2007 Ford Fairlane Reviews

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the used 1997 - 2007 Ford Fairline and LTD.

The Ford Fairlane and LTD are luxurious long-wheelbase versions of the Falcon that provide stretch out legroom in the back. They offer excellent value for money for those wanting to transport four adults, or perhaps two adults and a pair of hulking teenagers.They are better suited to four occupants than five because the centre-rear seat’s foot-space is compromised by the transmission tunnel. As all the extra wheelbase has gone into the rear passenger area the boot space is about the same as that of the Falcon. The boot is large, but on the shallow side.Once upon a time Fairlane and LTD had completely different external styling to the Falcon so people didn’t realise where they came from. This lifted them in the prestige stakes and made them big sellers for many years.However, from the launch of the BA models in July 2003, the elongated Fords looked almost identical to Falcons. Potential buyers hated this and many switched to long-wheelbase Holdens instead. Buyers stayed away in droves and the big Aussie Fords tumbled from their position as kings of the market and were discontinued at the end of 2007.Quite a few were in stock as new cars well into 2008 and may be passed off as 2008 models, this isn’t accurate as it’s the year of build that dictates a car’s age, not the date of first registration. Ride comfort is excellent and the big Fords come into their own on rough and ready Aussie country roads.These Aussie machines can show the big name European cars how to soak up harsh road surfaces with a minimum of fuss. Though they are very large cars the limo-like Fords are reasonably easy to drive. They can be out of place on inner city streets and in tight carparks so try that sort of area as part of your personal road test.Sixes and V8 engines are offered in both models with the V8 being the more common in the LTD and the six in the Fairlane. The six-cylinder powerplant is often the better choice unless you are a revhead as it has been significantly upgraded over the years and doesn’t lag all that far behind the V8. Expect a six-cylinder Fairlane or LTD to use about 10 to 15 percent less petrol in the six than a V8.Many drivers just love the lazy, easy-going travel only a V8 provides. The big V8 engine scores in its heavy towing ability, though the six isn't as far behind as you might expect. Engine capacity on the six-cylinder is 4.0 litres, with the engine being revised many times over the years. The V8 had a capacity of 5.0 litres until the launch of the BA series in 2003, when an all-new design went up to 5.4 litres.The newer engine is far superior to its predecessor, in performance, economy and emission levels. A four-speed automatic transmission was used in Fairlanes and LTDs until the BF facelift of 2005 introduced a six-speed unit. The latter is a far better design and combines good off-the-line acceleration with a lazy, mile-eating high-ratio sixth gear.Fuel consumption is markedly lower with the six-speed unit on country trips and on motorways. Many LTDs began their lives as government, fleet or hire cars and will have generally led an easy life in their early years, having been serviced by the book and cared for by professional drivers who took pride in driving them.On the other hand quite a few Fairlanes will have been taxis in their earlier years so may have done a lot of work. The big Fords are relatively easy for an amateur mechanic to work on, though some of the luxury extras are complex so will require a professional operator. Spare parts are very reasonable in price and there are dealers in virtually all areas of Australia, no matter how remote.Insurance costs are low, very low if you compare the local Ford long-wheelbase limos with the upmarket stretched variants from the German marques. We have seen some Fairlanes dressed up to look like LTDs, particularly in the older models, and carrying LTD price tags. If you are in doubt get in touch with your Ford dealer and quote the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) for a confirmation.WHAT TO LOOK FOREarlier Fairlanes and LTDs weren't as well-built as they should have been. Check for parts that don't fit correctly, or rattle and squeak on bumpy roads. Later cars are better, but can still have had a hard life. Don’t forget to check the rear seat area as carefully as you do the front. These cars generally get a fair bit of use back there. All the more so if a Fairlane or LTD has been a taxi at one stage in its career.Check the body for signs of rust, these days this is only likely to be present if previous crash damage repair hasn’t been done correctly. Engines should start within a couple of seconds even when cold and should have a smooth idle straight away.Look for smoke from the exhaust, this will be at its most obvious when the accelerator is floored quickly, and feel for any hesitation under acceleration. Make sure the automatic transmission isn't hesitant about going into gear from Park or Neutral and doesn't make unnecessary changes.Listen for a whine from the differential at moderate urban speeds and when cruising at about 100 km/h to 120 km/h on the open road. It’s usually most obvious when you lift gently on and off the throttle a few timesCAR BUYING TIPBig cars are dirt cheap these days due to their high fuel consumption, but often the low purchase will more than compensate for the extra fuel you need to buy. 

Back then small cars were cheap and cheerful and bought by people who couldn't afford a bigger one, families drove four-door sedans, people-movers were called station wagons, four-wheel drives were rarely seen in town and luxury cars were measured by the metre.In that environment there was nothing bigger nor better than a Fairlane, and the ZB was king.Ford had the big-car market sewn up in the '60s; Holden was just moving into the large luxury-car business with the Brougham before they later moved to the more successful HQ-based Statesman and Caprice in the early 1970s, the first real competitor the Fairlane had.The Europeans in the form of Mercedes-Benz and BMW that would have such a profound effect in redefining luxury cars in the 1980s and '90s were yet to arrive, and Toyota was too concerned about building budget Corollas to think of entering the luxury business with the Lexus.As the son of a self-employed panel beater who believed British cars were under-powered and there was nothing like the easy driving smoothness of American cars with their big, lazy engines, I grew up in the 1950s with V8 Fords, six-cylinder Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles and the occasional straight-eight Buick.I was being subconsciously conditioned to believe big was better and American companies built better cars. I was being conditioned to love the Fairlane.I bought my ZB secondhand in 1975. It had been owned from new by a dairy company in Melbourne and had been driven for its 105,000 miles by one of the company's executives.Company bosses drove Fairlanes in those days, or at least were driven in them. The ZB was a 1968 facelift of the ZA introduced in 1967, first of the new generation of Australian-built Fairlanes based on the Falcon.Ford had done a great job in separating the Fairlane from the Falcon. It was clearly different in stature and, importantly, looks.Much of the Fairlane forward of the windscreen was the same as the Falcon of the day, but with dual headlights and a distinctive grille there was no mistaking it.It was even more distinctive as it went away, its longer wheelbase and longer tail flanked by elegant vertical tail lights.The extra five inches in wheelbase length on the regular Falcon was turned into spacious accommodation for rear-seat passengers and its extended tail became an enormous boot.It may have been a close cousin of the Falcon, but everyone just knew a Fairlane was much more. You could, if you wanted to, buy a Fairlane with a six-cylinder engine, but quite why you would have is beyond me.Mine was a range-topping Fairlane 500 with the 302cu in (4.9-litre) V8 linked to a three-speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission and driving through the rear wheels like the most cars in 1968.The V8 produced a modest 156kW, but it was enough to make sure progress was effortless.The Fairlane's ride was smooth and supple, but the comfort came at the expense of handling.Though it was predictable and reassuring, the power-assisted steering was vague and it wallowed in the American style when you tried to push it hard through corners, but the Fairlane was not about rushing down winding roads at breathtaking speed. It was more about cruising long distances in comfort.Inside, the Fairlane 500 came with everything on the Ford options list. The front seats were individual and could be reclined — not the bench seat the six-cylinder model had — and had extra foam padding for greater comfort and support.Sound deadening was widely used to quieten the interior, the floor was covered in deep pile “wall-to-wall” carpet, the dash was elegantly panelled in “walnut” wood grain, there was an electric clock, reading lamps in the rear, indirect floor lighting and even the comfort and safety of a two-speed heater-demister.Mine had one, but the push-button radio was one of the few options not included as standard equipment. Likewise you had to pay extra for a vinyl-covered roof, a laminated and tinted windscreen and white-wall radial-ply tyres.That may not sound so special today, when even the most basic of cars come with all of that, and more, but in 1968 the average car had none of these and the Fairlane was indeed special.I drove the ZB Fairlane for about two years before selling it, but I still have fond memories of it. I remember the comfortable seating, the roominess, but more than anything else, I remember the smoothness.Fairlanes still hold a special place in my motoring heart, at least the old ones do.Inside View  1967 ZA Fairlane  Price: Fairlane $3080, Fairlane 500 V8 $3885Engine: 200cu in “Super Pursuit” six-cylinder 3.3-litres; 500: Mustang 289 V8 4.7-litresPower: 90kW at 4400 revs; 500: V8 149kW at 4400 revsTorque: 258Nm at 2400 revs; 500: V8 382Nm at 2400 revsTransmission: Three-speed column shift gearbox; 500: V8 three-speed Cruisomatic automaticSales: 9000 in first 12 months. 2007 BF Fairlane/LTD  Price: $58,625 (4.0-litre Ghia), $65,405 (5.4-litre G8): $62,270 $75,525 (V8 LTD)Engine: Barra 190 4.0-litre six-cylinder, Barra 230 5.4-litre V8Power: Six-cylinder, 190kW at 5250 revs, V8, 230kW at 5350 revsTorque: Six-cylinder, 383Nm at 2500 revs, V8, 500Nm at 3500 revsTranmission: ZF six-speed automaticSales: 2006 — 1105 (Fairlane), 53 (LTD). 576 (Fairlane). YTD 2007 — 576 (Fairlane) 9 (LTD)  Best Years  1972 Fairlane 9667 sales1974 LTD 2543 sales1974 Fairlane/LTD combined 12,123 sales  Related stories:  Ford Farewells Fairlane and LTDNew Dawn for Fairlane