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1996 XG Falcon Longreach XR6 Utility
The 1979 XD replacement with its sharp European lines brought with it the longest running Coupe Utility in almost 70 years of the Ford ute. Although its drivetrain and front end styling were steadily upgraded, the XD's original architecture survived for no less than two decades.
It was a reflection on the rightness of the original XD ute as much as the rocky market conditions encountered by the Aussie ute. After Holden abandoned the ute market in 1985, it was left to the XD ute and its descendants to stop the Aussie ute from becoming extinct.
The XD ute was effectively a crisper, more angular looking version of the long wheelbase XA ute. Because there was no XD Hardtop, Ford Australia had to return to the sedan's shorter front doors but filled the gap with additional windows behind each door. This marked the return to the original five window coupe utility design for the first time since Geelong production of the Mainline and Zephyr utes ended.
Because of its passenger car origins, the Australian coupe utility always faced a much tougher and costlier set of ADR safety requirements than imported light commercial alternatives. As these rules became tougher, the cost advantages enjoyed by the imports grew and were further boosted by the tariff concessions that imported commercials enjoyed over passenger cars.
Ford Australia survived this onslaught by skipping costly model changes for the ute and toughed this period out with mild upgrades based on the 1984 XF facelift of the XD. A steady group of buyers who appreciated the Falcon ute's passenger car comfort, powerful six cylinder engines and tough leaf spring rear suspension kept it alive. A badge-engineered Nissan version added much needed volume.
Then the tables turned. An overheated yen wiped out some of the cost advantages and the 1990 arrival of the first Commodore ute from Holden helped switch the focus back to the local product. A new recreational market grew so fast that both models have since enjoyed record sales.
In a twist of irony, the Falcon ute survived because it took over from Ford Australia's other unique recreational entry, the Capri. When Capri production ended, ute production continued on the Capri line separate from the Falcon passenger car range. This allowed Ford to continue with the earlier tooling until the market lifted and warranted major changes. The XG ute facelift was the critical first step in bringing the passenger car and commercial ranges back in line, a process that was complete on the launch of the AU ute. The Capri facility is now occupied by Air International for the "just in time" (JIT) supply process of the new BA Falcon range's amazing new seats.
The 1993 XG Longreach facelift added Ford's latest overhead cam sixes from the passenger cars while retaining the early XF suspension and steering. Ford Australia added the Longreach name for its tough "workhorse" image, as the birthplace of Qantas and the home of the famous Stockman's Hall of Fame on the boundaries of the outback. Other Longreach variations included a genuine one-tonne payload option, the first for a Falcon ute and still unrivalled for a passenger-car based utility. The amazing Outback ute was effectively a rally version developed by Tickford for high speed long distance work beyond the bitumen.
The addition of the sedan's more advanced engine led to the first XR6 ute in October 1993. The XR6 ute featured the signature four headlight XR front adapted to the XF sheetmetal leaving it with a wider, more rugged appearance than the current XR6 sedan. The XG XR6 ute was the first appearance change for the Falcon ute in almost a decade and had the unintended benefit of providing proud owners of early XF Falcon sedans with an appearance upgrade.
Power went up 13 kW to 161 kW with a free flow exhaust, high compression head with mild porting, larger valves and guides, heavy duty valve springs, unique cam profile and specially programmed engine management system. Tickford's red cam cover and 2.5 inch chrome exhaust distinguished this special engine from the outside.
High performance brake pads were fitted to the four wheel disc brakes. Ride height was lowered 34 mm at the front, 16 mm at the rear with firmer springs at the front, softer at the rear. Large capacity dampers, urethane bushes for the front anti-roll bar and special round bushes replacing the oval ones in the rear leaf springs, all played a part in making the XR6 ute one of the sharpest handling to this point. Its red accents, bumper mounted front indicators, Tickford wings, alloy wheels and sports seats with see-through headrests left no doubt that Ford Australia had made a welcome return to the performance ute market. It was popular and 1,050 were sold before the XH upgrade.
Specifications
Engine
4.0-litre, SOHC, in-line six, recalibrated multi-point fuel injection, modified cylinder head, free-flow exhaust, 9.0:1 compression ratio, 161kW@4600rpm, 365.5Nm@3650rpm.(DIN)
Transmission
T50D 5-speed manual, all synchro. Ratios: 1st 3.25:1 2nd 1.99:1 3rd 1.29:1 4th 1.00:1 5th 0.72:1 Reverse 3.39:1
BTR 95LE dual mode 4-speed automatic, XR6 calibrations, T-Bar shift. Ratios 1st 2.39:1 - 2nd 1.45:1 - 3rd 1.00:1 - 4th 0.69:1 Reverse 2.09:1
Rear axle: 3.45:1, limited slip differential
Suspension
Front: Independent, upper and lower wishbones, stiffer coil spring/gas strut-type dampers and 22mm anti-roll bar with urethane bushes. Standard ride height reduced by 34 mm.
Rear: Live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs with round bushes and gas dampers. Standard ride height reduced by 16 mm. Payload reduced to 550 kg.
Brakes
Front 286mm ventilated discs, rear 286mm discs, BMXO semi-metallic pads, ABS, servo assisted.
Wheels
7JJ X 15" 5 spoke alloy wheels, P205/65HR15 Michelin MXV steel-belted radials.
Performance
0-100 km/h - 8.12 seconds; Standing 400m - 15.95 seconds
The 1979 XD replacement with its sharp European lines brought with it the longest running Coupe Utility in almost 70 years of the Ford ute. Although its drivetrain and front end styling were steadily upgraded, the XD's original architecture survived for no less than two decades.
It was a reflection on the rightness of the original XD ute as much as the rocky market conditions encountered by the Aussie ute. After Holden abandoned the ute market in 1985, it was left to the XD ute and its descendants to stop the Aussie ute from becoming extinct.
The XD ute was effectively a crisper, more angular looking version of the long wheelbase XA ute. Because there was no XD Hardtop, Ford Australia had to return to the sedan's shorter front doors but filled the gap with additional windows behind each door. This marked the return to the original five window coupe utility design for the first time since Geelong production of the Mainline and Zephyr utes ended.
Because of its passenger car origins, the Australian coupe utility always faced a much tougher and costlier set of ADR safety requirements than imported light commercial alternatives. As these rules became tougher, the cost advantages enjoyed by the imports grew and were further boosted by the tariff concessions that imported commercials enjoyed over passenger cars.
Ford Australia survived this onslaught by skipping costly model changes for the ute and toughed this period out with mild upgrades based on the 1984 XF facelift of the XD. A steady group of buyers who appreciated the Falcon ute's passenger car comfort, powerful six cylinder engines and tough leaf spring rear suspension kept it alive. A badge-engineered Nissan version added much needed volume.
Then the tables turned. An overheated yen wiped out some of the cost advantages and the 1990 arrival of the first Commodore ute from Holden helped switch the focus back to the local product. A new recreational market grew so fast that both models have since enjoyed record sales.
In a twist of irony, the Falcon ute survived because it took over from Ford Australia's other unique recreational entry, the Capri. When Capri production ended, ute production continued on the Capri line separate from the Falcon passenger car range. This allowed Ford to continue with the earlier tooling until the market lifted and warranted major changes. The XG ute facelift was the critical first step in bringing the passenger car and commercial ranges back in line, a process that was complete on the launch of the AU ute. The Capri facility is now occupied by Air International for the "just in time" (JIT) supply process of the new BA Falcon range's amazing new seats.
The 1993 XG Longreach facelift added Ford's latest overhead cam sixes from the passenger cars while retaining the early XF suspension and steering. Ford Australia added the Longreach name for its tough "workhorse" image, as the birthplace of Qantas and the home of the famous Stockman's Hall of Fame on the boundaries of the outback. Other Longreach variations included a genuine one-tonne payload option, the first for a Falcon ute and still unrivalled for a passenger-car based utility. The amazing Outback ute was effectively a rally version developed by Tickford for high speed long distance work beyond the bitumen.
The addition of the sedan's more advanced engine led to the first XR6 ute in October 1993. The XR6 ute featured the signature four headlight XR front adapted to the XF sheetmetal leaving it with a wider, more rugged appearance than the current XR6 sedan. The XG XR6 ute was the first appearance change for the Falcon ute in almost a decade and had the unintended benefit of providing proud owners of early XF Falcon sedans with an appearance upgrade.
Power went up 13 kW to 161 kW with a free flow exhaust, high compression head with mild porting, larger valves and guides, heavy duty valve springs, unique cam profile and specially programmed engine management system. Tickford's red cam cover and 2.5 inch chrome exhaust distinguished this special engine from the outside.
High performance brake pads were fitted to the four wheel disc brakes. Ride height was lowered 34 mm at the front, 16 mm at the rear with firmer springs at the front, softer at the rear. Large capacity dampers, urethane bushes for the front anti-roll bar and special round bushes replacing the oval ones in the rear leaf springs, all played a part in making the XR6 ute one of the sharpest handling to this point. Its red accents, bumper mounted front indicators, Tickford wings, alloy wheels and sports seats with see-through headrests left no doubt that Ford Australia had made a welcome return to the performance ute market. It was popular and 1,050 were sold before the XH upgrade.
Specifications
Engine
4.0-litre, SOHC, in-line six, recalibrated multi-point fuel injection, modified cylinder head, free-flow exhaust, 9.0:1 compression ratio, 161kW@4600rpm, 365.5Nm@3650rpm.(DIN)
Transmission
T50D 5-speed manual, all synchro. Ratios: 1st 3.25:1 2nd 1.99:1 3rd 1.29:1 4th 1.00:1 5th 0.72:1 Reverse 3.39:1
BTR 95LE dual mode 4-speed automatic, XR6 calibrations, T-Bar shift. Ratios 1st 2.39:1 - 2nd 1.45:1 - 3rd 1.00:1 - 4th 0.69:1 Reverse 2.09:1
Rear axle: 3.45:1, limited slip differential
Suspension
Front: Independent, upper and lower wishbones, stiffer coil spring/gas strut-type dampers and 22mm anti-roll bar with urethane bushes. Standard ride height reduced by 34 mm.
Rear: Live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs with round bushes and gas dampers. Standard ride height reduced by 16 mm. Payload reduced to 550 kg.
Brakes
Front 286mm ventilated discs, rear 286mm discs, BMXO semi-metallic pads, ABS, servo assisted.
Wheels
7JJ X 15" 5 spoke alloy wheels, P205/65HR15 Michelin MXV steel-belted radials.
Performance
0-100 km/h - 8.12 seconds; Standing 400m - 15.95 seconds
