And now for some good news from Ford...

After a week in the wars thanks to a voluntary mass recall of around 75,000 nat-atmo Territory models, Ford Australia has some positive news for the locally-built SUV and other Ford Falcon models.

From this month, the base Falcon XT sedan with optional ZF auto gearbox comes in under the magic 10L/100km. The G6, G6E and XR6 autos rate at 10.1 L/100km and 239 g/km CO2, while the Territory sees a reduction of almost five percent (0.6 L/100km) on TX and TS RWD five-seaters, and 1.6 per cent (0.2 L/100km) on the seven-seaters and the rest of the range.

The XT's ADR drops to 9.9 L/100km, and CO2 emissions are down to 236 g/km and joining its other I6 siblings with a 5.5star Greenhouse Rating. A new catalytic converter, a engine calibration for improved cold start performance and optimised transmission calibration brought the figure down.

Ford Australia President and CEO Marin Burela said the XT auto now equals the fuel efficiency of the local best-selling 4cyl auto, with the additional perks of a large car.

"Falcon XT continues to outclass its direct competitor on all the key performance measures, delivering 11 per cent more engine power and 20 per cent more torque, while at the same time using almost seven per cent less fuel," he said.

"Customers can now choose a true family size vehicle that delivers fuel efficiency equal with a four cylinder model, while also providing all the traditional benefits of a large car package, such as performance, refinement, interior space, passenger comfort, five-star safety, luggage capacity and towing capability.

"Over the past five years, our engineering team has developed fuel efficiency improvements of almost 14 per cent on this powertrain, helping to reduce a key operating cost for our customers, while also reducing the vehicle's impact on the environment by way of CO2 emissions.

"However, these fuel efficiency improvements have not come at the expense of performance - in fact both power and torque have also steadily improved over the same time frame, delivering on a key customer want of more performance and better fuel economy."

Next month, the E-Gas Falcons will get stability control and a subsequent 5-star safety rating, making the entire FG Falcon sedan range a top-shelf car with ANCAP.