Different And Desirable
Newcastle Herald
Wednesday October 8, 2003
IF THE first thing every red-blooded Aussie male yearns for is a shed, then the second thing must certainly be a ute.
Ahhh yes, the true blue Aussie ute is a thing of legend, a possession to be admired by the masses and something to be boasted about.
Ford and Holden have known this for years, of course, but since the early 1990s, when utes stopped being used to carry the tools of the trade and became the new-generation sports car for the masses, the car companies rose to the challenge.
Ford Australia, the company responsible for the invention of the ``coupe utility" (to give it its proper name), really rose to the challenge and in 1999, when the AU Falcon range made its debut, the venerable ute was there right alongside it.
But this time it was different.
BODY TYPES/ MODEL LEVELS: For the AU utility Ford moved the goalposts, hedged its bets and delivered a ute with a difference.
Buyers could choose from two vehicle configurations: a cab/chassis that allowed them to turn it into a flat tray truck or even adapt a custom-made rear-end, or they could go with Ford's own ``styleside" look, effectively the traditional utility with metal rear panels and a drop-down tailgate.
The model range started with the XL in both configurations, moved up to the better-equipped XLS (also in cab/chassis or styleside configuration) and peaked at the sporty XR, which, with a choice of six-cylinder and V8 engines, was available only as a styleside model.
ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS: The entry-level engine for the XL and XLS models was a 4.0 litre, single overhead camshaft, inline six-cylinder developing 157 kilowatts at 4500rpm and 357 newton metres of torque at 3000rpm, pretty decent numbers indeed.
But wait, there was more. Ordering the XR6 model brought 164 kilowatts at 5000rpm and 366 newton metres at 3500rpm.
Not enough? A 5.0 litre V8 (165kW at 4500rpm, 388Nm at 3000rpm) was optional on XL and XLS while a higher output 5.0 litre (185kW at 4500rpm and 402Nm at 3100) was the standard powerplant for XR8 ute.
Transmission choices were simple but a little interesting. A five-speed manual was standard and a four-speed floor shift auto optional but (and this is the interesting bit) the auto became a column shift for XL and XLS when the optional bench seat was ordered.
EXTERIOR: From the tip of the front bumper to the trailing edge of the doors the ute was almost identical to the AU sedan and station wagon.
For XL and XLS the headlights, bumpers and mirrors were identical but the grilles were different, an ``eggcrate" pattern replacing the Falcon's ``waterfall" grille.
The XR pair were different again, inheriting the grille, headlights and wheels from their sedan cousins.
Behind the doors Ford's designers worked in a vertical ``opera window" look for the slightly elongated cab.
INTERIOR: Like the outside, the inside was pretty much carried across from the AU sedans and, given its workhorse permutations (at least for the lower-spec models), that was a nice touch.
Also a nice touch was Ford's decision to extend the cab rearward by a couple of hundred millimetres behind the seats. This small effort meant briefcases, cash boxes or even an overnight bag could be carried safely inside the cab. Funnily enough, Holden has still not adopted it for its Commodore-based utility range.
Standard equipment on the XLs included power steering, a heated rear window, power mirrors, intermittent windscreen wipers, remote central locking, a driver's airbag, steering wheel-mounted buttons for cruise control and the two-speaker audio, cloth-trimmed seats, rubber floor mats, two vanity mirrors and a bed liner for the tray (on stylesides only).
The XLS added power windows, a rear tonneau cover (stylesides), an adjustable steering column, carpet, a four-speaker audio with CD player, digital clock and an internal cargo net.
Stepping up to the XR pair brought a leatherbound steering wheel, comfortable sports seats and the full XR dash.
CHASSIS: Engines were longitudinal and drove the rear wheels, suspension was by independent wishbones up front and a leaf-sprung, live rear axle. Steering was power-assisted rack and pinion and braking was handled by disc brakes front and rear.
Cab/chassis models had heavy-duty suspension to cope with their one tonne carrying capacity while stylesides had 750kg suspension ratings.
DIMENSIONS: The utes were 5340mm long, 1871mm wide, 1585mm high and were built on a 3096mm wheelbase. In basic cab/chassis configuration the overall length was 4938mm and with Ford's optional alloy tray that stretched to 5340mm and the width went out to 1908mm.
HISTORY: AU utility arrived in June 1999. It was superseded by the AUII variant (essentially a model upgrade embodying a series of running changes) in May 2000.
VERDICT: As far as utes go the Falcon was up there as the cream of the crop.
It was well-equipped, well-designed, comfortable and powerful and the cab/chassis could carry a full tonne with little complaint.
It will pay to have any prospect checked thoroughly because quite a few utes will have done plenty of hard work.
PRICES: There is little variation in price between cab/chassis and styleside utes so for an XL $19,000 to $21,000 seems to be a reasonable ballpark figure for one in good condition.
Moving up to the XLS should raise the price to between $21,000 and $23,000 and for the XR6 and XR8 expect to pay between $25,000 and $27,000.
(Prices shown are based on retail, rather than private, sales)
ALSO CONSIDER: Holden Ute, Toyota HiLux, Mazda B-series, Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton.
© 2003 Newcastle Herald