1998 Ford Falcon EL review from Australia and New Zealand

Exhaust Manifold connection to the exhaust came loose. Tightened and leak has gone.

This car was bought to contain a growing family and handle trips to cycle events where lots of people and several cycles need transport.

It has buckets of room (a wagon) can fit all we need for a 2 week holiday in the back.

It tows great, managing our boat with no problems.

The car is heavier than my previous BMW, but handles surprisingly well. The live rear diff lets down the cornering in the end - it starts hopping a bit. There is no undue effects though - the car keeps its line and is very safe.

Performance is adequate in a straight line, the auto makes overtaking easy, just floor it and it's off. The engine is amazingly smooth, all the way to red line. it gets harsh over about 4000 rpm, which is seldom needed. It only needs about 2500 rpm for normal driving.

Gearing is very high. in 4th gear lock up, it pulls 1750rpm at 100 kph. The auto is quite responsive, and never seems to be in the wrong gear. 4 speeds seems enough considering the torque available.

Fuel economy seems OK to me. A 1600kg car is always going to use more than the 1200kg BMW I drove before. The extra stuff you can carry more than makes up for it.

I have owned the car for 2 months now. Nothing has gone wrong apart from a loose bolt on the exhaust.