If Ford designed a new Falcon full-size sedan...

"NKato" (NKato)
11/04/2018 at 16:47 • Filed to: Ford

And based the design philosophy around body-on-frame vehicles, with a wide range of performance metrics (Ecoboost, and NA V8) in mind, ease of maintenance and flexibility, would you buy it? Let’s also assume that a wagon variant is also available -- that increases marketability.

I can think of a few potential markets for it: The Grandpa Car, the Police Fleets, Taxis maybe — I’ve seen complaints that the newer taxis are too cramped. And I would be very happy with a completely original platform that could last another 35 years across different models like the Panther (70's Crown Vic LTD, 80's Crown Vic Aero, 90's Crown Vic Whale, Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Car).

And I think it could easily become one of Ford’s most long-term profitable cars after the truck craze finally dies down. If the majority of large vehicle owners come to the realization that they bought a truck that was too big for their needs. How many of you have seen a truck being used according to its purpose other than giving the driver a “commanding view of the road”?

Pic of a SES (Special Edition Sedan) from Saudi Arabia, re-imported to the United States for your time. Freshly waxed, too, courtesy of Lundy at CrownVic.Net.

2008 Ford Crown Victoria, GCC Special Edition.

Ford, why must you be so stupid?

DISCUSSION (43)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > NKato
11/04/2018 at 17:00

But crossovers tho

NKato > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/04/2018 at 17:05

Crossovers do not look classy at all. If we had a new full size sedan that looked good, it could probably murder the Chrysler 300 market.

AestheticsInMotion > NKato
11/04/2018 at 17:07

What makes you think people will stop loving trucks?

NKato > AestheticsInMotion
11/04/2018 at 17:11

I’m not saying they won’t stop loving trucks and crossovers, but a certain market segment are the people who think they’re cool, like an expensive fad. When it passes, if it does, the truck and crossover market will shrink.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > NKato
11/04/2018 at 17:12

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > NKato
11/04/2018 at 17:13

People who are not old and withering away answered before, they don’t want a Crown Vic. They want a crossover, unibody sedan, or truck. There is absolutely no need to have a body on frame sedan around, especially with the limitations of the BOF design. It would be significantly worse than the last Falcon. It died for a good reason, because it was bad for a modern car.

Spanfeller is a twat > NKato
11/04/2018 at 17:16

I wouldn’t buy a body-on-frame car. And police/taxi fleets need to start caring a lot more about fuel efficiency, so big-ass body on frame cars seem out of the picture for them too.

A new falcon would most likely be front wheel drive and unibody

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
11/04/2018 at 17:19

Even the police don’t want sedans, that’s why Explorer PPVs are more popular than Taurus and Charger combined

NKato > Spanfeller is a twat
11/04/2018 at 17:23

Eh. I’d argue that they’d save more money on repairs and maintenance if they kept with body-on-frame than on fuel efficiency. Besides, gas money isn’t as big of an object as long as the vehicle does the job.

Besides, with the newer engines, it’s possible to turn off some cylinders on a V8 (like the Dodge Charger), and have it run on four to burn gas economically when not called upon to perform.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > NKato
11/04/2018 at 17:25

I’d consider it. If it came in a wagon variant, it’d possibly be pretty compelling for a family car.

Right now about all you can do is a mid size or larger CUV if you need to transport children with car seats (some mid sized cars will barely accommodate them) . We can barely squeeze an infant seat in our compact cars, t wo would be flat impossible.

I also hate cramped modern taxis.

NKato > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/04/2018 at 17:25

That’s fair. It’s also partly because the Explorer PPVs and Tahoes are pretty good at muscling other cars around on the road when dealing with a chase.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > AestheticsInMotion
11/04/2018 at 17:26

Ironically, y ou’re asking a person who likes his cars built like trucks...

NKato > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
11/04/2018 at 17:27

Most full size sedans in the 70s through 90's also came in wagon variants, which was pretty nice! I’d love to see a return of fullsize wagons.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/04/2018 at 17:27

Crossovers are minivans with hinged doors. They’re not cool anymore. If you’re younger than Gen X, you see them as minivans.

CB > NKato
11/04/2018 at 17:28

Body on frame isn’t gonna happen, as the drawbacks outweigh the benefits . Most police forces go for the Explorer because it has more room than the Taurus (or they go for trucks, but that’s more for rural areas). It’s not going to happen.

NKato > CB
11/04/2018 at 17:32

That depends on a lot of factors. One main reason why I prefer body on frame is because if I get involved in an accident, the repairs are much easier to execute on. I mean, why do you think my Queen is still roadworthy despite looking like a critical dental patient?

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
11/04/2018 at 17:35

Most people don’t chose their car because it’s cool.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > NKato
11/04/2018 at 17:48

Ah yes, the highly lucrative Chrysler 300 market. They might even sell 10 cars to that market.

ranwhenparked > NKato
11/04/2018 at 18:06

My ownership history includes a Grand Marquis, a Fleetwood, and two Town Cars (one of which I have right now), so, yes, yes I would buy it.

Spanfeller is a twat > NKato
11/04/2018 at 18:23

I’d be skeptical, or else manufacturers would still make body on frame cars. Nowadays the frame isn’t even the most expensive part to fix, that goes to the sensors and safety tech which cops would very much like to have given the nature of their profession ... Plus money does matter a lot, and so does the environment . V8 engines are on their last leg anyways; I’d be surprised if in ten years police departments even used non-hybrid vehicles.

In the end, many departments changed from Crown Vics to Chargers or Caprices for a reason...

Spanfeller is a twat > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
11/04/2018 at 18:30

But what if it’s a Marauder?

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Spanfeller is a twat
11/04/2018 at 18:34

For the same price I’d rather have a first gen CTS-V manual...

Spanfeller is a twat > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
11/04/2018 at 18:36

for 8000 dollars (or so I saw the average marauder online) I’d buy 8-16 M iatas instead.

That’s how you staff a police force.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Spanfeller is a twat
11/04/2018 at 18:40

I already have a Miata tho.

Also, you don’t really want a sub $1k Miata.

Spanfeller is a twat > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
11/04/2018 at 18:42

I agree, I’m not sure many cars are good under 1000 bucks.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/04/2018 at 19:45

Old people still thing CUVs/SUVs are cooler than minivans. Because they’re deluded.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > NKato
11/04/2018 at 20:19

I would love to swap in a 3.0 Ecoboost into my ‘08 Town Car. 400hp/torques would be a nice bump from the wheezy mod motor currently installed. Then again, a 435hp Coyote with 6A trans would be grin-inducing also..

punkgoose17 > NKato
11/04/2018 at 20:20

Are you thinking like a car built on the F-150 or Ranger platform? It could make sense since they build so many trucks a low investment car could make sense if demand goes down and gas prices go up.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > NKato
11/04/2018 at 21:37

No. If I want BoF then I’d buy a pickup.

It’s also worth remembering the BoF and modern sedan like driving dynamics no longer go together.

The frames themselves are no longer as repairable either as the hunt for stiffness and lower weight has meant more high strength steel is being used. And it’s nigh on impossible (certainly not economically) to straighten or even repair.

Many modern mid size utes like Ranger and Colorado are testament to this...

But above all...sedan sales are in the toilet. So why build more?

MM54 > Spanfeller is a twat
11/04/2018 at 21:39

I agree the BOF RWD sedan will never come back, but to be fair the police departments went from crown vics to the other things because they stopped making the crown vic .

Spanfeller is a twat > MM54
11/04/2018 at 21:48

Wasn’t the P71 made until 2011? NYPD started toying around with chargers back in 06'

Wagon Guy drives a Boostang > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/04/2018 at 22:02

Actually no. The SUVs are more popular in police fleets strictly because of interior room. Sedans after the Crown Vic just don’t have enough space for all of the gear and an officer wearing his equipment.

Wagon Guy drives a Boostang > NKato
11/04/2018 at 22:03

With the rumors of a 4-door mustang, I would think that should then become the new Falcon or Galaxie. Bring back a classic name and make a unibody RWD sedan to compete with the Charger.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Wagon Guy drives a Boostang
11/04/2018 at 22:07

That may be true but they have lots of other benefits, gro und clearance, and being able to see over and around things like traffic being A big one. They are also easier to get in and out of, and like some one else said their extra heft makes them better go pursuits, as high speed chases become more and more unnecessary.

Im not saying I prefer SUVs to traditional sedans but they do have their benefits.

NKato > Wagon Guy drives a Boostang
11/05/2018 at 02:54

To me, that mustang sedan would be an interesting choice. It's going to depend a lot on how well the body styling is, abs whether or not Ford is willing to decontent the car. I won't buy a car that uses an infotainment center.

Wagon Guy drives a Boostang > NKato
11/05/2018 at 03:27

I don’t see decontenting happening. They’re talking about trying to make it a competitor to the Porsche Panamera. They might offer a base model though which would have a basic base radio instea d of infotainment...

RT > NKato
11/05/2018 at 04:08

This would be interesting if it existed, but I’m not looking for anything this big . If it’s body-on-frame and still passes all the current safety regulations too, I’d be surprised. Looks like too much development costs for a niché car - but I do like the idea.

CobraJoe > NKato
11/05/2018 at 11:16

Considering the popularity of compact and full size trucks today, I’ve been wondering if a body on frame sedan (or cuv, or wagon) would be desirable in today’s market.

After all, why do people like trucks?

Sure, they can carry a lot, but many people just like the way they ride, the toughness of a truck and perhaps the off road capability (where 4 low is a “necessary” feature). After all, roads today are often in poor condition, and a large, soft, tough vehicle with a taller ride height is the perfect option for ignoring pot holes.

Sounds similar to a vehicle that has existed before... (Well, before AWD or 4x4 became common)

Kinja'd!!!

We need another luxury car that is unashamedly a couch on wheels. No pretense of sporty handling, no conservative styling, no high strung engine. Heck, even make it a hybrid to give it some grunt at low speeds.

Make it body on frame and brag up it’s toughness. Give it fat sidewalls and show off it’s comfort over rough roads. Show it being comfortable in the real world of rough roads and slow traffic.

CobraJoe > CB
11/05/2018 at 11:26

Body on frame isn’t gonna happen, as the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.

Most of the advantages of body on frame are hard to quantify, so of course a unibody vehicle will always look better on paper.

A unibody car can be lighter, stiffer, and cheaper to produce, but a body on frame vehicle can be tougher, better at absorbing bumps and shocks, and easier to repair after an accident.

I have a feeling that the popularity of trucks these days has more to do with the ride and toughness instead of the capabilities. You don’t have to worry about potholes in your truck.

MM54 > Spanfeller is a twat
11/05/2018 at 12:01

I’m talking about a vast majority of police departments; I’m sure there were some that didn’t use the p71 in the first place

(And yes, model year 2011 was the last of them)

Spanfeller is a twat > MM54
11/05/2018 at 13:19

Even in 2011 buying a v8 with less than 300 hp was ridiculous

MM54 > Spanfeller is a twat
11/05/2018 at 17:35

50HP traded for reliability makes sense in a vehicle that will spend 75% of its life idling on the shoulder

Spanfeller is a twat > MM54
11/05/2018 at 18:58

The modular isn’t underrated for reliability. Its underrated because its an old design, I doubt a caprice or a charger would have reliability issues and both have 100+ hp