The "Ford" and "Falcon" brand

[Swordsman88]

Originally Posted by prydey

as mentioned earlier, i recently drove an fg for 4 days while my bf2 was having warranty work done. to be honest, the only thing that stood out was the engine performance, and given my bf2 is an egas, its to be expected. the brakes weren't as good (fg had 40000, my bf2 has 90000), and handling wise there wasn't much in it. i admit i have put xr6 springs in my bf2 and it rides on 18" g6et rims so it felt a lot more solid on the road.

i don't push cars to their limit, esp when cornering. it was treated like a family wagon and i have to say, my bf2 is a wagon so it has leaf spring rear, and for all everyone carries on, the average punter wouldn't tell the difference in day to day driving, esp on medium to good surfaces, which in the metro areas, most are.

i've never driven a bf 190kw petrol powered car so can't compare the 2 but i was impressed with the power of the fg. the gearbox calibration (5sp) seemed to hang on to 1st gear much longer than my 4sp. the 4sp changes up almost as soon as you are rolling.

i think we make far to much fuss about things that the average punter would never pick.

build quality fits that mould. does the average punter really go around checking panel gaps and alignment? everything seemed bolted together pretty good to me. glovebox lid was extremely poor though, that did stand out.

While i see your point re 'the average punter', with all due respect (bearing in mind i dont' know the full nature of the mods to your car) i find it very hard to believe a BF2 egas wagon would drive anywhere near the standard of a current FG XR6. Just wont' happen. You either drive like a total granny or you aren't trying hard enough to notice the nuances of the cars you pilot.

I'm not saying your car is 'bad', it may very well be alot better for your lifestyle than an FG, but the FG is the better car in a range of areas. NVH, performance, safety, handling, features, interior design, build etc. Of course being a wagon versus sedan this confuses matters (as does egas verus petrol) but put it like this.

Is a BF XR6 sedan a bad car? No, of course not. Its a great car and one i have thought about owning (esp with zf 6 spd auto). Is it better than an FG XR6 sedan? No, its not. Unless you use price (second hand verus new) or subjective stuff like styling etc. then you will never be able to make a case for the BF over the FG if for no other reason then the FG is just a BF that has been improved.....

I also think the average punter could tell the difference if they bothered, its just perception that blinds them to what is better. Be it 'newer' or 'a certain brand' etc. Just because your mum may not steer like craig lowndes does not mean she can't pick up on ride quality, queitness etc..... Whether she gives a toss is another matter....