first experience of an FG.

[jphanna]

so my lifelong mate rolled into adelaide on sat morn for a snap visit for 'greek easter'. he asked if we could catch up for a cuppa. his rental from the airport was an FG XR6.

he picked me up in it.

looks - check
power - check
comfort - check
geek gizmos - check

i was sitting in this car thinking it had the 'goods' on my old VE. the same question kept on recurring in my mind.

'what else could ford do to keep this car alive'? i dont think they need to do anything. its a DAMN fine car.

[Brazen]

I love the XR6, they get good economy too.

[turbodewd]

Originally Posted by Brazen

I love the XR6, they get good economy too.

My rolling economy figure is on 10.0! I drive like a grandma and only give my T the odd squirt. I drive in Canberra traffic and use 98 octane. I strongly suspect the economy figure will return to 10.8 which is what it was on for months.

Having properly inflated tires and being mindful of when your car gets into 5th and 6th is important to goodly economy.

[PridenJoy]

The MKII FG's are the duck's nuts.

[Ron62]

I have to say that the best decision I made was getting the FG MKII XR6. I looked at the VEII and was unimpressed. It has been a faultless car, and added the X force S/S 2.5 "cat back to give it a note. I have been with the Holden camp most of my life so that says enough in itself.

[dallasv8]

at the moment you can score a manual xr6 with 5 years 200 000km warranty for $34 grand
pretty damn good value for money

[335POWER]

My economy atm is 9.6.

[Turboconvert]

Agreed, the fg xr6 is a damn fine car. Parents picked up a second hand one from a ford dealer just over a year ago (2010 model). Comfortable, good feel, drives like a dream, plenty of punch for a six and fuel economy you wouldn't sneeze at even in a four banger. When ever they go out of town they are getting constant mid to high 8's on the highway. The tech you get is pretty good for the price you pay.

[Dusty]

After reading a few doom and gloom posts it is refreshing to read the positives. I would love an FG but would get peanuts for my BA as a trade.

[335POWER]

Originally Posted by uteaddict

Agreed, the fg xr6 is a damn fine car. Parents picked up a second hand one from a ford dealer just over a year ago (2010 model). Comfortable, good feel, drives like a dream, plenty of punch for a six and fuel economy you wouldn't sneeze at even in a four banger. When ever they go out of town they are getting constant mid to high 8's on the highway. The tech you get is pretty good for the price you pay.

Yeah, economy is great, even though I'm at 9.6 atm, it was 8.3 at one point when my daily trek to work was from Alberton to Noarlunga, basically being a straight through 45min drive with hardly any stopping

[getjpi]

Originally Posted by jphanna

so my lifelong mate rolled into adelaide on sat morn for a snap visit for 'greek easter'. he asked if we could catch up for a cuppa. his rental from the airport was an FG XR6.

he picked me up in it.

looks - check
power - check
comfort - check
geek gizmos - check

i was sitting in this car thinking it had the 'goods' on my old VE. the same question kept on recurring in my mind.

'what else could ford do to keep this car alive'? i dont think they need to do anything. its a DAMN fine car.

Failing to see the enthusiasm when compared to what else is out there...

In mid 2009 I spent a week driving around Victoria putting nearly 2000km on an FG XR6 with just 5000km on the clock.


When compared to the 2002 E39 530D with 140000km odd on the clock I drove in the northern hemisphere at the time, handling wise the XR6 is positively barge like, uncomfortable to drive with poor clearance underneath the steering wheel, with a strange angle alignment for the driver.


The BMW was good for nearly 1100km from a full tank to reserve light coming on whilst motorway driving @ 130kph. The XR6 would be on it's 3rd tank fill to cover that distance at that speed. Economical it is not.



A Zetec Mondeo is a more frugal, comfortable assured drive.

[LeadFoot81]

Originally Posted by getjpi

Failing to see the enthusiasm when compared to what else is out there...

In mid 2009 I spent a week driving around Victoria putting nearly 2000km on an FG XR6 with just 5000km on the clock.


When compared to the 2002 E39 530D with 140000km odd on the clock I drove in the northern hemisphere at the time, handling wise the XR6 is positively barge like, uncomfortable to drive with poor clearance underneath the steering wheel, with a strange angle alignment for the driver.


The BMW was good for nearly 1100km from a full tank to reserve light coming on whilst motorway driving @ 130kph. The XR6 would be on it's 3rd tank fill to cover that distance at that speed. Economical it is not.



A Zetec Mondeo is a more frugal, comfortable assured drive.

[05_ENFORCER]

Originally Posted by getjpi

Failing to see the enthusiasm when compared to what else is out there...

In mid 2009 I spent a week driving around Victoria putting nearly 2000km on an FG XR6 with just 5000km on the clock.


When compared to the 2002 E39 530D with 140000km odd on the clock I drove in the northern hemisphere at the time, handling wise the XR6 is positively barge like, uncomfortable to drive with poor clearance underneath the steering wheel, with a strange angle alignment for the driver.


The BMW was good for nearly 1100km from a full tank to reserve light coming on whilst motorway driving @ 130kph. The XR6 would be on it's 3rd tank fill to cover that distance at that speed. Economical it is not.



A Zetec Mondeo is a more frugal, comfortable assured drive.

.



If you do not like the Ford brand or what this forum is about, please go away and troll somewhere else




.

[AU1XLS]

Originally Posted by getjpi

Failing to see the enthusiasm when compared to what else is out there...

In mid 2009 I spent a week driving around Victoria putting nearly 2000km on an FG XR6 with just 5000km on the clock.


When compared to the 2002 E39 530D with 140000km odd on the clock I drove in the northern hemisphere at the time, handling wise the XR6 is positively barge like, uncomfortable to drive with poor clearance underneath the steering wheel, with a strange angle alignment for the driver.


The BMW was good for nearly 1100km from a full tank to reserve light coming on whilst motorway driving @ 130kph. The XR6 would be on it's 3rd tank fill to cover that distance at that speed. Economical it is not.



A Zetec Mondeo is a more frugal, comfortable assured drive.

Maybe somebody should make them selfs aware of the site T&C that they agreed to abide by when joining this site

See below

8. Continual posts containing negative comments about the Ford Motor Company, Ford related product or the AFF community. This does not mean that you can't raise a legitimate issue or make the occasional negative comment but consistent bashing won't be tolerated.

[getjpi]

Originally Posted by AU1XLS

Maybe somebody should make them selfs aware of the site T&C that they agreed to abide by when joining this site

See below

8. Continual posts containing negative comments about the Ford Motor Company, Ford related product or the AFF community. This does not mean that you can't raise a legitimate issue or make the occasional negative comment but consistent bashing won't be tolerated.

'consistent bashing' ? que ?

As per the thread title, I recounted one's 'first experience of an FG', from behind the wheel of a nearly new car when compared to the 7 year old platform I was driving day to day elsewhere.
I experienced the exact same issue with seat positioning and steering wheel placement detailed by others here and elsewhere, a hearty thirst for fuel when driving anywhere not on a motorway and less than stellar heavy nose on road dynamics when not driving in a straight line.

Those are facts, unpleasant to the fan club of any platform, but some of the reasons why large sedans with large petrol engines are not selling in qty here in Australia any more.

Is pointing out Ford management's repeated inability to produce a internationally marketable Territory platform which would have undoubtedly sold large UK numbers with the addition of a MPH Speedo and and a Ford made oil burner 'consistent bashing', or a concise summary of 6 years of lost opportunity to the detriment of those doing the do on the line in Geelong ?

There is a Fairmont wagon parked in the drive, it would have been a SX Terri on LPG, but I wasnt willing to take the risk with diff and suspension bushes, gearbox milkshakes and other woes which thanks to the 'consistent bashing' on this very forum which helped steer my purchase.

[Elks]

^^^^^^^^

With all due respect. You're wrong.

FG is a very fine car. Poorly sold ( sorry ford) but still a fine car.

I drive a euro diesel for work. It's highly regarded at large. But it's noisy and slow and not well rated by me. Regardless of cost I'd rather drive my FG.

[Brazen]

Looks wise I was just noticing the other day how good the FGII XR6 looks, in my eyes it looks better than the new VF sports versions.

[turbodewd]

Originally Posted by getjpi

'consistent bashing' ? que ?

As per the thread title, I recounted one's 'first experience of an FG', from behind the wheel of a nearly new car when compared to the 7 year old platform I was driving day to day elsewhere.
I experienced the exact same issue with seat positioning and steering wheel placement detailed by others here and elsewhere, a hearty thirst for fuel when driving anywhere not on a motorway and less than stellar heavy nose on road dynamics when not driving in a straight line.

Those are facts, unpleasant to the fan club of any platform, but some of the reasons why large sedans with large petrol engines are not selling in qty here in Australia any more.

Is pointing out Ford management's repeated inability to produce a internationally marketable Territory platform which would have undoubtedly sold large UK numbers with the addition of a MPH Speedo and and a Ford made oil burner 'consistent bashing', or a concise summary of 6 years of lost opportunity to the detriment of those doing the do on the line in Geelong ?

There is a Fairmont wagon parked in the drive, it would have been a SX Terri on LPG, but I wasnt willing to take the risk with diff and suspension bushes, gearbox milkshakes and other woes which thanks to the 'consistent bashing' on this very forum which helped steer my purchase.

Well perhaps you have scoliosis or uneven buttock muscles, I have zero issues sitting in my FG Falcon.

Now you mention a BMW 530d - diesel! Diesel is on the decline in Australia and Europe as turbocharged petrol engines are virtually as efficient. Diesel's advantage is its relatively superior low rpm torque, but its flaw is that it cannot rev. If you take two similarly-sized engines the diesel will out-perform in towing but will be smashed in over-taking and general performance by the petrol.

And why no balanced argument, you cannot deny the mind-boggling performance, smoothness and quietness of the Falcon inline-6. The 0-100 and 80-120km over-taking figures for this car are amazing, esp considering the car's retails price. It produces effortless power unlike, say, a WRX where you have to really work that engine to get its peak power. Any review on the web will say the same thing about the Falcon motor.

You also claim the Falcon is a barge...what do you mean, imprecise steering?! Actually Ford Australian uses the Bishop-designed steering system that is used by Mercedes under license!

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/aust...tes/patent.php

Mate, if you bring thy pompous posterior in here you better bringeth the facts, pal, coz I just walloped you outta the ballpark. My facts trump your emotive, fact-free perjoratives.

PS Diesels are slower...plain n simple.

[Gothefalcon]

To be fair.. here's a snipit from an earlier post.....

Originally Posted by getjpi

There is a Fairmont wagon parked in the drive

[PG2]

I understand that he has a Fairmont Wagon in the driveway. All I ask is that what does that have to do with this thread.

Once again, getting off topic, but there are certainly advantages of having a leaf sprung rear end, even in a wagon.

Maybe the thread should have been titles "first positive experience of an FG."

I always relate threads in forums to different groups of people having a number of conversations face to face in a social group outing whether down at the pub, at a person's house or wherever. There were a group of us talking positively about something (taking out the fact that we were talking about Ford) and then someone comes into the conversation and talks about it negatively. People in the conversation are going to get defensive towards that person.

If he wants to talk about the same thing negatively join in another 'conversation' that is already talking about the same thing negatively - there plenty of those 'conversations' going on.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by getjpi

Failing to see the enthusiasm when compared to what else is out there...

In mid 2009 I spent a week driving around Victoria putting nearly 2000km on an FG XR6 with just 5000km on the clock.


When compared to the 2002 E39 530D with 140000km odd on the clock I drove in the northern hemisphere at the time, handling wise the XR6 is positively barge like, uncomfortable to drive with poor clearance underneath the steering wheel, with a strange angle alignment for the driver.


The BMW was good for nearly 1100km from a full tank to reserve light coming on whilst motorway driving @ 130kph. The XR6 would be on it's 3rd tank fill to cover that distance at that speed. Economical it is not.



A Zetec Mondeo is a more frugal, comfortable assured drive.

Try the EcoLpi Falcon then.

Game over....

[P6LTD351]

Originally Posted by getjpi

Failing to see the enthusiasm when compared to what else is out there...

In mid 2009 I spent a week driving around Victoria putting nearly 2000km on an FG XR6 with just 5000km on the clock.


When compared to the 2002 E39 530D with 140000km odd on the clock I drove in the northern hemisphere at the time, handling wise the XR6 is positively barge like, uncomfortable to drive with poor clearance underneath the steering wheel, with a strange angle alignment for the driver.


The BMW was good for nearly 1100km from a full tank to reserve light coming on whilst motorway driving @ 130kph. The XR6 would be on it's 3rd tank fill to cover that distance at that speed. Economical it is not.



A Zetec Mondeo is a more frugal, comfortable assured drive.

I apologise in advance if this violates the T&Cs, but you sir, are a tool!

We don't need your kind here. It's fair enough if you say that the Falcon isn't perfect (what car is?), but the FG is a great car - the best Falcon Ford have built. Troll elsewhere.

[Gothefalcon]

Originally Posted by getjpi

Failing to see the enthusiasm when compared to what else is out there...

In mid 2009 I spent a week driving around Victoria putting nearly 2000km on an FG XR6 with just 5000km on the clock.


When compared to the 2002 E39 530D with 140000km odd on the clock I drove in the northern hemisphere at the time, handling wise the XR6 is positively barge like, uncomfortable to drive with poor clearance underneath the steering wheel, with a strange angle alignment for the driver.


The BMW was good for nearly 1100km from a full tank to reserve light coming on whilst motorway driving @ 130kph. The XR6 would be on it's 3rd tank fill to cover that distance at that speed. Economical it is not.



A Zetec Mondeo is a more frugal, comfortable assured drive.

Comparing "new for new"... the 530D Beemer is certainly frugal... especially on the highway ! 2013 530D uses about 4.7L/100 (Hwy) ! Lets say... about half that of the FG XR6 !???
However... Just taking the costs of both cars and fuel into consideration.... a 2013 530D costs around $120,000.00 bucks !!!! That's $85,000.00 bucks dearer than an FG XR6
So... assuming the Beemer uses around half the fuel an FG XR6 does... and a tank of petrol/diesel costs $100 bucks.... and you'd use a tank of fuel a week in the XR6 (or 1/2 a tank of diesel in the Beemer)... You would have to drive both cars for around 31yrs before you broke even !!
Or... park the Beemer from new (& never drive it)... and enjoy driving the Falcon for just over 16yrs !!!

At which time... (or even after around 6yrs old)... both cars are worth about the same as trade-ins... lets just say, for arguments sake.. $10,000.00 bucks ! That means you've lost $25K on the XR6 and $110K on the Beemer... which is another $85,000.00 bucks.... which means you could afford to drive the Falcon for another 16yrs !!!!

From this... we can only deduce that buying an FG XR6, instead of a 2013 530D, can give you 32 years worth of better value !!!

You were right when you eluded to the fact, there's no real comparison

[mik]

Originally Posted by getjpi

Failing to see the enthusiasm when compared to what else is out there...

In mid 2009 I spent a week driving around Victoria putting nearly 2000km on an FG XR6 with just 5000km on the clock.


When compared to the 2002 E39 530D with 140000km odd on the clock I drove in the northern hemisphere at the time, handling wise the XR6 is positively barge like, uncomfortable to drive with poor clearance underneath the steering wheel, with a strange angle alignment for the driver.


The BMW was good for nearly 1100km from a full tank to reserve light coming on whilst motorway driving @ 130kph. The XR6 would be on it's 3rd tank fill to cover that distance at that speed. Economical it is not.



A Zetec Mondeo is a more frugal, comfortable assured drive.

Exaggerate much do we??? mate your full of it.

[FGII-XR6]

only took 11 posts for the negativity to start

Originally Posted by getjpi

Failing to see the enthusiasm when compared to what else is out there...

In mid 2009 I spent a week driving around Victoria putting nearly 2000km on an FG XR6 with just 5000km on the clock.


When compared to the 2002 E39 530D with 140000km odd on the clock I drove in the northern hemisphere at the time, handling wise the XR6 is positively barge like, uncomfortable to drive with poor clearance underneath the steering wheel, with a strange angle alignment for the driver.


The BMW was good for nearly 1100km from a full tank to reserve light coming on whilst motorway driving @ 130kph. The XR6 would be on it's 3rd tank fill to cover that distance at that speed. Economical it is not.



A Zetec Mondeo is a more frugal, comfortable assured drive.

[TC200six]

I don't get the anti-Australian car sentiment when comparing them with 100+k Euro cars.

When I still used to read car blogs like caradvice and wheelsmag.com.au when it still existed, all articles on the Falcon (and Commodore to some extent) had comments bashing them and saying you be better off buying BMWs or MBs if you want a large car. Don't forget the "taxi" comments either! Little do they realise their Euro cars they recommend to avoid buying "taxis" are used as taxis themselves.

[FGII-XR6]

and remember that the main reason Falcons are used as taxis is their reliability. I've seen falcon taxis do 900+ Ks on one engine so the whole taxi image isn't a bad thing

Originally Posted by TC200six

I don't get the anti-Australian car sentiment when comparing them with 100+k Euro cars.

When I still used to read car blogs like caradvice and wheelsmag.com.au when it still existed, all articles on the Falcon (and Commodore to some extent) had comments bashing them and saying you be better off buying BMWs or MBs if you want a large car. Don't forget the "taxi" comments either! Little do they realise their Euro cars they recommend to avoid buying "taxis" are used as taxis themselves.

[Dave R]

There's always someone who wants to compare a brand new, warranty backed Falcon to an older German luxury saloon with a diesel engine. In 2013 you can't buy a brand new 2002 530D with 3-5 years warranty for $35k.

[chriso89]

im on my second fg and anyone who says australian fords are no good needs to check em selves because that is a flat out lie, falcons might not be able to OUT SELL the commondoor but they are light years ahead of it quality and performance wise.

i will have falcons until either i die or it dies but i hope the name plate outlives me.

[TC200six]

But aren't FG Falcons terrible cars? This forum made me think so