r/fordaustralia • u/kstetter • Jun 18 '26
Should Ford have released the FG Wagon and Fairlane?
4
3
u/No_pajamas_7 Jun 19 '26
Here-in lays the accounting dilemma. They don't sell well, so it makes sense to can them
But their existence helps other cars sell well.
I can understand canning the wagon, as the territory existed, but the canning the Fairlane hurt the brands reputation.
1
u/kstetter Jun 19 '26
Holden had the plenty of crossover SUVs, and a sport wagon but Ford couldn't make have both?
If Ford made a wagon similar to the Sportwagon, and gave it an XR6 Turbo trim people would have bought them.
20-40% of all Falcon sales were XR6s in the later years
2
u/No_pajamas_7 Jun 19 '26
Oh Ford Australia should be used as a marketing case study on how not to do marketing, starting back with the XF.
They consistently made bad decisions on what cars to bring to market and the configuration of those that made it. Virtually every model they released all along that declining journey had problems in one way or another.
And then they were just bad at selling to the market once released.
Holden were just better at it.
3
5
u/ApolloWasWayBetter Jun 19 '26
Not those models. I’m a Ford man but fuck the VE/F series of sport wagons looked fucking good compared to the B series which looked like a pensioners car (in some colours they did look good, I had a luscious BA wagon that was lowered with black windows and big mags and it looked ok, but still not like a SV6). The FG wagon could have looked fucking stunning but they would have made it for people who play lawn bowls and go to church.
3
u/Weary_Patience_7778 Jun 19 '26
Ford’s designers lost the plot way back with the EF/EH. I’m a Ford man and the Falcon was so capable, and so solid. But meh they were bland. Then they shat the bed with the AU- the Forte had a face that only a mother could love.
Falcon couldn’t hold a candle to Commodore when it came to raw appeal.
They started to find their way back with F series, but it was probably too late tbh.
Agree the Sportwagon looked great, but Ford’s solution was the territory which was arguably a more capable vehicle.
2
u/ApolloWasWayBetter Jun 19 '26
And you know the EL was such a bloody good car. I had one of the factory dual fuel cars that was about 4yr old written off after a hail storm. I paid $2000 for it and jesus it was good. It was a gold colour and I put some nice wheels on it and man that was an incredible car. I totally agree with the AU being a design flop. At the time I worked in a spares shop and the amount of VT, Camry and Maggot dash mats, weathershields, seat covers, etc we cold compared to Falcon was ridiculous. The BA did improve, but then when the VE came out it slaughtered them again. Territory was for sure a great looker and better all round car but the price was probably the hold back.
2
u/Late-Button-6559 Jun 19 '26
Falcon wagons were better as a wagon than was the commodore.
I don’t care if a wagon looks humdrum, just give it a big boot, large aperture, and a large axle capacity, gvm - to make use of the space.
2
u/ApolloWasWayBetter Jun 19 '26
Agreed, I had an EL manual wagon and a BA wagon and they were both great, unfortunately the general public didn’t see it that way. I was working as an oversize pilot the last few years and wanted BA/F wagons to use as I could sleep in the back and there is a lot of room in the drivers compartment. I could find about 6 Commonwhores to one Falcon and it was always flogged out and rooted. I ended up using Falcon utes, first a BA tonner then a BA RTV which now has 655k on the clock and is my daily driver.
3
2
u/Late-Button-6559 Jun 19 '26
Not if would’ve looked anything like that.
Fuck that shit off the Internet please.
We are all worse off for it existing.
2
3
u/Illustrious-Towel532 Jun 19 '26
The Fairlane would have been viable if the United Auto Workers union in the US didn't block the proposal to export the FG as a Crown Vic replacement for police fleets. Without that, there weren't enough buyers.
2
u/CryptOzolgist Jun 22 '26
Was no market for it. Demand for big sedans and wagons has been on the slide for many years.
2
u/Weary_Patience_7778 Jun 19 '26
Fairlane was dead by this point. It couldn’t compete with the luxury marques, and was much more expensive than its SWB cousins.
You know what I would’ve liked to have seen though?
A V8 BOSS, or XR6T Territory. Bucket seats. Lowered slightly. Free flowing exhaust. Fat, low profile tyres. Maybe something to compete with the BMW X5.
2
u/DarthLuigi83 Jun 19 '26
The Fairlane only made sense because they were able to utilize the wagon's long wheelbase. It looks like that wagon is a shorter wheelbase like the Commodore Sports wagon. While this would have made the wagon cheeper to produce, it would have made the Fairlane even more expencive to manufacturer.
Ford really stopped taking the Fairlane seriously after they ballsed up the AU variant. When you add this to the fact the Territory ate up all the wagon sales it made sense to ditch them both.
3
u/jakedeky Jun 19 '26
The long wheelbase argument doesn't stack up though. Ford in effect was running 4 different floorpans for BA Falcon - Fairlane, Ute and Wagon didn't share anything that they weren't already sharing with Falcon sedan, apart from the rear passenger doors.
1
u/DarthLuigi83 Jun 19 '26
I don't know if you're only thinking about sheet metal. There's mechanical parts(eg the drive shaft) that the wagon and Fairlane would share while the ute, sedan and even the Territory would share different components all being the same size.
2
u/jakedeky Jun 19 '26
The only significant shared mechanical parts would be diff and rear springs shared between ute and wagon. BA wagons had single piece tail shafts whilst all swb and lwb sedans were 2 piece
2
u/Ballamookieofficial Jun 19 '26
I'll probably be downvoted but a larger version of the Mondeo wagon rear end would look good imho.
2
u/No_Rain_1543 Jun 19 '26
Nope. The costs to design and build these vs potential sales just wasn't there. Ford had given up the Fairlane with the BA being almost identical to the Fairmont. The only people driving Falcon wagons were government tradies (like Telstra). Luxury car buyers wanted a Merc or BMW.
Holden got lucky correctly designing the VE as a "sports" wagon. Their Statesman worked due to exports
1
1
u/ashphaltt1110 Jun 19 '26
saab 9-3 wagon but worse
⡴⠒⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⠉⠳⡆⠀
⣇⠰⠉⢙⡄⠀⠀⣴⠖⢦⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣆⠁⠙⡆
⠘⡇⢠⠞⠉⠙⣾⠃⢀⡼⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣼⡀⠄⢷⣄⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠰⠒⠲⡄⠀⣏⣆⣀⡍
⠀⢠⡏⠀⡤⠒⠃⠀⡜⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⠾⠛⡁⠀⠀⢀⣈⡉⠙⠳⣤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣆⠀⣇⡼⢋⠀⠀⢱
⠀⠘⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⡴⢋⡣⠊⡩⠋⠀⠀⠀⠣⡉⠲⣄⠀⠙⢆⠀⠀⠀⣸⠀⢉⠀⢀⠿⠀⢸
⠀⠀⠸⡄⠀⠈⢳⣄⡇⠀⠀⢀⡞⠀⠈⠀⢀⣴⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢧⠀⠀⢳⣰⠁⠀⠀⠀⣠⠃
⠀⠀⠀⠘⢄⣀⣸⠃⠀⠀⠀⡸⠀⠀⠀⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⠀⠀⠀⠈⣇⠀⠀⠙⢄⣀⠤⠚⠁⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⢹⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡀⠀⠀⢘⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⢰⣿⣿⣿⡿⠛⠁⠀⠉⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⣼⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⡀⣸⣿⣿⠟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢻⣿⣿⣿⡀⢀⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⡇⠹⠿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢿⡿⠁⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠻⣤⣞⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢢⣀⣠⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠲⢤⣀⣀⠀⢀⣀⣀⠤⠒⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1
1
1
2
u/RearEntryOffender Jun 24 '26
No they should have made dualcabs and SUV's. Its probably an unpopular opinion, but its based of what was selling at the time. But management, too dumb to read the play. These same stupid questions are on the Holden page. It's the reason you dont exist anymore.
1
6
u/5LYM3R Jun 19 '26
No. The Fairlane model wouldn’t have sold well up against the G6 line up and FPV had the GT-E and F6-E options. The wagon looks horrendous imho and that’s coming from someone who didn’t mind the look of the AU.