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

[Professor Farnsworth]

as with any car, it's not what others think of it, or how big the chromies are, or how hectic it looks to your brother, it's about how it makes you feel when you drive it. For this reason the review is very well slanted. Couldn't pick a better drivers' paradise to test it than basically any road in Tassie too!

nice one mate.

[Rodge]

I heard back that Ford N.Z. will bring in the other models from the EB range if there's demand for them.

I put it back to them that they need to find a creative way to get bums on seats much like they did when they launched the SC range over here and N.Z. sales of same went up 200% + incl my purchase of one which was a direct result of the drive days they put on at racetracks around the country.

Anyway I left him with something to think about and I am advised there were a number of representatives from Ford N.Z. at the Tassie drive event so hopefully the vehicle speaks for itself and word gets out. Go figure why they havn't at least listed the Ecoboost G6 and G6E as vehicle options on their website ??. Hopefully they update their website in due course if they havn't allready.
Here's a N.Z. review the communications manager kindly provided me with, enjoy. http://nz.lifestyle.yahoo.com/blogs/...ur-sited-team/

[prydey]

any idea why they reduced the ride height by 13mm? i'm assuming this brings everything in line with xr6 suspension height? or is xr6 same as xt?

[RASER]

Originally Posted by Chopped

That's a great write up. Well done.
Sounds like a good thing.
I was a doubter but the more I read about them the more I like.

Could this car be a Camry killer, it seems to beat the other large sedans but even challenges the medium ones at being the best fuel miser.

OMG your avatar, i just vomited in my mouth...lol

[RASER]

Originally Posted by prydey

i think it comes from spain?

Yes designed in UK [hello oil leaks] and built in Spain

So now the Falcon has a European heart!

Nobody has mentioned that the engine has a engineered life of only 200,000km, not a patch on the IL6

I dont see what the point of this is, hardly any more economical, if Ford wanted to that they could have made a 1200km range Falcon by fitting the Terri diesel to it.

The IL6 with direct injection, higher compression, displacement on demand, low resistance tyres would kill the ecoboost, AND keep jobs in Geelong plant...

NO LPG either....fail

[mik]

Raser if you read the test in the link from Rodge`s post the guy got 6.8 L per 100 k, that sounds pretty good....... re the paragraph:

As for the economy? Fraser was happy to see 6.8 litres per 100km out of the car he drove, without much effort. “I thought it was really good considering the Falcon is a big car and we were not exactly driving it terribly considerately.”


top write up Auslandau

[Rodge]

^^ Got a link to support your engineered lifespan of 200,000 km assertion ?

As for economy, Australia is big wide open country, i would have thought extra urban consumption rated at only 6.0 litres per 100 km's will full size car comfort is quite attractive.

[Professor Farnsworth]

Originally Posted by RASER

Nobody has mentioned that the engine has a engineered life of only 200,000km, not a patch on the IL6

link?

either way the lifespan of an engine will depend on:

1) what type of driving it does, suburban/country/peak hour/towing
2) how well is is maintained
3) how it is treated by the right foot

it could last a million KM in the right hands.

[music189]

didnt Ford do torture test on an ECO boost engine somewhere or was that the F150

From memory it was pretty impresive

[music189]

timing belt or chain? bit hard to make out from the pics and is the dipstick under the engine cover? or over to the right near the exhaust

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by RASER

NO LPG either....fail

Seriously? I know you know about the ECOLPi so we will let that one go.

If the journos are getting 6.xx/100kms then I wonder what would happen with a freer exhaust in the aftermarket.

Anyone know how the V6 EB goes in stock for with an exhaust? Just the % change.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by RASER

Nobody has mentioned that the engine has a engineered life of only 200,000km, not a patch on the IL6

I dont see what the point of this is, hardly any more economical, if Ford wanted to that they could have made a 1200km range Falcon by fitting the Terri diesel to it.

The IL6 with direct injection, higher compression, displacement on demand, low resistance tyres would kill the ecoboost, AND keep jobs in Geelong plant...

NO LPG either....fail

Who keeps their Falcons past 200,000km anyways? There are so many second hand FGs on the market under 200,000km. I know I don't plan on keeping my Focus for that long, the only car I have past 200,000km is my EL Fairmont, which I bought as a project car.

Plus I bet it'll do more than 200,000km, my old mans Mazda 323 has pushed 310,000km and its been treated like crap.

The only people this matters to is the people who wont be buying new, second hand buyers only who don't help the brand.

Ford won't do a diesel Falcon, they've put all their money into LPG and Ecoboost for the Falcon, diesel sedans don't sell much in Australia anyways, mainly SUVs in which its popular in.

Why would you spend money on that dinosaur I6 when you could just source a much more modern engine from Ford USA, they've put the money into new technology, it makes more sense to source it from them and engineer it into your car.

Yes the I6 is good, its going to die though, it doesn't fit in with Ford's "One Ford". It would probably cost a lot to get it direct injection, alloy block and all the other mod-cons.

Lets face it, if we get Ecoboost 3.5L V6 I think everyone will forget about the I6 quickly.

[drpopper]

Thanks for such a great write up ! It's alos interesting that these ecoboost cars are P plate approved for Vic, NSW and SA without a exception being required.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Who keeps their Falcons past 200,000km anyways? There are so many second hand FGs on the market under 200,000km. I know I don't plan on keeping my Focus for that long, the only car I have past 200,000km is my EL Fairmont, which I bought as a project car.

Plus I bet it'll do more than 200,000km, my old mans Mazda 323 has pushed 310,000km and its been treated like crap.

The only people this matters to is the people who wont be buying new, second hand buyers only who don't help the brand.

Ford won't do a diesel Falcon, they've put all their money into LPG and Ecoboost for the Falcon, diesel sedans don't sell much in Australia anyways, mainly SUVs in which its popular in.

Why would you spend money on that dinosaur I6 when you could just source a much more modern engine from Ford USA, they've put the money into new technology, it makes more sense to source it from them and engineer it into your car.

Yes the I6 is good, its going to die though, it doesn't fit in with Ford's "One Ford". It would probably cost a lot to get it direct injection, alloy block and all the other mod-cons.

Lets face it, if we get Ecoboost 3.5L V6 I think everyone will forget about the I6 quickly.

it would be interesting to see the mighty straight 6 with direct injection , it kicks serious butt now, ...................but with even more grunt.........

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by RASER

NO LPG either....fail

Yeah, becuase EcoLPi has been such a huge sucess!! NOT!!

[russellw]

Originally Posted by music189

timing belt or chain? bit hard to make out from the pics and is the dipstick under the engine cover? or over to the right near the exhaust

Chain and yes the dipstick (well engine oil level indicator) is on the RHS of the block about 1/3rd the way down.

Cheers
Russ

[SSVPom]

Get off these forums Ford Haters!! I know the FG is struggling and doesn't have a diesel hybrid V8 electric ecoboosted 6 cylinder turbo engine, but it's a bloody good car built for a tiny market, and on a comparitively small budget.

I know I don't own one myself at the moment, but that still doesn't spur me into slating the product on these forums for no reason !

[IceValk85]

skodas still come from spain dont they?

id have an octavia anyday lol. nice cars.

least its not made in korea and shipped to aus for "an australian made" car i know of......

suppose i cant bag the red lion too much, i did just buy an SV6.....

[drwevil]

Nice write up Auslandau and pretty much covers it all . It was great to spend the day in Tassie driving and being driven around by you.

We both commented that after about 10 mins or so you forget your not driving a 6. Its not long after that you just don't even think about it.

The car is super smooth and there is more than enough power on tap. I found the seats of the XT more comfortable than the G6E. I didn't drive that tho as after Baskerville I was Stuffed after the 4am start.

The only time you can really tell its not a 6 is when you push it hard and then it's the sound the thing makes and not he performance. Even then it doesn't really sound like a struggling 4.

I couldn't spot any turbo lag but from what I've read of some of the other reviewers they could but I'm not even close to being an expert.

I think Ford has created something special.

The challenge will be getting bums in seats to drive the new cars. Well that and getting people past the four cylinder in a Falcon thing.

After driving the Ecoboost powered Falcon, my Focus TDCI is a disappointing drive....and the Falcon has more go and is a much more fun vehicle to drive.

[JPFS1]

The comment about 200,000km's refers to the turbo spefically. 200k or 10 years. Doesn't mean it's going to grenade once it gets there though.

[PridenJoy]

Auslandau, I don't know what you do for a living but it doesn't matter, it's time for a career change! Great write up, it would look right at home in Wheels or Motor.

Then again I cant imagine those journos earning a hell of a lot, would be awesome fun though!

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by JPFS1

The comment about 200,000km's refers to the turbo spefically. 200k or 10 years. Doesn't mean it's going to grenade once it gets there though.

The thing is Ford can pretty much gaurantee it will do 200,000, they didn't bother engineering or testing it to go past that and I doubt any other passenger car maker would with a petrol engine either. Doesn't mean it won't last another 200,000 if looked after properly.

Most manufacturers consider 200,000k's to be a vehicles lifespan.

I'd say the I6 is probably engineered to last 200,000k's too, but looked after everyone knows they will probably go double that. I don't see the Ecoboost 4 being any different.

[drwevil]

I even said at one point "Who would have thought a 2l could be considered a cruiser?"

Recently I took a 2012 Camry for a drive and by comparison the Camry IMHO is a Grandad car is had no real get up and go. A really nice car smooth as but boring.

The ecoboost has smooth and fun. As Ford said that if the Ecoboost wasn't fun it wouldn't sell.

[RASER]

Originally Posted by JPFS1

The comment about 200,000km's refers to the turbo spefically. 200k or 10 years. Doesn't mean it's going to grenade once it gets there though.

This is correct, sorry if it sounded like the whole engine would "fail", turbo is a wearing part, spins up very fast, subject to very high heat and loads and so has a calculated lifespan.


No such issues with the IL6! :-)

[RASER]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Yeah, becuase EcoLPi has been such a huge sucess!! NOT!!

Not sure what the issue is here, but i have a friend who has waited over 4 months for a 1 tonner LPi, are Ford even building them?

Ford have bet the farm [not FairLane] on "power" and "torque" in the real world high milage operators/couriers are looking for more MPG's, i would gladly drop 50kW and pick up another 20% extra milage.

Oh, and i tow huge loads and carry well over 1 tonne, 157kW does it with ease i am not wanting for more, and NOT NEEDED, want kW buy a turbo or a V8, these are work vehicles not performance vehicles

My 2 cents real world opinion!

[Auslandau]

Raser ..... just to clarify a few points you have made I posted this in the other thread on EcoBoost. I posted it here as it answers some queries you had above.

As for the last comment. There is many variations available through Ford but unfortunately 100% of the market cannot be accomodated for absolutely everyone. If they do not have what you want there are a couple of options ....

1.Buy another brand

2.Start designing and build your own 'Homer' car.

The 2.0l Falcon is not a sports car either. Its a good mode of transport.

Originally Posted by AUSLANDAU

Just a few things Raser to clarify as you do have a couple of assumption in the post. The main ones being

The large corporations that have 100's of cars (govco for 1) buy for the staff and limit purchases to cylinder size and emissions. This car fits the bill

There are states in aust that registration costs are based on cylinder size

Deisel sales for passenger cars in aust are woefull. Great in SUV but are a very small in the sedan area. Want deisel? Mondeo and territory. Medium and large covered. Want LPI? EcoLPI I6 has it covered

As for the lifespan. Yes they test so the car is still fully operational and requires no real maintenance to 250,000 k's including the turbo. Many euros only to 100,000 then belt replacements are required. Audi VW etc

The turbo is NOT your standard I6 type. It doesn't not heat up like the previous types. Cooling has been extensively tested and engineered by Ford to develope the new generation turbo.

Buy one, don't buy one. As said many times. Not for everyone but specifically targeted and if you do not beleive the homework was done beforehand you again are very much mistaken

The new V6 Ecoboost twin turbo, unfortunately, makes the the I6 resemble a Cleveland (not quite but you get my drift)

Originally Posted by drwevil

Nice write up Auslandau and pretty much covers it all . It was great to spend the day in Tassie driving and being driven around by you.

Hey drwevil. Great to meet in Tassie and enjoyed your company Welcome to the Forums!

Thanks for letting me do most of the driving too. Must have been the way I waved my hand and said ..... "This is not the car you are looking for ............ "

[Rodge]

I think most people understand that turbochargers are a high heat, fast spinning high wear item and it doesn't matter what engine application they're in they'll probably wear out quicker than the main engine itself.

Suppose the turbo in an ecoboost has a design life of 200,000 km's you could say that about basically all turbocharged cars. What percentage of new car Ecoboost buyers would be concerned about that, maybe a few %.

Even for those high mileage fleet customers who may be concerned the forecasting maths might go something like this :-
1.8 litres per 100 km's, fuel saving (comparing XT EB to IL6) x 200,000 km = 3,600 litres of fuel saved x forecast average fuel price over the next ten years of say $2.00 litre = $7,200 saved, less forecast cost of turbo replacement incl installation, say $2,500, net benifet $4,700 !!

Its still a comfortable winner but the vast majority of Ecoboost buyers simply won't care about turbo longevity and won't even bother considering to do the maths, they'll simply enjoy more torque earlier in the rev range where its more useful and relaxing to drive and be smiling because they have a sharper handling car which is less nose heavy and they don't have to fill up with fuel as often.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by RASER

Not sure what the issue is here, but i have a friend who has waited over 4 months for a 1 tonner LPi, are Ford even building them?

Ford have bet the farm [not FairLane] on "power" and "torque" in the real world high milage operators/couriers are looking for more MPG's, i would gladly drop 50kW and pick up another 20% extra milage.

Oh, and i tow huge loads and carry well over 1 tonne, 157kW does it with ease i am not wanting for more, and NOT NEEDED, want kW buy a turbo or a V8, these are work vehicles not performance vehicles

My 2 cents real world opinion!

There have been some issues with the gas tank supplier APV, who went into recievership a while ago, and those issues have only just been resolved, and it has resulted in some supply problems with the tanks on some days.

[Ghiaman]

Great writeup Auslandau!
I really hope this car does well, everything points to it being a sucess.
Glad Tassie was choosen as the launch spot, there are some great roads to test out great cars down here.
I also noticed in todays Carsguide, Gover wrote a glowing review of the ecoboost Falcon. I nearly choked on my cornflakes!

[PepeLePew]

I do hope the rental fleet picks up on these....the more drivers get to experience whats NOT different, the more chance this vehicle has....VB 4cyl it aint