Ford Falcon XT 2007 Review

Road Test

Overall Rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 4.0/5.0
Safety: 2.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

You can't step out the front door without seeing Falcons in myriad guises -- sedans, wagons, utes, taxis… Even the odd hearse.

In the face of Holden's recently, extensively and expensively revamped Commodore, the Falcon's currently caught in the inevitable mid-life automotive crisis -- forced to compete with a younger rival and with a year or so left to run till a major facelift… Sounds like some ageing actors we know.

But just how well does the basic Falcon stack up? If, like us, the last Falcon you can remember being in was yellow, stacked with radios and meters and driven by someone who had terminal halitosis and little clue where he was going, then it's about time you reacquainted yourself with the real thing.

The Commodore may be fresher in looks, but under the skin the Falcon is thoroughly up to speed.

The base-line Ford has evolved through years of customer research and feedback, to represent what Aussie drivers want -- a cheap, roomy, big-engined family car. It must be capable of taking five adults and their luggage a long way at moderate speeds in a high degree of comfort. It must be capable of towing big loads, must be competent on both asphalt and unsealed roads and must be durable.

This is very accurately reflected in both the substance and the equipment fitted to the Falcon -- the driver (who more often than not spends a fair bit of time one-up) gets some pampering, but non-essentials have been deleted to contain cost. The big six-cylinder engine lazes along until provoked and noise-reduction and dust-sealing are exemplary.

Yet sadly, if there is one criticism this 'sensible' approach yields it is that it results in a car that has the faint feel of a cost-based 'stripper about it.'

A case in point in the XT is the absence of  rear-seat overhead grabrails -- which take with them the natty coat-hooks we've come to expect. In fact, only the front passenger seat gets a handle -- minus the hook.

While the interior styling is conservative without being bland, the fabric on the seats looks suspiciously like something Connex might have rejected for use on its trains as too boring.

And while the Falcon avoids the space-saver spare wheel furore by supplying a full-size fifth wheel, the car was obviously designed to have one of the much-maligned skinny spares and the boot's floor is no longer flat. Instead the awkwardly-shaped carpeting sporting the tell-tale bulges over the wheel.

In contrast to the rear seat -- which offers reasonable comfort, good legroom (but no fold-down central armrest or drinks holders, nor even electric windows) -- the Falcon's driver does get a fair selection of comforts. For a start, the base of the seat moves up and down electrically (the seat back and the fore-and-aft slide are adjusted manually). And the steering column is adjustable for reach and rake -- both through a meaningful range.

Controls include an automatic headlight switch and a basic consumption and range trip-computer -- both fitments demanded by customer feedback. Features are switchable traction control, a four-speed tip-shift-style auto, cavernous glovebox and a good array of storage options… Minus a roof-mounted glasses case -- perhaps Falcon drivers wear their sunnies at night too?

But it's details like the lack of a latch on the arm-rest storage bin that suggest that the accountants have had the final say over what goes in and what comes out of a new Falcon. At least the Customer Satisfaction people managed to salvage audio and cruise control buttons on the steering wheel, swivelling map lights and a very good, multi-adjustable sound system.

The lack of an ashtray and conversion of the cigarette lighter to a power socket for phone, lap-top or iPod is a common thread in modern cars and the Falcon follows suit. Yet the car is showing its age via the somewhat haphazard dash layout. The buttons for the boot release (there is no external access), fuel filler flap and the traction control are neatly obscured by the stalks for lights and wipers.

There's a tinted band across the top of the screen and a deep visual imperfection across the lower edge, well in the driver's vision. The Falcon gets wide and deep sun-visors -- vanity mirrors on both visors have covers, but no lights. The central dome light doesn't have a switch on it -- that's, inexplicably, on the dash too.

Finally, the remote central locking controls are not integrated into the bulky key --they're on a separate fob, which is irritating. Buttons for locking and unlocking and opening the boot are joined by a remote panic alarm button.

Safety-wise, it's the bare minimum -- a crashworthy shell, obligatory safety-belts for five, twin front SRS airbags and ABS brakes with brake-force distribution is about all you get.

On the road, the car is smooth, comfortable, quiet and refined. When provoked, it displayed a surprisingly supple but tenacious level of roadholding and the steering is both effortless and accurate -- ditto the brakes.

The four-litre six-cylinder engines delivers a languid 190kW and a useful 383Nm but the unsung hero of the piece is the adaptive four-speed auto gearbox, overlooked in the hype surrounding its six-speed cousin.

In reality, the four-speeder is more than adequate and well-matched to the engine; it has three modes (Sequential manual shift, Performance Auto and Adaptive) and learns your driving patterns and matches shift-points to your demands.

Consumption over an average 400km week, including city and country driving, was 11.5lt/100km -- not exceptional, given that the car seldom had more than two people on board, but we've driven four-cylinder cars that have done no better.

On a dirt road, the traction-control light blinks away insistently, but the Falcon doesn't insist that you slow to a crawl -- it moderates clumsy throttle and steering inputs fairly innocuously. Most mum and dad drivers may never be aware that they've reached -- and exceeded -- the levels of traction available.

Especially impressive was the way that the Falcon kept its bum clean -- after several quick kilometres with a fan-tail of dust billowing out behind, the rear window and all-important taillights were commendably clean and clear. This is in contrast to many vehicles supposedly designed for this kind of treatment -- including Holden's Captiva soft-roader.

Fast enough and more comfortable than your lounge, the basic Falcon would seem to be exactly what mainstream Australia needs. And if Ford 's research is accurate, it's also what mainstream Australia wants.

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