senna_T Forged Member Lifetime Members 15,818 Member For: 18y 4m 21d Gender: Male Location: SW Sydney Posted 18/04/08 08:40 AM Share Posted 18/04/08 08:40 AM G'Day Guys and Gals, As some of you may know I went with a few colleagues to drive the new FG falcon range today at the NSW leg of the launch prgram. To put the range into one word - outstanding! I'll break up my review into a couple of sections, but remember I only had a limited drive in wet conditions, happy reading!Engines: The first car I drove was the new 290kw XR8, I have to say I wasn't too excited about driving the 8 as it was a familiar set-up, but wow was I wrong! I'm not sure if it is the box calibrations or the Engine software but the Boss 290 is much more responsive than ever before, its as if the throttle snaps open with the lightest touch of the accelerator and actually takes a bit of getting used to! The power delivery is still all up top and not very attainable on the roads we were using, but the important thing is that the response is better. The Semi Active Muffler that is now used on the XR8 is quite noticable too, with a much deeper and "gruff" sounding note above 3500rpm. The second car I drove was the one alot of people are excited about and is bound to be a favourite for Managers company cars around australia - the G6E Turbo, obviously equipped with the new Barra270 engine. As we all know, the turbo is ahead of the V8 for its acceleration at lower speeds (ie. <100kph) however this engine teamed with the ZF is just rediculous for a so-called "family car"! The new figures of 270kW and 533Nm are as obvious as a slap in the face, with a quick jab of the loud pedal pushing you and your frightened passengers back into the seats. The transient over boost feature was obvious from around 60km/h with the acceleration feeling faster than it has a right to. The humble N/A I6 still has plenty of life left in it as a competitive engine in todays market IMHO, it pulls well from low rpm and has no problem revving out when it needs to, all with a decent note to it, rather than an Alloytec engine that sounds like a chaff cutter at high rpm!Suspension and Handling: The new suspension in the FG brings with it a welcome note of refinement compared to what we are used to in the BA/F series, gone is the power steering whine at low speeds, gone is the twitchiness at higher speeds - why wasn't this done earlier?! With the new Virtual Pivot Link in the front (effectively two ball joints) the steering is much more linear and feels more precise than previous models. You still get a little (read: listen for it) rack rattle when you go over broken surfaces on a corner, but it's not something that would put-off a prospective buyer. The handling of the car is much more responsive - a theme that carries over to the whole FG package - on first impressions. With the new calibration of the springs, new monotube shocks and Control Blade IRS settings the car will go in any direction you want it to, with an underlying tendency to safely understeer if you go in too hot (something easy to do in one of the Turbos!). The Luxury Performance set-up of the G6E-T was very nice and I think would satisfy any-one as a daily driver/weekend plaything. The XR's Overt Sports set-up is obvioulsy more focussed and commmands the direction of the car with a tighter leash, while still giving a supple enough ride to keep the rest of the family happy day to day. The XT was quite a surprise package for me and really impressed with its ability to be hussled with out feeling like an un-made bed - falling apart at the corners. The XT would actually be the most under-rated car in the line up - lucky fleet drivers!OK, I've got to go home as dinner will be waiting for me, I'll put together a second part of this review when I get home later tonight so if a mod could merge the two or just keep them separate I'm fine with thatCheers,Pat (senna_T) Link to comment https://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/topic/44621-sennas-fg-drive-impressions/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOM1111 Member 631 Member For: 17y 11m Gender: Male Location: newcastle Posted 18/04/08 08:43 AM Share Posted 18/04/08 08:43 AM G6E turbo sounds bloody awesomesounds like it pulls like a teenager who just found daddys porno stash Link to comment https://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/topic/44621-sennas-fg-drive-impressions/#findComment-661139 Share on other sites More sharing options...
tab Sucker Moderating Team 32,303 Member For: 21y 2m 3d Gender: Male Location: Brisbane Posted 18/04/08 08:48 AM Share Posted 18/04/08 08:48 AM About bloody time Did you drive the T Senna?Oh and thanks Link to comment https://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/topic/44621-sennas-fg-drive-impressions/#findComment-661141 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondie Firm Member Donating Members 2,924 Member For: 22y 7m 27d Location: Adelaide Hills Posted 18/04/08 08:48 AM Share Posted 18/04/08 08:48 AM TOM1111 said: G6E turbo sounds bloody awesomeYeah it does, looks horn in the pics l have seen, but no manual. That kills it for me Link to comment https://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/topic/44621-sennas-fg-drive-impressions/#findComment-661142 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOM1111 Member 631 Member For: 17y 11m Gender: Male Location: newcastle Posted 18/04/08 09:04 AM Share Posted 18/04/08 09:04 AM im a auto boy im to lazy to shift gears Link to comment https://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/topic/44621-sennas-fg-drive-impressions/#findComment-661153 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat-Tony Member 5,364 Member For: 19y 3m 7d Posted 18/04/08 09:14 AM Share Posted 18/04/08 09:14 AM Interesting read, about the first positive bit of news I have read on the v8. Link to comment https://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/topic/44621-sennas-fg-drive-impressions/#findComment-661165 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashmo Member 245 Member For: 17y 10m 12d Gender: Male Location: Rockingham, W.A Posted 18/04/08 09:26 AM Share Posted 18/04/08 09:26 AM great write up senna, I hope you got to drive the T im excited to see if you did and hear of your reports! Link to comment https://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/topic/44621-sennas-fg-drive-impressions/#findComment-661175 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAP No boost, no bottle, just my foot on the throttle! Lifetime Members 7,935 Member For: 21y 4m 14d Gender: Male Location: Sydney Posted 18/04/08 09:46 AM Share Posted 18/04/08 09:46 AM I wonder if they have fixed the Handbrake shh shhh shhh problem ? Link to comment https://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/topic/44621-sennas-fg-drive-impressions/#findComment-661203 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig. Member 563 Member For: 18y 3m 8d Gender: Male Location: Sunshine Coast QLD Posted 18/04/08 10:02 AM Share Posted 18/04/08 10:02 AM Nice work Pat! Link to comment https://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/topic/44621-sennas-fg-drive-impressions/#findComment-661211 Share on other sites More sharing options...
tab Sucker Moderating Team 32,303 Member For: 21y 2m 3d Gender: Male Location: Brisbane Posted 18/04/08 11:48 AM Share Posted 18/04/08 11:48 AM ZAP_F6 said: I wonder if they have fixed the Handbrake shh shhh shhh problem ?As if. What next, you'll be expecting no driveline shunt as well? Link to comment https://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/topic/44621-sennas-fg-drive-impressions/#findComment-661252 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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