Ford Falcon Au Bad Stigma?

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by smoo

Nothing wrong with driving an AU or VT as a daily?
More than competent cars even by today’s standards.

VTs and VX1s have a flaw in the rear suspension that causes the rear tyres
to scrub out, especially in a city with lots of roundabouts.

[Giant Cranium]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

According to vehicle on road data as of 31/12/2018 there's 93,736 AU Falcons still on the road (AU1 to AU3) in Australia.



VT Commodore - 63,016 + VX Commodore 75,131.



VT-VX Commodore covers the whole AU era - there are a ton more Commodores of the same era on the road still.



Superior? Doubtful, looks like a hat full of assholes and there's 44,000 Commodores more of the same era still on our roads driving about according to VOR data.



The fact so many people are still wheeling about 20 year old cars as daily drivers is worrying.



3.8L mang mang ftw.

Don’t you Daily a vs commodore and by your own admission a struggling focus?

[cs123]

The AU were probably peak-reliability as far as falcons go, almost like the Camry of the Falcon world. They were also a pretty well sorted package for steering and suspension.

The Windsor will appeal to the old skool guys as they have a driveline with plenty of support. And the six has plenty of potential for future upgrades via a turbo or barra.

Not the prettiest car, but we all know that.

Out of all the later model Falcons the high series dash appeals to me the most. Low series dash, not so much.

Whatever floats your boat...If you're worried about what others think of your car you have bigger problems than owning an AU.

[Polyal]

Im an AU lover so I wont comment, but like anything the popular voice is what matetrs for $$$ and not logic or engineering quality.

But...I couldnt help but notice when walking by a new "Commodore" that its profile is very very much like the AU's.

[Bossxr8]

It was the AU's looks, and subsequent poor sales due to those looks that give it it's reputation. It was the butt of many a joke.

It was reliable and drove well though. And they did improve the looks with the AU2, but there was only so much they could afford to do with it, without spending hundreds of million fixing the looks like they did with the BA.

It's reputation it has carried from the minute that spy photo of the AU1 Forte was released. People were stunned with how comical it looked. It will be stuck with that reputation forever.

[Ford17]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

According to vehicle on road data as of 31/12/2018 there's 93,736 AU Falcons still on the road (AU1 to AU3) in Australia.

VT Commodore - 63,016 + VX Commodore 75,131.

VT-VX Commodore covers the whole AU era - there are a ton more Commodores of the same era on the road still.

Superior? Doubtful, looks like a hat full of assholes and there's 44,000 Commodores more of the same era still on our roads driving about according to VOR data.

The fact so many people are still wheeling about 20 year old cars as daily drivers is worrying.

3.8L mang mang ftw.

Can I ask whether you read the article at all?
It only requires email registration for full viewing.

It points out all the reasons why the AU was indeed superior to the VT Commodore, and also why it set itself up to be attacked.

[Sabantien]

Originally Posted by FTe342

The ugly looks thing stemmed from the base model Series 1 which had a shocking front grille that did the car no favours. Often it was likened to "Chad Morgan" front teeth but many would not be old enough to know who he was

Or rather, who he is. He is still performing. Was out my way earlier in the year.

Two of the girls at my work drive AUs, one broke down just yesterday, but a couple of the guys got it going again.
I know one of them never gets it serviced or does anything to it until it breaks down on her, but, it's still chugging along and is quite nice to drive.

I think it's the round headlight models I don't like.
I know some other companies followed suite (Mercedes wasn't it?) but I think they're ugly too.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by FordGeezer

As the tile says whats the go with the bad stigma with the Au?
I know a few people aren't a fan of the design but is that it?
Is there something mechanical bad about them?
Since getting my Au around 1 year ago I've come across a few younger fellers who have made a few smart remarks when I've said I'm after some parts for an AU,I'm just wondering what the deal is.

The AU was supposed to be Ford's great new hope.
Instead it was unforgivably butt ugly.
The series I & II interiors were just hideous. The brakes were too small, and there were various other issues they didn't fix until S3.
All in all, it was just a waste of opportunity.

[.:4:.]

The au, whilst being an evolution of known mechanicals and stuff, i beleive the failure was purely the new edge styling of curves meeting angles. So good car, but the buyers were thrown off because it wasnt a subtle style change like an ed to ef. Righto there was also a big change from xf to ea. But an ea isnt butt ugly compared to the vn commodore at the time. When it went wb to vb commodore, holden made a smaller car. Ford with the xd went with a bigger car. The triangle headlights worked for the xd because it was all angles by design. My dad had an xd wags because it was the big wagon at the time. I reckon the early commodores look better, but ive driven a few, and yeah, theyre small cars. The series 2 and 3 AUs did deffinately look better. Low series getting the high series bonnets and such. The b series they got right in my opinion. Kept the good like the roofline and bodyline, but softened the harsh angles. Yes i own a b series. Again, my opinion, at the time, the vt was a much better looking car. And the 3.8 may not have been as powerful as the 4L, but they were still reliable. So i think thats what swayed the public buyers. They werent ready for such big of a change that the au was. Ive only ever driven a 5L au ute, didn't mind it. E series 6s yes, not bad, ba's and bf sedans, not bad either. Fg's, used to have a mk2, but kept the bf. Xd, yep, but that doesnt really count. They werent heavily modified in stock guise.

[Sprintey]

Great cars.

The AU1 Forte Grille has become a meme, just look at my avatar.

[Citroënbender]

What was not good (according to me) about the AU?

Ford were not attentive enough to how far some other countries had come in materials selection, standard fittings and modular component design.

• ABS dash shell - ten years out of date.
• HVAC unit that required dash removal for fan replacement, and no pollen filter - five years behind.
• Rustproofing and panel coatings - ten plus years out of date. The hit/miss corrosion in AU through BA models was simply inexcusable.
• Clunky trip computer not stalk operated - who didn't have to ask someone at first, what "DTE" stood for?
• 14" wheels on entry level Series 1. Seriously?
• Why no one-touch driver's window control standard across the range with upspec models having it on all four doors?
• Timing chain tensioner cap oil leak on sixes - should have been a "once only" dealer procedure designed and provided to resolve the issue enduringly.

[Sprintey]

Citroenbender - also marketing dept at odds with concept. Concept was of a high feature car with a new style and the substance to back it - full IRS on all sedans, high end grille, etc. Fairmont Ghia lives up to this and outsold competitor high-end Holden from AU1 onward, so the initial concept was the right path.

Marketing cheapened it, de-spec'd drivetrain etc, lobbed it in at undercutting price to competition, created too many visual distinction points for the market including the timeless AU1 base model front. This took away from the good engineering.

They could have sold it better. They did with the BA range, all same front sheetmetal, all DOHC, all sedans IRS (but they chose a lesser IRS). Anyway, BA car of the year, outsold Holden a little bit.



Also, materials selection: the interiors, well, they have lasted the distance in the Aussie sun. Dash off for heater is unforgiveable though.

Funny enough as well, I remember the Holden 3.8 Ecotec being described as a 'boat anchor' when it was new, now it's their greatest ever 6, haha!

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

What was not good (according to me) about the AU?

Ford were not attentive enough to how far some other countries had come in materials selection, standard fittings and modular component design.

• ABS dash shell - ten years out of date.
• HVAC unit that required dash removal for fan replacement, and no pollen filter - five years behind.
• Rustproofing and panel coatings - ten plus years out of date. The hit/miss corrosion in AU through BA models was simply inexcusable.
• Clunky trip computer not stalk operated - who didn't have to ask someone at first, what "DTE" stood for?
• 14" wheels on entry level Series 1. Seriously?
• Why no one-touch driver's window control standard across the range with upspec models having it on all four doors?
• Timing chain tensioner cap oil leak on sixes - should have been a "once only" dealer procedure designed and provided to resolve the issue enduringly.

Are you viewing this from 1998 perspective?
AU materials were no worse than the VT, anything out of Japan or France.
Arguably better built and same level of interior material quality than the high end LR Discovery 2 and P38 Range Rover launched three years earlier.
And although the Germans had better quality materials and better build, IMO the AU has stood the rest of time and is relatively indestructible inside, where the German marques haven’t unless they’ve been well looked after. Only exception on the AU might be the front door speaker covers that are easy to break if something falls on them while drive or closing the door.

I’m not aware of any AU that came with 14s. AU1 15 standard, then 16” from AU2.

One touch windows from that era are a PITA and over rated. I have them in Mercedes and BMW and if you don’t want the window down the whole way it can be tricky finding the right spot.
In saying that what standard vehicles in the price range had one touch windows in the late 1990s?

Trip computer run of the mill for the late 1990s before infotainment systems made an appearance in most things.

Rust proofing didn’t only effect AU, ran well into the BFs and Territory’s.

Oil leak from the front of the engine is never bad enough to stop them on the side of the road. A pita if you’re fussy.

Fair call in the HVAC units, about the only hard job on them. All in all a pretty insignificant list of faults. The same can’t be said for a lot of other cars and there is a reason why they were the taxi of choice around that time.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

What was not good (according to me) about the AU?

Ford were not attentive enough to how far some other countries had come in materials selection, standard fittings and modular component design.

...

The problem was each new Falcon was an evolution of the one before it, every so often with a major revamp of say front or rear suspension assemblies or a new upper body structure - way too much of the floorpan, rails, firewall etc came from the 60's drawing boards.

It served us well but was never a clean-sheet modern design, surprising that it lasted as long as it did really. The AU for the 2000's really should have been a NEW Falcon.

[Sprintey]

Velour on interior wasn't a bad choice either, if you look at how poorly many of the 2000s leathers have fared from Aussie to Koreans to Germans (hard, cracked, wear n'tear - even how quickly the 2013 leather in VF changed) then the plush fluffy velour of AU and VT-X has done pretty well.

Don't get me started on how the 2000s soft touch dash plastics, that made the auto Journos jizz in their pants, have fared in the Aussie sun.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by smoo

Are you viewing this from 1998 perspective?
AU materials were no worse than the VT, anything out of Japan or France.
Arguably better built and same level of interior material quality than the high end LR Discovery 2 and P38 Range Rover launched three years earlier.
And although the Germans had better quality materials and better build, IMO the AU has stood the rest of time and is relatively indestructible inside, where the German marques haven’t unless they’ve been well looked after. Only exception on the AU might be the front door speaker covers that are easy to break if something falls on them while drive or closing the door.

I’m not aware of any AU that came with 14s. AU1 15 standard, then 16” from AU2.

One touch windows from that era are a PITA and over rated. I have them in Mercedes and BMW and if you don’t want the window down the whole way it can be tricky finding the right spot.
In saying that what standard vehicles in the price range had one touch windows in the late 1990s?

Trip computer run of the mill for the late 1990s before infotainment systems made an appearance in most things.

Rust proofing didn’t only effect AU, ran well into the BFs and Territory’s.

Oil leak from the front of the engine is never bad enough to stop them on the side of the road. A pita if you’re fussy.

Fair call in the HVAC units, about the only hard job on them. All in all a pretty insignificant list of faults. The same can’t be said for a lot of other cars and there is a reason why they were the taxi of choice around that time.

Also first 3 months of production from late 1998 had double QC check on everything, as they didn't want an EA repeat. These cars were well built!



Edit: some bad points I can think of were caused by styling:
1) Bang head on A pillar getting in/out
2) Bang head on C pillar getting in/out
3) Had to fold feet to get in to rear seats - surprisingly there wasn't the floorspace. Wagon and LWB were good.
4) Boot smaller and more narrow than EL

Combined with looks which were 'different', sent many traditional Falcon buyers to Holden dealership for upsized VT

[Sox]

Mmmm, I don't think the AU is anything like a Sigma, anyway...


In all seriousness, I'd say the AU actually has an aura attached to it, a glow.

The people in the know, and I mean really intelligent and good looking people like Cav and myself understand that the AU is the finest Falcon ever made, and an incredible chic magnet.

I find it difficult to describe the AU, finding the words to convey it's brilliance is a challenge in itself. Believe me, I try.


I drove my drag racing builders ute on a 1600km jaunt around NSW last week and people in towns were in awe of the mighty stead, chics were throwing their underwear at me making my wife jealous.
I managed to get back in her good books though when I said she can drive for a few minutes.


Why just yesterday I went for a short spin in my AU XR8 supercar and swear I saw the Holy Grail flash by my eyes when that accelerator pedal was mashed to the floor. Zoom Zoom.


The few individuals that hate on AU's are really just poor sods who are trying to justify their own sorry vehicles, I mean what better way is there to boost your own ego by bagging some elses wonderfully amazing Clydesdale. Go your hardest H8R's...



Stigma, yeh nah.
Enigma is probably more fitting...

[FTe342]

Originally Posted by Sabantien

Or rather, who he is. He is still performing. Was out my way earlier in the year.

Two of the girls at my work drive AUs, one broke down just yesterday, but a couple of the guys got it going again.
I know one of them never gets it serviced or does anything to it until it breaks down on her, but, it's still chugging along and is quite nice to drive.

I think it's the round headlight models I don't like.
I know some other companies followed suite (Mercedes wasn't it?) but I think they're ugly too.

My bad. Just assumed he wouldn't still be with us because he was quite a bit older than me and I'm getting closer to my last quarter every day.

Its ironic that when you type "Chad Morgan" into Google, one of the the search options that pops up is "Chad Morgan teeth" lol.

Maybe its no coincidence that Chad is still going - just like the AU's. And many of the AU's are still "on song", just like Chad is still performing his songs!

[aussiblue]

good looking people like Cav and myself understand that the AU is the finest Falcon ever made, and an incredible chic magnet.

Well we know Cav has had some vision issues, but what's your excuse for these delusional perceptions of what constitutes good looks in cars and people? :-)

[marty351]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Well we know Cav has had some vision issues, but what's your excuse for these delusional perceptions of what constitutes good looks in cars and people? :-)

Probably a Skyhooks fan.

[mike_nofx]

The AU has become a bit of a cult classic. It has one of the ugliest front ends ever put on, not only a Falcon, but possibly of all cars in the history of automobiles. I think for that reason it has a bit of a cult following.

[ebv8]

this year i was looking to replaced my ageing FG with an AU (FG had 280,000km and was flogged)
i settled on a S1 Futura, because it was bloody cheap and only had 100,000km on it and the paint and trim were perfect along with full service books
i like the grey trim, i like the soft touch door trims, i like the basic dash
i didn't like running out of brakes on the first spirited drive i did so fixed that
i also didn't like how it had zero traction on the rear right wheel so thats fixed now too

so for $1300 i got a great car in near perfect condition

I have a VZ dunnydoor too and there are features i like on both but I'll always have a soft spot for the AU

oh and i like the fact its engineered so i can fit parts from FG and territorys straight to it so now i have nice big brakes

[mike_nofx]

Originally Posted by ebv8

this year i was looking to replaced my ageing FG with an AU (FG had 280,000km and was flogged)
i settled on a S1 Futura, because it was bloody cheap and only had 100,000km on it and the paint and trim were perfect along with full service books
i like the grey trim, i like the soft touch door trims, i like the basic dash
i didn't like running out of brakes on the first spirited drive i did so fixed that
i also didn't like how it had zero traction on the rear right wheel so thats fixed now too

so for $1300 i got a great car in near perfect condition

I have a VZ dunnydoor too and there are features i like on both but I'll always have a soft spot for the AU

oh and i like the fact its engineered so i can fit parts from FG and territorys straight to it so now i have nice big brakes

And I guess the lucky buyer of your FG gets some nice AU brakes fitted with it?

[ebv8]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

And I guess the lucky buyer of your FG gets some nice AU brakes fitted with it?

haha....shh!!
imaging 1850kg using single piston brakes AU1 brakes....that would never work
pretty much only good for a 6cyl XF falcon really

[Mechan1k]

One main thing not listed in here ..... that I can see in this.
AU was the first of the separate cab and ute tub. So you could either have styleside or tray.

I know there was as cab/chassis in the v-series models ... but not sure you have had a tub with it either (you have to choose the unibody design if you wanted a ute body.

and leaf-spring setup in the ute was more appropriate as well to handle loads much better too. Surprisingly handled OK for a vehicle with cart springs as well.

[FordGeezer]

Gee wiz,cheers for all the replys guys!
Its been very insightful and interesting.
Also I've seen mention of the brakes a couple of times,whats the deal with them?

[ebv8]

AU1 still used brake calipers from an EA falcon, ok until they got any heat in them
AU2/3 slightly better twin piston calipers
BA-FG used bigger calipers again with 11mm bigger diameter rotors
BF-FG Turbo's & XR8's used the same big caliper with 35mm bigger rotors (than AU)
and its not a big job to change all the brakes over from each model, you just need to source all the required parts and they bolt on
there is a good thread on here somewhere

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by FordGeezer

....
Also I've seen mention of the brakes a couple of times,whats the deal with them?

Definitive AU1 to AU2/AU3 brake upgrade thread

As above; AU1 calipers were tiny and not up to the task

There's a compartive photo at the start of that thread, somewhat ruined by photobucket.

[aussiblue]

What people didn't know was that Ford US was lining Falcon up against Taurus,
FoA was given the job of adapting corporate styling from football shaped Taurus
to our Falcon....They did the best they could and yeah, Steve Park has redeemed
himself with FG Falcon.

With time, the AU doesn't look so controversial now but fleets were worried that
they were going to lose a bomb on poor resales. Ford held strong and after a few
changes to AU II like replacing the chrome waterfall grille for egg crate, sales began
to settle down. It all seems like a storm in a teacup now but the AU saved Falcon from
extinction and replacement by Taurus.

Later DN101 Taurus may have taken some of Falcon's styling to calm down the roundedness

A lot of people also thought the Taurus was butt ugly e.g. http://theuglycarblog.blogspot.com/2...rd-taurus.html I think someone needs to nominate the AU to go on that site too.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

A lot of people also thought the Taurus was butt ugly e.g. http://theuglycarblog.blogspot.com/2...rd-taurus.html I think someone needs to nominate the AU to go on that site too.

Unlike the taurus, can we agree that the rear 3 quarter part of the au wagons and utes were styled well and atleast they carried on to the b series. The sedans copped the most trearment to look better. The taurus wagon just looks weird to me.