The Ford Fairlane was the pinnacle of Australian luxury sedans back in the day. Ford took the humble Falcon, extended the wheelbase and added some finer touches making this car compete with even the established European luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
Based on the EL Falcon, the NL Fairlane was the luxury version that offered more legroom and nicer materials. These days you don’t see many around, so is it worth picking one up before they’re all gone? That’s what we are here to find out.
Price & Equipment:
The Ford Fairlane, much like the Ford Falcon, sold in decent numbers when new, more with hire car companies and private drivers. Depending on how they’ve been looked after, examples of the NL Fairlane can be had from as little as $6,000 but for a good example, expect to pay around $11,000. Kilometres vary from 100,000km to upwards of 300,000km.
For a 24-year old car, this Australian-made luxury sedan came equipped with a decent amount of equipment. As standard there was 15-inch alloy wheels, an AM/FM stereo, a cassette player, a six-disc CD stacker, a six-speaker audio system, remote central locking, electronic automatic climate control, leather upholstery, power front and rear windows, intermittent windscreen wipers, a leather steering wheel and gear knob, electric mirrors, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel and a trip computer. Safety equipment included two airbags, Ford’s ‘Smartlock’ immobiliser system and anti-lock brakes.
The model we have here was made in the last year for the NL Fairlane, which was 1998. Back then the spec we have here (a V8 Fairlane Ghia) would have set you back $52,267 plus on-road costs. Adjust for inflation and that means a cost of $92,576.74 in today’s money. Cars that rivalled the Ford Fairlane were the $67,990 Holden Caprice VSIII V8, the $85,900 BMW 523i and the $91,800 Mercedes-Benz E240.
Optional on the NL Ford Fairlane was a set of $2,240 ‘sports road wheels’, a $1,343 touring suspension setup, a $2,403 sunroof and a $684 electric driver’s seat. Our test car was painted in the lovely ‘Silver Frost’ colour.
Performance & Economy:
There were two engines offered on the Ford Fairlane. There was the Falcon derived 4.0-litre straight 6 cylinder – which produced 157kW of power and 357Nm of torque – while our test car was fitted with the 5.0-litre dual overhead cam ‘Windsor’ V8, which produced 165kW of power and 388Nm of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed torque converter automatic transmission.
The engine under the bonnet of this Fairlane is superb. It is a calm and buttery smooth power plant that can waft you down the road as quickly as you need. There isn’t a whole lot of power but that’s not what the point of the Fairlane is – it offers torque when you need it and a wonderful subtle exhaust note. The 0-100km/h time of the Fairlane fitted with the V8 is 8.1 seconds, which we think is very reasonable.
The transmission is also very smooth and offers no interruption to the driving experience. The gears are fantastically long meaning occasionally you need to rev the engine out a bit to get the power, but we quite like that.
The standard suspension on this luxury sedan is compliant and not too soft like some cars can be. It has the right amount of composure and poise to handle relatively well without being uncomfortably firm. Front and rear seat passengers are treated to a more than comfortable ride.
The claimed average fuel consumption for the 1998 Ford Fairlane Ghia with the V8 is 11.75L/100km, which is excellent for a large V8 sedan from the 90’s but getting that figure is quite a feat. The Fairlane has a 68-litre fuel tank and let’s just say we hope you have a local fuel station.
Interior & Practicality:
The interior quality throughout the cabin of the NL Ford Fairlane is pretty good. It is no Mercedes-Benz but for an Australian made car, there are leather and soft touch materials everywhere. Only portions of the dash, door panels and centre console are plastic. The layout is also very intuitive and traditional in a luxurious kind of way.
These old Fords were built to last and the interior of the NL Fairlane (or any EL Falcon) is a testament to that. Most of the materials used are hard wearing, though we will say one weak point is the speaker covers on each door, which are very brittle.
The leather steering wheel is a joy to use and the leather on the seats is very good. The quality throughout the cabin including the carpets is very good and considering our test car is 24 years old.
The rear legroom in the Fairlane is cavernous. Taller adults will have no problem at all with leg or head room. There are rear air vents, map pockets, a lighting throughout the rear and wood paneling in each rear door (very 90’s).
Open up the boot of the Fairlane and you’ll see quite a large cargo area, you’ll also notice the 6-disc CD stacker on the roof of the boot. Ford didn’t release boot figures in 1998 but we can definitely confirm that it is enormous.
Service & Reliability:
Being based on the Ford Falcon means that the Fairlane is quite a robust vehicle. Compared to its European rivals the Ford Fairlane was a very trouble free and reliable offering. In saying that there, are a few things to look out for when buying one of these land barges.
Rust is the main thing to look out for when looking at any EL Ford Falcon/Fairmont/Fairlane. Rust is most common in the rear sills, boor area and on the door jams. Some examples are worse than others but this is definitely something to check before buying.
The 5.0-litre V8 in our test car is a pretty bulletproof unit – the only real issue to look out for is the timing cover which can overtime corrode due to water ingress from a faulty water pump. The water pump is just behind the timing cover and can lead to leaking into it.
Much like any car check the service history as a lack of maintenance to the engine and gearbox can lead to some issues. Irregular servicing can lead to oil sludge issues. Also check if the gearbox fluid and filter has been changed in the past.
Servicing the Ford Fairlane is as easy as it gets, even amateur DIYers could do it at home with nothing but jack stands and an oil pan. Most – if not all mechanic shops – will service these old Fords and will do it for not a lot of money. Pricing for parts on these Fairlanes is quite reasonable.
Conclusion:
As sad as we were in 2007 to see the death of the Fairlane name, we are still happy that it existed. The Ford Fairlane really paved the way in Australia for more European and premium cars. If you had a Fairlane in the 90’s you were somebody. So now 24 years on would we recommend picking one of these old girls up? Yes. They are only going up in value and becoming harder and harder to find in good condition.
The Ford Fairlane is a comfortable cruiser and while it won’t win any races – even with the V8 engine – we love the driving experience it offers. A lovely V8 rumble, a smooth automatic transmission and a sumptuous interior really makes driving this Australian icon something special.
Keyword: Ford Fairlane Ghia Used Review (NL 1996-1998)