Super TestCar reviews - Ford - Fairlane - rangeFord modelsResearch Ford OverviewFor its MkII BA Fairlane and LTD, Ford says it has listened to what its customers want30 Mar 2005 By CHRIS HARRIS FORD must be horrified to see its once-star sales (and profit) performer pale so spectacularly against SUV upstarts like the Lexus RX330 as well as its longtime Holden Statesman nemesis. But Ford isn’t taking it lying down. Building on the Fairlane strengths of dynamic aptitude, space and power, more luxury and higher trim levels now lift it (and the LTD) to a palpably more competitive level – even if the changes are hard to spot from the outside. Model release date: 1 March 2005 to 1 September 2005 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelAFTER the sales debacle that was the AU Falcon, Fairlane and LTD, Ford had high hopes for the BA model launched in mid-2003. And in many areas, particularly in ride, handling and performance, the long-wheelbase Fords were as good – and often better – as any rivals’. But it seems Ford ran out of funds to sufficiently differentiate the Fairlane/LTD from its BA Falcon donor, turning off many buyers in the process. So while they’re much improved over their AU predecessors, sales of the BA Fairlane and LTD still ran well-below Ford’s expectations. |
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