I just purchased my 7th Falcon

[Syndrome]

2016 FG X XR6 sedan in Victory Orange with manual transmission but it does not have the luxury pack.

Will post more about it soon and how it compares with my 2009 FG XR6.

[GO FURTHER]

Congrats on your 2016 FG X XR6 sedan!

I guess you'll try to keep this one for a very long time, being the last of the line.

Looking forward to your comparison and thoughts comparing it to the 09 FG.

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by GO FURTHER

Congrats on your 2016 FG X XR6 sedan!

I guess you'll try to keep this one for a very long time, being the last of the line.

Looking forward to your comparison and thoughts comparing it to the 09 FG.

I don't intend to sell it.

What I don't like is the paint quality. The under bonnet area is not body coloured which looks shyte and the plastic parts which were painted by external suppliers are not matched very well to the body colour which was painted by Ford. But that is the only negative I can see so far.

[Swordie]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

2016 FG X XR6 sedan in Victory Orange with manual transmission but it does not have the luxury pack.

Will post more about it soon and how it compares with my 2009 FG XR6.

Cool car.

[Syndrome]

One issue I hate with the FG is the lights on the instrument cluster are controlled by a light sensor on the dashboard. For example around dusk I would turn on the park lights so other drivers can see me and so I can read my instruments. But the lights on the cluster would switch off if the light sensor registered that there was "enough light" even though I had trouble reading the gauges. With the FG X this is not a problem as I observed the lights on the instrument cluster are always on thus making the instruments always visible regardless of the conditions. Big thumbs up.

Another thing common to both Falcons is the windows. If my parents 2007 Focus has auto up AND auto down on ALL windows, why didn't Ford Australia put this feature in the Falcons? This is the only time where the Focus is superior to the Falcon.

[roddy1960]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

One issue I hate with the FG is the lights on the instrument cluster are controlled by a light sensor on the dashboard. For example around dusk I would turn on the park lights so other drivers can see me and so I can read my instruments. But the lights on the cluster would switch off if the light sensor registered that there was "enough light" even though I had trouble reading the gauges. With the FG X this is not a problem as I observed the lights on the instrument cluster are always on thus making the instruments always visible regardless of the conditions. Big thumbs up.

Another thing common to both Falcons is the windows. If my parents 2007 Focus has auto up AND auto down on ALL windows, why didn't Ford Australia put this feature in the Falcons? This is the only time where the Focus is superior to the Falcon.

G'day ...I hear ya'. I have exactly the same opinion. My ICC is a bit too dull no matter what I do too in that in between dusk to properly dark time. I remember the night I was driving it home from the dealership I thought I had a problem until suddenly the instruments illuminated. Then I got the book out and read about it so the final half hour 'bringing the new bird home' trip was happier.
Another thing that caused concern was the delay with the transmission light not going out for about 20 minutes if you open the driver door. Not mentioned in the owners manual either I don't think. Took AFF to tell me about that.. Otherwise ,all good but the thought of a 6 speed manual FGX is filling me with jealousy/envy as mentioned in this thread. I've had XB , XE , EF , AU (still) BA and the FG , so far . As well a Mk2 Escort GL 1.6 and a very secondhand 2.0 OHC Ghia. Also a lovely Mazda 626 (whoops , I mean AS Telstar TX5 Ghia)..It was really nice but underpowered two litre carby circa 1985.
Cheers Rod..

[Dave R]

Manual XR6 would be one of the rarer examples of an FGX, congrats & look after it.

[BLACKVE]

last one????

https://www.fordforums.com.au/attach...1&d=1500061224

[Mechan1k]

That's the one gripe I have with my FG .... especially heading home in the morning after nightshift ... as the lighting changes often ... it's on/off/on/off all the time.

Weird they didn't use the same switchgear and setup as the SZII Territory as it seems it got the auto up/down on the driver's window at least. (Yes it is a nice noticable change as well)

[Syndrome]

Today is one week since I picked up the FG X and it is an absolute joy to drive. I can't find enough excuses to drive it. The reason for the appeal is the 3rd pedal and gear shifter. The AU and BA I owned were manuals but since then the BF MkII and FG were both fitted with the ZF 6-speed auto. When it comes to torque converter type autos the ZF is a good box which is what swayed me to change 10 years ago from 3 pedals to 2 pedals.

I wasn't looking for a manual but when I saw this one at the dealer and took it for a drive I was hooked. The other reason which swayed me was the damn milkshake issue I had with the FG. So this problem is not possible on the new car.

I also noticed the knocking from the rear end present of previous Falcons doesn't seem to be present on the FG X. However the car is still new and tight so I'll wait a few years to see how it ages once the car loosens up.

The only thing I don't like is having reverse gear near 5th gear. This should be next to 1st gear. Grabbing reverse accidentally at higher speeds could prove to be messy.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

The only thing I don't like is having reverse gear near 5th gear. This should be next to 1st gear. Grabbing reverse accidentally at higher speeds could prove to be messy.

Isn't there a reverse gear lockout to prevent this happening?

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Isn't there a reverse gear lockout to prevent this happening?

Probably. It would make me more comfortable if it was next to 1st

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

*Victory Gold ;)

Enjoy the ride.

Gold? I thought it was orange.

[Professor Farnsworth]

*Victory Gold ;)

Enjoy the ride.

[chich]

Congrats on the purchase. Looks like you're getting more adventurous with your colours in your old age!

I got mine in smoke and the wife liked it so much I had to buy her a Territory in the same colour. Planning to also buy a clean XR6 turbo once the FG disappears. Only thing left to do now is enjoy them and see how these things hold up over time..

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by chich

Congrats on the purchase. Looks like you're getting more adventurous with your colours in your old age!

I got mine in smoke and the wife liked it so much I had to buy her a Territory in the same colour. Planning to also buy a clean XR6 turbo once the FG disappears. Only thing left to do now is enjoy them and see how these things hold up over time..

I had no choice. it was the only manual for sale in Melbourne. It is a change as the previous Falcons have all been monochrome - Ego, Lightning Stike and two in Silhouette.

[chich]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

I had no choice. it was the only manual for sale in Melbourne. It is a change as the previous Falcons have all been monochrome - Ego, Lightning Stike and two in Silhouette.

Found a brand new manual turbo with luxury pack on Carsales the other day in, if I remember correctly, Queensland. I'm really tempted..

[roddy1960]

G'day all . Been meaning to ask . Does anyone have a definitive answer why the FGX Spint XR6 didn't get the manual ?. Would have been incredible I would have thought. Going by the overwhelming opinions of the XR8 Sprint with the fun stick 6 speeds , the option would have made the final XR6 even more special.
Has to be a tech issue I'm guessing.
Of all my 6 Falcons the XB was three on the tree , XE was 4 speed manual , the EF was a reasonably rare five speed manual and was lovely to use , the AU is 4 speed auto , the BA Ghia likewise but with sports shift that I hardly ever used and the FG XR6 is the ZF of course ,lovely to use and I do use sports shift a fair bit.
Over all 3.5 million Falcons ever built it'd be interesting to break down what percentage were manual tranny's and what percentage were V8 .
Without researching I'm betting 75%plus would have been inline 6 and auto. In the last half of the 56 years a lot of that would be fleet sales perhaps and the early Falcons may well have been primarily 3 speed manuals.
On Falcons in general , the old slur was 'bloody old taxi' .. For those of us in the know that sort of insult by the great unwashed means the opposite in reality. The reason why so many Falcons were chosen for taxi, police/ emergency services , field vehicles for Gov't agencies , rentals etc was because they were cheaper , extremely reliable and easier to maintain and fix because down time for that stuff is not an option..GO THE MIGHTY BIRDS 1960-2016.
Cheers Rod..

[Syndrome]

The I6 engine is such a good unit. I remember in 2007 it was announced that Ford were going to dump it and import a V6 from 2010. chich can confirm I was frothing at the mouth at the time and vowed never to buy another Ford. The decision was reversed in 2008 and I reversed my vow. (chich will also recall that I said in 2007 this was the beginning of the end for the Falcon so I was not shocked in 2013 when the announcement was made.)

The only difference I am aware of between the FG and FG X is the former is Euro III and the later is Euro IV compliant ( gee Ford said in 2007 they couldn't make the I6 Euro IV compliant - liars ). It is difficult to draw direct comparison between the two cars because on is auto and one is manual but they seem to have the same amount of poke.

This engine is a gem for what it is. And it was much cheaper to produce than the Holden Alloytech as that direct injection fuel system costs a packet. The traditional torquey nature is still present and unlike the same engine from previous decades it is smooth and likes to rev. I remember my EAII seemed rough and asthmatic once it hit 3,000 RPM compared to this version of the same engine. And this is just the base version of the engine. One of the car magazines tested a XR6 auto versus a GT-HO phase III on the drag strip and they pulled almost the same time which shows it has plenty of poke. I don't understand why Ford dropped the 3.2 litre version as not everybody needs that much power.

One can only dream of what more could have been done with this engine. Ford approached Bosch to supply the Motronic EMS on two occasions - for the 2008 Orion (FG) and 2010 Huntsman (FG update) but Bosch weren't interested in the business. This is the same EMS used on the EcoBoost engine. Being a torque based system the Motronic EMS would have complemented the I6 engine very well.

These engines are very reliable as I see very few complaints on this forum about it. They also have fixed all the oil leak issues which plagued earlier versions.

I think I am going to take the FG X for a quick spin now. :-)

[Mechan1k]

Thread needs more pics.

[roddy1960]

Gday ...Out of interest I had a look on Carsales in Tassie to see what's on offer for FGX. This is what I found currently around..
1. 2016 XR6 N/A 41,000 kms $27,990..Auto white
2. 2015 XR8 S/C 22,900 kms $47,000 Auto silohette black
3. 2015 XR6T 22,900 kms $39,990 Auto Victory gold
4.2016 XR6 N/A 30,000 kms $26,990 Auto white
5. 2015 XR8 S/C 13,640 kms $45,990 Auto white..

Two XR 8's , one Turbo and two N/A's , no manuals..
Twenty eight XR8 Sprints available nation wide on Carsales..Check out the prices on some of them..
Whoa...https://www.carsales.com.au/car/ford...e/fg-x-series/...Some in the 80-90 plus K range already and what about this one https://www.carsales.com.au/private/...4684819/?Cr=15 . Anyone got a spare $105,000 ..Whew..
Cheers Rod

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

Gday ...Out of interest I had a look on Carsales in Tassie to see what's on offer for FGX. This is what I found currently around..
1. 2016 XR6 N/A 41,000 kms $27,990..Auto white
2. 2015 XR8 S/C 22,900 kms $47,000 Auto silohette black
3. 2015 XR6T 22,900 kms $39,990 Auto Victory gold
4.2016 XR6 N/A 30,000 kms $26,990 Auto white
5. 2015 XR8 S/C 13,640 kms $45,990 Auto white..

Two XR 8's , one Turbo and two N/A's , no manuals..
Twenty eight XR8 Sprints available nation wide on Carsales..Check out the prices on some of them..
Whoa...https://www.carsales.com.au/car/ford...e/fg-x-series/...Some in the 80-90 plus K range already and what about this one https://www.carsales.com.au/private/...4684819/?Cr=15 . Anyone got a spare $105,000 ..Whew..
Cheers Rod

Mine is 2016 model with 12,000km which was $34K drive away.

[roddy1960]

G'day all...As much as I'd love my 7th Falcon having had XB ,XE , EF , AU, BA and FG I think with this one https://www.carsales.com.au/private/...4684819/?Cr=15 .. it'd be a Darryl Kerrigan from The Castle response .
"Tell him he's dreaming " ..Bloody nice car but this price tag would stretch most. There's a few others over $90 K too via Carsales.. Cheers Rod.

[radler]

Just got back from a Sydney - Canberra - Sydney run to visit my folks ...

I am at 28,000 km's and with a run like today it just embeds more commitment for me to look after her

Cruised in 6 most of the way and she just doesn't miss a beat ... a great tourer

Also stopped at the drive to survive stop on lake George and saw the 1953 Packard with a side valve inline 8 . We got shown all over the car, chatted about hp ... a 2 speed auto that cruises at 70 mph .... an amazing car and with the full deal of white wall tyres and registered as an historic car ...

Then got back in the falcon , headed on and I just felt, this fgx is a good car with its inline six ...

[radler]

Hey Rod

I agree ... pricing in the private sales market seems a bit all over the place ...

For as long as there are dealers with stock I can't imagine $105,000 being achieved let alone in a market where some privates want to cash back and get out of the situations they are in ...

based on what is advertised it seems there are few people wanting to sell ....

[roddy1960]

Originally Posted by radler

Hey Rod

I agree ... pricing in the private sales market seems a bit all over the place ...

For as long as there are dealers with stock I can't imagine $105,000 being achieved let alone in a market where some privates want to cash back and get out of the situations they are in ...

based on what is advertised it seems there are few people wanting to sell ....

G'day Radler, Very true..On Sunday there were 28 XR8 Sprints for sale via Carsales. Price variation was $60,000 to the $105,000. That's a big gap and quite a few in the $80,000 plus range. It'll be fascinating to see if anyone goes to six figures for one. Cheers Rod..

[Syndrome]

The 2009 XR6 has been sold so I took the opportunity to take a picture of both Falcons together before the FG was taken away.

[FTE217]

Wow, doesn't fgx make the fg look so dated.
Nice ride syndrome !

Ford are really liking that shape grill, aren't they. The ranger is a similar shape. For some reason they remind me of a whale shark ...

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by leesa

Ford are really liking that shape grill, aren't they. The ranger is a similar shape. For some reason they remind me of a whale shark ...

image

FYI...Ford have been using that grille shape since 1969 when they originally introduced the Kentucy built W1000 and L series Louisville trucks, it has stuck with the truck division since. Even currently built Brazilian Cargo's.

Nice car by the way.

[the_scotsman]

Beautiful car mate

I'm on my 5th Falcon. Went from a BF MkII Fairmont Ghia to my FGX G6ET.

Boy that was a jump and a half!

The FGX is a dream to drive! By far the best Falcon I've owned. I do just shy of 1000km a week, mostly highway cruising, and it hasn't missed a single beat. I've done 35,000km in 9 months or so. Just had the 45,000km service today as it happens.

I was close to buying an FG or FG MkII, but the FGX is just so much better. It makes the FG look so very outdated. Interior is clean and modern. While it is lacking a few things that Ford cheaped out on, it is their best effort and it does the job very well.

Having the turbo on tap is like a junkie with a fix. You get addicted to it and cannot get enough of that subtle whine

1-100 in 5 seconds is quite impressive for a family car weighing almost 2 tonnes!