If you're after a current series luxury saloon you'd be hard pressed to find better value than a used AUII Ford Fairlane Ghia - for around $40,000 you get an awful lot of space and comfort.
The long wheelbase luxury versions of Australia's favourite family sedans - the Holden Statesman and Ford Fairlane - have always suffered quicker depreciation than their little brothers. That's not so good for the new car buyer, but it's great news for those people looking for a near-new luxury car on the second-hand market.
The base model Fairlane - the 4.0-litre 6-cylinder Ghia - is a tad more refined than the equivalent Statesman we've recently reviewed ["New Car Test - Holden Statesman 3.8 V6"]. This is largely because at high revs the Ford six isn't as coarse as the Holden.
The Fairlane Ghia is the only vehicle beside the XR6 VCT to be equipped with the Tickford-developed variable cam timed version of the 4.0-litre SOHC, 12-valve six. Using a variable intake manifold, MAP load sensor, EEC-V management and 9.6:1 compression ratio, the big six pushes out 168kW at 5000 rpm and 370Nm of torque at 3500 rpm (7kW and 25Nm behind the more expensive 5.0-litre V8 Fairlane). VCT doesn't transform the bread-and-butter 4.0-litre, but it does provide a decent spread of torque from idle to about 5000 rpm - things fall away toward the 5600 redline.
The Fairlane comes equipped with a standard dual-mode 4-speed automatic transmission. Gear changes are smooth and - thanks to the engine's huge spread of torque - you're never left wishing it'd hurry up and kick down a cog or two. Despite its 1705kg kerb mass, the Fairlane Ghia is not slow - it can hike to 100 km/h in just over 9 seconds.
The 4.0-litre six and 4-speed auto combination gives varying fuel consumption. Driven sedately - where the Fairlane is at its most refined - we returned an average of 12.0 litres of normal unleaded per 100 kilometres. Stand on the throttle too often and you're into the 14s; fortunately there's a reasonably large 68-litre fuel tank.
Driven with judicious use of the throttle the Fairlane is exceptionally quiet. Tyre, suspension, driveline and engine noise are all well suppressed, though in blustery conditions there's some aerodynamic noise from the A-pillar.
The AUII Fairlane was - and remains for a short time longer - available with a choice of leather or velour seat trim. Our test car was crammed with the Howe leather seat option, which offers excellent comfort but poor lateral support. Both front seats feature electric position adjustment and manually adjustable lumbar support.
Bolted to the end of the adjustable angle steering column is a nice, soft leather steering wheel incorporating the controls for the audio system and cruise control. The transmission selector, too, is leather wrapped.
The dashboard design resembles that found in lesser model Falcons, but is distinguished by a sweeping timber panel. Inset into this panel is a difficult-to-read analog clock (is analog supposed to be classy?), LCD trip computer, ambient temperature display, overspeed warning and climate control. Unfortunately, the 'semi-auto' climate control fluctuates between hot and cold and the whole display panel lacks contrast for nighttime driving.
Sloping away from easy arm reach is the Ford security coded premium sound system, which gives you a 6-disc in-dash stacker, tuner and cassette player in a double-DIN chassis. An amplifier boosts output levels to 250W and drives through a total of eleven speakers, including front tweeters and a rear deck woofer. Sound quality is superior to what you'll find in most family sedans, but it's not brilliant.
Other standard features include cruise control, power windows and mirrors, road speed sensitive variable intermittent wipers, an overhead storage console, dual front airbags, adjustable B-pillar seatbelt anchorages, retractable belts for each of the five potential passengers, pre-tensioners and 'energy management retractors', and a large centre console with twin-flip-out cup holders.
Instrumentation runs to a tachometer, speedometer, odometer/trip meter, oil pressure, battery voltage, coolant temperature, fuel level and gear selection indicator.
There's plenty of courtesy lighting found throughout the cabin. A downer is that the vanity mirror illumination isn't automatically switched on or off as the visor is raised or lowered - switch the light on and it'll keep burning until you turn it off...even when it's been covered by the sun visor! Another basic design oversight can be seen in the front map lights. The only way to adjust their angle is to push on the bulb cover - which gets very hot after prolonged illumination. Ouch!
The Fairlane's frequent use as a chauffeur driven vehicle is justified when you step into the back seat. Through access to the rear pew is extremely comfortable. There's a massive 1047mm of legroom and there's even more headroom than in the front. The rear seat is deeply contoured for optimal comfort as a 4-seater, with further creature comfort in the form of a fold down centre armrest (incorporating twin cup holders), plush pile carpet, wooden highlights, rear ventilation outlets, upper and lower courtesy lights and storage facilities in the doors and front backrests.
This is a car where people will draw straws to get into the rear seat.
Further astern, the boot is massive at 550 litres capacity. The boot floor and sides are nicely trimmed and a pull-down strap hangs down well within reach from the boot lid. Our only gripe is the full size spare wheel sits proud of the boot floor. Long objects can be accommodated by the 60/40 split fold rear backrest.
Ride is pretty much as you'd expect in a 1700-odd kilogram luxury vehicle - it's very supple and has minimal impact harshness. Pushed through a corner these soft suspension settings equate to considerable body roll, but the standard 225/60 Dunlop SP Sport D8Zs (as fitted to other luxury saloons) maintain good grip. The nose will eventually push wide when hustled through a corner, and any RWD power-oversteer tendencies are quashed by the ham-fisted traction control system. The system can be switched off via the wheelspin button on the dash - this and the other central controls for the power aerial, demister and central locking are big and chunky, ideally suited to 'sausage fingers'.
Preventing the Fairlane's big chrome grille being shattered against the rear-end of other road users are 4-channel ABS-controlled four wheel disc brakes. Brake feel is good and stopping power is up to standard. The power assisted rack and pinion steering arrangement offers good feel at straight-ahead position and is nice and light at parking speeds.
The Fairlane's wheelbase is stretched 126mm over its Falcon base; still the overall shape and panel folds do a good job of concealing its considerable dimensions.
That big chrome grille and bonnet emblem spell class at the front, while a chrome exhaust tip and chunky trim strip add gleam to the rear. And, although they look like hubcaps, each wheel arch houses a standard 16 x 6.5-inch alloy wheel.
Overall build quality is pretty decent, with only a few design hiccups letting the feel down. There are the aforesaid courtesy lighting issues, some of the switchgear has poor feel and it's all-too-easy to yank out the entire front ashtray assembly when you just want to open it. Our test car's ignition barrel was also a loose fit.
In all, the Fairlane makes a cushy luxury cruiser. It's not up to the level of many European prestige cars, but it offers solid advantages in parts, servicing, insurance and - of course - price. If a brand new AUII Fairlane Ghia is competitively priced at $52,910, a second-hand example no more than two years old must surely be a bargain for around $40,000.
|
AUII Ford Fairlane Ghia Fast Facts...
- Miles of interior space - perfect for comfortable adult accommodation
- Overall build quality okay, but let down by some basic design flaws
- 4.0-litre VCT six torquey and more refined than Holden V6
- Soft suspension gives considerable body roll
- Mild understeer with power oversteer prevented by traction control
- Very quiet when driven sedately
- Luxury saloon motoring for only around $40,000
|
|
The Ford Fairlane Ghia was hired by AutoSpeed for this test.
|
|