page_title: Ford Falcon (Australia)
section_title: EL
hierarchical_section_title: Ford Falcon (Australia) / Fifth generation (1988–1998) / EL
caption_attribution_description: English: 1997 Ford Fairmont (EL) station wagon. Photographed in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia. Vehicle registration enquiry results Jurisdiction Victoria Registration OLS296 Chassis code 6FPAAAJGWAVG71002 Engine code JGWAVG71002 Compliance date 1997-08 Year of manufacture 1997
context_page_description: The Ford Falcon is a full-sized car that was manufactured by Ford Australia from 1960 to 2016. From the XA series of 1972 onward, each Falcon and range of derivates have been designed, developed, and built in Australia, following the phasing out of the American-influenced Falcon of 1960 to 1971, which had been re-engineered locally as the XK to XY series for the harsher Australian conditions. The luxury-oriented Ford Fairmont model joined the range from 1965. Luxury long-wheelbase derivative versions called the Ford Fairlane and LTD arrived in 1967 and 1973, respectively.
  The Ford Falcon and its derivates have been Australian-made best-sellers, with over 3,000,000 sales in seven generations to 2003, almost exclusively in Australia and New Zealand, but also South Africa. Along with its closest Australian-made rival, the Holden Commodore, the Falcon has dominated the ranks of taxis in Australia and New Zealand, as well as police car and company fleets.
  In its last incarnation as the FG X series, the body style of the Falcon range consisted of sedan and utility body styles.
context_section_description: The final E-series model, the EL Falcon, was merely a facelift of the EF intended to keep sales strong until the sixth generation AU Falcon was launched. The most obvious change visually, was the return of the grille on the GLi and Futura spec levels. The new oval grille tied in with Ford's global lineup of the time. Cosmetic updates extended further with the bonnet, front bumper and headlamps also receiving a revised design. New grilles were now prominent on the luxury variants (Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia), and the quad-headlamps of the XR sport models gained minor changes. New wheel trims were featured on all trim levels, and station wagon variants gained white tinted indicator lenses, replacing the amber tint which had been common since the introduction of the EA.
  With the EL there was a revision again with the engine this time the distributor was refitted and the coil-pack ignition removed, though power remained the same 157 kilowatts (211 hp) at 4900 rpm / 357 newton metres (263 lb⋅ft) at 3000 rpm. The final drive ratio went down from 3.23:1 to 3.08:1 allowing for the moon reaching low ratios. 1700rpm at 100 km/h was attainable in 4th gear.
  To address handling concerns with the EF, improvements were made to the rear suspension and steering which would largely be attributed to Ford Australia's association with Tickford Vehicle Engineering. Speed-sensitive power steering on the Fairmont Ghia made parking more straightforward, without compromising high speed steering. With the exception of the GLi, the entire range was fitted with standard Bosch 5.3 ABS brakes and an advanced window film known as "Smart Tint" that gave equivalent protection levels of SPF15 sunscreen.
  Interior upgrades ranged from reshaped seats and headrests, to new colour schemes, and switches. Station wagons could now be ordered with third-row accommodation and an electric network for mobile phone usage.
caption: EL Fairmont wagon
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