Ford BF Falcon
Encyclopedia
Full-size car
A full-size car is a marketing term used in North America for an automobile larger than a mid-size car. In the United States, the EPA uses "large car" to denote full-size cars....
that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The BF Falcon started production in October 2005 and a MkII update was released in October 2006. The engines are the same as those used on the previous BA Falcon
Ford BA Falcon
The Ford BA Falcon is a full-size car, produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between September 2002 and October 2005. The exterior styling of the BA was a substantial revision of that used for the preceding AU model. A new independent rear suspension setup was fitted to all sedan...
, with significant technical upgrades.
The new model brought many mechanical upgrades to the Falcon, including but not limited to dual-independent variable cam timing
Variable Cam Timing
Variable Camshaft Timing is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by Ford. It uses electronically controlled hydraulic valves that direct high pressure engine oil into the camshaft phaser cavity. These oil control solenoids are bolted into the cylinder heads towards the front of...
on the six-cylinder engines and improved knock sensing on the SOHC V8 which, in conjunction with ECU
Electronic control unit
In automotive electronics, electronic control unit is a generic term for any embedded system that controls one or more of the electrical systems or subsystems in a motor vehicle....
modifications, led to increases in power, torque and fuel economy, required to comply with recently introduced Euro III emissions standards. The changes to the six-cylinder engine further decreased the engine’s already low noise and vibration while increasing power from 182 to 190 kW (244 to 255 hp). With the BF, Ford introduced a six-speed automatic developed by German company ZF and Bosch
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
. The XR6 Turbo got a power increase to 245 kW, along with the ZF six-speed automatic replacing the clunky, unreliable old four-speed.
Locks and security
With the BF Falcon Ford updated the keys and security of the Falcon, replacing the ageing Tibbe lock system with an industry leading Huf based key system using an upgraded transponder chip.Mark II
On the 6 October 2006, the BF Mark II was officially launched by the late Ford President Tom Gorman.http://atthewheels.blogspot.com/2006/10/launch-of-bf-falcon-mkii.html BF Falcon MkII went on sale 22 October, 2006. The XT, Futura and Fairmont sport a facelift, while the XR range gets some minor interior updates. Small changes to the exterior are barely visible on the BF range, but the sporting image has been incorporated greatly throughout the range. The Fairmont Ghia has had a major exterior image upgrade (compared to the other models) including more chrome and larger diamond finished alloy wheels. The Fairmont Ghia featured the BA series XR6 Skirt kit, minus the XR badging. Simple and elegant. The Fairmont on the other hand does not receive this "special" sports body kit but still receives small visual upgrades.In the final months of production (July 2007 onwards), the XR6, XR6 Turbo and XR8 received a special edition body kit with dark gray inserts on the bumpers and skirts (November 2007 onwards), shadow chrome 18" alloys with dark gray inserts on the spokes, and Premium Sound/Climate Control as standard. The naturally aspirated XR6 was gifted these options only with the added option of the ZF six-speed automatic.
It is interesting to note that much of the Falcon's success in Australia can be attributed to Ford Australia (and indeed also Holden) continuing to face the same problem that led to the Falcon's introduction in the 1960s: the resistance of Australian Ford buyers to "smaller" models. Attempts to sell the US Ford Taurus
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
in Australia and New Zealand as a possible future replacement for the Falcon proved disastrous. Conversely, the Mondeo
Ford Mondeo
The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...
- which proved unpopular in Australia (but a success in New Zealand)—is the largest model available from Ford in Europe since the Scorpio
Ford Scorpio
The Ford Scorpio is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1985 through to 1998.It was the replacement for the European Ford Granada line...
was dropped in 1998.
Mark III
Ford FG Falcon
The Ford FG Falcon is a full-size car produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia since 2008. The FG series is the current model of the Ford Falcon and is the seventh generation of the car...
in May 2008 also saw the release of a Mark III version of the BF Series Falcon wagon. The Futura model was discontinued, leaving the base model XT the only model remaining.
The BF wagon was discontinued in late 2010, leaving its entire Estate to the Mondeo as the only wagon variant offered in Ford Australia's entire range.