Ecoboost: MEDIA LAUNCH: AFF Review - A Change Of Perception.

[Auslandau]

Last time I visited Tassie the vehicle of 'choice' was a nifty little Nissan Tida courtesy of Hertz thinking this would be enough to spend 4 days of touring and sight seeing. It was just after lunch time on the first day I swore black and blue that I would never ever visit again without taking the GT to really take advantage of the great driving roads they have on offer. Fast forward 6 months, back in Tassie with the car on offer being another 4 cylinder .... this time in a Falcon weighing just a tad more than the Tida.

Of course to to have the opportunity to be invited to test drive with a bunch of journos the new ECOBOOST was something I was looking forward to. So much has been written over the past few weeks, especially with the media launch this week. To test it out myself, having owned 6's and 8' my entire driving life, having driven many 4 cylinder's with most leaving a feeling of "It got me here I suppose ...." I wanted the Falcon to be different, not to be a disappointment and to be honest, was quite skeptical. A 2.0 litre engine pushing a relatively heavy & true 5 seater around I had my doubts. Even looking at the figures on paper it really just doesn't seem right. A Falcon powered by 4 cylinders is not in the vocabulary of a Falcon enthusiast.



FG11
After an hour or so getting the quick breifing on the direction that Ford is taking with Ecoboost we were all happy to get the chance to select an XT, G6 or G6E for the first stage of out drive which was a short jaunt of 30 k's to our first real technical breifing. This was my first chance to fire one up and see what this Eco thing is all about.



Sitting in the FG11, everything is familiar of course. Has been out for sometime and nothing to much more to report. Other than to say, the XT which we were in first off was just that more plush than I was expecting for the taxi pack of the fleet. The dark grey of the centre controls fitted in well with the big screen and having single climate control, good seats (hardish) rear sensors etc just made it all very comfy. I actually liked the colour of the centre dash better than the G6E. I do find the 2 tone silver of the buttons VS console NQR. They do not match and makes the buttons look a little cheap.

The G6E has the usual niceties. Spent the most time in this and loved it .... of course. Having an I6 in the family already it feels very normal to drive, lighter of course ....... and LOVE the new Sat Nav. Compared to the FG after thought one ..... it is just bloody brilliant. I could use it in seconds with no manual. I still cannot use the one in the FG properly without stuffing something up. Brilliant addition.



Putting all the cars in a row allowed you to compare easily the colours and the not so subtle differences of each of the 3 models. Have to say the FG11 has been very kind the the XT. In fact I was liking the look of it more so than the round fog lights of the G6 but still, the G6E was a standout. Of course very subjective but the more I saw the following G6E in the rear view, the more I loved the look of the open mouth and the chrome work. It was stylishly aggressive .... in a classy sort of way.



ENGINE
Firing the engine for the first time you are quickly reminded that there is a 4 cylinder in front of you! If there is anyway this sound can be muffled for that first 3 impressionable seconds it would be helpful but into the 4th second the car idled so quietly to the point I checked the needle to make sure we were still operational. A stab with the foot, the undeniable noise of the 4 cylinders ticked away again and with no thought of hesitation we were off in the traffic and driving ....... surprisingly like you would in any other Falcon. After 5 minutes of chatting about the noise, (lack of) the power (not lack of) the general feel of things, weirdly you forgot about what you were driving and motoring through the traffic you were just in another Falcon. Every now and again when the boot needed to be sunk there was that little reminder that you were in a 4. NOT because you couldn't keep up or pass someone ....... the tinny sound of the cylinders was the only reminder when the foot goes down ...... but after an hour or so, that was forgotten about.

The engine itself, while thin and tall is not the prettiest thing around. Built for a purpose of course I would hazard a guess that any work carried out would be better in the hands of someone who knows where everything goes.





The 'turbo' is built into the motor. It is not the traditional afterthought addition but cleverly integrated with it separate inter-cooler shown below on the Falcon. It has been engineered to last as long as the engine. It is a full time system which absolutely diminishes any turbo lag ...... in fact you need to re think the way turbos are going to be used. It is not to make a standard car into a sports car ..... it is just a simple and (once engineered) cheap way to gain power and make a standard car better. Forget about the capacity .... its about the capability of the engine. This is the way Ford is going. It is about being smarter about it .... not adding cubes.



NOISE
The quietness is good. Quieter (Better?) than the I6 when just motoring along. Ford have gone to great efforts to add extra sound barriers behind the dash, under the engine bay and fire wall, extra shields under the car for both better aerodynamics and to stop road noise and also the windshield even has extra sound deadening built in. The only place you can pin point the engine noise is through the gear console. Road noise is so minimal, more than FG series 1. The XT does run special tyres to allow for better fuel economy while the 6 series (will not be changed to 4 series by the way) runs standard tyres .... hence the marginally higher fuel economy.



FUEL & HANDLING
On the subject of fuel economy ....... well this is the reason the ECOBOOST has been developed ...... it is damn good The Falcon achieving 8.1L/100km while the the G6 and G6E is 8.5L/100km1 (reported figures). This is a 14 per cent improvement to the six-cylinder. Jumping into the Falcon it started had 8.3 as an economy figure and after 300 k's I wanted to see if I could hit double figures. Fortunately ..... I failed but did hit 9.1 by the time we arrived back at the motel. This was no gentle ride down the Hobart freeways but some of the best driving roads I have been on for some time. Not just hard & solid twisties but some seriously long and constant sweeping bends. Though hills which tested the torque more so than just the power and put the steering and handling through its paces. Handling? Damn that is one thing that everyone was impressed with in a massive way. THAT alone put a smile on my face.

The 74 less kilos at the front, approx 10% stiffer suspension front and back. A lower stance than standard makes the I6 positively heavy and cumbersome. The accuracy they turned into a bend just kept me wanting to push the thing to see where the point of no return would be. I didn't find it but with the I6 I found the front trying too hard to dig in and the rear wanting to pull out a couple of times. The 6 had the better sound, the 4 was doing its usual '4' scream, especially in manual mode and holding the revs ...... but while it didn't quite have the 'feel' of urgency as the 6, you knew it was doing its damnedest not to disappoint.

On a timed & tight windy track I would imagine that the ECOBOOST would come in close, if not better the I6 because of the way the handling is now set up. Big call ..... but the handling is truly noticeable.

All figures Ford report 179kW @ 5500 rpm and 353Nm @ 2000 rpm is based on using 95. As most who would buy these would not be interested in anything but 91 is no problem. The power decreases by approximatley 3 for kW's and Nm.

The figure that Ford are most excited about is the torque ....... and you notice it. Through the hills and over taking lanes, the 6 speed combined with the torquey engine had no problems passing at 'over the limit' speeds if you are not careful. I have been in too many 4's where the thought of passing is a discussion and heart pounding moments every time you think of doing it ..... in the ECOBOOST, there is no need to hesitate. The gear changes do so as they should with the ZF. Sports mode holds the gear and manual isn't too shabby for some fun. Leaving the car in normal auto though, on a hill, using the over taking lane, it is just foot down and the trans matching perfectly with the engine does the rest ..... effortlessly.



HOW QUICK?
We had the opportunity to put 3 cars through their paces at the Baskerville raceway. An I6, I6ECOLPI and the ECOBOOST was lined up so we could jump from one to the other and test out also the 0-100 back to back. Unfortunately it rained just before it was my turn. Made for fun driving though ...... My figures were, with just a tad bit of tyre spin:

7.64 - I6
7.60 - I6 LPI
7.69 - ECOBOOST.

Best on the day was - ECOBOOST: 6.60 on a dry track. The I6's were both only marginally quicker. This is really amazing figures when put into context. We have a 2.0 litre engine in what is relatively the same sized large car doing figures that would put many other 6's to shame.

I did not want to go into to much technical speak as it has been all been said
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11363648
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11363649

It is about the experience. One I would suggest many to give a go to negate any perceptions that will be prevalent putting a 2.0 engine into a full sized Falcon.

It is better than expected. Made me happier than I thought I would be. I suppose more relieved than anything else. It could be the catalyst to help the Falcon increase market share ....... especially into the intended market. That is one thing that needs pointing out. It is not for everyone. It can tow 1600kg's, it can coast comfortably at all legal speeds and get there at a very reasonable pace. It may clash slightly with ECOLPI but considering its targeted at those markets that only allow 4 cylinders to be purchased, those who have a preference for a 4 cylinder along with those who want to be transported in a true 5 seater with the great economy. There is the LPI but this has its draw backs ...... no spare or no boot with spare for starters. There is the Territory, Petrol and Diesel for those who want something else ..... or the I6 plus turbo etc.

Diesel for the Falcon was considered but only very briefly ....... markets for Australia say yes in SUV, no for sedans. Europe is running 50/50 petrol to Diesel. Here it is to minimal way too make that step. There is also the Mondeo that can feel a niche in that sector.

Capped price servicing is also a good start. The fact that 'XT' has disappeared and is badged as 'Falcon Ecoboost' or 'Falcon EcoLpi' is also a good thing.

Would I buy one? If I was in a market for a large family car to be used for commuting and for trips to the beach and shops ...... no probs. If I was considering a Camry ..... definitely.

Its a good thing It is not a Sports car ..... you really do need to get your bum into one. Unfortunately a quick spin around the block might not be enough to appreciate but it is a start. A change of perception is required. In a way it is Ford's job to do that but negativity without experiencing is something that is not required .... no car is perfect and one size does not fit all but it goes a hell of along way towards it