FORD FALCON AU-BAII XR6
SAVAGING OF AU STYLING ECHOED EARLIER RESPONSES TO HOLDEN'S HD – BUT LIKE GM-H, FORD'S FOLLOW-UP MODEL SILENCED THE CRITICS
When Ford announced its AU Falcon, buyers were underwhelmed by the design of basic models and appalled by the four-headlamp XR. The new shape with its random curves and hunched appearance was repellent even to Falcon fans and it was done no favours when the characteristic XR front was added to the mix.
Output from the 4.0-litre six hadn’t improved since back in the EF days and power was still sent roadwards via a live rear axle. Five-speed manual transmission helped the AU XR6 deliver decent performance figures (0-100km/h in 8.2 seconds) but a shape that was anything but aerodynamic ensured it wouldn’t reach peak revs in top gear.
Stung by market reaction to its Millennium Falcon, Ford sent the stylists and engineers back to their respective drawing boards to produce a car that the AU could and should have been.
The BA shape was smoothed in all the right places, with styling less distinctive and far less divisive. If the new nose raised minimal comment then the revamped rear certainly did. The BA rear pillars were more angular and sensible and beneath new sheet metal sat ‘Control Blade’ independent suspension. Requiring a body structure more than 60 per cent more rigid than previously, the BA rear end reduced weight and offered greater stability than the AU’s double wishbones.
The double overhead-camshaft ‘Barra’ engine owed its basics to the earlier Falcon six but took versatility to new levels. It would run on any grade of Unleaded fuel and also on LPG. In XR6 tune the non-turbo engine produced 182kW but with a
turbocharger attached that jumped by 58kW.
Five-speed manual transmission was standard in the BA XR6 however a peek at the current market for these cars will find almost all of the survivors are four-speed automatics with manual over-ride.
The standard suspension is adequate in cars used as daily transport or weekend cruisers. Get more serious about your motoring or start having hankerings for some ‘track day’ experience and a BA with modifications is preferable.
For this kind of treatment the standard brakes will not go the distance and, quite possibly, the standard clutch in a five-speed car won’t either. Fortunately there are XR Falcon clubs with advice forums and links to businesses that can help with uprated parts and modifications.
It’s a sad fact that these XR6s have little chance of achieving collectible status. What they do offer is affordable, interesting transport with a good chance of surviving until such time as the petrol to run them becomes unaffordable.