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Old 07-05-2013, 07:02 AM   #31
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

the guy who picked me up flys to destinations all over the world for his job. he is no stranger to overseas rentals.

i only saw him for a few hours and he was RAVING about this car. very unusual for him to do that as he is an 'A to B'....type of driver.

not an enthusiast.
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Old 07-05-2013, 07:13 AM   #32
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

Glad to hear it, every time I sit in our G6E Turbo, I cant help but smile. It has the odd thing here and there that bugs me ( certain features of the ZF annoy me ) but all in all its an awesome car. Well done to ford I say
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Old 07-05-2013, 08:03 AM   #33
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

Quote:
Originally Posted by getjpi View Post
'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.

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Old 07-05-2013, 08:10 AM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gothefalcon View Post
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
You haven't even looked at servicing costs yet! You can blow a motor in an gf find a stock one with low k's, for less then a 1000 bucks cash. Get it fitted lets say 2000 max! Try doing that on your oil burner!
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Old 07-05-2013, 09:26 AM   #35
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

I do give the more recent 530i a thumbs up for precise steering ... I got to drive the last model recently ... and it is pretty pinpoint accurate precise ... but the FG wasn't far behind in accuracy when compared to it.
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Old 07-05-2013, 09:36 AM   #36
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

only took 11 posts for the negativity to start
Quote:
Originally Posted by getjpi View Post
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.
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Old 07-05-2013, 09:58 AM   #37
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

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.
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Old 07-05-2013, 10:03 AM   #38
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

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
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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.
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Old 07-05-2013, 11:53 AM   #39
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

to add to this.
i test drove a new territory the other day as well as a new ranger xl twin cab and my oldies bought a new rav 4.
going from my RTV thats got over 290 000 on the clock now te territory was fantastic.the auto is light years ahead of the old 4 speed and interior noise was non existent.it was kind off eerie how quiet it was lol.a manual would have been nice but its not an option.
the ranger was a manual and to be honest, it was damn good to drive.heaps of go from the 3.2 and heaps of room.the 50k price tags what has stopped me from trying to drive it home.(bull bar,wheels,tow bar etc etc)
if i didnt live where i did and need the extra clearance,i would be looking for the 34g manual xr6 for sure,even though ive never driven an fg.ive owned falcons from xa to ba and none have ever disapointed me, they just get better and better.
at the moment,im looking at the territory,38g driveaway is a pretty good deal,or 40g by the time it gets a tow bar,nudge bar etc.
i really want to try a manual kuga but i doubt they will have them where i live by the time i need to have a new car in the driveway lol.
so, pending finance, ill be parking a territory in my driveway

as for the oldies rav,its a manual version and i cant really fault it .back seat has as much room as the terry and seats seem pretty comfortable.goes pretty good.only thing i hate is the front windscrean slant.glad its the oldies and not mine but lol.
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Old 07-05-2013, 01:56 PM   #40
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

I personally feel the XR6 / XR6 Turbo is a Sweet spot for the falcon range.. Nice interior for the price, solid performance (Brilliant in the turbo), the car it self is a solid reliable car. and for most people it will be all the car a person would need.

I have been negative of the Falcon in the past myself, but the handling is great for the price and size of the car. I am only generally negative about the falcon in the higher spec models. G6E/T and The FPV range for missing Luxury and Tech, but the XT / G6 / XR Range is great for the propose and price.

Yes, the Falcon, doesn't sell as much as it once did (neither does the commodore), but i think its more about the market itself moving on, not moving on from the falcon in particular, but the Large car market itself.

The Large car market is now a niche in the market now as such and is probably looking at more of a luxury vehicle then anything (in the upper models).. i think this is how Holden have seen the market heading as well as they are starting to try to go up market with the VF (but again they would need to change the view of the car before that will be a success)

Plus there is a lot of options in the market now and you can get great little cars that are packed full of features which is what a lot of the market want and need.. then people with families are looking at SUV over large sedan due to the superior packaging of the SUV.

Falcon is a great car... its just not what the market wants any more... there is just too many options out there now.
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Old 07-05-2013, 08:10 PM   #41
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Auslandau View Post
Its not just about bieng critical, its how and when you go about it. To bring out a car that you drove 10 years ago based on memory is a hard comparison.
I put the over 80000km on the E39 between 2006 and 2011, in all weather conditions , sustained motorway driving at 130+kph for hours at a time, to winding round the narrow lanes of Devon and the boreens of Ireland. So the comparison was wholly contemporaneous when I drove 2000km around rural Vic in a nearly new XR6 back in 2009.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Auslandau View Post
This is (one of a few) good news threads and only takes someone to throw it out of wack. Plenty of other threads to do that in.

Shame you didnt buy the Terry. Great car, 1000's apon 1000's sold, as of today I now have 2 with the older one hitting 100,000 without any real issues.
I'll have an SZ in a few years when they drop down in to budgetary range. Nice drive, and solid on the road.

Didn't feel brave enough to take a chance on a SX when I needed a bullet proof motor, can't afford to drop 4 figures to fix the big ticket potential problems.

Quote:
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In threads like this, bring something to the table that is a direct comparison but in a way that wont derail what is a good topic. It is 1 persons view saying they are happy with the FG ...... and does not need to be slapped down saying they are rubbish
You must agree that I never said they are rubbish, I recounted similar driving experiences that others have documented here. You really don't want to know my thoughts on the 100 year old beam axle and leaf spring tech in the back of the Fairmont

Quote:
Originally Posted by Auslandau View Post
Actually, drive a Falcon EcoBoost and see how frugal and agile they are. Really you need to keep up with the times
From a running cost perspective I would take an EcoLPI G6E over the Ecoboost TBH, but the spare tyre thing is a deal breaker.
That said, a less than 12 month old G6E EB for under 30k at present is a lot of motor for the money. The hatchback option referenced elsewhere is an interesting what-if.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Auslandau View Post
PS: The perception might be they use too much fuel ...... the reality is very very different today!
We haven't had a real recession here yet, the inevitable response by Canberra to that will be European levels of fuel taxation to raise revenue.
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Old 07-05-2013, 09:11 PM   #42
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

I think my FG is great. Economy is around 10.5-11L city driving. Still better than what my WRX gave me.

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Old 07-05-2013, 11:26 PM   #43
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

Quote:
Originally Posted by getjpi View Post
I put the over 80000km on the E39 between 2006 and 2011, in all weather conditions , sustained motorway driving at 130+kph for hours at a time, to winding round the narrow lanes of Devon and the boreens of Ireland. So the comparison was wholly contemporaneous when I drove 2000km around rural Vic in a nearly new XR6 back in 2009.
"Contemporaneous" Impressive word !!! Much more impressive than your previous & somewhat phantasmagorical juxtaposition of the 2002 530D & FG XR6
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Old 08-05-2013, 08:31 AM   #44
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

Quote:
Originally Posted by getjpi View Post
I put the over 80000km on the E39 between 2006 and 2011, in all weather conditions , sustained motorway driving at 130+kph for hours at a time, to winding round the narrow lanes of Devon and the boreens of Ireland. So the comparison was wholly contemporaneous when I drove 2000km around rural Vic in a nearly new XR6 back in 2009.
80,000km in only 5 years?
So you drove it to drop the kids off to school and once a week shopping?
My wife does more than that and she just drives to work and back in her Hyundai Getz.

There is a reason why we have 100,000 to 200,000km warranties on new cars here.

And you think that 2000km around rural Victoria is representative of Australia?

That is a hop from Sydney to Melbourne or Brisbane and back or Brisbane to Cairns one way or half a one way trip from Brisbane to Darwin or Melbourne to Perth.

All sorts of weather?
40++ degrees for weeks on end only interrupted by an hour of 10 degrees with 2 inches of rain and hail?

Australia is not England, we have cattle stations that are larger and the vast majority of our roads are rough with rather long distances between civilisation so our cars need to be a lot tougher and more resilient than those of other parts of the world.

You need to get out more.......
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Old 08-05-2013, 10:04 AM   #45
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

To me, THE issue is how far to the nearest spare parts/dealer unless I never got out of Vic.
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Old 08-05-2013, 03:42 PM   #46
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

Probably getting WAY off topic here and because of this my apologies to the OP.

gtejpi, could you please clarify the following statements?

"Didn't feel brave enough to take a chance on a SX when I needed a bullet proof motor, can't afford to drop 4 figures to fix the big ticket potential problems."

While the motor in the SX is certainly not 'bullet proof' (what motor is bullet proof) I wouldn't say that is not reliable. These motors are in taxis and are good for at least 500,000ks. Only asking for clarification as this motor is in the FG.

The other statement was -

"You really don't want to know my thoughts on the 100 year old beam axle and leaf spring tech in the back of the Fairmont"

What leaf spring tech in the Fairmont? The are no leaf springs in the FG sedan and there is no Fairmont model either.

While I can't predict what you are going to say about the second comment, I can certainly have a guess what you are going to say. You are going to talk about older model Fairmonts having leaf springs - would that be correct? This thread is not about older model Falcon Fairmonts etc, it is about your first experience of the FG.

As for your original post about the Falcon being on it's third tank of Fuel travelling 1100ks while on motorway driving - you are wrong. Whenever I drive up/down the highway (the equivalent of a motorway) I get around 700 - 780 ks out of a tank of fuel depending on how I drive. Yes, the car is normally loaded with the wife and two rather large (I mean tall and well built) teenage children and all of our luggage. My old man drive like a, well, an old man, and he was boasting that he got 840k out of a tank of fuel in his BFII Ghia. Based on the above, the Falcon would be half way through its second tank of fuel, not on it's third. Also diesel is generally dearer here in Australia so that would mean that it would cost you more to fill up that tank in the first place further eroding the cost difference.

I'm am certainly not having a go at you - just some clarification.
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Old 08-05-2013, 03:45 PM   #47
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

Quote:
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You must agree that I never said they are rubbish, I recounted similar driving experiences that others have documented here. You really don't want to know my thoughts on the 100 year old beam axle and leaf spring tech in the back of the Fairmont
Did you just imply that FG Falcons are live axle with leaf springs?
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Old 08-05-2013, 05:07 PM   #48
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

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Did you just imply that FG Falcons are live axle with leaf springs?
He mentioned a Fairmont wagon before, So I'd say he's got an AU or earlier. Think Fairmont wagon stopped at AU, don't think there was one made when BA came in
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Old 08-05-2013, 05:55 PM   #49
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

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

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There is a Fairmont wagon parked in the drive
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Old 08-05-2013, 06:14 PM   #50
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

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.
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Old 08-05-2013, 06:17 PM   #51
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

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80,000km in only 5 years?
So you drove it to drop the kids off to school and once a week shopping?
My wife does more than that and she just drives to work and back in her Hyundai Getz.

There is a reason why we have 100,000 to 200,000km warranties on new cars here.

And you think that 2000km around rural Victoria is representative of Australia?

That is a hop from Sydney to Melbourne or Brisbane and back or Brisbane to Cairns one way or half a one way trip from Brisbane to Darwin or Melbourne to Perth.

All sorts of weather?
40++ degrees for weeks on end only interrupted by an hour of 10 degrees with 2 inches of rain and hail?

Australia is not England, we have cattle stations that are larger and the vast majority of our roads are rough with rather long distances between civilisation so our cars need to be a lot tougher and more resilient than those of other parts of the world.

You need to get out more.......
Indeed, let us test this bold set of assertions..

From the 2012 ABS survey of motor vehicle use
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/9208.0

"Motor vehicles registered in Australia travelled an average of 14,000 kilometres per vehicle in 2012"

Yes, clearly one of the most urbanised societies on the planet, spends most of those KM on trips to cattle stations 1500km from the wrong side of the back of Bourke... or maybe not...
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Old 08-05-2013, 06:27 PM   #52
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

Did you know that 87% of statistics are made up on the spot? Or is that 78%?

You need to ask yourself what sort of passenger vehicles are doing the low kilometres and which passenger vehicles are doing the high kilometres to get the average of 14,0000k a year. For example are the small city runabouts doing 8,000ks per years and the larger cars which are much more common in the country area doing 25,000ks a year?

I admit, I do not know. But from that link neither do you.

From that link -

COMPARISONS WITH PREVIOUS SURVEY RESULTS

Care should be taken when comparing data over time as movements may be subject to high sampling error. As a result the movements may not be statistically significant. See Explanatory Notes paragraph 14.
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Old 08-05-2013, 06:32 PM   #53
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

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Probably getting WAY off topic here and because of this my apologies to the OP.

gtejpi, could you please clarify the following statements?

"Didn't feel brave enough to take a chance on a SX when I needed a bullet proof motor, can't afford to drop 4 figures to fix the big ticket potential problems."

While the motor in the SX is certainly not 'bullet proof' (what motor is bullet proof) I wouldn't say that is not reliable. These motors are in taxis and are good for at least 500,000ks. Only asking for clarification as this motor is in the FG.
I do apologise, two countries separated by a common tongue and all that.

May I refer you to here

http://septicscompanion.com/showletter.php?letter=mot

and the context of the term used above by yours truly will become clear.


Quote:
Originally Posted by PG2 View Post
As for your original post about the Falcon being on it's third tank of Fuel travelling 1100ks while on motorway driving - you are wrong. Whenever I drive up/down the highway (the equivalent of a motorway) I get around 700 - 780 ks out of a tank of fuel depending on how I drive. Yes, the car is normally loaded with the wife and two rather large (I mean tall and well built) teenage children and all of our luggage. My old man drive like a, well, an old man, and he was boasting that he got 840k out of a tank of fuel in his BFII Ghia. Based on the above, the Falcon would be half way through its second tank of fuel, not on it's third. Also diesel is generally dearer here in Australia so that would mean that it would cost you more to fill up that tank in the first place further eroding the cost difference.

I'm am certainly not having a go at you - just some clarification.
No offence taken ,
All I can do is recount my experience driving an XR6, when I spent a week riving an almost new car around Victoria in 2009, I was getting roughly 500km to the tank before the light came on and I did not drive with a lead welly, having had more than enough forewarning regarding the alleged illegitimate parentage of the local constabulary, discretion is the better part of valour...
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Old 08-05-2013, 06:48 PM   #54
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

Quote:
Originally Posted by getjpi View Post
I do apologise, two countries separated by a common tongue and all that.

May I refer you to here

http://septicscompanion.com/showletter.php?letter=mot

and the context of the term used above by yours truly will become clear.




No offence taken ,
All I can do is recount my experience driving an XR6, when I spent a week riving an almost new car around Victoria in 2009, I was getting roughly 500km to the tank before the light came on and I did not drive with a lead welly, having had more than enough forewarning regarding the alleged illegitimate parentage of the local constabulary, discretion is the better part of valour...
Thanks 'mate' now I get it. I even had to read your reply a number of times before I got it!!!!

Was that the five speed XR6 or the six speed XR6 that you were driving? There is a bit of a difference in the driving experience between the two cars simply as a result of the transmissions.
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Old 08-05-2013, 06:57 PM   #55
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Well i think the fg is a fantastic vehicle, when my uncle first got the fg xr6 back in 09 i couldnt believe how much better it drove in comparison to all the b series falcon in the family, and his fuel economy is amazing as well and i cannot wait until my new one turns up in 4 weeks.
As for comparing a 5 series to a falcon, i think its a little unfair considering the price difference, i think ford did a fantastic job with the fg with the resources and money they put in.
The reason for leafs in your wagon is because there better to carry a load in hence why most utes have them
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Old 08-05-2013, 07:21 PM   #56
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PG2 View Post
Thanks 'mate' now I get it. I even had to read your reply a number of times before I got it!!!!

Was that the five speed XR6 or the six speed XR6 that you were driving? There is a bit of a difference in the driving experience between the two cars simply as a result of the transmissions.
No worries geeza

It had an auto box , dunno if it was 5 or 6 speed auto,
I didnt look that closely.
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Old 08-05-2013, 11:30 PM   #57
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

after being in au's, ba's and bf's at work (as well as vx-ve + camry's avalons and aurions) I found it disappointing the first time I jumped In the fg my knee still got jammed under the steering wheel getting in (yes I am tall 6ft5) and has been the same since the ba, can have seat all the way back and steering wheel all the way up and still dosnt solve it,

other than that id have an fg or a ve commodore any day - both are nice cars, my last private car was a VZ commodore, for 5 years it was brilliant, currently have a new model bt-50 and looking at getting rid of it.... rather dissapointed
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Old 09-05-2013, 12:14 AM   #58
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

I picked up a brand spanking 2012 FG2 Turbo for 38k drive away price in October last year, for the $ nothing in Aus could compare as a package that would tow, haul the family and be fun for me when the bubs are at home with mum
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Old 09-05-2013, 02:03 AM   #59
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

all I can say is I hope no one who lives in AUS listens to the afore mentioned clown about advice on purchasing a new car. They may end up with no car....seeing as every car made has had some technical problems and or faults......or end up with a ten year old euro which will cost him the sum of the fuel he saves, on his serviceing and repair bills. And that's a fact you can take to the bank in AUS.
Oh and people who buy FG xr6s don't tend to cross shop on SLOW diesel 120kplus cars...OK

And if you drive a car more then a few klms and don't know how many gears a car has got.....then im sorry......you are not entitled to offer any oppinions on cars.
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Old 09-05-2013, 04:16 PM   #60
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Default Re: first experience of an FG.

I drove a Ford Mondeo in England for a couple of weeks in 2000 after driving an awful Citroen Picasso, and thought the Mondeo was absolutely fantastic, especially on the motorways. Even better than my FG XR50.

Quote:
Originally Posted by getjpi
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.
So if you didnt know how many gears it had, I can safely assume you also didnt know how to fully adjust the steering column or seat properly either. Also if it was a rental, or even a privately owned car where you didnt know its history, you dont really know what the condition of it was like, especially the wheel alignment.

But back to topic, my first experience driving an FG was that it was a revelation compared to the BA Ghia that I had.
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