rprodrive

I did not find much difference in the brakes. I wouldn't say the FG is more nimble either - again fairly similar. The FG definately drinks less than the VE SS! That was my experience

I have tracked the FG too - have you tried it in the wet? Like I said - you may as well have DSC off as it struggles to catch the car in the wet. Anyway, you guys are not really open minded here. I have owned both cars and know the pros and cons of both. The FG is the better car - but not in all respects. Stability control is definately one area where the VE is far more sorted.

Err fun, yeah right. In the FG in the wet you can be 90 degrees sideways before the stability control will wake up. If that is a good thing - you must have a different idea of what stability control is for. It is useless in the FG.

I had the VE SS before getting the FG XR6 Turbo. The turbo is definately has better performance when rolling - in gear performance is much better than the SS. The only problem with the turbo is getting the power down. The SS is so much more effortless, especially in the wet. And when things do start to break away in the SS it is quite progressive. The turbo can easily snap sideways in the wet as you guys with the FG will know. And that is with the stability control on. The stability control on the FG is not particularly good - well compared to the VE SS anyway.

I think the FG turbo is no different to any other Australian made Ford - it can be a gamble. Some people never have problems - others are plagued. Here is my list in the short few months I had the car: * returned to dealer 3 times for electronic throttle fault. Car would go in to limp mode without warning. Each time dealer said they had fixed the problem. * intermittent problem with the headlights - dash would show "headlight fault" from time to time. Not resolved. * rear left brake light would stop working on an intermittent basis. It was not the globe. Dealer could not fix the problem and each time told me there was nothing wrong and lights were working fine. Yeah right- other drivers on the road continued to tell me my brake lights were not working! Not resolved by Ford. * trip computer regarding estimated range was always wrong by approx 200kms. Dealer said they fixed it. Problem persisted. * accessory/drive belts started wearing prematurely (lots of rubber shearing under the engine bay). Not raised with dealer as I returned the car early to my employer (operating lease).

mid 5s is definately achieveable with this car.

The time on the strip will be slower. This looks like one of the older g-sensor devices - similar to the RSM with g-sensor. My g-sensor used to read 0.2-0.3 faster over the 1/4 compared to what the timeslip would say. The road may also not be as flat as the strip either. So nice video but it doesn't actually show the car does a high 12 second 1/4 whilst stock at all.

I don't consider the Aurion and Camry japanese vehicles if they are made in Australia! But seriously, if you think that the FG is even close to something like a proper Japanese car (ie made in Japan) - I think you have lost perspective by working at Ford.

I had the FG XR6 turbo for 10,000kms and the quality is not even close to Japanese car standards. Totally different ballpark. You need to make a trade off going for a FG in terms of reliability and quality compared to the Japanese. But the performance is fantastic and that was good enough for me to put up with the repeated trips to the dealer. If you want one - I would only own it during the warranty period and then sell it. Problems I had in a short 6 month period: * returned to dealer 3 times for electronic throttle fault. Car would go in to limp mode without warning. Each time dealer said they had fixed the problem. Now resolved. * intermittent problem with the headlights - dash would show "headlight fault" from time to time. Not resolved. * rear left brake light would stop working on an intermittent basis. It was not the globe. Dealer could not fix the problem and each time told me there was nothing wrong and lights were working fine. Yeah right- other drivers on the road continued to tell me my brake lights were not working! Not resolved by Ford. * trip computer regarding estimated range was always wrong by approx 200kms. Dealer said they fixed it. Problem persisted. * accessory/drive belts started wearing prematurely (lots of rubber shearing under the engine bay). Not raised with dealer as I returned the car early to my employer (operating lease). Maybe not a problem but something didn't look right with the drive belt. Maybe these are relatively minor problems but it sure is a pain when you are visiting the dealer for warranty issues on a regular basis. If you want reliability don't buy the FG. You are buying this car for bang for buck.

Good to see someone asking a smart question! Dyno numbers mean zero unless you know what the baseline is for that vehicle on the same dyno.

Hey - I have the sedan version in the auto. I think the auto is quicker than the manual in street driving but there wouldn't be much in it. I don't think there are any widespread problems with the zf auto - haven't heard of anything. My personal view is that the auto is a much better match for the FG turbo - and that is coming from someone who has always driven a manual prior to getting the FG.

This is a really weird question - if you drive hard you obviously don't care about fuel consumption - so what is the point of your question? I used to have the VE SS before I got the FG turbo. The VE SS is only slightly more heavy on fuel compared to the FG I doubt you will see much difference moving to the F6. I used to get 19s around town in the manual SS so I think we have a similar driving style.

The traction and ESP doesn't cut in for ages - I have had the ass of the car sideways and in the next lane from standstill (with steering pointed straight!) and the rear didn't stop pulling towards the other lane until I backed off the accelerator. Obviously this was on a wet road.

I agree - in the FG XR6T spinning through 1st and 2nd is all too easy in the wet. Unless it is very light throttle it will just spin spin spin for me and it can even pull in various directions (with the steering pointed straight!). It is disconcerting when the rear is struggling for grip and the rear headed for a different lane when the steering is at straight ahead. I wonder how it would be with significantly wider and better rubber.

I agree with some of the posts - I have the FG XR6T sedan and the traction in the wet is absolutely sh*t. The car has 1800kms on the clock and has not really improved at all. Very dissapointed in the wet - the car can easily snap hard in the lower gears with traction/DSC on. I found coming from the VE SS it is a real dissapointment in the wet. Not sure if it is the tyres or mechanical grip - but this model is very poor at putting power to the ground unless it is dry