XK Falcon Wagon

For most of its production life, Ford focused on lower trim levels, except for some limited production models, such as XL Squire, with simulated woodgrain panelling, XF Fairmont Ghia, the ED and EF XR6. The Fairmont held its place as the highest-spec variant until the introduction of the BA Falcon, when the Futura took over as the top trim level. Ford Australian made available a V8 option on wagon variants from the XA (March 1972) until the XE (82-83). With Ford removing the V8 option from the XF onwards, the V8 option was again made available on the EB Series II (August 1991) and continued until the AU, but it was only available in Fairmont variant and was a limited production run (~120-160 vehicles).

XF Fairmont Ghia Wagon

Ford Falcon EF XR6 Wagon

Ford Falcon XL Squire Wagon

With the release of the AU wagon, Ford changed the axle position, with the shock absorbers moved outboard, providing additional real estate. Structural changes were required over the EL predecessor, with the rear floor being redesigned, allowing a plastic petrol tank and the relocation of the spare tyre underneath. The AU wagon in base Forte trim weighed 83kg more than its sedan sibling, which was 26kg lighter than it’s EL wagon predecessor.

AU Futura Wagon

Moving forward to 2008 with the release of the ‘kinetic’ FG Falcon, Ford continued the wagon, but using the older BF wagon body style, naming it the BF MK3. This model could trace its roots back to the 1998 AU model. Rumours were Ford continued to offer the wagon due to their large Telstra contract, supplying white wagons. The BF MK3 changes were limited to ESP for petrol powered variants, flip key, warm charcoal carpet and the removal of the Futura model.

BF MK3 Falcon Wagon

Wagon sales continued to decline, due to market switch to SUVs and the introduction of the Territory. Finally in March 2010 Ford announced the end of the wagon variant, with the last wagon coming off the line September 2010. Sales of Falcon sedan and Territory had remained relatively stable from 2008-2010, but wagon production in these three years halved.

While Ford never released official wagon sales figures, the XF Falcon wagon was likely the best-seller, as the XF series overall recorded the highest sales of any Falcon model. In total Ford Australia manufactured a total of 714,982 wagons, over 50 years of production.

As an owner of a 2008 MK2 wagon, I see it as a staple food, meat and three veg. It’s not fancy, but it’s solid, practical, and you know exactly what you’re getting. Even though Territory was a far bigger seller than Falcon wagon, I now see more BA/BF wagons than the Territory. I assume Falcon wagons owners know they can’t replace their wagons, while a Territory can be replaced by another SUV.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

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I understand why people move old cars on, as there’s a sense of frustration when you can’t get the car to perform as it should. I found a local LPG specialist (who still looks after a small LPG taxi fleet), they had a good look but couldn’t find anything wrong. Just over a year went passed and it was now Dec 2024, with 404k on odometer. I kept putting up with the loveable Lister, but thought it was now too hard to fix, given the LPG fleet is in steep decline, hence it’s hard to find an LPG specialist.

Finally, Naomi said, let’s just get this fixed, as she had been given a recommendation, AG Automotive in Lilydale. To put it in perspective, a trip to Lilydale was the same distance as driving to the CBD. As we had nothing to lose, we drove to Lilydale and dropped Lister off. After recounting our story, the words came back, “You didn’t take it to Ford, as they have no idea how to fix LPG vehicles”. Two days later AG Automotive called, communicating he was all fixed after replacing the stepper motor. The stepper motor accurately adjusts the flow of gas via the o2 sensor. Apparently, it’s common practice to replace the stepper motor when replacing the LPG converter.

From this point on Lister started to behave like he should have from new, now idling well, performance felt stronger, whilst fuel economy improved. I started to regain confidence in him again, but moving forward to Jan 2025, my confidence was again shattered, as he developed a rough idle, worse than before and started to stall at idle. The only mechanic I could get to, was the local specialist, who looked at the car previously and said everything was ok. This time he took it for a drive, and on return said there was something wrong, likely the stepper motor needed to be calibrated. He had the stepper motor out, calibrated and back in within 20 minutes and then disappeared around the block. To my surprise Lister was again back to normal, but I kept on thinking when is he going to break again.

It’s now April and surely a trip to Canberra will confirm if Lister is fixed. My confidence wasn’t great, but to my surprise he went like clockwork. One of the things I did notice on this trip was the removal of more LPG bowsers, at Tallarook & Holbrook and while in Canberra, the service station we normally go to, was out of LPG. The e-gas BF wagon has 116 litre capacity, and according to Ford provides for up to 900km of range, enough to get from Melbourne to Canberra. I topped up in Wodonga, given the price and availability of LPG prior to driving into NSW. While stopped at the APCO Service Station in Wodonga, we spotted a rare Hillman 16 on the back of flatbed truck.

Stopping at Holbrook for lunch, can highly recommend “The Ten Mile Café”. It has large indoor and outdoor sections. They provided excellent service, combined with quality produce and great coffee. What else can you ask, especially in a town the size of Holbrook.

On the way back, we stopped in Gundagai, as we love the Coffee Peddler Café. Opposite you can see the impressive Gundagai Theatre.

I’ve always loved the main street in Gundagai, this time we stretched our legs and went for a walk, and found a shop called Junque & Disorderly. I couldn’t help myself from purchasing a 1973 Mercedes W115 220D Ute, 1:43 scale for $12.

We did approx. 1424km within three days, averaging 13.7L/100 on the way up and 13.4L/100 on the way back. Since Oct 2023, Lister has averaged 15 cents per kilometre. Comparing to our i30N which requires 98, averages 19.4 cents per kilometre over a similar period.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

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Autobarn had a 10% off special over Father’s Day weekend, so we decided to invest in the Aerpro Facia kit for the BA & BF Falcon, together with a Sony double DIN head and patch leads. I’d been putting the job off for a while, as car audio jobs and I often have a falling out.

As I had already stripped the interior to fix a water leak, I had a pretty good idea of what trim I needed to remove.   I did replay a number of videos on YouTube to be sure. Surprisingly the old ICC unit came out very easily, 9 screws and it was out. Next task was to remove the computer from the old ICC unit and install in the new facia. It all seemed like it was going to plan, installing the new Sony unit, including the remote cable, to ensure the steering wheel controls still functioned.

I was then ready to re-install, this seemed all too quick, but in truth there’s no soldering or requirement to strip and connect cables, as the cable patch leads connect to the Sony head unit, then connect to the new facia. Getting the facia seated correctly was problematic, as there were so many cables behind, had to massage and move them around, but eventually got it installed. To my surprise everything works, but there are a few nuances, like the HVAC controls, they function fine, but there’s no indication on the head unit that the function has been enabled (like the old ICC unit). Aerpro have provided this function, but you need to go into the rear camera function, then you see a picture of the dashboard and displays where air is blowing or if AC is on.

Many will say it’s an expensive solution for an old car, but as we are giving the car to our son Jack in time, he considers an up-to-date audio system a mandatory item. We will need to reacquaint ourselves with the new HVAC controls.

Aerpro sell many different facia kits for most car models. https://aerpro.com/selector.

If you have a Mercedes-Benz, go and have a look at the kits available.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here, including more posts about the 2008 BF Futura.  

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One of the things I’ve noticed about using an LPG equipped car as a daily driver, is how rare it is to see other LPG vehicles filling up at the bowser.

I’ve already written about our dedicated e-gas Futura wagon, but let’s just replay some of the key facts. Ford Australia replaced the petrol tank with a 116 litre LPG tank for the wagon. Ford factory specs claimed the e-gas BF MK2 combined average was 15.1 L/100, while the petrol version was rated at 10.7 L/100.

As I was planning a trip to Canberra, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to perform some real-life fuel economy testing.

The first leg was from Vermont South (home) to Holbrook NSW. We managed to leave ~7:15am on a Friday morning and as usual confronted peak hour traffic.  This included a major Victorian Government project, North East Link, connecting the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough with the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen. Two hours after leaving, we arrived at Euroa to our favourite café, Mely and Me.  This was followed by a quick stop at the op shop across the road.  It was no surprise we walked out with a large picture, clothes and for me and a JBL iPod dock for $8.  Who could resist?

Arriving at Holbrook, first stop was to fill up and take the first measurement. We had completed 393.9km and put in 42.77 litres of LPG, this equates to 10.86L/100. At 75.9 cents per litre, this leg cost $32.46.

After a brief lunch at J&B Gourmet Café, it was time for so more shopping. While Naomi decided to shop, I decided to check out some of the local buildings, including the Holbrook Holden, which is still trading, as a Service Centre while displaying a selection of Classic Holden models in their main window.

Ross Building, 1913.

Holbrook Holden, established 1923.   Run by four generations.

Current building was known as the Criterion Hotel, built in 1895 and traded until 1965.

The next fill up was in Canberra on the day of departure back to Melbourne. This included Holbrook to Canberra and three days of urban city commute around Canberra. We had completed a total of 415.5km and put in 62.18 litres. This equates to 14.97L/100 and at 109.9 cents per litre, this leg cost $68.34.

We drove all the way back from Canberra to home (without a fill up), stopping at Gundagai and Holbrook. You do need to try the neenish tarts at the Holbrook Bakery, they are delicious. The following day we filled up, we had completed 707.9km and put in 88.77 litres. This equates to 12.54L/100 at 105.9 cents per litre at the cost of $94. We were quite loaded up on the trip back, with the back seat down and the wagon almost fully loaded, with a ladder on the roof.

To summarise, LPG fuel economy is what I expected. LPG in Victoria is a fair bit cheaper than most other states and rarely fluctuates. The average I pay in Victoria ranges between 75-79 cents per litre, while in Canberra it ranges between 105-115 cents.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here.  

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What could go wrong owning a 16-year-old Australian designed and manufactured vehicle? It’s now been close to six months since we picked up our 2007 Octane Metallic Ford BF MK2 Futura Wagon, affectionately known as ‘Lister of Smeg’, because it was too sensible for Naomi. Instead, she is thoroughly distracted dividing her time between her hoon and classic cars, leaving Lister to Jack and I.

Reviewing the odometer, we started out with 368,733 kilometres and as of time of writing, it now reads 377,002kms which is a total of 8,269 kms added. In this time, we’ve done two trips to Canberra, one to Port Fairy and used Lister our daily driver. Average LPG usage during this time has been 15.2L/100, which is so close to the published ADR82 combined average of 15.1L/100. During this time the price we’ve paid for LPG in Victoria has fluctuated between $0.79 and $0.99 per litre.

Lister came with both sets of keys and remotes, however the buttons on the circuit boards are known to wear. A visit to Ben at Bond Locksmiths in Blackburn sorted this problem out with a new flip key. While I was tucking into a Lasagna and a glass of Shiraz at the café around the corner, Ben successfully programmed a new flip key and cleaned the old remotes.

As an owner of several classics, I’ve always got thoughts in my head about what could potentially go wrong or maybe what has just gone wrong. I wouldn’t say I’ve got anxiety but provides a good dose of motivation to keep up vehicle maintenance.

Even faithful Lister isn’t immune from wanting attention. The first problem occurred the night before we were planning to leave for Canberra in March. Lister had other ideas and as I started him, I watched horrified as a cloud of white smoke exited from the engine bay on the driver’s side. This could only mean trouble, as the idle was now all over the place too. The timing couldn’t have been worse, and we fretted over the next move.

Ever the networker, Naomi immediately said I should ring Dudley, as he runs an AU Falcon Wagon, using a factory LPG setup. After a short phone call, the offending item was found – the PCV vent breather hose had blown off at both ends. An impressive feat according to Dudley, usually it’s just one end! Fortunately, it was a somewhat easy fix, although I had to remove the whole plastic air intake snake box, to reconnect it to the inlet manifold. Backfires are not all that uncommon on dedicated LPG vehicles, so you always need to mindful of checking plastic air intakes and PCV vent hoses.

On the same trip, but returning home to Melbourne, we stopped at Tallarook on the Hume Highway to fill up with LPG. Again, we found another LPG gotcha. Unbelievably, we could only get 22 cents worth of LPG into the tank. Naomi felt rather silly going into pay, but the kind attendant was actually most apologetic. Most service stations have their LPG tank underground, so the temperature differential between their tank (cold) and the tank in Lister (hot) was too great to fill up, as we had been driving for two to three hours. In this case it was too late for a coffee, so I devoured a chocolate Drumstick and within 15min the tank was cool enough to be filled up. We wised up after this mishap and given the tank size of 116L provides close to 1000km highway range, we now ensure we have a full tank before departing for our destination.

In early May I noticed a musty smell but could also hear water sloshing around. As Lister lives outside, I didn’t think much of it, I just thought water was running off the roof. I should have paid more attention to the symptoms though, as I soon found that the driver’s footwell carpet was soaking wet with an inch of water underneath the foam! Have you ever tried to dry out footwell foam and carpet?? Definitely don’t underestimate this task! The foam was so wet, I had to cut it out (as it’s one piece underneath the carpet) and we spent days trying to dry everything with multiple heaters. Not making great progress, we were very grateful to Dudley for coming to the rescue again and drying the foam with the industrial heaters at his panel shop.

Attempts to find the root cause were frustrating, as I couldn’t find any leaks, apart from a blocked AC evaporator drain. Luckily, we have a hoist at home, but even then, the drain hole is up above the gearbox and difficult to reach. Clearing the drain was only the first part of the problem, as first I had to work out how to remove the interior. There’s a wealth of YouTube content of performing various DIY jobs on your Falcon, so after some quick viewing, I decided to dive head-first in. Within about two hours I had drivers’ seat, lower centre console all removed. I am amazed at the quality of the Ford Australia product, as all the trim went back together very easily and there’s been no rattles or squeaks and more importantly no water ingress since.

Over the past six months, money wise we’ve spent a total of $1034.22 on maintenance and a roadworthy certificate to get Victorian registration.

• Replaced front windscreen $285
• Replacement remote key $250
• Bluetooth adapter, (integrates into Ford ICC Aux Port) $100
• RWC $220
• Oil change, coolant flush, including replacing thermostat $179.44
  • Labor $0, as I did all the jobs.

The issues we’ve encountered in the last six months have fortunately been minor and just part of the journey owning a 16-year-old vehicle. In this time Lister has proved his worth, being comfortable, reliable, cheap to maintain and run, whilst providing flexibility to carry large amounts of cargo.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Click here to read about his fabulous 450SE and SLK230K.    This is the second article about Lister the Ford BF MK2, the first one is available here.   

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Apologies about quality of photo, it was the only one I could find

Which brings me to our latest acquisition, one that I thought I would never own, a 2007 Ford Falcon BF Futura MK2 wagon in Octane Metallic (an orange red) on dedicated LPG. Ford called it the E-gas. A number of options were ticked at sale, heavy duty suspension, tow pack, 16” alloy wheels and roof racks. It came to us in unexpected and very sad circumstances when a dear friend passed away and left it to us. The timing is somewhat perfect, as we sold our last large car in October 2022, a 2007 Lexus LS460 called Larry and there was a gap in our fleet.

Ford focused on refining the successful BA Falcon (winner of Wheels Car of the Year in 2002), with the release of the BF in August 2005. It’s no wonder Ford announced the MK2 update in August 2006, given the success of the VE Commodore. The big changes announced were a revised front end, availability of the ZF 6 speed auto and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) on selected models. Engineers also reworked the Barra 4.0L Barra inline six, increasing power to 190KW, while improving its refinement.

Despite the popularity of the revised BF Falcon sedan, wagon sales had been on the decline since the release of the Territory in 2004. In 2008 Ford sold 1,842 BF MK2 wagons, as opposed to 12,791 of the SY Territory, so it’s no surprise Ford chose not to further develop the wagon any further. Ford went on to release the MK3 wagon and included DSC (petrol wagon only) but the excellent ZF 6 speed auto was unavailable as an option. The BF wagon remained largely unchanged sheet metal wise since the release of the AU wagon (with the exception of the front end) which is a good thing, as the design looks rather balanced and pleasing to the eye.

The BF wagons were mainly sold to fleets given the huge cargo area, which offered 1254 litres with the rear seats in place and folded down, it expanded to 2584 litres. It’s no surprise then that many of the BF wagons are white. Just looking at Carsales today, 12 out of the 19 BF MK2 and MK3 wagons are white.

For the E-gas wagon a 116-litre gas tank replaced the petrol tank, relocating the spare upright inside the cargo area. Power was reduced from 190KW to 156KW, while torque was slightly reduced from 383Nm to 370Nm. The LPG system is quite conventional, turning liquefied gas into vapor before feeding it into the engine via a venturi into the throttle body.

The Futura’s specifications include an electric driver’s seat, power windows, central locking with remote, cruise control, a single CD and cup holders! What the Futura misses in specs it makes up for when you drive it. As a package it nails the brief with the smooth and tractable 4.0L Barra inline six, and its variable valve timing on intake and exhaust. Even with the reduced power output of the E-gas version, there always seems to be sufficient torque, with maximum provided at 2750 rpm. Ride quality is a highlight, dealing with Victoria’s worst roads without a bother. Noise vibration harshness (NVH) is kept to a minimum, I assume in part due to the triple rubber sealed doors.

The seats suit my larger frame and are one of the most comfortable seats I’ve experienced. Naomi will testify to this, as she struggles to get comfortable in many cars, given her back problems. All the dashboard controls are quite basic with heating, ventilation, and audio all close at hand and very easy to use. In some ways I think they’re far simpler and more intuitive to use than a modern infotainment display.

What’s it like living with a dedicated LPG vehicle? Well in Victoria it’s quite easy as there’s lots of availability with most BP, Ampol, United and 7-Eleven service stations stocking it. However, outside of Victoria it does get challenging and requires careful planning. Fortunately, this is where an app like Petrol Spy comes in handy, as it details LPG available via postcode or suburb. Unique to the E-Gas version, even when new, the engine reveals a slight hesitation when turning over, but once started you wouldn’t know the difference. It’s also interesting to note that at the time, the E-gas version met Euro-III standards.

I haven’t really kept my eye on fuel economy, but Ford’s published figures suggest 12L/100 on the highway and 18L/100 around town, with a combined average of 15.1L/100. This is in line with my trip computer’s average fuel consumption of 15L/100. LPG pricing varies, but since I’ve had the car, prices I’ve paid range from $0.83 in Melbourne to $1.07 when I filled up in Holbrook NSW. Using Melbourne based pricing, it costs under $100 to fill up the tank, with a range in town of between 600-700km.

Some people have asked “what mods are you going to do?”. Given there’s approximately 370K on the odometer, I’m keeping my spend to a minimum. I ordered a new set of car mats from Fit My Car, which cost $107. I also ordered and installed a $100 Bluetooth kit that connects into the factory loom and runs on the AUX input. Not bad for a ten minute install.

Do I have any complaints about the car? Very little in fact! The cruise control and audio buttons on the steering wheel don’t light up at night and there’s no indication on the cluster if cruise control is on or not. The all-grey interior looks all a bit spartan, but the interior trim has worn very well. I can’t see a single crack or mark in any of the plastics despite the high mileage. Surprisingly there are no rattles either, I guess that’s testament to the Ford build quality.

Why do I like it so much? It’s a combination of the package, comfort, ride quality and what it costs to run on LPG. I feel less conspicuous driving it as opposed to driving one of our classics or our i30N. I do feel sad that Australian car manufacturing is no more, as both Holden and Ford built cars for our unique Australian conditions, something that’s definitely lacking in global market cars. The final VE/VF Commodore and BF/FG Falcon highlighted our local talent and capability. It’s a shame it took me until now to work how good the BF Falcon was.

Once our son Jack gets his licence, we will pass the car over to him. I was supposed to be looking for a wagon for him last year but found a beautiful SLK instead! All of our cars are family members and endowed with a name, so Jack has named him Lister (of Smeg) for those who know their Red Dwarf. Just like the real Lister, this one took ages to be released from Stasis, after endless Estate paperwork. Jack’s main care for his wheels is whether he can have Apple CarPlay. What a delight it was to discover a home-grown market for Australian cars to retro fit Apple CarPlay, a bigger screen, and an optional reverse camera! With a choice of several suppliers to replace the current centre fascia (and upgrade the head unit), Lister, the BF Falcon will soon be future proofed.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and is the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.   Click here to read about his fabulous 450SE and recent purchase of a SLK230K.   

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