The Next Falcon

[oldraven]

Export to North America.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Export to North America.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

HA HA HA......

no u cant have them as punishment for "electing" George Dubya as president.....

[oldraven]

Export to North America.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

HA HA HA......

no u cant have them as punishment for "electing" George Dubya as president.....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I didn't vote for Dubya. I didn't vote for Kerry either. Canadians weren't allowed to vote in the US election. Punish them all you want. But you can share with your commonwealth brothers and sisters.

[xlr8ed]

I would like to see it being sold for under 10k with 5/10 warranty so I could get every color in auto and manual sedan and ute and would love to have them produce a wagon too

jeff

[replicant]

Power Train wise, I'd like to see the following:

Direct Petrol Injection for the Inline Six (increased power and improved economy), further refinements to the dual independent timing and reduced friction/noise from the valve gear as well as further tuning of the intake and exhaust tracks (perhaps a different inlet manifold for the turbo six)

For the high performance Falcons (XR6T and XR8), it would be nice to have a carbon reinforced prop shaft to improve rigidity - and I not holding my breath for something like the option 2.90 diff for the XR6T.

The current ZF box can stay, I like it and forget those stupid flappy paddle gear (eg Aston Martin) shifts they are annoying. It would be nicer if the shifter was a little closer to the driver too. The T56 will do as well although improvements in the shift and slightly shorter throws would be an improvement.

Ford could consider AWD but I can't actually see a market for it even in a high performance variant - the Coupe 4 sold in negligible numbers.

Chassis wise - Ford should build the next one with a wider engine bay so that the engines (esp the V8s) actually fit in the engine bay. They could consider using a variation of the front A arm design of the Territory suspension to achieve slightly better geometry but keep the current behind the axle steering as there are reasons the Territory has the rack location different (AWD, centre of gravity, roll centre etc).

I'm still not convinced about the electric active steering in the 3 series just yet so maybe a linear rack for the FPVs next time?

XR6T and XR8 brake spec should go across the board as should the DSC. Mainly as I think it will save more lives with non-enthusiast drivers in the XT and Futura.

And no run flat tyres.

The use of hydroformed steel one piece panels for better fit and tolerances, tailored blanks and finite element analysis to reduce weight but maintain strength as well as some other materials in certain locations eg magnesium seat frames or rocker covers. I can't see anything other than steel panels or suspension arms at this stage because the Falcon has to be durable and value for money.

Adjustable headlights (like european fords) with the Xenon for the high performance and premium models would be good as well as ones that respond to steering.

Side curtain bags to go with the side impact bags and airbags would be a good start too!

Interior wise, find a VW Passat as a benchmark for interior trim quality - the 380 missed the boat completely which Expensive Daewoo will be aware of acutely. The current VZ is a generation behind in this area so the VE will have to pull finger. Leather wrap for the handbrake and the shifter would be good too.

Ford have done a superb job with the functionality (pity about some of the materials which is why the new Passat is mentioned) of the interior of the Territory so maybe the design team can do a similar job with the Falcon eg the drink bottle holders with a bungy in every door, the rubbish receptacle with the dishwasher safe insert in the centre console, the laptop storage under the front seat etc...

The Boston Acoustics audio system in the 300C would be a good benchmark for audio quality too.

The ICC needs better graphics than my old childhood Late model camira 64 and the dash info panel on the Late model camira is a good place to start for functionality (and the ability to adjust many items such as light delay etc would be handy too).

The windscreen needs to be more upright and I think the VE makes a mistake with the rear light being too fast (ie flat) which makes water difficult to clear without a wiper and compromises the utility of the boot as the lid is too short eg Accord Euro. It would nice if we could get the Falcon seats to have a lower hip point as the Ford has a higher one than its competitors.

Reduced windnoise from the mirrors (which should be bigger) and A pillars would be handy.

Further differentiation between the XR6 and XR6T would be good although they have sold a lot of XR6 despite having no extra power than the base models - good marketing though! More differentiation between the premium and hi-po models compared to the taxi fleet would be nice too!

E - Gas should stay and maybe a diesel option for Territory - would be good for the environment if they made a hybrid for the cab fleet!

Think that's all on my (mostly achievable) wish list - are you listening Mr Ford?

Edited 16/01/06 09:00 PM by replicant

[Bain]

Somewhere between the start of production and the completion I would add in a product FORD knows nothing about..

Quality...

O and a turbo gas version.

Edited 16/01/06 10:01 PM by Bain

[sixfan]

Somewhere between the start of production and the completion I would add in a product FORD knows nothing about..

Quality...

Now someone always has to just go too far don't they?

Next you'll be suggesting service departments that actually know what they're doing.....

[Venom XR6]

I'd want a premium sound system that is actually a premium setup, not $5 speakers and a tiny amp and a crappy sub. A dash lighting setup that can change to one of over 500 different colors like the one in the Mustang (I think its the Mustang) would be cool as well. Weight reduction is a must, even 50kgs would be a bonus.

[harvyk]

Change the Colour ICC so that it doesn't remind me of old DOS programs... \ make it fully configurable so that you can choose what is displayed and where, and give it a colour scheme (gee, it would take ford the whole of 5 minutes programming...)

[EvilDaifu]

Well here is something from me that is achieveable today, just need to have it done.

- MP3 Player with USB Port (so you can upload music to the car's xxGB memory or at least have a SD Slot in the MP3 Player)

- Bluetooth built-in so anyone with a Bluetooth capable mobilephone can use the car's stereo and built-in mike for handsfree.

- Rear doors that open wider to allow easier loading of things onto the back seat.

- Left foot rest in the drivers foot well.

- Side Air-bags and curtain air-bags as standard as well as the front air-bags.

- ICC has a 7" monitor with built in GPS Nav, DVD Player and Digital TV Receiver.

- Fold out keyboard and integrated mouse with a Centrino and connection to 1xEV-DO / 1xRTT or 3GSM / HSDPA / GPRS or iBurst or WiFi (whatever is available in the local geography) for Internet connectivity.

- Underside treated with anti-corrision like the European cars that do (for their salted roads in Winter).

- Better paint quality that self heals over minor scratches.

- Softer standard leather.

- Better optical quality glass, especially in the front windscreen so that the edges of the windscreen don't blur.

- Tinted rear view mirrors like in some European cars.

- Rear parking detectors standard.

- Rear seats have integrated child booster seats that fold away when not needed.

- Climate control standard and stronger fans to cool the interior better.