10 Facts you may not have known about the XA
ZF and XA Falcon Fairlane trim codes
XA Falcon and ZF Fairlane option codes
The XA Falcon, introduced in March of 1972, replaced the XY. It was the first of the third generation of Australian Ford Falcons. A larger car than the previous model XY Falcon, it featured a new body shape. It holds the distinction of being the first Falcon to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia. The XA Falcon featured a rounder shape, designed to make the car look smaller than it actually was.
The XA brought back the 2 door coupe, last seen in the XP which ended production in 1966. There were 5 engine options available to XA buyers, an amount never previously offered. On offer were 3 inline 6 engines (3.3L 97kW, 4.1L 116kW, 4.1L 127kW) as well as 2 V8 engines (4.9L 179kW, 5.8L 194kW).
The XA continued the theme of Australian muscle and performance. It sold better than any model before it. The XA was produced to be larger so that it could be more accommodating for Australian families. The added size in one way was an improvement in the eyes of buyers who could carry more and gave passengers more interior room.
As the XA was a completely new car. The first designed in Australia. There were a few teething problems. Buyers complained about driver visibility, they found that there were blindspots, especially in the rear of the car when trying to park. People also found the car more difficult to manoeuvre especially in urban settings. The smoothness of the ride was also not as great as could be expected by new car buyers in the early 1970’s.
XA Falcon production totaled 152 609 cars, utes and panelvans. Production of the XA lasted 18 months until September 1973 when the XA was replaced by the facelifted XB.
The XA had one of the toughest jobs for the Ford in regards to gaining market share and sales from Holden as it was up against the HQ Holden Kingswood. Although the HQ outsold the XA by a ratio of about 3:1 (to be fair, the HQ was in production for 39 months compared to the XA’s 18), the XA did a solid job in furthering the Ford brand in Australia.
10 Facts you may not have known about the XA
ZF Fairlane and XA Falcon trim codes
XA Falcon and ZF Fairlane option codes