Initial Impressions Of New Bf Turbo

[TOXICT]

Hi there

A few of you asked for thoughts on new ZF box...I am not mechanically minded, so this is a non-educated, basic driver's perspective:

-Picked car up 2 days ago

-combo of turbo pull & new 6 speed auto results in serious desire to just stay behind the wheel, like in no other car I have ever owned I think (had about 20 cars over the years thus far)

-car is just so damned ready & willing, I foresee for a while at least it will be difficult NOT to take advantage of the boost

-auto box will definitely equate to fuel efficiency on long highway trips I do for work (travelling sales rep)

-changes between cogs are effortless & smooth in auto mode...kick down much more responsive than 4 speed auto I traded

-when in perf mode, & changing manually, it is such a bloody great feeling keeping the donk revs burbling around 2000 in prep for any required squirt

-think I'll be chewing thru some premium unleaded for a few months, as I don't forsee myself becoming bored with the surge of that turbo

Probably old-hat for all of you who have had one for a while! I find myself continually coming up with reasons why I have to drive 'somewhere'!

I had to drive a dealership loaner 182KW Barra yesterday for a coupla hours while they tidied up a few small details on my 'T'.....having driven a standard BA XR6 for the past 18 months and being quite pleased with it overall, I could not believe how sluggish it felt!!

Another satisfied 'T' owner

Cheers

BP

[TurboDewd]

The nice thing about your comment is the things you havent said, I.e. not one complaint about the BF and its new auto. Cool.

[Adam]

That's good to hear.

I read an article where they said the ZF box was almost physic, for every hill or corner the box was always in the right gear.

[Guest]

I was thinking getting one would be a good idea

vik...but reading stuff like this dont help

[KEN 24T]

Thanks BP,

Really appreciate the non-technical evaluation. I've been a long-time supporter (and driver) of manuals, but the more I read and hear about the new ZF box, I more I'm really considering it for my next Preciousssss ...

Thanks for taking the time away from driving () to post, and don't worry about making up excuses to go for a drive ... JUST DO IT!.

[Guest Senator]

Sounding like the death of manuals in big cars is coming soon.

[1ute]

Sounding like the death of manuals in big cars is coming soon.

Or at least the turbo ones.

[replicant]

I have a BF XR6T with the 6 speed ZF Box and have completed 1500kms in the last two weeks. Motoring has been a mixture of commuting in pretty dire pre-Xmas traffic (think 45mins to an hour and one half to do 25kms), around town, some open road driving over the holidays.

Generally, cruising at a given speed the engine is between 1500rpm and about 1800rpm regardless whether it's 60 or 110 clicks. (And it's very quiet - which is good when you are trying to use the hands free cellular and don't want background noise!)

You can't manually engage 6th until you are doing about 80 clicks

The emergency kickdown (if you really stand on the accelerator) in manual mode is handy to have.

In cruise control at 110 clicks, the engine is doing about 1750 rpm and is very relaxing. The extra torque of the turbo means that it's never really strained and can hold a high gear for a lot longer.

Overtaking potential is enormous. The reserve available to make a pass is reassuring even when you have to get out of the throttle when baulked by a slower car on an overtaking lane and response is instant when you reapply throttle. Fantastic!

When you in PERF mode and flogging it on a windy country road, it won't change gear mid corner and changes down gears when braking heavily (like you'd do to get the revs up to accelerate away in a manual).

The seats in the XR Luxury Pack are comfortable for a range of bodies and the suede studded finish is not too hot to sit on after car parked in sun (mine is Silo Black).

Having driven the Beamer 330i with the same box, Ford have done a great job tuning it to the characteristics of the XR6T.

[dddd]

I have a BF XR6T with the 6 speed ZF Box and have completed 1500kms in the last two weeks.  Motoring has been a mixture of commuting in pretty dire pre-Xmas traffic (think 45mins to an hour and one half to do 25kms), around town, some open road driving over the holidays.

Generally, cruising at a given speed the engine is between 1500rpm and about 1800rpm regardless whether it's 60 or 110 clicks.  (And it's very quiet - which is good when you are trying to use the hands free cellular and don't want background noise!)

You can't manually engage 6th until you are doing about 80 clicks

The emergency kickdown (if you really stand on the accelerator) in manual mode is handy to have.

In cruise control at 110 clicks, the engine is doing about 1750 rpm and is very relaxing.  The extra torque of the turbo means that it's never really strained and can hold a high gear for a lot longer.

Overtaking potential is enormous.  The reserve available to make a pass is reassuring even when you have to get out of the throttle when baulked by a slower car on an overtaking lane and response is instant when you reapply throttle.  Fantastic!

When you in PERF mode and flogging it on a windy country road, it won't change gear mid corner and changes down gears when braking heavily (like you'd do to get the revs up to accelerate away in a manual).

The seats in the XR Luxury Pack are comfortable for a range of bodies and the suede studded finish is not too hot to sit on after car parked in sun (mine is Silo Black).

Having driven the Beamer 330i with the same box, Ford have done a great job tuning it to the characteristics of the XR6T.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I too have a bf xr6t auto ( for about 3 weeks now) still have my old ba xr6t auto and the improvement in nvh is very good , I was curious how your new BF XR6T compares in that regard to your BMW 330i.

[GEoMaNTiK]

My BF XR6T is just on 2 weeks old and up to 1700K's as of today.

This baby just keeps getting better and the ZF has been a dream shifter since day one.

Having never driven a T before but had taken out a 4spd auto T BA prior to my decision to go for the BF, I can say that this is one complete package for a car.

I've got this T for the next 4 years and I'm 110% happy with my decision.

My every day thought of driving it, is that it has heaps to give all the time, never feels like it won't perform and the ease of the shifter in manual mode is a real winner.

I pretty much ran this car in on the ZF manual shift, the kick down is very impressive and the 1sec delay people are talking about isn't an issue, by the time your foot is planted you're in a lower gear and overtaking is a breeze.

I'm drinking petrol at the moment, but will see how economical it is when I get to some country travelling.