Ford Falcon (XF)

The Ford Falcon (XF) is a full-sized car that was produced by Ford Australia from 1984 to 1988, with the utility and panel vans running through to March 1993. It was the third iteration of the fourth generation of the Falcon and also included the Ford Fairmont (XF)—the luxury-oriented version.

The XF sedan and wagon range was sold between October 1984 and February 1988.

In 1980, Ford Australia planned to phase out the full-size, rear-wheel drive Falcon after the 1982 XE model. It was to be replaced by a smaller front-wheel drive car derived from the Ford Telstar/Mazda 626 platform, in a program dubbed Project Capricorn. However, the market success of the XD Falcon against the smaller Holden Commodore saw Bill Dix, who became CEO in 1981, cancel the project. Ford instead began development of the EA26 Falcon program, a new full-size, rear-wheel drive car range. The XF Falcon was conceived as an interim facelift for the XE Falcon until the all-new car was ready to go on sale.

The XF Falcon continued the sales leadership of its predecessor. It remains Ford Australia's best-selling Falcon model ever with 278,101 built. The production total was boosted by a prolonged run of the utility and panel van models, Ford not having developed an EA Falcon-based replacement for the commercial vehicle range. Between 1993 and 1999, this series provided the platform for the Falcon utility (XG and XH) that was sold alongside the fifth-generation Ford Falcon sedans and wagons.

XF models were available with a choice of 3.3 or 4.1-litre engine six-cylinder engines. The 4.1-litre unit was standard on Fairmont models and the S-Pack.

Power and torque outputs for the carburetted 3.3 and 4.1 litre engines saw little or no change from the preceding XE series; engineering revisions were aimed at improving fuel economy and driveability. The 3.3 litre engine's maximum power and torque outputs remained at 90 kW (120 hp) and 240 N⋅m (180 ft⋅lb). Maximum power for the 4.1 litre engine decreased slightly from 105 to 103 kW (141 to 138 hp), while torque increased from 310 to 316 N⋅m (229 to 233 ft⋅lb)

The optional 4.1 litre EFI engine underwent a significant upgrade for the XF series, with a switch from Bosch Jetronic LE to Ford's EEC IV electronic fuel injection system. Maximum power output increased from 111 kW (149 hp) to 120 kW (160 hp), and maximum torque increased from 325 N⋅m (240 ft⋅lb) to 333 N⋅m (246 ft⋅lb). An XF Falcon S-Pack equipped with the EFI engine and four-speed manual transmission tested by Wheels magazine in 1984 accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.3 seconds, ran the standing 400 metres (0.25 mi) in 16.4 seconds, and ran to its 4500 rpm redline in fourth gear for a top speed of 190 km/h (118.1 mph). These performance metrics were only marginally behind the respective 8.9 seconds, 16.3 seconds and 194 km/h (120.5 mph) recorded for a 1982 XE Fairmont Ghia ESP equipped with a 5.8 litre V8 and four-speed manual transmission.

From 1 January 1986, Australian Design Rule 37 came into effect, requiring all new cars to be equipped for operation with unleaded petrol. ADR 37 specified emissions standards that Ford met by the fitting the Falcon with a catalytic converter, and Falcon engines were modified for running on regular grade 91 RON unleaded fuel. Power and torque outputs for the carburetted engines fell slightly; the 3.3 now produced a maximum 88 kW (118 hp) and 235 N⋅m (173 ft⋅lb), and the 4.1 produced a maximum 97.5 kW (130.7 hp) and 316 N⋅m (233 ft⋅lb). Conversely, maximum power output from the 4.1 EFI engine increased slightly to 121 kW (162 hp), although torque fell to 325 N⋅m (240 ft⋅lb).