Ford’s fuel-sipping Falcon EcoLPi has created history by becoming the first LPG vehicle to win one of ‘Australia’s Best Cars Awards’.
Conducted by the automobile clubs in each state (RACQ in Queensland, NRMA in NSW, RACV in Victoria, RAA in South Australia, RAC in WA, RACT in Tasmania and the AA in NT), ‘Australia’s Best Cars’ is probably the most prestigious and credible of all the various awards as it is researched exhaustively and scientifically by the judges (this year co-ordinated by Mark Borlace from the RAA).
Car Showroom endorses the award of ‘Best Large Car Under $60,000’ to Ford’s Falcon EcoLPi. This ground-breaking new technology, developed locally by Ford Australia engineers, delivers LPG to the engine as a liquid rather than a gas, providing environmental advances in a vehicle which actually drives better than the regular petrol Falcon and can be equipped so luggage capacity is not compromised (often a drawback with older LPG vehicles).
Announcing the Ford Falcon EcoLPi’s triumph, RAA’s Mark Borlace said: “First of all, LPG is considerably cheaper than regular petrol, which makes it cheaper to run. On top of that, LPG burns a lot cleaner than petrol or diesel, which means that the Falcon EcoLPi emits just 203 grams of C02 per kilometer, compared with 236 in the regular petrol-fuelled Falcon. Significantly, it feels exactly like a normal Falcon – if anything it feels slightly better in that it produces more power and more torque earlier in the rev range.”
Australia’s Best Cars Winners for 2011 are:
Kia Rio – Best Light Car Under $20,000
Volkswagen Polo 66TDI Comfortline – Best Light Car Over $20,000
Volkswagen Golf 90TSI Trendline – Best Small Car Under $35,000
Lexus CT 200h Prestige – Best Small Car Over $35,000
Volkswagen Jetta 118TSI Comfortline – Best Medium Car Under $50,000
Mercedes-Benz C250 CDI Avantgarde – Best Medium Car Over $50,000
Ford Falcon EcoLPi XT – Best Large Car Under $60,000
Audi A6 3.0 TDI Quattro – Best Large Car Over $60,000
Hyundai iMax – Best People Mover
BMW 135i Coupe – Best Sports car Under $80,000
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG – Best Sports Car Over $80,000
Volkswagen Tiguan 103 TDI – Best SUV Under $40,000
Kia Sorento SLi – Best SUV Over $40,000
Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI – Best Luxury SUV Over $60,000
Land Rover Discovery 4 SDV6 SE –Best All-Terrain 4WD
