Worst Aussie Cars, Ford

[fpv_gtho]

yeah you told me about that, some cmpanes are all to happy to maintain good worker relations i guess

[SlickHolden]

In line of work as a carer a car is very important to me and i dont get supplyed with one, My nephew is about to turn 18 in sept, He is a bricky labour, His boss will buy him a BA XR6 ute to drive when he has his p's and a phone im like **** me dead **** get me a ****en job there **** ****. His son who also works for him is 19 he has a new XR6 in the drive already but he bought it for his son who loves holdens and wont drive it so instead of buying one for my nephew he will drive his sons The son wants a caprice. Now im not fussy i would drive the bloody ute its got wheels comfy it drives i just wouldnt buy it thats all.

[fpv_gtho]

wel it must really take a one eyed fan not to drive a car that was GIVEN to them

[motorsportnerd]

Originally Posted by escort mexico

don't be negative on the mondeo either. sure it was a bit of a lemon...but put the zetec engine in an escort, and you get quite a car....

the new mondeo is ok though

I agree about the new Mondeo - I've driven one in NZ - it is a very good car.
Don't agree about the original Mondeo. In what way was it a lemon?
The facelift 1997-2001 Mondeo was one of the better mid-size cars available in Australia.
Handling? No - regarded as one of the best handling front wheel drive chassis of the 90s.
Refinement? No - plenty refined for the 1993 design. Might have been a little bit off the pace in that area by 2001 when it died, but by then it was an eight year old design.
Performance? Its not brilliant, but it is better than many similar size cars (particularly the four clyinder Camry of the same era). The Zetec engine needs to be stirred along, it works best on premium unleaded and Mondeo automatics are slugs. However, considering the car's weight a manual Mondeo not too bad. And the fuel economy is brilliant.
Equipment? No - well up to the pace in that area for the period. Was excellent value for money in 1997. There is no new car available in Australia today at $24,995 which represents any better value for money.
Safety? No - performs well for a design released in 1993.
Reliability? I haven't had any problems. From what I know Mondeo's are not as reliable as Toyota Camrys, but then what is?

The Mondeo's main faults are very poor resale value, cramped rear seats and the slightly controversal looks. Oh, and on the original equipment Goodyear tyres, tyre noise is a problem. Fit better tyres and that problem disappears.
However, controversal looks do not make a car a lemon. Styling is very much a matter of opinion.
Also, poor sales do not automatically mean a lemon. The Mondeo sold very well in Europe, the US and NZ. The fact that it didn't in Australia is not a reflection on the car, but rather on Ford's poor marketing of it.
So, how is the Mondeo a lemon? Can you explain it to me?

[motorsportnerd]

Originally Posted by SlickHolden

Hang on you cant put the Taurus as a dud and not include the AU, both cars are in the same boat here, It was rumerd that the Taurus was fantastic car to drive just dont get out in the light and see it. Many say the same for the AU drives great but only drive it at night, The same joke backfired when ford used it on holden VY. I used to like the mondeo when the rat was in the 2lt in the uk. but that pic makes it look like a Mecedes benz. or a lexus

I haven't driven a Taurus, but by all accounts it wasn't as good to drive as a Falcon EF/EL. Let alone an AU.
The AU, to my mind, is a better looking car than the Taurus. However, I'll admit that a VT Commodore is a better looking car than an AU. Styling tends to be subjective.
When I suggested that the Taurus was the only dud mentioned, I did so mainly because it is the only one mentioned by Brum which ever got really bad reviews for the way it drove.
And isn't it a good thing that you think the Mondeo's styling can be compared to a Lexus or a Merc?

[SlickHolden]

Even stevie wonder would say the VT was better looking then the AU lol.
My mate was there at the melbourne motor show when ford brought the tortus Taurus here, He said they were all speachless they couldnt figger out which part was the front, Anyway his mate drove one as a company car working for video easy and he ended up buying it cause it drove like a dream he said it wasnt flash outside but nice to drive, It takes a fight to start one the yanks like security. Its a slug looking thing and it was rejected here so AU was doomed ford didnt see the warning signs.

[Colty]

I like the look of the TE50 and TS50 more than any VT or VX but any other AU doesnt look as good.

[fpv_gtho]

it really needed a bodykit to sharpen up its droopy lines, part of the reason the ute succeeded

[brum]

Originally Posted by fpv_gtho

it really needed a bodykit to sharpen up its droopy lines, part of the reason the succeeded

Who designed the AU? Are they still around?

[fpv_gtho]

I dont know the names exactly. I do know though that Jac Nasser when he was presdent of Ford Oz pushed for the "New Edge" design, then when he took up the spot of CEO at FoMoCo, he pushe it worldwide in the Taurus, Mondeo, Focus, Falcon, Ka, Puma and every other new Ford after the 1995 GT90.

That was mistake #1 for Nasser. He was finally fired after the Firestone/Explorer rollover tragedies.

[brum]

Originally Posted by fpv_gtho

I dont know the names exactly. I do know though that Jac Nasser when he was presdent of Ford Oz pushed for the "New Edge" design, then when he took up the spot of CEO at FoMoCo, he pushe it worldwide in the Taurus, Mondeo, Focus, Falcon, Ka, Puma and every other new Ford after the 1995 GT90.

That was mistake #1 for Nasser. He was finally fired after the Firestone/Explorer rollover tragedies.

You know where he is now?

[fpv_gtho]

He's the CEO of some international company, im not quite sure which one

[fpv_gtho]

This is his job exactly: http://www.forbes.com/finance/mktgui...ersonId=234231

[Spastik_Roach]

The Mondeo is flawed in rear space, my Mums Corona is alot more spacious, but the seats are comfortable enough. The 1.8 Turbo Diesel Mondeo, seems to have little engine and road noise, (I'm using my mates mums 98 Mondeo Diesel as the "test car"), the stereos speakers are a bit lacking but other than that a class act.

What I applauded Ford on is that the AU looked so different from the norm. Rather than Vertical line, horizontal, diagonal, horizontal, diagonal, horizontal, vertical design that is basically always the same, it was noticibly a very different car to the EL. The new BA Falcon returns to the typical sort of Falcon shape, which looks good, but doesn't have that same unique look as the AU did..

Basically what i'm trying to say is that if you took someone who had never heard of Falcons or any Aussie cars before, you could put the EL, ED, And BA in a room all together and this person would identify them as evolutions of the same car, however if you put the AU in it would be harder to recognise it as an evolution.

[fpv_gtho]

well i think theres still parts of the EL in the AU,mainly the taillights. when i was alot younger though i used to look at XF, EA/EB/ED and EF/EL and be able to imagine how the headlights and tailights morphed over the years