Falcon cop car in US?

[ltd]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Looks are subjective, remember the old bubble Taurus (the one they tried selling here) did really well over there......We should have exported the AU over there!!

Agreed

What's different now though, is the ever increasing reach of the internet.
Most Americans didn't even realise that Ford made large RWD cars in Australia, now most of them have seen our stuff and love it. The blown 6 cylinder cars are rapidly gaining popularity and desire in the USA, just look at some of the US based forums.

[R-Design]

I wonder what this comment means for GRWD?

Originally Posted by BlueOvalForums

New mustang comes way before that, its getting IRS when it gets all new for MY13.

Alternatively:

Originally Posted by BlueOvalForums

Derrick Kuzak and Marin Burela are good buddies, Kuzack has been
personally involved with future power train planning for the Falcon.
Burela aluded to this fact but the press totally missed its significance.
That wouldn't be happing with a regional only platform.

Sounds like Burela's working hard to bring Falcon under the 'One Ford' banner. Shifting to global powertrains looks like the first step.

http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums...ic=34369&st=20

[flappist]

The interesting thing is that most coppers I know hate the FG falcon.

Due to the placement of the seats and door pillars it is hard to get in and out of without causing damage to the car and the officer when tooled up.

[MGR]

Originally Posted by flappist

Due to the placement of the seats and door pillars it is hard to get in and out of without causing damage to the car and the officer when tooled up.

They'll appreciate it when they get T-boned.

[chevypower]

Americans just don't care about 4 door RWD sedans like Australians do. There is already a choice of them Cadillac CTS, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Pontiac G8, Hyundai Genesis plus all the luxury imports and all of them really go unnoticed. If people are going to get a V8 here, it's going to be a pickup truck or a pony car.
Snow really puts you off buying a RWD car. If I ever see a Mustang driver attempting to drive in the snow, they are usually holding everyone else up, going really slow. So the new Taurus SHO makes a lot of sense.

[Ghiadude]

Originally Posted by chevypower

Americans just don't care about 4 door RWD sedans like Australians do. There is already a choice of them Cadillac CTS, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Pontiac G8, Hyundai Genesis plus all the luxury imports and all of them really go unnoticed. If people are going to get a V8 here, it's going to be a pickup truck or a pony car.
Snow really puts you off buying a RWD car. If I ever see a Mustang driver attempting to drive in the snow, they are usually holding everyone else up, going really slow. So the new Taurus SHO makes a lot of sense.

True but if the development of falcon could be amortised accross more models then the its more likely to survive. Crown vic, mustang and maybe a european ??? thatd be nice

[rootster]

hi guys did a quick search on the internet and this is a picture i found......

[Sloth]

^ More info on that here:

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/09/c...e7-police-car/

[AUXRVIII]

They look like CGI's and not really something which is in production but has the appearance of being a production ready vehicle, something which would not be viable if it was a police only issue vehicle. What ever the OP was referring to, I don't think it was a Ford vehicle being shown to police and it may have actually been a VE SS.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by AUXRVIII

What ever the OP was referring to, I don't think it was a Ford vehicle being shown to police and it may have actually been a VE SS.

It could well have been, yes. Personally I think its a bit fanciful to think that a Falcon may have been showcased to Yank Police chiefs when no LHD examples exist and there is no current or projected plan to send them there. And we know a Melbourne based company showed off a LHD VE SS in LAPD colours recently and that GM has been mulling over the prospect of making a Zeta-based cop car available to US Police.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

It could well have been, yes. Personally I think its a bit fanciful to think that a Falcon may have been showcased to Yank Police chiefs when no LHD examples exist and there is no current or projected plan to send them there. And we know a Melbourne based company showed off a LHD VE SS in LAPD colours recently and that GM has been mulling over the prospect of making a Zeta-based cop car available to US Police.

Problem with that is they know what a commo looks like.

[Ohio XB]

Originally Posted by chevypower

Americans just don't care about 4 door RWD sedans like Australians do. There is already a choice of them Cadillac CTS, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Pontiac G8, Hyundai Genesis plus all the luxury imports and all of them really go unnoticed. If people are going to get a V8 here, it's going to be a pickup truck or a pony car.
Snow really puts you off buying a RWD car. If I ever see a Mustang driver attempting to drive in the snow, they are usually holding everyone else up, going really slow. So the new Taurus SHO makes a lot of sense.

I would think younger Americans would be more receptive to 4 door RWD sedans because 4 door cars in general have been more popular while they grew up.

As for the cars mentioned, here is a little bit of my view for their lack of sales, even before the crash of the economy...

Cadillac CTS - Very pricey, considered upper class, rich man's car, usually older.

Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger - Sharp looking cars, build quality never was there.

Pontiac G8 - Shaped too different from the rest of Gm's line-up, make it appear "odd". Sleek look but not much styling.

Hyundai Genesis - Its a Hyundai, they make cheap, small cars (perception). Again, quality has imrpoved a lot over their past but still not up there with what is expected.


That cop car from Carbon was expected to be hitting the market around this time or next year, I think. I read about it last year. It is an amazing car for what it is intended for, and if I was Mayor and my budget allowed for them I would get as many as possible. They are the "Checker Cab" of police cars; purpose built with features not found on regular production cars.


Steve

[sxckevo]

Originally Posted by imugli

Just on BON Forums and one of the guys on their posted this in a thread about Falc continuing until at least 2015.



Normally wouldn't look twice, but the guy in question is gennerally fairly close to the mark...

Can anyone here give a nudge or a wink without giving anything commercially sensitive away?

has anyone else noticed that the guy who posted this has the same username as JPD80 on ford australia forums!!! i thick he is on here as well

[esp302v8]

Originally Posted by Peuty

Mondeo?

Mondeo is a FWD.


Andy.

[esp302v8]

Originally Posted by rootster

hi guys did a quick search on the internet and this is a picture i found......

Looks similar to the Chrysler 300 ???


Andy.

[jayde]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Looks are subjective, remember the old bubble Taurus (the one they tried selling here) did really well over there......We should have exported the AU over there!!

Look what they did to the front of the Commodore !

[AUXRVIII]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Problem with that is they know what a commo looks like.

Don't bet on it, I'm amazed at the number of Australians who don't know what an FG is when they first see one.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by AUXRVIII

Don't bet on it, I'm amazed at the number of Australians who don't know what an FG is when they first see one.

More in the context of the guy that saw the new cop car. He would be up to speed on what a G8/Commo looks like.

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by sxckevo

has anyone else noticed that the guy who posted this has the same username as JPD80 on ford australia forums!!! i thick he is on here as well

John started the thread, but the information pertained in it is not his.

There is more than one computer literate Ford observer, both in the US and Australia.

[snappy]

Last i heard the U.S police did not like the g8 because it was to small so holden was sending over a statesman , if this is all true there is no much chance of them liking the falcon.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by snappy84

Last i heard the U.S police did not like the g8 because it was to small so holden was sending over a statesman , if this is all true there is no much chance of them liking the falcon.

Well then they must really despise the Charger and the Impala then.

[snappy]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

Well then they must really despise the Charger and the Impala then.

well thats a good point, but they may be highway patrol or for some other use . For the police cruiser they may be to small aswell anyway ill see if i can track down the article

[sxckevo]

Originally Posted by Paxton

John started the thread, but the information pertained in it is not his.

There is more than one computer literate Ford observer, both in the US and Australia.

oh ok cheers

[Ohio XB]

When I spoke with an old, veteran Police officer earlier this year about the cars he said the more seasoned (read fatter) officers did not like the Impala or Chargers as much because with all the computer and other clutter in the front seat there isn't much room for them to be comfortable.

He also said the younger guys like the Chargers for traffic duty because they accelerate and stop quickly, but they go through a lot of brakes.

Crown Vic cop interior




Charger cop interior





Steve

[fox76]

Ford unmarked Taurus police car

http://www.policemag.com/Blog/Vehicl...Batmobile.aspx

[ltd]

Originally Posted by fox76

Ford unmarked Taurus police car

http://www.policemag.com/Blog/Vehicl...Batmobile.aspx

Impressive, but does it have S.C.M.O.D.S.?

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by ltd

There is no four door on sale that is made in the USA that looks anywhere near as good as the falcon, nor anything with as much power and the driving dynamics. Hopefully for ford aus this becomes a reality.

come on, that is a country which thought the Monaro CV8 was boring

as for Falcon going to usa is a dead horse imo, (proof me wrong, ford!!)

[phillyc]

Originally Posted by ltd

Impressive, but does it have S.C.M.O.D.S.?

State, County, Municipiality, Offender, Database, System!

[IronFalcon]

Originally Posted by flappist

The interesting thing is that most coppers I know hate the FG falcon.

Due to the placement of the seats and door pillars it is hard to get in and out of without causing damage to the car and the officer when tooled up.

Drove both back to back a while ago - the 4.0 and ZF 6 Speed auto combo crap on the Commodore Omega 3.0 and Auto Slusher from a GREAT height.

From a standing start, the Falcon can grunt off the line in 2nd gear, and pull away from the Commodore until you run out of road. Starting in second in the Falcon also gives you the flexibility to concentrate on other things, as opposed to having to row the box in the Commodore. Speaking of flexible, check out how much taller (and more sensibly) the Falcon is geared - and it STILL outstrips the Commodore.

Inside, the Commodore seats are thin and hard, and don't have a huge amount of back support. The Ford offers more padding, and a much better driving position. Visibility in the Holden is non-existant, the Ford is slightly better.

On the road, (IMO) the Commodore feels better because you sit lower, but the Ford's steering is weighted better, and the bigger rubber keeps the falcon stuck down. The suspension in the Ford is a bit stiffer, and keeps the body under control. You do, however, notice the extra pork in the falcon. The commodore feels more fun, but the falcon does the job better.

Tl;Dr - Talking station sedans (not highway patrol chasers) - the ford is better. More grunt, better handling. The commodore feels better under your bum though.

Problem is - all of this is irrelevant because the bulk of VicPol's fleet are Divvy Vans - and Ford doesn't make one

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by AUXRVIII

Don't bet on it, I'm amazed at the number of Australians who don't know what an FG is when they first see one.

Tell me about it...we've had ours since early March and I still see a car coming towards me and think "Oh, another Falcon"...and it turns out to be a Mondeo...just a little bit too similar in the nose. Make that a lot too similar.

The Falcon would be a good choice for the Yanks, but looking a the interior it appears that they didn't really consider making a left hand drive one. Unlike the Commodore interior, where it's quite obvious they had that in mind from the drawing board...especially visible with the handbrake which could just have a handle on the left in the same console where the "grab handle" thing is ("fake handbrake lever" a guy at work called it when we drove a rental).

Don't know how it would be recieved. Although given a choice between a Falcon and a new Charger four door? Come on! Is that a horn looking car or what?