Old Falcon's 'pinched' look soured

By DAVID LINKLATER

Opinion has been polarised about the new edge styling of the Ford Falcon AU since day one - the "low, depressed" front and prominent vertical-bar grille of the base-model Forte in particular.

In New Zealand, where the Forte accounts for only about 20 per cent of total sales, the AU Falcon overcame the controversy to become the top-selling car overall for 1999.

But in Australia, where the Forte makes up over 50 per cent of the model mix, Falcon has lagged behind Commodore.

Styling is serious business for a volume-selling model, and Ford said there were too many who didn't like the look of the car.

The toothed grille of the Forte has been dropped in the AU II model. Instead, the Futura shares its bonnet and a version of its restyled horizontal-bar grille with the entry-level car.

"We found that people particularly disliked the narrow, pinched look of the Forte at the front," said Peter Elliot of Ford Australia. "The horizontal bars give us the opportunity to play some interesting visual tricks and widen the vehicle."

And the rear? "The idea has been to square off the details to balance the heavily curved bootline," said Elliot. That has been achieved with a deeper rear bumper, clear-lens tail-lights and an angular new applique above the number plate.

A new spoiler is optional on the Forte and Fairmont, but standard on the Futura, and 16-inchwheels are now standard across the range, with new wheel covers for the Forte and new alloys for the Futura and Fairmont.

Despite the visual change, no sheet metal modifications have been made. The XR series has retained its characteristic four-headlight frontal styling, but now features a cleaner, more aggressive nose cone. The visual tweaks, which Elliot described as "a more overt look", are carried over into a new body kit and squared-off 17-inch alloy wheels, which are standard on the XR6 VCT and XR8.

The racing-style rear wing - larger than that on the Futura - is only available with the XRs. Ford says that the interior upgrades are also a direct response to customer surveys.

There are new interior colours, some silver-finish switchgear and a sunglasses holder, while a single CD player and 100-watt sound system is standard even on the Forte, which also gains a speed alert and door lock button on the dash.

The wagon now has a lap/sash seatbelt in the centre rear. The XR has a new blue-flecked trim, with the option of leather and a Momo steering wheel. Prices are yet to be announced for the AU II, but Ford New Zealand expects an across-the-board increase of one to two per cent when the car arrives in June.