EF-EL Buying Tips
EF-EL Falcon Buying Tips
Drawing Points of the Car
The EF and EL series Falcons were two of Ford’s finest products, the EF Falcon winning many awards from a variety of organisations. These included “Best Large Car” from the RACV and “1994 Family Car of the Year” for the Futura, from the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia. Perhaps the biggest accolade was winning the Australian Design of the Year. It also outsold the Commodore in 1995, something the Falcon has found difficult to do since then.
The cars have always represented great value, with many standard features that rival new cars twice their price. EF and EL Falcons are now more affordable than ever, and represent great value for money when compared to other car in their price bracket.
The new interior is well laid out and ergonomically styled, the styling is not out-dated like the other cars of its time, with digital displays on the dash replacing the old style odometers. The seats are comfortable, good for both short trips and long journeys. Space is never a problem in the EF/EL’s.
The exterior has always been a favourite of the public, the rounder new look was more fresh than anything on the market at its introduction, and with the controversial styling of the newer AU Falcon, has often been described as one of the most beautiful Falcons.
What’s new to the EF/EL range from the EA-ED’s?
First of all, every panel on the EF Falcon sedans were changed from the EA shape, while the wagons, however, only received the front end panel treatment. The EA design was run for more than 6 years, so the new shape was well received by the public.
The 4.0 litre straight six was retained from the ED, albeit heavily reworked. The engine was made a lot smoother and fuel efficient, and the introduction of new belts reduced noise. The new ‘Computer Torque Control’ computer in the car increased torque considerably, the power of the engine also up 9kW on the ED Falcons. The maximum torque was also increased, and obtained at a lower rpm. The distributor was also deleted in place of coil packs.
The noisy viscous clutch fan of the ED was also replaced with a much quieter electric thermofan.
New paint colours became available with the introduction of the EF, and door handles were also colour coded, unlike the previously black ones from the ED. The handbrake was removed from the umbrella style under the dash to the more conventional type on the centre console, except for column shift cars which received the foot operated parking brake.
Perhaps one of the best features incorporated into the EF/EL Falcons were standard airbags, the EF getting the drivers standard, while some of the later models also came with it standard in the passenger side as well. 15 inch wheels were also made standard, improving the looks of the car, and more importantly, the handling.