Falcon chases fuel figures

The carmaker is working flat-out to boost Falcon sales and bridge the gap to the top-selling Holden Commodore.

Under-bonnet tweaking is boosting economy and efficiency of the basic Falcon six to match the pace set by the Toyota Aurion, but the work does not stop there.

The latest tweaked Territory, despite very minor body changes, also picks up a major economy boost.

The improvement to the Falcon looks minor — just 0.2L/100km improvement — but that is enough to give the family Ford equal top billing with the Aurion in the large car class.

Ford says a base-model Falcon XT fitted with the optional six-speed ZF automatic now uses 9.9L/100km, a figure that is a full 0.7 better than a Commodore Omega fitted with the four-speed auto.

But there is a catch, as ticking the ZF box will cost an extra $2000 and takes the XT's price up to $40,290 against $39,290 for a base Omega. The six-speed automatic can also be selected on the G6, G6E and XR6 models.

The latest changes to the Falcon come as the Broadmeadows battler was outsold 3544-1990 by the Commodore last month, despite the obvious edge from the six-speed self-shifter.

"The fuel economy program is ongoing. We've improved the efficiency more than 13 per cent since the BA (Falcon)," says Ford's product communications manager, Justin Lacy.

"Our share in the (large car) segment has actually increased over the past year. Obviously, volume is off, but as a percentage we're up.”

The economy effort is a big one, with Ford's president Marin Burela claiming the Falcon now matches a four-cylinder car.

"Falcon XT continues to outclass its direct competitor on all the key performance measures, delivering 11 per cent more engine power and 20 per cent more torque, while at the same time using almost seven per cent less fuel," Burela says.

To achieve the improvements on the inline six, Ford has fitted a new catalytic converter, revised the engine calibration for improved cold-start performance and a improved the calibration of the six-speed transmission.

The ESP update on E-Gas models means they will be eligible for a five-star NCAP safety rating, although it has taken 14 months to get the necessary work done. Changes had to be made to calibration of the throttle control and spark retardation for E-gas-powered vehicles.

Lacy says having stability control will lift the appeal of E-Gas range.

"This gives fleets that require stability control the option of considering the Falcons in petrol or E-Gas versions, so it's another competitive advantage," he says.

The large-car refresh has also extended to the Territory with the SY Mark II boasting a five per cent improvement in fuel consumption on the five-seat TX and TS rear-wheel drive models. That drops their official consumption to 11.6L/100km, down from 12.2.

The upgrade, previewed at the Melbourne Motor Show last month, also brings more standard equipment, with the TX picking up side curtain airbags, cruise control, 17-inch alloy wheels and a colour-coded bumpers, door handles and mirrors, while the TS will also have a reverse parking camera, front fog lamps, leather-wrapped steering wheel, handbrake and gearshift, and a third row seat as standard.

Ghia models include an Alpine rear DVD system, side steps, rear privacy glass and 18-inch alloy wheels.