Sneaky peek at Falcon facelift

Expect the facelifted Falcon to be bigger and bolder - and a better drive, writes ALASTAIR SLOANE.

Ford has offered selected Australian motoring writers a sneak preview of the updated Falcon - on the condition that they won't reveal details of the car until the launch date in September.

Some scribes accepted the offer swearing them to secrecy. Others declined.

The facelift is the talk of the motoring industry across the Tasman, with computer-generated images of what the car might look like appearing in newspapers and magazines.

Ford has poured a lot of money into the mid-life makeover and has about 140 disguised prototypes on Australian roads.

Some spyshots reveal a bigger car overall - longer and wider car with a flatter roof. The front and rear of the prototypes in the spy photos wear heavy disguises to hide what is said to be a European look similar in theme to the Mondeo.

Ford Australia is desperate to make the new-look Falcon more competitive against the best-selling Holden Commodore.

Ford's share of the Australian market has plummeted in recent years and reports in the last month say sales of the present Falcon have slowed to a trickle. Ford Australia president Geoff Polites has said that boosting sales of the home-grown Falcon was the key to a return to profitability.

Offically, the facelift is just that. Unofficially, it is a major revision.

Included in the many changes Ford has made to the Falcon AUII (pictured) are a reworked and European-influenced interior, with a new dash and centre console and improved comfort and appearance.

There are more interior features, such as a touch-screen systems panel and audible parking sensors. The seats are said to offer more comfort and better lateral support.

Other significant changes include, for the first time in an Australian production car, hydraulically operated height-adjustable pedals for drivers of varying sizes.

This technology is among a number of safety improvements and was borrowed from head office in Detroit. Ford Australia also turned to its parent company to redesign the Falcon's fuel tank.

It is understood to have been moved forward of the rear differential for two reasons: better packaging benefits and to help with potential exports to America, where fuel tanks in cars are required by law to be forward of the rear wheels.

The new Falcon, codenamed the Barra, is expected to be the most exciting Falcon yet.

It comes after Ford Australia followed extensive market research to find out what buyers wanted in a big Ford.

And it brings with it a car with more standard equipment, improved driving dynamics and a new range of engines, including a turbocharged 4.0-litre straight-six and a 5.4-litre V8. The all-new V8 will be imported from America and replaces the ageing 5-litre Windsor engine.

In standard Falcons it will come with three valves a cylinder. In high-performance Tickford (Ford's performance partner) models it will have four valves a cylinder and produce about 260kW.

There will be a 300kW version to challenge the best from Holden Special Vehicles. Talk is this car might be badged the GT in recognition of the 1960s and 1970s performance models. (Bruce Simpson salutes the GTHO Falcon on Page 22).

The 4-litre straight-six engine will be heavily revised and come with variable cam timing, or VCT, as standard. A 220k turbocharged version of this engine, said to offer more useable power than the Windsor V8, will go into the top-line XR6 sports sedan. Overall, the Falcon update is said to have resulted in a classier-looking car. The flatter roof, longer wheelbase, lower ride height and restyled front and rear windows has smoothed out the look of the AUII.

The track width is said to about 15mm wider, too, aiding ride and roadholding and giving the car an improved stance. New wheels across the range and bolder wheel arches have also given the car a more muscular look.

Brakes have been improved, along with passive and active safety systems. Reports say dual front airbags will be standard and side airbags will be fitted to all but the base models.

Another major change is to the suspension, which has been heavily revised to boost driving dynamics. A new independent rear set-up becomes standard across the range. The long-time live rear axle will be gone forever.

Ford is expected to claim that the new sedan offers class-leading luggage space in the bigger boot. Luggage space in the wagon, however, is expected to be unchanged from the present AUII.