New XE Falcon designed for economy

Press, 30 June 1983, Page 20

New XE Falcon designed for economy

BEHIND the WHEEL with

Peter Greenslade

Although Ford and General Motors have made noises about packing in their New Zealand assembly operations if the recommendation of the Industries Development Commission relating to the abolition of the Commonwealth preference tariff is implemented, the fact remains that, at the moment, the Australianorigin 3.3-litre XE Falcon, with its five-speed manual gearbox, looks a pretty good buy at $22,481. The Japanese invasion and almost complete occupation of the New Zealand car market, if the very few higher-priced European exotics are excluded, seems to have caused new-car buyers to have missed the point that while the yen is hardening, trading terms with Australia have tended to soften to the extent that prices of cars from across the Tdsman have not increased proportionately. As some Japanese car prices have passed or at least closely approached the $20,000 barrier in recent times, people have tended to ignore the fact that the margin between some of the flashy “fours” and Australian “sixes” is getting narrower.

At least, that was the thought that occurred to me as I put a five-speed 3.3 Falcon through its paces recently. Frankly, I’ve had a soft spot for the new-style Falcon since I drove various versions of the XD model at the Australian launch back in 1979.

It struck me as a good, tough all-round car in those days. However, it did have a few rough edges, one of the least smooth being the tendency of the rear axle to get all excited when the car was fed a bit of power on loose surfaced roads or in corners, particularly when the road sealing was irregular.

Ford’s Australian designers have put that sort of thing behind the XE Falcon, which has been around in this country for a year or so now.

The somewhat antiquated leaf springs which were a feature of the XD Falcon have been replaced by pro-gressive-rate coil springs, The live rear axle is located by four trailing arms with the complete set-up kept in line by a Watts linkage, which comprises two steel rods locating the axle laterally by means of a bellcrank mounted on the rear of the differential housing, the other ends being attached to the underbody of the car just inboard of the rear wheels.

This arrangement virtually eliminates sideways axle movement and accompanying rear-wheel steer over uneven road surfaces and helps to make the car much more manageable when it is driven over rough surfaces.

Although this rear-suspen-sion layout is perhaps not such a complete answer as the better independent rearsuspension systems now employed on the classier European cars, it is effective and, perhaps more importantly in this part of the world at least, of relatively simple layout. As might be gathered from the employment of a five-speed Borg Warner manual gearbox, this Falcon has been designed with economy very much in mind.

The 3.3-litre engine, which has been around for a good number of years, is fitted with a twin-throat carburettor matched to a redesigned intake manifold and aircleaner. There is also a temperature - sensitive viscous clutch engine-cool-ing fan, which operates when it is needed and so drains off only the power that is needed to cool the engine. The weight of the engine is 45kg less than that in the XD version, while a further 10kg has been pared from the body weight and savings along much the same lines have been made in the gearbox, rear suspension and front disc brakes. This is a car which, the manufacturer claims, will regularly return about 9.4 litres per 100 kilometres. That is about 30mpg, exceptionally good petrol consumption for a large and roomy six-cylinder car. I did not have a chance to make an accurate petrolconsumption check but, frankly, I’d rest content if the Falcon used a litre

lore over 100 kilometres.

This is a pleasant car to drive. By New Zealand standards it is quite big, but one can see out of it without straining and it feels relatively compact in city streets. In the XD version the steering wheel was located a little too close to the chest, but in the new version it is further away and this enables the driver to adopt a more relaxed driving position. However, the less said about the wheel the better and I would be surprised if Ford did not revert to an orthodox spoked steering wheel when it introduces its next version of the Falcon. Incidentally, the steering is power-assisted and is rather light and quick until one becomes used to it.

This is a car that is adequately, if not lavishly, appointed. It is upholstered and trimmed in a durable and washable textile of good quality. Colour co-ordi-nated floor carpet also looks good. The feature that holds most appeal is the amount of room available for five fully-grown adults to take their ease. It’s the sort of car in which the occupants can, if they wish, let their elbows hang out. Try that in even the roomiest of the 2litre Japanese cars and beautiful friendships with your fellow travellers will disappear smartly. Apart from its surefootedness on various road surfaces and the ease of handling, thanks to light but precise controls, the feature that impressed me most was the flexibility of the 3.3litre engine. I found that the Falcon will amble along happily at around 40km/h in its overdrive fifth gear and pull away quite smoothly without the need for a down change.

The six-cylinder engine never feels overstressed and I doubt whether it ever is because it turns over at not much more than 2200 rpm at lOOkm/h in fifth gear. On the debit side, the Falcon has a luggage boot that is rather limited by poor depth, for a car of this size. In fact, if the car was converted for gas operation, a couple of gas bottles would leave it well short of luggage space. All the same, this is a car with a lot to offer and although petrol is not cheap these days, I’m inclined to think that there would be very little difference in the running costs of the Falcon and one of the heavier 2litre four-cylinder cars that, as a class, are more fashionable these days.