2003 Ford Falcon GT-P 5.4 Boss 290 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

The P stands for problems

Faults:

Oil leaks, Water leaks, High oil consumption (engine needed to be rebuilt by FPV). I know how some Gen 3 owners feel now. throttle switch & position sensor need to be fixed/replaced. Paint finish has got to be the worst I have seen in a long time. Noise as hell gearbox, Wheel vibration. And oh so noisy brakes!. Some of the problems has been fixed.

General Comments:

Great looks and great sound from the engine. But so damn problematic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 22nd October, 2003

2003 Ford Falcon XT Sports 4.0L 24 Valve inline 6 182kw from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Great looking car with performance, handling and comfort

Faults:

The Car did stall once when I first got it, I attributed this to running the engine in. The engine is fine now and is running like it should.

General Comments:

Although the car weighs a fair bit (1700kg) it never feels like it does.

The performance from the 182kw engine and the handling from the rear sports susepnsion make the car hold the road and accelerate very quickly.

Interior is spacious and the controls are readily available except for maybe the positioning of the de-mister controls.

Boot is very large and seats fold down for even more room if required.

I find the seats very comfortable for long drives as well as the trip to the shops.

The car has a sporty aggressive stance and looks great.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th October, 2003

2003 Ford Falcon XR6 turbo from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A flawed Falcon

Faults:

Where do I start!

Rear diff leak, coolant leak, Replaced head gasket and head, Stalling, new clutch. A way to optimistic trip computer on DTE, horrible brake shudder, Power steering leak, Engine surging.

Warranty has fixed most of the problems.

General Comments:

The car goes like a raped ape. It looks seriously nice (Blueprint). But the build quality is a shocker. It handles well for its size and weight. I have always owned Fords, but this one takes the cake for reliability. I want my EL Falcon back which has far less trouble than my new XR6.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 5th August, 2003

17th Oct 2009, 16:03

Goes like a Raped Ape, what a comparison!

2003 Ford Falcon BA 4 litre from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

High priced

Faults:

Radio frequently cut out from day one.

Owners manual had a section of about 20 pages missing.

When cold was only firing on 5 cylinders for about first 5 minutes.

At dealer for check up at 3800 kms it was found to have oil in water and has been at the dealer for three days and possibly for several more. The head has to go to an engineering company for examination.

General Comments:

I have advised Ford about the problems, but no feedback at this time.

The dashboard layout sould be almost classified as dangerous as the demist/heater/etc controls are so low that you are required to take eyes off road. They are so low as to eliminate peripheral view of road when adjusting the controls.

I still have no owners manual.

The car looks good.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 2nd July, 2003

25th Jul 2003, 21:56

Wished mine was that reliable!. Don't trust the fuel gauge and trip computer it will leave you in the middle of the road. Mines been in and out of the dealers more times than you can poke a stick at.

Can't wait to get rid of my BA Futura.

9th Sep 2003, 08:48

Interesting to read the new BA is not so reliable despite the fact that Ford has spent heaps of $ on this car.

I was considering an XR6 Turbo myself (looks great and is pretty quick) but was concerned about how reliable it would be in the long run.

Despite rave reviews from the press, its no good doing 0-100 in 6 seconds if the car spends 6 hours at the garage every 100k's.

Can anyone shed the light on how reliable their XR6T has been?

2003 Ford Falcon Futura 4.0 6 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Nice, but could be better

Faults:

VCT Update needed for the first 1000k's and front brake rotors needed to be replaced. Boot leak, Plastic sorround on the drivers seat has cracked. Annoying loud whistle around 115 kph. Cruise control surging. Stuck fuel gauge and ran out of fuel.

General Comments:

Looks much better than my old AU Series 3 Falcon Futura. It steers better goes better brakes better (when front disk brakes that don't need replacing again. But my AU was more reliable though. Although I am pretty happy with the car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 19th May, 2003

2003 Ford Falcon BA XR8 5.4L 'Boss' V8 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A high performance muscle car

Faults:

Absolutely nothing, I have only had it for a month.

General Comments:

This car is awesome, and I got the optional brake package with it.

The cabin is very comfortable and the controls are very user-friendly.

This has got to be one of the nicest sounding V8 around, with the exception of the 4.6L mustang V8. Once you hear it, you'll fall in love, I know I have.

Supposedly the rear seats have gone a bit smaller from the transition from AU to BA, but personally, I don't see any difference.

Its handling is excellent, you point and the car goes.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th May, 2003

9th Oct 2003, 05:22

How did Ford steal most of the BA design from the SS? The lead designer for the BA was an ex-Jaguar designer from what I know, and they did not intend to make it look like an SS, I can't see any similarities except for the fog light layout. That's weird though, the fog light layout for the SS looks very similar to that of the EB GT, so are you telling me Holden copied Ford then? Guess not, so I think you should stop all this copy-cat garbage.

Oh, the Commodore is actually just an Opel Omega which just has a modified front and back. You complain that Ford designed a car that doesn't fit, when actually it is Holden. Why did Holden put a V8 into a car that only came out with a 6 cylinder engine? Are you sure that the Commodore's body and chassis can really handle a V8?

26th Nov 2003, 01:19

As for the size of the engine in the bay, it's a testament to good engineering. Try getting you hands anywhere under of around a Ferrari!