IF the entry level XT illustrates most graphically how far Ford has come with the BA Falcon, then the Fairmont Ghia - flagship of the short-wheelbase range - provides the most lasting impression of the new Falcon's accomplishments. In top-shelf, optional V8 guise as tested here, Ghia lines up directly with Holden's Calais V8 and gives us our first taste of Ford's sophisticated new 5.4-litre overhead camshaft V8. Look past the restrained, classical treatment of the masculine new BA shape and the blood-quickening V8 performance, however, and you'll find massive gains in cabin quietness, ambience, presentation and equipment, plus an entirely new independent rear suspension that delivers the perfect balance between ride quality and body control. Offering a combination of comfort, practicality, dynamics and performance usually found in far more expensive German cars, the BA Fairmont Ghia V8 is the best executed, most opulent expression of luxury family-size motoring Australia has ever produced.