FG Falcon Is Here!

[hulk xr6t]

Hi,

I went into ford over the weekend and test drove two cars..

FG BOSS 290 XR8 6 speed manual AND

FG XR6T 6 speed auto..

I drove the XR8 first...

Impressed by its burble when starting up, you can really feel that there is a big motor under the hood. Sitting in traffic the car feels like a weapon, big motor, big bulge on the hood...

I turned onto the express way and opened it up, with just a little wheelspin chatter, its pretty quick to get to the cutout, (the chime goes off). Feels very very much like a GEN3 with a 6 speed manual.. Even sounds similar. The Sound on the car wasnt as good as I would have imagined... I swear ive heard BOSS 290's sound a bit tougher than that.. I wouldnt buy the car because I believe it felt no quicker than a GEN3 V8 I owned years ago.. Its powerful, but I dont think its gotten any better over the SS's or XR8s driven in the past few years. The interior is definately better than my BA. Similar but better. I dont know if I would ever hand over the $52k for the XR8.. If I grab a used BF2 for half the price it would probably feel very very similar..

Now jumped into the XR6T

When I started it, it sounded pretty weired, felt like this car isnt gonna go like the big boofy feeling XR8.. I felt like I stepped into a cheaper less powerful and smaller car.. The way the 6 feels is intially (when rolling in the carpark or in traffic) inferior to the XR8..

The salesman says, be careful with it, it goes like a scorned cat.. I was like yeah yeah, I know ive got one..

The car felt like it spooled up much quicker than my BA XR6T (4pd auto). In traffic I didnt feel like it had the same presence as the XR8.. When I stepped onto the freeway, I flattened it from very low down..You can hear it spool up a bit and between gears it made a popping sound from the exhaust.. Very very fast.. The sound of the car was a bit weird, like a Audi A3 turbo with Auto.. Both have that popping sound on gear changes in the exhaust..

My 320+rwkw XR6T would be quicker when on full boost but just cruising around, the new XR6T felt better down low... I rolled up to a set of lights and booted it with no spooling so see how it comes on... A laggy slowish takeoff (but better than BA) and then when the boost come on so did the traction control... It just cut out and started over again.. I tried it many times and every time the traction control cut in.. Bloody quick in a straight line with proper tyres I say.. For a standard car you would expect it to hookup if just booting it in a straight line not break traction.. Imagine in the wet..

On one occassion, I booted it from standstill and sort of changed lanes as I was flat, when the boost cut in, the car flicked sideways... In a stock car... This car would flog the XR8 that I drove..

We all know the potential of a well modified XR6T but these cars stock have some real nuts..

Even the Salesman agreed, how we gonna sell a XR8 or even GT with the XR6T or the G6ET sitting here.

[Benny]

Hulk,

Thanks for the write up. Good to here another impressed driver of the FGT.

Benny

Edited 30/06/08 02:48 AM by Benny

[fnp]

In regards to the last point there will always be the people who buy the V8 simply because its a V8 although I suspect they will be decreasing in numbers these days with fuel prices the way they are. The turbo may be better in almost every respect but it simply doesn't sound as terrifying as a V8 with a good exhaust on it.

[Nashy]

that's the thing in the end theres those that like the V8 rumble and will buy one even if the turbo is faster.

[KryZak]

My cousin and I went down and drove the XR6T Manual, XR8 Auto and G6ET press cars that have been doing the rounds. I suspect that all of these cars have been flogged to within an inch of their lives, because the auto in the G6ET wasnt feeling very good...

But the XR6T Manual felt like a weapon, and the G6ET was a little less grunty, but this was because the auto was quite buggered. The XR8 was just plain damn dissapointing. My cousin has a BF2 manual XR8 and his is no slower than this example of the new one. As far as sound goes, the newy sounds better at idle than his BF, but the BF sounds much gruntier up high.

The turbos both felt better than my BF2 XR6T, but at the amount it would cost to trade up (and I cant get a sunroof in the new one yet, that's a year away) would be astronomical compared to the small amoun of cash it would take to have my BF running really quick times...

[matt_g]

Well I just signed for my FG XR6T ute today- breeze 6spd manual- $37990

drive away. Just stock though

[monza1414]

damn, that's cheaper than advertised price without dealer del and on roads, who did u sleep with to get that price or is that for a business so tax rebate included?

[Venom XR6]

Got a quote, XR Turbo sedan, Nitro, ZF, luxury, technology, safety, oil cooler and tow packs.

$44, 875 with employee discount. Might try to get that down to low 40's later in the year when I order.

[micksta]

My lease plan quote says the car price is $42718.18 and with a $4057 discount it comes to $38661.18.

I also got my quote back for a FG F6. It came in at $58498. Dark Agent mags where a $722 option.

Quotes were from Powerhouse Ford Mackay.

Wow, that’s a good price, the best quote I’ve got so far for an F6 is 61K, before GST and dealer deliver, with no extras and that was based on buying two of them, from the same dealer.

How did you get that so cheap?

[matt_g]

damn, that's cheaper than advertised price without dealer del and on roads, who did u sleep with to get that price or is that for a business so tax rebate included?

Nah mate for private use- and didnt even have to sleep with anyone. It was just after end of financial year as well so they will come down. My mate has just bought a ranger from them so I dunno if that had something to do with it.