Ford unveils last ever Falcon Ute

BREAK out the blue singlet: this is the last ever Ford Falcon Ute. From its Australian origins dating back to 1934, the Blue Oval’s half-car, half truck – arguably the world’s first crossover – has lasted 80 years, and now Ford has issued the FGX version that will hit showrooms in late this year.

The final Falcon utility comes with the same 195kW 4.0-litre straight six and choice of six-speed manual gearbox or automatic transmission as the current car, but features the sedan’s blunt front-end styling ahead of the familiar sheetmetal of the rear tray, complete with its antiquated leaf spring suspension. Cab chassis models will continue, as will the option of a factory LPG version.

Gone are the entry-level car’s grey bumpers and door handles: base models now come with body-coloured versions and 16-inch steel wheels, while inside the updated cabin there’s the new 8.0-inch touchscreen with SYNC2 connectivity, including emergency assist.

Unlike the six-model line-up for the sedan, the Ute range starts with the entry-level XL, then steps up to the performance variants of XR6 and 270kW XR6 Turbo. While the XR8 makes a comeback in the sedan, complete with a 335kW supercharged 5.0-litre V8, Ford hasn’t confirmed a ute version, but it would crazy not to build a tyre-frying two-door bent-eight ute especially now that the FPV models are no longer available.

Ford is yet to announce pricing for the new Ute, which us likely to arrive in showrooms in December alongside the sedan, but there should be little change from the current starting price of $27,500 for the cab chassis, and $28k for the ‘style side’ body Ute. XR variants should kick off at around $35k.