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.

Ford Fairlane range
Released: July 2003
Ended: March 2005
Family Tree: FairlaneAFTER 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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