1000km Road Test - Ford Falcon BA XR6 Turbo

The Ford BA Falcon XR6 Turbo won the "Best Sports Car under $57,000" title in the 2002 Australia's Best Cars awards. Think that's a bit strange? Drive it and you'll understand. Find out more...

Value for money

Pricing

The XR6 Turbo costs $43,965 for the five-speed manual or $44,885 for the four-speed automatic.

Warranty

Three years/100,000 km, which is average.

Standard features

Standard equipment includes airconditioning, ABS brakes, two front airbags, a four-way power adjustable driver's seat, power windows, CD player and a leather-wrapped wheel.

Retained value

57 per cent after three years for the previous model XR6, which is slightly below its main rival, the Holden Commodore SS at 61 per cent.

Design and function

Ergonomics

The realignment of the driver's seat and steering wheel, moving the gear lever closer to the left hand, and introducing a compact, cockpit style dash layout are measures which make driving the BA Falcon easier and more efficient than its predecessors.

It's particularly important in a performance variant, where the driver is busier than usual. In the XR you're completely at ease at the wheel.

Power adjustable pedals cost an extra $350, and will be useful for short drivers who would otherwise have to sit quite close to the wheel.

Useful touches include plenty of oddment storage, great headlights, blue instrument lighting which is clear and easy on the eyes at night, simple air and audio controls and good sound.

The central information display screen is clearly legible, except when you're wearing polarised sunglasses. Audio and cruise controls are duplicated on the wheel.

The fake metal instrument bezels have gratuitous increments, which confuse the issue when you look at the speedo.

Innovation

The BA Falcon is a case of bringing the badge up to current engineering and technology standards, rather than setting new ones. However the 4.0 litre turbocharged engine raises the bar for performance and refinement in terms of Australian designed powerplants.

Safety

The BA has not yet been independently crash tested, but expect at least three stars out of five, the score achieved by the AU Falcon. Side airbags are a $500 option.

Security

The XR6 Turbo has only base model XT security levels, with an engine immobiliser and remote central locking. Given that it is likely to be highly attractive to thieves, an alarm would be a good idea, but no factory alarm is offered on the options list.

Comfort

The driver's seat is more heavily bolstered and supportive than the standard item, and has manual backrest and lumbar adjustments. It's very comfortable, with sufficient leg room for anyone.

Space and practicality

The back seat, contoured for two, is also good for a long ride. Like the base model, though, there's above average road noise, tight access and head room to 185 cm.

The boot is long and wide, with a 60/40 split-folding rear seat back to extend capacity. The floor is not flat, due to a depression in the spare wheel well, where you will find a full size spare on a steel wheel.

Build and finish quality

Still patchy. The BA is quite solid, but interior fit and finish, at least on the test cars I've driven, has been inconsistent.

On the road

Fuel efficiency

This depends upon how lead-footed you are. A turbo can have a ferocious thirst if you push the pedal hard and often, but the XR6 is so powerful and responsive that this is unnecessary. On the highway, expect about 10 litres/100 km; around town, 14 -17 litres/100 km. Premium unleaded is recommended.

Performance

Sensational. However the XR's great attraction is that it is also sufficiently refined and comfortable to drive from Sydney to another state. It's docile and tractable in traffic as well.

The 4.0 litre, 182 kW base Falcon engine, which now runs four valves per cylinder plus variable inlet and exhaust camshaft timing, gains an extra 58 kW from a Garrett GT40 turbocharger, raising peak power to 240 kW, 5 kW more than the Commodore's 5.7 litre V8.

Given the Falcon engine's large capacity, boost pressure is kept low at 6 psi to ensure it doesn't go bang at high revs. Low boost also minimises turbo lag and provides a strong surge of bottom end and midrange torque. It certainly works: peak torque of 450 Nm is produced from 2000-4500 rpm.

Nothing quite shoves you back in the seat like a turbo on full boost. The Falcon six delivers stunning performance from 2300 rpm to 5900, at which point the rev limiter very suddenly shuts things down to prevent damage.

However from idle to redline the Falcon engine also strikes the right balance between responsiveness and controllability. Use the accelerator gently and it provides flexible, smooth, effortless performance. It's much stronger than the Commodore's V8 below 4000 rpm.

At 100 km/h the auto has it ticking over at 2100 rpm, 300 rpm more than the naturally aspirated 4.0 litre. This engine speed gets the turbo on boost immediately, with no discernible lag.

The automatic has shift-it-yourself sequential operation, sports mode if you flick the lever to the left and leave it there, plus adaptive programming in Drive.

You would pick the auto every time. The test car was fitted with the five-speed manual gearbox, which in action was slow, vague and heavy, as was the clutch. On several occasions it baulked at the 4-3 shift.

There's no difference in performance. In all but expert hands on a racetrack, the automatic is quicker.

Ride

Ride quality is firm, though well short of harsh and sufficiently compliant to live with day to day.

Handling and steering

The XR6 Turbo employs the same fully independent double wishbone front/trailing arm rear suspension layout as the family Falcon, but with a greater handling bias.

A lower ride height, Tickford tuned stiffer springs and anti roll bars, heavier damping, plus 235/45 Dunlops on 17-inch alloy wheels are featured, as is traction control and a limited slip differential.

The XR's lower ride height, low profile tyres and greater control over body movement are more compatible with the razor sharp Falcon steering than the standard XT suspension/tyre setup.

It drops the car's centre of gravity and reduces rear end weight transfer, which makes the XR better balanced and less twitchy than the base model when turning into corners.

The XR is a confident, athletic handler, with agility that belies its 1700 kg. Understeer - usually the bane of big, heavy sedans - is minimal, as is body roll. The Dunlops provide strong grip and add significantly to the XR6's responsive, precise road feel.

Braking

The test car was fitted with optional premium brakes from Tickford. They are worth the money, even at a hefty $2,950. A car of this size, weight and punch needs every bit of stopping power it can get. Feel at the pedal, progression, fade resistance and outright performance are excellent.

Smoothness and quietness

The turbocharged 4.0 litre six is as refined as some premium European engines. Overall, smoothness and quietness have been greatly improved over previous Falcons, though road noise in the back seat is a bit intrusive.

Summary

The Falcon XR6 Turbo is unique among locally built sedans in that it offers civility, comfort and high performance. It's also a bargain, given that this combination is usually only available with a six-figure pricetag and a European badge.

Test by Bill McKinnon, November 2002.

The writer of this report does not necessarily represent the views of the NRMA and this report is provided for you as an alternative to our own NRMA Road Test reports.

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