Some News, Territory Turbo-based F6 X'

[f-wolf]

A lukewarm Sydney motor show reception has forced a rework for F6 X

The generally disappointing response to the Australian International Motor Show reveal of Ford Performance Vehicles' Territory Turbo-based F6 X's has prompted the Blue Oval's go-fast arm to review final specifications for the model.

FPV's new General Manager Rod Barrett confirmed the revisions this week. In an interview with the Carsales Network, Barrett revealed his team was "working around the clock" to give the new Territory-based hero model a stronger FPV flavour before it goes on sale early in 2008.

As predicted by the Carsales Network, production of the new turbocharged F6 X will be pivotal to keeping the wheels of the FPV operation turning between the last of the BFII runout models and the start-up of the new Orion-based range.

With FPV's new Orion range unlikely to hit showrooms until the end of May 2008, the interim success of the F6 X has become critical to FPV's production and sales volumes.

The reaction to the F6 X at last month's Sydney show is remarkably similar to that which greeted FPV's original BA GT on its reveal at the 2002 event. Following a lacklustre report card at the show, Ford and FPV staff were forced to hastily rework the GT's presentation over Christmas 2002 before the model went on sale in March 2003.

Unlike HSV, which has its own design staff, FPV remains dependent on Ford design resources not always familiar with local muscle car heritage. Both the original BA GT and F6 X emerged after periods when there was little or no FPV direction.

Back in 2002, new FPV personnel were able to quickly collate motor show feedback and guide Ford designers on the final production version. Five years later, Barrett appears to repeating this process.

While tweaking the 2002 BA GT Sydney show car for its 2003 release, FPV management locked in the wide horizontal look of the XY Falcon GT as the DNA for all future FPV models. With each successive facelift, this more aggressive horizontal look has become even more pronounced. Specific grey accents were later reserved for the F6 models.

Barrett indicated this week that he is committed to maintaining the strong heritage of the original Falcon GT as the source of FPV DNA. However, he arrived at FPV on August 1 this year to find the trademark look defined over FPV's short five-year history missing from the F6 X.

Barrett has been forced to respond to the show feedback which suggested that visitors were not impressed by the paint accents and mesh added to the standard Territory styling. These seemed to make the F6 X look taller, not wider (and meaner) as expected of an FPV model.

Barrett acknowledged this week that he is working with Ford's designers to address this.

The issue of Ford's mass-market XR and the F6 X appeared to be at the same level (in terms of trim, etc) will not be so easily addressed. Barrett says that he is attempting to define a clear delineation between where Ford styling ends and FPV design exclusivity starts. He acknowledged its importance by indicating that he was currently working with Ford Australia president Tom Gorman to achieve this.

Barrett joked that if the Hume Highway that ran between the Ford and FPV's facilities narrowed down to one lane, the gap would be too small. He was responding to the observation that the dark grey accents on the F6 X and FPV's other F6 models, have since made an appearance on Ford's runout XR Falcons also unveiled at last month's show.

Observers commented the use of FPV styling cues on 'cooking model' XRs further eroded the premium position of the expected-$70K-plus F6 X. This impression was reinforced by the 'white goods' paintwork of the show car.

Barrett assured the Carsales Network that he was now looking at a range of options as an alternative to the Sydney car's extra paint to reinforce the positioning of the model above the Territory Ghia Turbo [Ed: and XR!].

Although time may have run out for FPV to swap the standard Territory's narrow lower grille and small round foglights for a more aggressive FPV front clip, Barrett said the body detailing will certainly be different on the production version.

Even if introducing more of FPV's F6 cues to the front of the F6 X will be easier than translating the wide, stable and horizontal look of FPV models to the Territory, Barrett said he won't be giving up on this aspect.

As FPV staff did for the production BA GT in 2003, Barrett confirmed that one of FPV's options was to add stripes as a 'delete option' to the F6 X to give the front a more horizontal aspect, at least until a specific FPV front fascia is tooled. With the Territory range running ever closer to its first major appearance upgrade, this is the most likely option.

Barrett also indicated that he was looking at a less conservative alloy wheel style than those fitted to the show car.

"The final version [of the F6 X] will have a much stronger FPV character," Barrett told the Carsales Network.

Edited 15/11/07 03:11 AM by f-wolf

[Dagabond]

So they shoot themselves in the foot once again and say dont buy the first run we'll have a better look down the track....

[Venom XR6]

Where did they say that. They are looking to change it before it goes into production, which is good as it shows they are listening to the public which can only be a good thing. If only they would fit 20's to the thing, sticking with 18's because of the DSC calibration is just piss poor on a big SUV. It needs big wheels. BMW, AMG and VW's new R50 have huge wheels on their sports SUV's.

[xr6 typhoon]

The biggest problem was the spoiler kit it looked like absolute sh*t! Talon do a better kit than ford

[Mondie]

So they shoot themselves in the foot once again and say dont buy the first run we'll have a better look down the track....

Yep, smart aren't they As a TT Ghia owner, l can see no reason to buy the FPV Terri in its current spec, l would expect more for the extra money. l would be scared to see how quickly the front Brembos could chew through the rotors in one of these 2100kg beasts too!

[f-wolf]

Is Ford Performance Vehicles' F6 X the first of a new model series? There have been persistent rumours that Ford was about to drop the Falcon badge and replace it with a series of alpha-numeric model designations (since denied by Ford )

It now appears that the rumours may, in fact, have been referring to the company's joint-venture go-fast arm.

It was confirmed at the 2007 Sydney Motor Show reveal of FPV's new F6 X version of the Ford Territory that F6 X was not a concept name but would be the actual badge applied to the production version.

While refusing to be drawn on what was coming in the Orion-based range, recent appointee FPV General Manager Rod Barrett, confirmed this week that the F6 X was not a one-off badging exercise.

"I'm not prepared to say anything other than there will be some changes," Barrett told the Carsales Network.

This is a major shift from an earlier FPV strategy (announced at the launch of the F6 Typhoon) that saw the company register three seven-letter storm names ready to appear on future turbocharged models. The names were Tempest, Typhoon and Tornado.

After the F6 Tornado ute and Typhoon sedan appeared, it was a pretty safe bet the next cab off the rank was to be a Territory version called Tempest.

The F6 X seems to signal the end of this strategy. And it begs the question is FPV is planning to drop the Typhoon and Tornado badges [Ed: and Force6 and 8] at the launch of its 2008 Orion-based range.

Even if the evidence now suggests that this is the most likely scenario, it makes little sense. For new models that came from nowhere, started their own heritage, then broke all the rules that said that a six-cylinder muscle car would not sell, both have been hugely successful. In fact, their success virtually forced then-HSV boss John Crennan to eat his words after he famously said the cars would flop.

The new F6 names were a conscious departure from the Ford-Tickford strategy of applying meaningless alpha-numeric designations to the FTE range including TE50, TS50 and TL50. The new F6 names were also designed to protect the GT's heritage by creating their own, based on the storm/turbocharged imagery.

After the FTE badging strategy was identified as one of the contributing factors behind the embarrassing failure of an otherwise compelling range of performance cars, it is hard to imagine why anyone at FPV would want to revisit this era.

If XXXX is the beer for drinkers who can't spell beer, does that make the F6 X the hot SUV for drivers who can't read?

[ZAP]

FPV should spend more time on getting a great product ready with the FPV and less on wanking over the name.

I was one of the negative people who slagged off the F6 X at the motor show. I spent about 30 mins chatting to Hamilton From Sinclare Ford about how poor an effort went into the X and that FPV should have been embarresed by their PP effort.

We love our Terri Turbo and think that FPV could do a great job in producing a FPV T, they just need to get the Prodrive designers to do it and put the Ford designers back into their box.

[Dagabond]

I think they just need to get there heads outa there asses and get a sniff of what the real world wants....and needs...

[G6ET8U]

Good thread.

I liked the original car at the show, though didn't see it in the flesh.

I MUST HAVE 20's on it. That is the first thing they should be doing. A car like this at 70k plus has to be phat (god I hate that word but it must be). It MUST be able to take 22's, why? Because if you have 70k to drop on a car like this you will want to go mad with it or be having it look mad. In most cases it will be the wifes chariot, as the bloke will own something else of extreme interest, be it an F6 or something more exotic.

It is such a shame that Ford have missed the mark again, surely they have seen how far people will go with their XR's and their F6's... this needs to be better. It MUST be better and from the factory.

This is the type of 'SUV hero car' the public have been waiting for, an SUV well under 100k that is better equipped, looks better and goes harder than anything else that is available.

This is your chance Ford... take it.

Jack

[ZAP]

My bet for the F6 X will be cheap and sourced from the existing parts bin at FPV.

I would expect the red lether from the Force cars as an option

I do not expect anything on the driveline or motor, even though I doubt the top mount IC will do the job.

Do not expect anything radical on the bodywork, maybe a better use of grey paint, as it will cost too much to develop F/R bars for a small run and short model life. The same goes with the wheels. They will stick to 18" as no Ford has DSC enabled with 19+" wheels. FPV would have to spend a bucket on calibrations of the DSC. they diddn't do it for ANY FPV, so I do not see them doing it on this one. Also the F6 X will be the only FPV with DSC, that is if they choose not to delete it form the donor car, like they have with the other models.

I will bet anyone $20 that FPV will choose the cheapest way to release a model to keep the masses happy. They could not give a toss about aftermarket or people who upgrade as we are all a minority. Most people do not touch their cars. I know FPV will not release a car that will make me upgrade from our TTG.