Has Ford finally figured things out?

[Oliver.]

http://www.theage.com.au/drive/motor-news/falcon-fourcylinder-turbo-first-secrets-out-20090918-fuan.html

So post-GM collapse, Ford has finally begun to work seriously on their 2.0 Turbo-4. A step in the right direction after all these years of oversized sixes getting embarrassed by smaller engined euro counterparts?

I wonder whether Holden will start nudging themselves back into line. Their 'most efficient' Commodore seems to be a bit of an embarrassment. Now if they both started to work on their weight issues, they might actually make a competitive car.

Light, fast and efficient Australian cars? wow.

 

[b_S]

Light, fast and efficient Australian cars? wow.

Just what you need for getting the family around.

 

[Fisher]

Ah good, its rear wheel drive.
I remember there was talk of FWD 4 cyclinders in the past.
8/100km is fantastic, compared to 13 that our falcon is doing .

I just hope they don't make them any fuglier.

 

[Breaka]

Cool, Ford's finally implementing technology that's been used by Japanese car manufacturer's for years.

 

[Hew]

Just what you need for getting the family around.

^^^^ This.

Its a family car dude...

Always has been, they just gave it a big engine and made it go broom broom so all the over compensating blokes can feel big and powerful driving one around.

 

[brisneyland]

Cool, Ford's finally implementing technology that's been used by Japanese car manufacturer's for years.

I agree with your sentiment, but to be fair I don't think the turbo 4 engines of even a few years ago would really have cut it pushing a big car around and still managed to achieve such economy.

Engines these days are pretty amazing, the better turbo 4's make good power and torque with almost no turbo lag and still get good economy.

 

[Breaka]

^^^^ This.

Its a family car dude...

Always has been, they just gave it a big engine and made it go broom broom so all the over compensating blokes can feel big and powerful driving one around.

I think you've missed the point. If I've properly interpreted what Rik was trying to convey is that a family car doesn't necasarilly need to be 'fast' or 'light' to fulfill the 'family car' role.

And you've got it all wrong. The 'big engine' was used because fuel prices were pretty low making fuel consumption and a vehicles lack of fuel economy nothing to worry about. The motors used in production previously are generally robust, reliable, strong and torquey motors capable handling any of the tasks which were typically thrown at them e.g. towing the boat, trailer, caravan or hammering down the highway.

The big motor, big four door family sedan format worked for years and years and there was never any need to look elsewhere so production in that configuration has continued right up until now.

 

[W2ttsy]

you also have to remember that the equivalent base merc or beamer cant compete with ford or holden on price, power or capacity.

jeremy clarkson did a comparison with an R8, audi s4, bmw and a merc and the r8 came out on top for all of the tests.

personally, a small 4 banger wouldnt last long with me. i tow trailers to the tip, tow my step dads boat occasionally and pack the boot full of soil or other bulky items. the v6 ecotec in my car is a good compromise between power and fuel efficiency. i dont mind 10l/100km when i know i can fit 5 adults in the car comfortably.

Australia doesnt have narrow ass streets and towns serviced solidly by public transport like european countries do. The family car has its place here, and unless holden and ford can get a 4cyl car to work in the current v6 range, then they may as well not bother.

of course it wouldnt hurt holden to slim down the VE range a tad! the omega is 400kg odd heavier than my VY acclaim...

 

[sprocket]

Doesnt change the fact its a ford..... but at least there trying...

oh.. i shouldn't really say that.... think i'll still stick to my smoke spewing under powered smelly oil burner...

 

[Ivan]

Ford got half a clue when they listened to the public and strapped a turbo on their straight 6.

I can't see a 2L petrol falcon being a big seller.

 

[Venciferus]

No replacement for displacement.

 

[dhd]

I'm guessing most of the people slagging the Fords and Holden products have never carted more than themselves and a trophy girl around.
Love em or hate em, the fact is they are very good at doing what they are designed to do. Carry the family and cart lots of crap around. The fact you can get one that goes pretty hard with a turbo or a big V8 etc is a bonus on top of that.
Think of them as the equivalent of a Giant Glory for the car world so to speak, Cheap, heavy, capable and reliable.

 

[brisneyland]

No replacement for displacement.

Except forced induction, double overhead cams, variable valve timing and all those other technological advances that brought the internal combustion engine into the 21st century.

 

[dhd]

Except forced induction, double overhead cams, variable valve timing and all those other technological advances that brought the internal combustion engine into the 21st century.

And if you put all that on a bigger engine what happens then?..........

 

[k_d]

And if you put all that on a bigger engine what happens then?..........

Even faster top fuel dragsters

 

[fairy1]

Holy crap they are going to make two and three cylinder turbo engines in the future as well, I hate the future already.

 

[Oliver.]

No replacement for displacement.

Why displacement, when you can get more torque and power, with better economy and a lighter car...just by using a bit of brain power to achieve a technological leap a decade behind Japan and Europe?

 

[Breaka]

Why displacement, when you can get more torque and power, with better economy and a lighter car...just by using a bit of brain power to achieve a technological leap a decade behind Japan and Europe?

I think he was taking the piss. He drives a Trueno so I think it's the last thing he'd be saying

I think the common train of thought in terms of car design nowadays is compromise. Often this compromise between designs doesn't work. It's evident in vehicles such as x-trails, Rav-4's, Forresters to a certain extent aswell as all other 'soft roaders' and Urban 'SUV's (fucking hate that word). Poor fuel efficeincy, poor off-road ability and larger than most of the traditional family type vehicles that are no better for carrying the groceries or moving people than your run of the mill falcadore.

Hopefully using jap/euro technology adapts to the falcadore or any other popular variant of 'family' vehicle.

 

[skivi]

Engines these days are pretty amazing, the better turbo 4's make good power and torque with almost no turbo lag and still get good economy.

mmm nothing like a big heavy lump of metal with ten thousand small moving parts inside that all drain power from an already terribly inefficient dinosaur juice guzzling, century old technology that fights friction and it's own forces of inertia everywhere from the cylinder to the diff.

in the scheme of things and mans technological advances, yes sure, the invention and progression of the Internal Combustion Engine changed the world but damn does no one else think we've been clinging to this old crap for a little bit too long? look where it's gotten us, in hindsight alternatives should have been given the go ahead decades ago. yeah i love old technology but come on, if the yanks said to themselves in 1960 with a priority on the worlds futute- lets aim to phase out petrol powered passenger auto mobiles by the 70's imagine what crazy devices we'd be zipping around in today, there'd probably be fish in port Phillip bay and half the amount of skin cancers in Queensland.

 

[floody]

So post-GM collapse, Ford has finally begun to work seriously on their 2.0 Turbo-4. A step in the right direction after all these years of oversized sixes getting embarrassed by smaller engined euro counterparts?

Sorry, just how do smaller engined euro counterparts embarass ford's 6?

Towing fat aussie families around? Fail.
Price? Fail.
Out and out grunt? Fail.
Reliability? Fail.
Service intervals? Fail.

When I see BMW 530s for $40k, standing up to nil servicing, towing boats and caravans, being serviced by your average bogan mechanic with generic bits from supercheap...I'll take your rubbish point.


Aussie cars do what the Aussie market needs very well.

In a lot of ways sheer displacement is essential in this regard, I am afraid you cannot build a smaller motor that will deliver the same flexibility and grunt, the same longevity, for the same money, full stop.

Except forced induction, double overhead cams, variable valve timing and all those other technological advances that brought the internal combustion engine into the 21st century.

Like the stuff that Ford have hanging off the barra six?