Drivel - What are the worst Fords?

[sd1800]

I hope I'm not double posting here.

http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/w...623-1gfvs.html

Some of them I agree with, such as the mustang, capri and festiva, but they have some eyebrow raising picks in there

Wouldn't expect much more from Drive.

Originally Posted by smh.com.au

Well come on, we had to follow up the Holden one.

If we stick only to Fords sold in Australia, herewith is the starting point for pistols at dawn.

Capri roadster It might have worked if Mazda - which Ford partly owned - didn't do everything better. The MX-5 was from the heart, the Capri from the parts bin. The styling was questionable, the build quality ghastly, the handling Laser-like and, if the Capri had a soul, that would have leaked, too.
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Festiva A little piece of nastiness imported from Kia of South Korea. It was based on the superseded Mazda 121, presumably on a day the photocopier wasn't working properly.

25th Anniversary Falcon GT You know when the legendary and much-loved band get back together and they're all bald and one of them has a walking cane and the singer has been replaced because he died of congestive heart failure a decade earlier? That's what this 1992 effort brought to mind. There were afterthought bits stuck on everywhere and the stated 200kW output was nothing if not optimistic.

Landau This was a lard-nosed version of the Falcon Hardtop with squared-off side openings and a vinyl roof to hide ugly welds. Sales were slow, so was it. In case anyone mistook this fat, heavy and ponderous machine for a sports car, the American term ''personal coupe'' was adopted.

Cortina TC The four-cylinder was merely dull, the six-cylinder was downright spiteful. It combined Falcon economy with Cortina interior space, plus Ford of England fit-and-finish and Olympic-standard understeer. The cabin had a habit of filling with fumes. Look at what the Japanese were doing in the early 1970s and it's obvious why the Cortina wasn't long for this world.

Falcon AU If the buck-toothed, cross-eyed frontal treatment and droopy tail weren't enough, the build quality was grotesque. Ford quickly put a spoiler on the back and the ute grille on the front to disguise a basic shape that was wronger than wrong. Cleaning up the other glitches took longer.

Laser KH Can't remember this one, can you? The pudgy, designed-for-America version of the Laser was forgettable but for its extravagantly inset wheels, apparently to allow fitment of chains in snowy climes. Great.

Corsair A rebadged 1986 Nissan Pintara, possibly sold with the logic that if you give a skin disease a different name, it might become desirable. Fortunately only a few hundred people were fooled.

Falcon EA As with the later AU, it was a major model change that went badly. Very badly. Build quality was lamentable, even by 1988 standards, and it had a live rear axle, a three-speed auto and the standard engine fitment was a 3.2-litre six that just couldn't be bothered.

Taurus Just how did they think this droopy, alf-melted, ovoid American had a place Down Under? The only joy was that it reminded us what the Falcon would look like if the Americans had it all their way.

Fairlane AU This bulky ''towncar'' stumbled on to the stage in 1999 and the same sheet metal was still up there in 2007. By that time, the only takers were cabbies paying not a lot more than Falcon money. Ford's great success of the 1960s and '70s had been run completely into the ground.

Anglia Ford is often very adventurous with its small cars (think Ka) and it sometimes works. This be-finned small car from 1959, though, didn't. Even the name suggests angles, of which the car had far too many, and none of them pleasant.

Mustang It appeared in Ford dealerships briefly in 2001, was converted in Australia to right-hand-drive and priced from $85,000. Yep, $85,000 for a car that was crude, pudgy, cramped, full of cheap plastics, none-too-quick and dodgy in the handling stakes. When someone paid full price, Ford rang a bell and held a little ceremony.

So, there. No arguments with any of that, are there?

Go to drive.com.au/vote to have your say.

[charles_wif_xf]

The AU build quality was grotesque? What drugs is this ****** on???
That said, I agree with him about the EA, the Cortina, Festiva and Capri

[FreddyDUZ747]

Falcon AU-If the buck-toothed, cross-eyed frontal treatment and droopy tail weren't enough, the build quality was grotesque. Ford quickly put a spoiler on the back and the ute grille on the front to disguise a basic shape that was wronger than wrong. Cleaning up the other glitches took longer,squashed pastie anyone?

Thats a bit polite dont you think....

















Just kidding,they ok.

[Polyal]

These are nothing more than blogs, so dont take them seriously.

In saying that I didnt see the Holden one

[BLUEYBA]

Yeah there was a holden one about a week earlier

[aquahead2001]

Originally Posted by BLUEYBA

Yeah there was a holden one about a week earlier

They give both holden and Ford a pasting. I wonder if they'll do Chrysler and Mitso?

Perhaps they can alienate the rest of the car buying community with "Worst of" for say VW, remember the original Golf GTI with Tartan Seats??? or Renault for many hundreds of models including the recent Megane that only needed fins to be a re-born Ford Anglea. Or may be Peugoet for numerous models including the current ones that have such a looooonnnnnggg front overhang that it looks like the car will tip forward under hard braking.

On of course lets not forget Audi, for there brilliant system of using the engine as the crumple zone on so many of there models. They have single handedly redefined the term understeer...

Of course the dear scribes of Drive will inadvertantly forget these other makes and pour all the scorn they can on the poor local manufacturers, so that the mug punter thinks all Aussie cars are crap and buy the imported stuff which in some cases (granted not all) is no better than what's made here.

[Windsor220]

The usual suspects in there but a couple of interesting things.

KH Laser? Was there anything wrong with this model? Dont know how it makes the worst Fords list.

Fairlane AU This bulky ''towncar'' stumbled on to the stage in 1999 and the same sheet metal was still up there in 2007

Same sheet metal? Pretty sure they changed with the introduction of BA.

[sd1800]

Originally Posted by Windsor220

KH Laser? Was there anything wrong with this model? Dont know how it makes the worst Fords list.

I know when we were young and stupid my mate had one as a first car with more than 300k on the clock and flogged it within an inch of it's life and it simply would not die.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by aquahead2001

Perhaps they can alienate the rest of the car buying community with "Worst of" for say VW, remember the original Golf GTI with Tartan Seats???

The new ones still have tartan seats. Its hommage to the original, and actually works well. Or maybe that was your point and I missed the sarcasm

[HSVKILLA]

Originally Posted by BLUEYBA

Yeah there was a holden one about a week earlier

http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/w...616-1g4e3.html

[pottery beige]

n yer the rusty plenums in XA Falcons take a bit of fixing up...... blaa.. blaa.. blaa.. blaaaaa....

[big_landau]

it was close for me between the ea,the taurus and the capri.i did drive a new ea s pack 5 speed with mpi and it went realy well at the time so thats about the only thing that saved it,the capri well it didnt look too bad then the taurus,that is one ugly duckling.the au is probably the ugliest falcon ever made but the taurus makes it look like a xw gt.my vote went the taurus as its simply a hidieous car and will always go down as a shocker.
the au although ugly as it is its still a good thing so it dosnt deserve to be in my top 3.

[smoo]

More tripe from pen pushing journos with no real experience.

[phillyc]

I love my AU ute and loved my AU VCT XR6 that i sold only 2 months ago. The build quality was very good in fact. If you don't like the style so what. I think the AU XR was one of the best lookers ever. The Ute has nice lines too.

Most people who have driven an AU understand just how good they are to drive. Collectively mine had / have cover 500,000km and both have never given any trouble!

It took and FG XR6 to get me out of the AU XR6!

[2011G6E]

I think every make of car has had some real clunkers. Even Toyota has had some dismal failures...not many, but a few. Ford and Holden have had thier fair share, and being the major manufacturers in this country, people are probably far more likely to come across one during thier driving career.

[vztrt]

Expected the AU to be on their...naturally as it will always be bagged.

Interesting the Probe wasn't on their.

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Expected the AU to be on their...naturally as it will always be bagged.

Interesting the Probe wasn't on their.

Or the Couger .... nice looking car but terrible to drive with the terrible RHD conversion, my feet wouldn't fit between side wall and pedal without applying break at the same time and the drive didn't match the looks .... didn't own one but considered one a while back (Sorry to the Couger owners out there)

Probe wasn't too bad and was the same as the Mazda equivilant (Name escapes me)

AU's will always be bagged as poor quality from those who have never owned one or two or three as many AU people seem to do

As for LANDAU's .... pfffffttttt ... has no idea. GREAT 2 seater (with 4 seats) and slow???? See below .....

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Probe wasn't too bad and was the same as the Mazda equivilant (Name escapes me)

The MX6

[Coyote mk3]

Never worked out what peoples problems were with the capri?

[fasty73]

Originally Posted by Coyote mk3

Never worked out what peoples problems were with the capri?

Me either. They are the same platform as the laser, so they are very reliable and they have the fun of a soft top and firmer suspension. I have a turbo model and the boss has a non turbo. Went for a blast up beechmont road yesterday and it was great fun.

[TC200six]

They bashed my TC Cortina aswell I got the car for nothing anyway so I'll see what I can discover with it. They also said this in the Holden article...

The FB was a belated homage to the '57 Chevrolet (which came out in 1956; Yanks were never good at getting year models right).

That statement shows what little they know, in those day models were released late in the year for the following year.

Many of them are just cars this writer didn't like because of the way they looked anyway. It's just someone's own view of things. Let yourself come up your own opinions and don't let blog entries like these influence your own views.

[drew`SEVNT5]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Or the Couger .... nice looking car but terrible to drive with the terrible RHD conversion, my feet wouldn't fit between side wall and pedal without applying break at the same time and the drive didn't match the looks .... didn't own one but considered one a while back (Sorry to the Couger owners out there)

Probe wasn't too bad and was the same as the Mazda equivilant (Name escapes me)

AU's will always be bagged as poor quality from those who have never owned one or two or three as many AU people seem to do

As for LANDAU's .... pfffffttttt ... has no idea. GREAT 2 seater (with 4 seats) and slow???? See below .....

Dead stock is your Landau?

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by drew`SEVNT5

Dead stock is your Landau?

Yep it is dead stock and has been the same since it rolled off the production floor way back in '07

You did notice the rofl didn't you? And I don't think back in '73 they came standard with blue bottles

[Franco Cozzo]

2004 Ford Courier should be on the list, we have one at work, very crappy and basic for a ute from 2004.

We've got the very base model at work, petrol 4 cylinder.

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

2004 Ford Courier should be on the list, we have one at work, very crappy and basic for a ute from 2004.

We've got the very base model at work, petrol 4 cylinder.

Top range td 4by model is the goods, nice enough to live with, simple enough to not have problems

Had to defend it. Mines a dec 03 job


And when did the EA have a 3.2l engine?

Really laughed at the AU comment too.

Drivel you have hit a new record in stupid.

[Carrie On]

i just sold my mx6 . mum had a probe, and her boyfriend has a cougar. of the three, the cougar cost the most, and is the worst. terrible car to work on. the only bad thing about the probe and the mx6 is the whole eating distributor lead thing it does.

[deesun]

Originally Posted by Carrie On

i just sold my mx6 . mum had a probe, and her boyfriend has a cougar. of the three, the cougar cost the most, and is the worst. terrible car to work on. the only bad thing about the probe and the mx6 is the whole eating distributor lead thing it does.

Son has a MX6, bit rattly now and a high revvin screamer of an engine. Never had the dizzy problem yet, touch wood. Checked timing belt had been done when we bought it in QLD, Blue slip for NSW guy says leaking oil onto belt and showed me a slick through a hole. Took it to my regular guy who pulled it apart and said didnt need doing but now we have it apart and have parts might as well do it $700. Recently it leaked again, covers rooted now cos of the on again aff again, needed to do water pump too, all up $1800 inc pump, bloody plastic covers $200 each and there are 2. I like the 4wsteer though.

[DJM83]

Trollop as usual.

[Paxton]

Everyone who complains about an AU has never owned one. These are the most reliable Falcons ever. You can not kill them.

The AU was average, but was a product of its time. It would have been roses and puppy dogs if BorgWarner weren't on strike, Ford could have released both the 3.2 and 3.9 with the 4 Speed Auto, transforming the car.

I'd still love to find a Landau, and restore it, and an EB GT isn't too bad a car, just a bit over styled.

Did Drivel mention the StarFire Commodore, or the VN? What about the Camira? I'd love to know what excuses they made for some of their more average cars.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Paxton

Everyone who complains about an AU has never owned one. These are the most reliable Falcons ever. You can not kill them.

Same could be said for the Festiva.... People who have owned them for several years and correctly maintained them have nothing but praise for the humble little Festiva. They were super reliable, simple to maintain and very efficient. The 1.5L manual was no slouch as well due to its light body.

Sure it wasn't the safest car, but for the price bracket it was sold in, the competition was probably at the same level or 1/2 to 1 star higher at the most.