Ford BF Falcon Wagon Mark III

There are few car nameplates left that could be considered Aussie icons, but the Ford Falcon wagon is one of them. Many of us grew up being carted around in a Falcon wagon of some description, back in the days when Chrysler, Ford and Holden were the big three car markers, but fast forward to 2009, and the Falcon Wagon has become a bit of an outmoded car.

Demand for SUVs and sleek euro-style wagons has been phenomenal, and the bulk of Falcon wagon buyers now come from fleets. The wagon even missed out on the major Falcon revamp last year that resulted in the FG Falcon sedan and ute. Instead, the BF Mark II Falcon Wagon became the BF Mark III - with a minor spruce-up.

SPRUCED UP
The BF Falcon Wagon Mark III comes in one trim only, the XT, and has a choice of either the standard 4lt-petrol engine, or the same engine but running LPG, called the E-Gas engine. The standard transmission is a four-speed automatic with manual mode.

New features on the BF Falcon Wagon Mark III, over the Mark II, include Dynamic Stability Control as standard (on petrol only), Warm Charcoal carpet instead of Medium Stone and a key fob with integrated flip-ignition key.

Other minor upgrades include ‘Satin Alloy’ accents for the grille surround, Goodyear Eagle Excellence tyres for what Ford claims is a smoother and quieter ride, and a new Mark III badge.

The Falcon costs $41,220 (manufacturer’s list price) and the heavy-duty towing kit (which includes the towbar, wiring, transmission oil cooler and load-levelling kit) is $1739 (plus fitting).

The Falcon’s interior does show its age, but it’s still roomy and quite comfortable. It doesn’t have a perfect fit and finish; however, it’s a functional interior with well-designed instruments and controls, with good vision all around except for the view out of the small side mirrors.

The cargo area is wide and deep, although not as tall as other large wagons, especially compared to some 4WD models.

POWER PLANT
The wagon’s naturally-aspirated inline six-cylinder petrol engine has 24 valves, twin-camshafts and variable-valve timing, all of which perform really well.

There’s plenty of low-rev torque and it also doesn’t mind being revved hard to extract its best. There are no dips or troughs in the power and torque delivery and - despite getting a little too raucous when revved hard - this is one of the best sixes you can buy for that kind of money.

How this engine’s power and torque translates onto the road is heavily influenced by the transmission, and there’s no denying that four-speeders like the Falcon’s are becoming outdated. Despite the fact that it could do with a few extra ratios (like the five or six-speed transmissions available in the FG sedan) - and there are odd occasions when the transmission thumps through an up-shift - overall, it’s a good auto with smooth shifts and an easy-to-use manual mode.
The Falcon Wagon has an independent coil-spring upper and lower-arm front suspension and live-axle leaf spring rear.

It’s not a bad drive and it has a surprisingly accomplished ride (although it’s a little soft and wallowy at the front) that blots out all but the sharpest of bumps. It has steering with responsive turn-in, good weighting and feel and a traction and stability-control system that (while a bit late to engage when correcting a slide) still provides a safety net that all cars should have.

With a 1600kg tandem-axle trailer in tow the Ford was at 70 per cent of its maximum towing capacity and did it with ease - it could probably handle 80 or 90 per cent of its 2300kg maximum capacity easily too.

The rear of the Falcon dropped 25mm with the trailer coupled. We probably could have towed without load levellers, but we put them on anyway because Ford stipulated the use of levellers with the heavy-duty kit.

Ford says to use Performance mode when towing heavy trailers, and to drive at 100kmh for 1200kg trailers, 90kmh for 1600kg trailers, and to restrict speed to 80kmh when towing up to its maximum capacity of 2300kg.

For further information on the Falcon Wagon, click on to Ford.com.au.