2004 Ford Falcon XR6 review from Australia and New Zealand

Interior rear view mirror developed a rattle after a few months and was replaced under warranty.

Plastic frame around number plate was found to be cracked after about a month of ownership and was also replaced under warranty. Unfortunately, the metallic purple (Phantom) paint on the new frame is not a perfect match with the rest of of the body.

The cover on the dashboard power outlet also broke the first time it was opened, which was today, and has not been reported to the dealer yet, but the earlier-mentioned faults were attended to promptly by the dealer with no quibbling at all.

This car is beautiful to look at. The salesman described it as a "look at me" car, and he was not exaggerating. People just walk past when you park it and say "Nice car, mate". This is still happening after 15 months of ownership.

The body feels almost like it has been carved out of a single piece of metal, it is so rigid. I noticed this the first time I drove a BA series Falcon, (a rental car, but with very low km), over a year before we bought ours.

The car is huge inside and has plenty of space, both for passengers and in the boot. The seats are comfortable, even in the rear, and although I am nearly six feet tall, with long legs, I have sufficient leg room in the back. It's a very comfortable car all round.

The materials used in the interior give it a quality look, and the dash is very attractive to look at.

Our car, in non-turbo six-cylinder form, performs quite well, but the acceleration from low speeds is nothing exceptional. At highway speeds, though, it accelerates like a rocket, and a normal overtaking manoeuvre sometimes sees the speedo touching 150kph without the driver realising it, and the car feels like there is plenty more there if you want it. However, it is also fairly thirsty. We are averaging around 12.5 litres/100km in general use, and it doesn't improve much on the open road. I drive some current model Commodores at work and they use appreciably less fuel, with similar performance, but their road feel is not as good as the Ford.

Being an XR6, the car has a firm, but still comfortable ride, and the roadholding is excellent. The XR6 has low profile tyres, which add some weight to the power steering compared to the XT, Futura and Fairmont versions, but I prefer the feel of the XR model. There is also a little road noise from the front end, which seems to be a Falcon characteristic, because an EA series wagon we once owned had the same sound, only louder.

The car is effortless, but still enjoyable, to drive.