Motor magazine tests the new Falcon XR8.

[chris]

Motor Magazine in Australia has tested the new Falcon XR8, and damn nice looking dark blue example.

Go out and get it, if you can, it's worth reading.

And I can say that what they wrote relates to what I found out about the new XR8.. The quietness of the new 5.4 litre 32 valve V8 surprised me, as did the smoothness.

On the Ford ad, for the XR8 ute, they show an XR8 ute rumbling loudly, as it accelerates at the end.. Trust me, the actual thing is not like that. It's nearly as quiet as a LS430 Lexus. And what you can hear of the engine sounds sweet, and smooth.

I never thought any Australian car could have such refined manners as this. And don't be fooled for one moment into thinking that means it is somehow slow, because it absolutely rockets along, and it seems to corner well, but, without crashing heavily over bumps, as some similarly performance orientated cars do.

(Message to Holden, Subaru and BMW: this is the way it should be!)

And just a word on Holden's comments about the XR8 being too heavy.. It may be 1795kg, but, trust me, it feels quite solidly put together too. The extra kilograms are worth it, in this case.

And, from what I've seen it appears to be good value. Just on $55,000 with the great looking 18" wheels, and, the better brakes. I don't think anything else around the price seems to be so well appointed or configured.. There is the XR6 Turbo, but, this XR8 is even better, in fact, way better. This XR8 is a far more restful, less frenetic thing.

It was also interesting to read in the article about the development of the 5.4 litre V8 engine.. And how the American engineers doubted that this new engine would be any good.. I think they'll be eating their words, now. Never doubt Australian engineering..

So here, is what I think the Falcon should have been, all along. Well done Ford people, especially the engine and suspension development people.

With a bit of luck, Holden's new XV8 engine, will be as nice as this new Ford one. If it isn't then, you'd have every right to complain. I doubt they'll be so silly to ignore the XR8, though.


But, just hope Ford doesn't bugger up the new Fairlane, though. The updated model has been seen testing, though, it's possible this could be a mule that has been clothed in the old (ugly) style body.. The current design boss in Ford (J. Mays, former Audi designer) though is said to have disapproved of the old Fairlanes ugly styling.. So, most likely the ones that have been seen with the new engines are mechanical prototypes, with the old bodies on them..

I'm impressed with the way the new Falcon turned out, but, I'm still not totally swayed, however.. Car companies can sometimes get one product so right, yet another one can be miserably wrong..

[VQ]

Originally posted by chris
Car companies can sometimes get one product so right, yet another one can be miserably wrong..
I agree with that I mean because of For Holden always has to keep raising the standered for each other and vice versa.

The new XV8 engine reminds me of the VR6 engine as in the camshaft thing but the Ford still doesn't live up to the LS1 as that does make lot of power easily and while The Manufactures may make it bad the aftermarket make it better (Damn Canadians bring down Holdens reputations!) and people like doing that suff maybe not u chris but other people like making there cars different.

[chris]

Saw one of the new XR8's this evening, as well. It was going fast. Sounds great from the outside, too, tough sounding, but, less thrashy and a lot smoother than the LS1. And not too noisy, either.

It has a really rich, deep sound. Very nice. :love:

[blackice111288]

i kinda like tha xr8 ute. but i dont know these cars and they might suck, so dont think i dont know what im talkin about, i just think it looks cool.(BoDyKiTs!!!)

[VQ]

Well the body kit is plain compared tot he HSV bodykits and the GT only has a new insert in the front and a different wing.

[blackice111288]

that falcon looks like it has one of those R34 airdams taht people put on their civics and stuff. I saw something real gay one time. someone did a acura legend/skyline r34 gtr conversion. for all the money he wasted on something weak like that, he couldve BOUGHT a skyline. the car didn't even have a RB26DETT! I was just a regular Acura legend engine with a gasp...cold air intake...and gasp....a large..exhaust.. Man when i finish my CR-X, im gonna showup all these posers with bodykits that make wind resistance instead of down force. MAN I HATE THE IMPORT SHOW-ERS INSTEAD OF GOERS!!! know what i mean?????????

[VQ]

I hate all IMPORTS cos they are loud with too much attitude no matter how good they look. Y don't u make ur CRX RWD then come back and say something to me.

[blackice111288]

oh come on, do i gotta go thu this again??? #1. you V8's aren't all that pretty any ways. if u ask me, its most of yall drivin tha V8's with the attitudes. how come when ever is a import around, you gotta start drivin around all reclessly? what's wrong? are you afraid the little import next to you is about to smoke you and you dont want your ego smashed? yall fail to realize that imports can and will smoke a V8. i know V8's are fast, but so are imports. your V8's arent that quiet either. im tired of these mustangs a comaros with dual 4inch exausts. ITS NOT NESSESARY!!! you big block dont sound that cool when it sounds like a deisel ram or mac truck! CR-X's are FF, not rear wheel drive. so vq, go to a real race or get your facts strait, then U come talk to me.

[VQ]

How many burnout cars are there that are FWD? I mean really? How much torque do the imports make compared to a v8? and who ever has dual 4 inch exausts on a V8 is jut stupid cos ne thing bigger then 3 inch is stupid. and, Blackice been to a real race and came back and not many imports there either. The only real Import I like is the Soarer with the V8 as they are nice engines.
And V8s come in different bodyshapes and aren't CHEP like imports are because they are qaulity cars (in AUstralia at least) goto www.fullboost.com.au or ww.vlturbo.com and lookt at em cars. THe Vls have RB30ET engines int hem and there the only rice engine i like!

[blackice111288]

are you really asking me how many burnout cars are FF? I could get so many videos and pics of FF cars burning out it would take up your whole hard drive. I seen a integra run 10.6 (street legal,mind u) with 469 bhp. now a V8 with 469 bhp aint gonna run 10's, or be really nice on the twisties. oh, and by the way, this is one of those properly tuned cars that a holden could supposedly waste. now i aint saying a integra is more of a car than a commodore, but to sit around and say that one kind of car will always smoke another kind of car is strait up dumb. thats why i pretty much like all kind of cars, besides ford.the thought of a mustang or focus makes me nautious. I just like my japanese cars better. they might not be the fastest, but they have their advantadges over other kinds of cars, just as other cars have advantadges over my j-mobiles. before you start talking trash, realize the potential of a car over what car it is or who has one or where it comes from

[VQ]

If i was in America I would have a VW personally and that would be sick if uve seen wat they have done with them in the UK.
Yeah only Commodores withthe same amount of money oput into the car would beat that integra really, and it has TOrque over steer so it would go better in corner with the right driver.

[chris]

Better way is 4wd, for handling, with mid-engined design. Front wheel drive cars can be very, very good handling, provided they are set up right. The old Honda Integra Type R proved this, time and again.

No torque steer, no pitch or roll, no understeer, just ready to do whatever you wanted it to do. As a pure drivers car, it is still one of the best.

Hell, you could even give a Diablo a run for it's money through really twisty roads. Though, the moment you saw a straight appear, it'd be game over Lambo 1 and Honda 0, simply because the Diablo has such a huge engine, with such massive power and torque, 550hp, and 460lb/ft (620Nm) respectively. The Diablo just has that raw thrust, that belts it along at a sensational speed, regardless of engine speed.

Other examples of cars with little tiny engines, that have scary performance are the little Lotus Exige, for instance.. Mentioning that your car has a Rover K Series 1.8 litre engine, in a talk about high performance cars is unlikely to raise eyebrows.. But in this little Lotus, it is transformed into an ultra-mean firebreather, that will have HSV's, Ford's, WRX's Lancer Evos (and just about anything else up to AUD$300,000) running scared.

The moment it's fired up, and settles to it's gargling, raucous, very lumpy idle, you know it's something different (if the outrageous styling didn't already give it away). When it is just running at low revs, it is noisy like nothing else.. Run it up to 8000rpm, and it screams like banshee, in a raspy, and deafening fashion. The sound is electrifying, and very exciting.

It's not all sound, for they've managed somehow to get this engine to put out 141kW, and some more torque, too.. It might not seem like much, but, the Exige only has 724kg to boast about, so, not surprisingly, it has a crazy power to weight ratio.

It's a really raw car, and, you could never use it as an everyday car (too noisy by far), but, for that exquisite drive down that favourite back road, it is incredibly exciting, with handling, steering and braking talented like nothing else. It can carve through corners at hair raising speeds, that even very exotic stuff like Ferraris and Pagani Zonda's probably wouldn't match. It can stop faster they are able to, as well. But, the poor thing runs out of steam at about 220km/hr, where it just doesn't have quite enough power to push the car through the air any faster. The rear wing at that speed, is creating huge downforce, too. But, from 0-100km/hr, it is very fast.. It does that in just 4.3 seconds..

Just remember that its engine does need about 4000 or so kilometres under its belt, to free it up a bit. When very new, it's a bit cranky, and doesn't really perform quite as well as it should. But, when the engine has been run in for a while, it really comes good.

Mind you, though, you'd never put a bigger (heavier) engine in it. It would be sacrilege, and ruin the primary attraction of the car. Some cars do nearly everything well, like BMW M3, for instance, where this Lotus, does its one thing (going fast) briilliantly.

But, it is so hardcore, it will immediately alienate the majority of drivers, who just won't see the point. But, for the few, it is a rare and very rich audible and tactile experience. :)

[blackice111288]

have you driven a Elise?

[chris]

Exige.

[chris]

By the way, Vqcapricedude, the Toyota Soarer is not a V8 powered car. It's inline-6, 2.5 litre, and turbocharged, with 192kW.

The Lexus SC400 is the V8 powered one, that uses the 1UZ-FE engine (I think that's what it's model number is), that features 4.0 litres, quad-cams, variable valve timing, and 32 valves.

So, if you see a SC400, that doesn't sound like a V8, and, has an inline-6 powering it, then, you know that the grey importer is dodgy, since the car is not a real SC400, but, a rebadged Soarer.

If you were going to look for something like that, then, you best bet would be to buy it new, for yourself, in Japan, and privately import it, yourself. That way, you know what you are getting.