G6E EcoBoost: Driven!
Pictures by Quoc Nguyen
In April 2012 Ford Australia released the EcoBoost range of Falcons and since then we've seen a common trend and theme in all the reviews from the motoring press of Australia: Get out there and drive it! And drive it I did. If you're familiar with how a Falcon drives then you'll be shocked at how much better this feels.
Not that the Falcon in six cylinder guise isn't any good to drive, but the reduced mass over the front, courtesy of Ford's 2 litre four cyl Ecoboost, significantly alters the balance and feel of this car to another level.
The G6E Ecoboost surprised me in so many ways that it left me wondering, "what bracket is this car supposed to be in?". I'll rephrase that. Which other vehicles offer what this car has in terms of safety, comfort, performance, dynamics, size, economy, style, execution, and the ability to function so well in key areas in the simplest and easiest ways? I think of what's available in the market and without sampling every vehicle in the G6E's price bracket it's hard to say, but if I was judging by some popular cars that do compete with Falcon and that I have driven extensively there is simply no comparison; Falcon, when considering the aforementioned traits in a vehicle, is a winner.
I had the privilege of driving the G6E Ecoboost for three weeks and so it was a great opportunity to not only enjoy it, but also get as many butts in the driver's seat as I could. Thank you Sinead and the team at Ford Au for this opportunity.
So, there are family cars made for general commuting (yawns), taking you from A to B without fuss and with some of the features you expect in 2013. Then you have the Falcon range, now complemented with the Ecoboost 2.0 litre. It's very hard to sound unbiased but if you think any of the following comments I make about this car are an exaggeration then all the motoring scribes and critics of Australia will tell you there is no exaggeration.
This car is very much a blast, it's designed to be driven and makes for a very rewarding driver experience. Whether you like to drive with the flow, in a relaxed, sensible manner (like me), or whether you appreciate some performance in a vehicle - this car, hands down, is too good to be compared with medium sized FWD fridges on wheels and that would be a complete insult to this product, the FG Falcon, if you have any appreciation for dynamics and driving pleasure.
A friend and I picked it up from Alto Ford in Artarmon. He took the reigns and that was a good opportunity for me to get a good look at the car on the road and from all angles, for a good half hour. The changes brought on to MkII have really grown on me and on the open road the G6E looks fantastic. Actually, it's striking. I'll be honest and say that I didn't think Ford could improve on FG Mk1 G6E's styling but as I said FG2 has grown on me and I love it.
As we were heading back something out of the ordinary happened. This 37 y.o. friend was 18 again; him trying to hide that grin at the lights wasn't the real giveaway because I noticed the 2.0 EcoBoost packs a nice punch, and I don't think the BF 4sp Falcon XT I was driving could have kept up, even if I tried. Apparently a VX SS had the same difficulty. The Ecoboost 2.0 generates 179kW @ 5500rpm but that is not even half the story because the peak of 353Nm is served almost immediately, enough to overwhelm the 245's grip.
This friend happens to be 6'1" and at least 150kg - the NSW version of Mal Meninga - and the feedback in regards to space was "it's not bad"... That isn't bad at all. He did complain about his legs (otherwise known as tree trunks) hitting the steering wheel on entry and egress. He liked it so much we decided he should hang on to it for a few days. I reminded him that we're in the double-demerit period of the year so he promised to keep it under 180. Needless to say he was quite surprised by the power of the 2.0 but expressed that he would be probably be more at home in the 4.0 litre turbo. That's fine be me, as long he gets his butt in a Falcon.
During the few weeks the car was driven by a lot of other people as well. On most occasions when told it is a 2 litre four cyl the general reaction was "Wha..? No!". After driving it their response changed to "Wow! YES!", as well as various forms of expletives.
One gentleman in particular, a brand snob who drives nothing but Mercedes S Class and/or Cayennes, (BMWs are not good enough), was pleasantly surprised. "To me, this is as good as a six". The challenge with such an individual is extracting any sort of compliment. Well, the G6E didn't fail. The performance surprised him and he was also impressed with it's cabin and the general feel of the car's road manners.
Another chap wasn't happy with the throttle calibration, saying it wasn't as responsive as he'd expected. He wasn't too pleased with the dash's design. The feel of the some of the materials weren't to his liking, either. He was very impressed with the steering, power, and general ride and handling, and of course, the comfort.
George Rugernen was very pleased, and so this is where the whole story should end, but I'll keep going. He was very happy with the ride, saying it was better than the latest 3-Series BMW! Poor fella couldn't drive it, though, as he'd recently lost his license. But he was there on both occasions, at the test track, where he and I witnessed the G6E EcoBoost's remarkable handling prowess. "We haven't been this quick through here in a very long time", sayeth the Ruger.
Next, one other young gentlemen told his brother after sampling the Ecoboost's acceleration, "this'll eat your ute to 100". That ute is a manual SS VE. It was just banter, he wasn't serious. There's no way a 2.0 Ecoboost four cyl in a full size family vehicle could keep up with something so powerful. Or could it? It surprised me down the quarter, it really did. But, no, it'll take the 2.3 litre Ecoboost to match that 6.0 V8, for this 2.0 is only good enough to slap 5.7s. Stock 5.7s, and I'm not pulling your leg.
Now, the wife.. well.. she doesn't ask about pricing for something unless she's interested in it and after driving the Ford she inquired about it's price, so that's a start. She has her mind set on an MPV but I get the feeling my job of coercing her into a Falcon was made a little easier. Little Taha, our 2.3 year old son [hint hint, Ford, 2.3!!!] said it felt like being in a roller coaster, his exact word for that was "weeeeeeee.". The 4.7 year old doesn't like the colour (Smoke). If it's not blue, red, orange or black, he's not interested. His thoughts on the interior were "the beige and the black are nice and go well together".
An old gentleman, in his mid 70s, shook his head in disbelief at the amount of power after only applying half throttle. Initially he didn't want to drive it but I asked him to take a seat and the rest is history. A Ford man at heart, he was very pleased with the G6E's polish and plushness. He also said "Ford's broke, they're shutting shop ...I heard it on the news.", so I had him re-adjusted.
Many more drove it and like the above accounts the G6E Ecoboost won a lot of praise and respect. The idea that a four cylinder can motivate a large vehicle hasn't sunk in the minds of Aussies but I was happy to remind them that the European large cars are also propelled with less powerful and less efficient four cylinder motors. Jaguar's large sedan, the "XF" also has this same 2.0 litre Ecoboost.
There is something that for too long has been used as a criticism of the Falcon - it's high seating position. Compared to most vehicles it does feel high but after just a few days behind the wheel I wouldn't have it any other way, and that's nothing to do with adaptation. The posture you're in benefits in at least a couple of ways; comfort, and visibility. The higher position is optimised for the benefit of the driver. You sit nice and low in a Hyundai i45 but do you ever think you'll get comfortable? I had an i45 for a week driving through North Queensland - Anyone who'd buy an i45 (or a Camry) over the Falcon has lost the will to live. You also sit nice and low in a VE, but how's the all-round visibility going for you? In the end the seating position in the FG is not only a non-issue, but, for me, the preferred position.
The creature comforts in the G6E are plenty and well known, but I'd like to highlight a few points of difference between it and the i45 and SV6, they're the two cars I've recently driven for extended periods.
I don't know about you but for me the one feature that has to work well in a car is cruise-control. If you've experienced any contemporary Falcon you will know that this feature couldn't be any simpler to use, and in the FG it's even better. This alone doesn't make a car but if everything else was equal between these cars then the cruise puts the Falcon ahead by 56 generations.
Trip Computer: Falcon wins again. Not by the same margin but it's still a win, mainly due to the extra info that's available, and the interface between the dials is well set up and easy to read. Very easy to scroll and select through the menu.
The Falcon misses out on rain-sensing wipers. The SV6 also misses out but not sure of the upper spec VE models. This feature, which is in the i45, is pretty good. Set and forget, no fiddling whatsoever and gets a big tick from me.
Paddle-shift in the i45. Oxymoron. Paddles alone would be more fitting. I don't think the Falcon needs paddle-shift because that ZF has telepathy. It knows what you want to do. I don't know how, but it does. It's as if it's linked to your brain.
The VE's box is okay - noticed how I just went back 15 years in time? Cool trick, eh?
Keyless entry, keyless start and Hyundai Active Locking Operation (HALO) in the i45 is also a feature the locals don't have and if you're lazy like me it's one that you'd highly appreciate. The keys don't ever need to be taken out of your pocket. Ever. I heard Hyundai will go further, they're working on customising their cars to be in full sync with smart phones, so much so that you don't need any keys or remotes at all. Toyota might be doing the same but theirs will be a shared version with Fisher & Paykel.
I won't compare the ride and handling of the Ecoboost G6E to the other two vehicles because as I said that would be an insult to the Ford. Okay, fair enough, the VE is a good handler but that's where it stops. The i45 is comparable to the 1986 model XF Falcon GL with 14" tyres.
Moving on to FG2's 8" display. It's quite easy to use, but a little difficult to see if sunlight's shining on it. The reverse camera is gimmicky and a distraction because I think the reverse sensors do a good enough job. I say distraction because one of these days someone will forget to check their surroundings and end up awkwardly parked or leave themselves in a skewed position. Or just hit something. The Satnav I found to be easy to use as well. I'm used to the Garmin 1490T, which is a couple of years old but works great. I'm no expert on GPSs so the only opinion I can share on this is relative to my experience with the 1490T.
The cabin in general we're all familiar with - quite roomy, and the dash layout was complimented by most. It all comes down to personal taste and I thought it was plush and very inviting. There's nothing like sitting in an interior of a car that looks good, has a simple, clean layout, and an instrument cluster that is easy to read and functional at the same time.
I haven't experienced any direct-injected turbo-petrol-powered vehicles that I can remember so I can't judge how good or bad the 2.0 Ecoboost is in part-throttle situations compared to the same, and, part-throttle is in use 99% of the time for (just about) any motorist, so it's an important aspect of this motor I was keen to trial. In a nutshell, it's acceptable in nearly all cases but isn't as good as the worlds best engine, the Barra 4.0. You're only feathering the throttle and it's moving nicely with the rest of the traffic and considering the 1650kg kerb mass of the G6E, that's pretty impressive. The BF 4sp I have feels flat, as in lacking fizz, compared to the G6E in these light throttle applications. However when you up the tempo to 7/10s the response of the naturally aspirated motor is the easier to peddle. I'm still talking about response, not speed. If you go all out you'll reach a point where the amazing ZF transmission masks any lack of response from the Ecoboost and then everything's just brilliant.
Riding on 245/40 R18 Dunlop Sport Maxx this G6E was very well behaved on most surfaces. It won't glide over everything like my B Series XT Falcon does, so you do need to back off over sharp speed humps, Camrys, and footpaths (when chasing down Commodore owners). Noise isolation is pretty good and a lot of those who drove it noted the same. From my perspective, as one who's in the driver's seat for extended periods, it's a very nice place to be in. Taxi drivers love Falcons for a reason, and those degrading Falcon for being a "taxi" are obtuse or just plain arrogant.
The FG Falcon in it's own right is a very accomplished car. It's maleable and adaptable, it will cater for whatever mood you're in. No need to compromise on handling/performance if you want comfort and space. The handling and grip levels with this "Foured" Falcon are much higher than most would venture, and that means it's a much safer bet to steer you out of trouble in hairy situations. I do believe ANCAP's rating system is flawed. Why have 5-stars for small vehicles when the same amount of stars in a larger vehicle is actually safer. This is according to ANCAP, I believe. I give the Falcon 7 stars, one extra for being a large car, and another for having much better passive safety in the form of a higher grip threshold.
After the first week the time came to refuel and I chose 100 octane for certain reasons. Total average consumption over the entire 3 weeks was just under 11 litres per 100km. I don't think you'll be able to get worse than that; very hot conditions, towing the family about, and the "odd" stretch of the right ankle(s) didn't help.
On the subject of fuel I was hit with a question:
"If I was after economy, why would I buy this over a small or medum car?".
A little difficult to explain but I got there in the end. Yes, if it's economy you're after why bother when you can save a litre or two with a small/medium size car, but If you're purely after economy then you've missed the point of the Ecoboost Falcon range. From all reviews thus far I think most people would know this already, and as noted above, the dynamics of this car are superb, but in the same breath you can say it's more comfortable than just about anything at double the price. Yes, for size, comfort, handling, safety, function, equipment, power and economy, the Ecoboost Falcon is a luxury to have even in the base XT guise. Nothing comes remotely close in this price bracket. After spending a good 3 weeks in the car it's no surprise it took out best family car for 2012 and go one to take the best car awards. This car is a winner!
"Youssef-o... Youssef-o... wherefore art thou, oh Youssef-o?", said Mother Nature... "Be Gone! This tank of 100 Octane will not be consumed at 2000rpm!".
Pictures by Quoc Nguyen
In April 2012 Ford Australia released the EcoBoost range of Falcons and since then we've seen a common trend and theme in all the reviews from the motoring press of Australia: Get out there and drive it! And drive it I did. If you're familiar with how a Falcon drives then you'll be shocked at how much better this feels.
Not that the Falcon in six cylinder guise isn't any good to drive, but the reduced mass over the front, courtesy of Ford's 2 litre four cyl Ecoboost, significantly alters the balance and feel of this car to another level.
The G6E Ecoboost surprised me in so many ways that it left me wondering, "what bracket is this car supposed to be in?". I'll rephrase that. Which other vehicles offer what this car has in terms of safety, comfort, performance, dynamics, size, economy, style, execution, and the ability to function so well in key areas in the simplest and easiest ways? I think of what's available in the market and without sampling every vehicle in the G6E's price bracket it's hard to say, but if I was judging by some popular cars that do compete with Falcon and that I have driven extensively there is simply no comparison; Falcon, when considering the aforementioned traits in a vehicle, is a winner.
I had the privilege of driving the G6E Ecoboost for three weeks and so it was a great opportunity to not only enjoy it, but also get as many butts in the driver's seat as I could. Thank you Sinead and the team at Ford Au for this opportunity.
So, there are family cars made for general commuting (yawns), taking you from A to B without fuss and with some of the features you expect in 2013. Then you have the Falcon range, now complemented with the Ecoboost 2.0 litre. It's very hard to sound unbiased but if you think any of the following comments I make about this car are an exaggeration then all the motoring scribes and critics of Australia will tell you there is no exaggeration.
This car is very much a blast, it's designed to be driven and makes for a very rewarding driver experience. Whether you like to drive with the flow, in a relaxed, sensible manner (like me), or whether you appreciate some performance in a vehicle - this car, hands down, is too good to be compared with medium sized FWD fridges on wheels and that would be a complete insult to this product, the FG Falcon, if you have any appreciation for dynamics and driving pleasure.
A friend and I picked it up from Alto Ford in Artarmon. He took the reigns and that was a good opportunity for me to get a good look at the car on the road and from all angles, for a good half hour. The changes brought on to MkII have really grown on me and on the open road the G6E looks fantastic. Actually, it's striking. I'll be honest and say that I didn't think Ford could improve on FG Mk1 G6E's styling but as I said FG2 has grown on me and I love it.
As we were heading back something out of the ordinary happened. This 37 y.o. friend was 18 again; him trying to hide that grin at the lights wasn't the real giveaway because I noticed the 2.0 EcoBoost packs a nice punch, and I don't think the BF 4sp Falcon XT I was driving could have kept up, even if I tried. Apparently a VX SS had the same difficulty. The Ecoboost 2.0 generates 179kW @ 5500rpm but that is not even half the story because the peak of 353Nm is served almost immediately, enough to overwhelm the 245's grip.
This friend happens to be 6'1" and at least 150kg - the NSW version of Mal Meninga - and the feedback in regards to space was "it's not bad"... That isn't bad at all. He did complain about his legs (otherwise known as tree trunks) hitting the steering wheel on entry and egress. He liked it so much we decided he should hang on to it for a few days. I reminded him that we're in the double-demerit period of the year so he promised to keep it under 180. Needless to say he was quite surprised by the power of the 2.0 but expressed that he would be probably be more at home in the 4.0 litre turbo. That's fine be me, as long he gets his butt in a Falcon.
During the few weeks the car was driven by a lot of other people as well. On most occasions when told it is a 2 litre four cyl the general reaction was "Wha..? No!". After driving it their response changed to "Wow! YES!", as well as various forms of expletives.
One gentleman in particular, a brand snob who drives nothing but Mercedes S Class and/or Cayennes, (BMWs are not good enough), was pleasantly surprised. "To me, this is as good as a six". The challenge with such an individual is extracting any sort of compliment. Well, the G6E didn't fail. The performance surprised him and he was also impressed with it's cabin and the general feel of the car's road manners.
Another chap wasn't happy with the throttle calibration, saying it wasn't as responsive as he'd expected. He wasn't too pleased with the dash's design. The feel of the some of the materials weren't to his liking, either. He was very impressed with the steering, power, and general ride and handling, and of course, the comfort.
George Rugernen was very pleased, and so this is where the whole story should end, but I'll keep going. He was very happy with the ride, saying it was better than the latest 3-Series BMW! Poor fella couldn't drive it, though, as he'd recently lost his license. But he was there on both occasions, at the test track, where he and I witnessed the G6E EcoBoost's remarkable handling prowess. "We haven't been this quick through here in a very long time", sayeth the Ruger.
Next, one other young gentlemen told his brother after sampling the Ecoboost's acceleration, "this'll eat your ute to 100". That ute is a manual SS VE. It was just banter, he wasn't serious. There's no way a 2.0 Ecoboost four cyl in a full size family vehicle could keep up with something so powerful. Or could it? It surprised me down the quarter, it really did. But, no, it'll take the 2.3 litre Ecoboost to match that 6.0 V8, for this 2.0 is only good enough to slap 5.7s. Stock 5.7s, and I'm not pulling your leg.
Now, the wife.. well.. she doesn't ask about pricing for something unless she's interested in it and after driving the Ford she inquired about it's price, so that's a start. She has her mind set on an MPV but I get the feeling my job of coercing her into a Falcon was made a little easier. Little Taha, our 2.3 year old son [hint hint, Ford, 2.3!!!] said it felt like being in a roller coaster, his exact word for that was "weeeeeeee.". The 4.7 year old doesn't like the colour (Smoke). If it's not blue, red, orange or black, he's not interested. His thoughts on the interior were "the beige and the black are nice and go well together".
An old gentleman, in his mid 70s, shook his head in disbelief at the amount of power after only applying half throttle. Initially he didn't want to drive it but I asked him to take a seat and the rest is history. A Ford man at heart, he was very pleased with the G6E's polish and plushness. He also said "Ford's broke, they're shutting shop ...I heard it on the news.", so I had him re-adjusted.
Many more drove it and like the above accounts the G6E Ecoboost won a lot of praise and respect. The idea that a four cylinder can motivate a large vehicle hasn't sunk in the minds of Aussies but I was happy to remind them that the European large cars are also propelled with less powerful and less efficient four cylinder motors. Jaguar's large sedan, the "XF" also has this same 2.0 litre Ecoboost.
There is something that for too long has been used as a criticism of the Falcon - it's high seating position. Compared to most vehicles it does feel high but after just a few days behind the wheel I wouldn't have it any other way, and that's nothing to do with adaptation. The posture you're in benefits in at least a couple of ways; comfort, and visibility. The higher position is optimised for the benefit of the driver. You sit nice and low in a Hyundai i45 but do you ever think you'll get comfortable? I had an i45 for a week driving through North Queensland - Anyone who'd buy an i45 (or a Camry) over the Falcon has lost the will to live. You also sit nice and low in a VE, but how's the all-round visibility going for you? In the end the seating position in the FG is not only a non-issue, but, for me, the preferred position.
The creature comforts in the G6E are plenty and well known, but I'd like to highlight a few points of difference between it and the i45 and SV6, they're the two cars I've recently driven for extended periods.
I don't know about you but for me the one feature that has to work well in a car is cruise-control. If you've experienced any contemporary Falcon you will know that this feature couldn't be any simpler to use, and in the FG it's even better. This alone doesn't make a car but if everything else was equal between these cars then the cruise puts the Falcon ahead by 56 generations.
Trip Computer: Falcon wins again. Not by the same margin but it's still a win, mainly due to the extra info that's available, and the interface between the dials is well set up and easy to read. Very easy to scroll and select through the menu.
The Falcon misses out on rain-sensing wipers. The SV6 also misses out but not sure of the upper spec VE models. This feature, which is in the i45, is pretty good. Set and forget, no fiddling whatsoever and gets a big tick from me.
Paddle-shift in the i45. Oxymoron. Paddles alone would be more fitting. I don't think the Falcon needs paddle-shift because that ZF has telepathy. It knows what you want to do. I don't know how, but it does. It's as if it's linked to your brain.
The VE's box is okay - noticed how I just went back 15 years in time? Cool trick, eh?
Keyless entry, keyless start and Hyundai Active Locking Operation (HALO) in the i45 is also a feature the locals don't have and if you're lazy like me it's one that you'd highly appreciate. The keys don't ever need to be taken out of your pocket. Ever. I heard Hyundai will go further, they're working on customising their cars to be in full sync with smart phones, so much so that you don't need any keys or remotes at all. Toyota might be doing the same but theirs will be a shared version with Fisher & Paykel.
I won't compare the ride and handling of the Ecoboost G6E to the other two vehicles because as I said that would be an insult to the Ford. Okay, fair enough, the VE is a good handler but that's where it stops. The i45 is comparable to the 1986 model XF Falcon GL with 14" tyres.
Moving on to FG2's 8" display. It's quite easy to use, but a little difficult to see if sunlight's shining on it. The reverse camera is gimmicky and a distraction because I think the reverse sensors do a good enough job. I say distraction because one of these days someone will forget to check their surroundings and end up awkwardly parked or leave themselves in a skewed position. Or just hit something. The Satnav I found to be easy to use as well. I'm used to the Garmin 1490T, which is a couple of years old but works great. I'm no expert on GPSs so the only opinion I can share on this is relative to my experience with the 1490T.
The cabin in general we're all familiar with - quite roomy, and the dash layout was complimented by most. It all comes down to personal taste and I thought it was plush and very inviting. There's nothing like sitting in an interior of a car that looks good, has a simple, clean layout, and an instrument cluster that is easy to read and functional at the same time.
I haven't experienced any direct-injected turbo-petrol-powered vehicles that I can remember so I can't judge how good or bad the 2.0 Ecoboost is in part-throttle situations compared to the same, and, part-throttle is in use 99% of the time for (just about) any motorist, so it's an important aspect of this motor I was keen to trial. In a nutshell, it's acceptable in nearly all cases but isn't as good as the worlds best engine, the Barra 4.0. You're only feathering the throttle and it's moving nicely with the rest of the traffic and considering the 1650kg kerb mass of the G6E, that's pretty impressive. The BF 4sp I have feels flat, as in lacking fizz, compared to the G6E in these light throttle applications. However when you up the tempo to 7/10s the response of the naturally aspirated motor is the easier to peddle. I'm still talking about response, not speed. If you go all out you'll reach a point where the amazing ZF transmission masks any lack of response from the Ecoboost and then everything's just brilliant.
Riding on 245/40 R18 Dunlop Sport Maxx this G6E was very well behaved on most surfaces. It won't glide over everything like my B Series XT Falcon does, so you do need to back off over sharp speed humps, Camrys, and footpaths (when chasing down Commodore owners). Noise isolation is pretty good and a lot of those who drove it noted the same. From my perspective, as one who's in the driver's seat for extended periods, it's a very nice place to be in. Taxi drivers love Falcons for a reason, and those degrading Falcon for being a "taxi" are obtuse or just plain arrogant.
The FG Falcon in it's own right is a very accomplished car. It's maleable and adaptable, it will cater for whatever mood you're in. No need to compromise on handling/performance if you want comfort and space. The handling and grip levels with this "Foured" Falcon are much higher than most would venture, and that means it's a much safer bet to steer you out of trouble in hairy situations. I do believe ANCAP's rating system is flawed. Why have 5-stars for small vehicles when the same amount of stars in a larger vehicle is actually safer. This is according to ANCAP, I believe. I give the Falcon 7 stars, one extra for being a large car, and another for having much better passive safety in the form of a higher grip threshold.
After the first week the time came to refuel and I chose 100 octane for certain reasons. Total average consumption over the entire 3 weeks was just under 11 litres per 100km. I don't think you'll be able to get worse than that; very hot conditions, towing the family about, and the "odd" stretch of the right ankle(s) didn't help.
On the subject of fuel I was hit with a question:
"If I was after economy, why would I buy this over a small or medum car?".
A little difficult to explain but I got there in the end. Yes, if it's economy you're after why bother when you can save a litre or two with a small/medium size car, but If you're purely after economy then you've missed the point of the Ecoboost Falcon range. From all reviews thus far I think most people would know this already, and as noted above, the dynamics of this car are superb, but in the same breath you can say it's more comfortable than just about anything at double the price. Yes, for size, comfort, handling, safety, function, equipment, power and economy, the Ecoboost Falcon is a luxury to have even in the base XT guise. Nothing comes remotely close in this price bracket. After spending a good 3 weeks in the car it's no surprise it took out best family car for 2012 and go one to take the best car awards. This car is a winner!
"Youssef-o... Youssef-o... wherefore art thou, oh Youssef-o?", said Mother Nature... "Be Gone! This tank of 100 Octane will not be consumed at 2000rpm!".
