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Well guys the 2017 model Ford Falcon is just around the corner, ive got no reason to believe it wont happen, what will it look like and what will its specs be?
What MUST be included?
Im tipping a slightly smaller RWD platform with DiEB 2.0 4t, DiEB 3.5 TTv6 and Di Boss 5.0 engine options!
FPV to be Exclusively S/C Di Boss 5.0.
one of the main reasons large cars sold well and small cars weren't popular 20 years ago, is that small cars were very basic inside and large cars had many more appointments. these days, you don't have to step up to a large car to get those features. maybe its time ford held back a few things and made them exclusive to large cars. currently there is no real compelling reason to buy a large car over a small or mid car. they need to think of something to lure people back. something a small or mid car can't offer them. that has to be the key.
fuel economy is important but i don't think its as critical as the media make out, as suv/4wd are an increasing segment and many are dearer to own/run than falcon/commodore.
it will be interesting to see which way diesel tech goes in the global realm. bmw have some very good diesel options but makers like merc are on record saying small capacity turbo petrol engines could be a better way forward. bmw's diesels are very impressive though. fuel is priced on supply and demand and as demand for diesel grows, so will the price. apparently other capital cities have par pricing between petrol and diesel, but here in adelaide it can often be up to 20cpl dearer than petrol. that would negate a lot of the advantage. i'm a bit in 2 minds about diesel in falcon.
one thing on the inside that seems to bug a few people is the lack of auto up/down on all windows, so put that in the 'must' column. things like ipod, bluetooth, satnav etc all standard. being a large car, it has to promote that as thats something small cars can't offer. make semi reclineable rear seats (just thinking outside the square) etc.
there's a saying that goes like this. 'if you want to know what the average family car will have in 20 years, look at the current S class (merc)'. probably not as true now but it was once. they were feature packed.
one thing that has made cameo appearances on a few cars that i would like to see is 'heads up displays'! saves you having to take your eyes off the road to check your speed, esp given the regularity of cameras. 'seeing' headlights.
that will do for now. sorry for my post being a bit all over the place.:)
Ford can not withhold features on small cars in order to boost sales on large cars. All that would do is hand sales to other manufacturers in the small car markets. Such an idea would require all manufacturers to do the same thing, not going to happen.
I'm sorta hoping it drops a size class and replaces the Mondeo badge. 4cyl FWD for the fleets/Taxi, V6/V6t FWD/AWD premium cars and 5.0sc RWD solely for FPV.
I think thats where we're heading anyway so why not have Fusion in the US, Mondeo in EU and Falcon in AU all on the same global mid size platform. I spose those who still want a larger car could ask for a LWB version named I dont know..... Fairlane? Theres your US Lincoln.
If Holden wants to keep a share of the market here it should probably do the same sort of thing.
Rwd will stay mate.
There will be two major differences between the 2017 model, and the Falcons before it.
1) It will no longer be on a shoe-string budget but on a global budget.
2) It won't be designed exclusively by Ford Au, it will have all of Ford's design centres' inputs, like they do with all global platforms.
Effectively it means there will no longer be people crying out for all the standard features the (Global) Ford of Europe models have. It will be inline if not exceed what they have.
This change also means wagon will probably return and possibly a coupe, too.
As for Norm's question; exactly what will it have?
I'm not sure I can answer that question so far out from 2017 - by then what is known today as exclusive to top of the line luxury marques may well be very outdated. By the same token, by 2017 none of the above could be true, either.
In saying all that being a large rwd it will be downsized a touch, mainly to keep weight down. The Ecoboost version today does a great job but would do even better had the Falcon been lighter. The aim should be 1550 with Ecoboost, and 1700 with the most powerful motor.
I can't see a sustainable future for Falcon/Commodore type vehicles in their current guise - certainly not as they are perceived anyway.
The world is on a smaller, cheaper, greener, wankier trajectory and full sized, high powered two tonne "gas guzzlers" are not a desired image for many either in their idealistic cafe Utopia or in their eco-saviour corporate profile. It is undeniably smart to be able to say "I saved money on the purchase, I saved money on the monthly fuel bill, I got our staff more standard features for less money, we now emit less and MOST importantly - we've broken the mould and bought these - look how seriously we take this stuff!!
So in answer to Norm's question "What must be included"? The cars are smart, the cars have power in spades, the cars have nice driving dynamics and you can send people a thousand km's in them and they get out in a similar shape to which they got in. There is plenty of space, they are RWD, they are very economical in both dollars and fuel and they are damned safe too. Did I mention they are built here in Australia, by Australians?
The cars (in basic form) are not lacking - their image is.
Great post Scott.
I agree with a lot of your points but I am concerned that those expectations are a tall order to fill, the automotive holy grail.
I think there will be developments in size and weight reduction through the use of more compact drivelines, something the I6 will struggle with.
hopefully this doesn't get taken the wrong way. i'm as passionate about falcon as the next guy (on here esp), but considering this is talking 2017, which is a little way off yet, lets consider the unthinkable for a moment and imagine no more aussie made falcon. (don't shoot me). as we know, most things (not just cars) need sales volume to be viable. if ford australia did end up with a US sourced large car, would it really be the end of the world? the could still badge it falcon. from what i've seen of the US fords, they are all cars that i would have in my carport in a heartbeat. lincoln mks for example is a pretty good piece of automobile. the front drive aspect (although i think mks is awd) would hardly bother all but a handful and it wouldn't matter if they only sold 1000 or so as it would be a global car. this is obviously a worst case scenario, but i just thought i'd put it out there, that if it did happen 5 years down the track, its not like US fords are duds!!
don't worry, i'm not brainwashed. at least i didn't put it in the 2014 thread!!:cool:
It is a tall order to fill Lynt, but it doesn't have to be filled with product. Image is the problem, not the product.
That is so true Scott and I think the positive aspect is both image and product can be improved, both of which Ford are currently making some real gains on. These improvement are easily seen, particularly when you ignore the media bias and look at the facts.