Ford's power path to 2010

Ford will brief the press about the new Falcon this Wednesday (February 6). The information we learn will thereafter be subject to embargo until the car's unveiling on February 17. That gives us two days to tell you everything we know about Project Orion... Following is Joe Kenwright's report on the state of play for the new car's powertrains.

Ford's big engineering reveal for the coming Orion Falcon is this Wednesday, but there are already signs of what is coming. You only have to look at rival activity to see what Ford must deliver if its newest Falcon is to hold the line between now and when Ford's new imported V6 and V8 engines arrive in 2010.

Mazda's new CX-9 SUV (more here) has only just arrived with a smaller variation of the engine that Ford Australia will fit from 2010 to the local Falcon and Territory. It provides a clue as to where the local inline six needs to be if it is going to keep the Falcon and Territory competitive -- and to make the changeover seamless.

Because the CX-9 engine in 3.7-litre guise is already producing 204kW/366Nm, this requires that peak power for the interim base Falcon 4.0-litre engine will need to climb to at least 205kW -- but closer to 210kW would be better.

It's likely that the Orion Falcon series will boast higher crash safety levels, extra safety features and an almost certain weight increase. Therefore, Ford can't leave the gate open for the smaller and lighter 200kW Toyota Aurion, which is only at the start of its model life. A tidy torque figure of 400Nm would finish off the new Falcon's equation nicely, with Toyota struggling to lift the Aurion's current 336Nm to such heady levels.

Without a big lift in automatic transmission technology, such increases would be wasted, especially when the market is expecting fuel economy boosts as well. The base four-speed auto's days have been numbered, ever since Ford introduced its premium six-speed auto option from ZF in Europe.

Ford Australia now has a number of cheaper automatic options. Following the restructure of the old Borg Warner transmission plant in Albury, into Drivetrain Systems International, Australia, Ford has the choice of five, six and seven-speed automatic transmissions on its doorstep. The new DSI six speed-automatic is even built in the same casing as the current four-speed, so any upgrade should be easily accomplished.

As other sources have suggested, there are also alternatives from the USA. Either way, expect a new five or six-speed transmission as the new base auto. This is big news for the Falcon ute buyer, who has been restricted to a four-speed auto, even at XR level with the standard engine.

The next XR6 Turbo engine will revive the excitement of the original BA version when it first arrived. As FPV's F6 version demonstrated, the boost from the XR6 Turbo's 245kW to 270kW barely worked up a sweat with this powerhouse of an engine -- thus expect at least 260kW and 500Nm from the new variant.

Because FPV's new F6X has been boosted to 270kW with no hardware changes over the Territory Turbo, this might be underestimating what Ford has up its sleeve. Persistent rumours that FPV's F6 version will be boosted to 300kW to position it over the next XR8, suggests that the XR6 Turbo might be in line for FPV's original 270kW version. 

Either way, expect class-leading performance ready to knock-off Holden's existing 270kW SS V8 -- and then fill the gap if the SS/SS V gets its expected performance boost later this year.

That leaves the XR8, which is almost certain to receive a variation of the BOSS 290 as fitted to previous FPV models. Whether this engine maintains the higher compression of the FPV engine or is a combination of the current BOSS 260 with BOSS 302 upgrades is not yet known. Whichever the case, just matching the 270kW of Holden's current V8 won't be enough.

There is one more wildcard in the next Falcon's deck. As Holden openly brags about the unprecedented take-up of its premium Calais V and Caprice models and HSV is posting record sales of its Senator and Grange, Ford seems carelessly exposed in this market without any direct rivals after dropping the Fairlane and removing the V8 option from the Fairmont Ghia.

For several years, there have been ongoing rumours of a Ghia Turbo, something that could never happen in the current range when the standard body didn't allow enough cooling intake area for the hotter engine. The same applied to a BOSS-engined Ghia.

In combination with signs that Ford might drop some current model level badges and add new ones (as Holden did in 2006), the big question is whether Ford will introduce new top-shelf luxury versions based on its new XR6 Turbo and XR8 powertrains to match the Calais V with its choice of premium SV6 and SS engine options.

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