of 2014 vintage. Transmission milkshakes and diff bushes should simply have been resolved, many years ago.

The above put off many who bought the cars new and vowed not to again. Can you blame them? I can't. Ford Australia had plenty of warning.

[janddbone]

Thankfully problems that are easily fixed for only a few thousand and then many happy years of motoring!

[Thunder]

Originally Posted by jay289

Get a grip people.

I assume everyone on here loves Falcons, but 80% of people on here bag the Falcon for not having this or that.

No wonder they can't sell them when even the Blue Bloods bag the **** out of them.

I will never own another car without a Falcon badge!!!!

I for one will be buying the new Falcon no matter what the handbrake says(wife)

The falcon used to be the pinnacle of Ford Australia's range. Clearly in 2008 it was relegated to the bottom. Why......because the small amount of "blue bloods" ignored the fact that the "One Ford" philosophy brought the start of the rise of all other models.

Think about it: Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Kuga.....lol even the new Transit competes with their respective competition and has "tech". The new Transit has heated seats, does that make more sense than the 2014 G6E having them?

Please, its the total sum of consumers that buy a product, not just one minority.

[jay289]

Originally Posted by Bobman

They can't sell them because they aren't listening to potential customers!

That and poor quality using cheap parts from China, thus causing problems that should simply not exist on a car of 2014 vintage. Transmission milkshakes and diff bushes should simply have been resolved, many years ago.

The above put off many who bought the cars new and vowed not to again. Can you blame them? I can't. Ford Australia had plenty of warning.

The parts Ford manufacture are some of the best parts you can buy.

And for the milkshake issue, its around 2% of cars made.

Diff bushes, well if you flog the **** out of any car things will brake!!!

[Focused]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

If tech is so important why do all the dual cabs sell so well?
Oh and how many Accords do Honda sell again?

Have you been inside a top of the range Ranger, SR5 or Amarok? The Ranger Wildtrack comes with sat nav, rear cameras, power heated front seats, dual zone climate control with voice control, auto wipers and lights...etc.
The Accord doesn't sell because people don't like large-ish cars any moreand it doesn't have the fleet sales of the Falcon/Camry/Commodore. The "new family car" segment is fairly much SUV only.

Originally Posted by GTMOND

There is one thing people can do if they want more tech, buy another brand of car if it means that much, it would be nice to have a fully kitted falcon as the last one, but they have a small budget for the update. We are lucky to get any update at all, so there is no point flogging a dead horse.

And everyone is. That's the problem...

Just for the record, I love the Falcon and plan to buy a FH. But I'll be honest and admit that the more practical size, fun handling and safety/comfort features of the 2015-16 Focus ST is going to make that decision very difficult.