2015 FG X Ford Falcon ute review | first drive - Cars Guide
Ford Australia has started the final chapter of a story that began in 1933. This week in Albury, it launched the last ever locally made Ford ute, the FG X, which will be produced until mid-2016 when Ford shuts its Australian factories for good. The locally made sedan-based ute has a special place in Australian automotive history, given it was invented by young Ford designer Lew Bandt. Australia’s obsession with utility vehicles grew even stronger when the Falcon-based ute, an Australian version of Ford’s American Ranchero, was launched in 1961. It outlived both the long-wheelbase Fairlane and the Falcon wagon. More recently, vastly improved workhorse utes (including crew cabs) from Thailand such as the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger have eroded its market share — and that of the rival Commodore ute — dramatically. The FG X ute doesn’t get all the upgrades that come with the sedan , which is perhaps why Ford didn’t include it in the official launch drive. Luckily, it brought an EcoLPI XR6 Ute along to haul spare wheels and this column leapt in to commandeer it. The ute looks the same from the rear but it gets the new Ford family front end, including its aggressive narrow headlights and daytime... Source: www.carsguide.com.au
