Scooter

As many of you know the Pontiac G8 is a rebadged and exported Australian designed and built Holden Commodore V8.

Well our local Australian division of Ford last month released their new Falcon range - which is the direct opposition to the Commodore/G8 platform.

Initial road tests say the Falcon is better in pretty mcuh every way. The top of the line Ford is called the G6E Turbo. It is a similar size car to the G8/E60, is RWD, but instead of a V8 runs a turbo 4.0l straight 6 mated to a german ZF gearbox similar to the E60. It has 368hp and 393lb/f (at 2000rpm) and when tested did 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds with a passenger.

Traditionally Ford have not shipped Falcon to the US but I think they are evaluating it this time around.

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleD...=48623&vf=1

providenceleaf

ugly front end :thumbsdown:

1esquire

headlights look like an Audi A4 ripoff.

swajames

I like it. Ford is making some excellent product outside the US, and this Falcon and the EU models would be perfect for the US market. The new Mondeo and the EU version of Focus really should be sold in North America.

silver bullet

Ford has for the last many year had a much better sense of style about their design (the current full range of Lincoln design abortions excepted). This looks like the car James Bond drove from the airport to the hotel in the Carribean in Casino Royale. Cool car, and they should bring it to the US.

mikeohope

Looks great to me. You can see the styling cues from the Mondeo.

Ford don't seem to want to go that big in europe probably relying on the Volvo's as the exec car option

Scooter

Here is the 'hot' version of the 4.0ltr turbo Ford Falcon. I don't like the blackouts myself but it certainly gets along!

This version (FPV - Ford Performance Vehicles) has 422hp and 417lb/f and the 0-60mph is around 4.8s.

JetBlack5OC

Exactly key word "outside" the US.

Why don't they bring the new Mondeo to the US? Ever since I saw it in the last Bond movie, I though it looked great. According to the reviews it drives very well also.

cookceramics

I hope the next gen 5 series is good, in fact great. I have driven the new ford G6E and I can tell u its on a par with the current e-60-61 no questions. I know because I own an e-60. In regards to the G8, they are miles apart. The holden commodore (aka pontiac G8) is a dog. Mates who are execs with national companies have the calais luxury version that was boasted by the media as a 5 series beater , and they concur the build quality holds only to 30,000kms and they become rough and very course in the driveline. I borrowed a mates for a weekend when in Brisbane last and we both agree my 2005 5251 is way smoother more economical and still a better drive by a long shot and they have identical miles.

The truth is ford Australia know ther stuff and have the best chassis engineers available toiling good, if not great products. I have driven the g6e and I warn you its good, bloody good! THE PERFORMANCE MODEL THE FPV F6 is export material. The US needs this car! it will peel you fricken eyelids back and still ride well enough to carry eggs home. For AUD$58,000 you can't go faster safer or quieter. Period. In fact for gods sake lobby ford to get this baby over there even for a one off test. I promise you that if you appreciate BMW's engineering you will at least be impressed by what Ford Aus has done with this car. The other issue in the media over here is the huge reaction to the design on paper as opposed to the car in the flesh. I am yet to see a photo that does it justice. The sheet metal is daunting on the road when you first see it. Its huge and very broad. In fact its road presence is amazingly commanding and makes the 5 series look like hairdressers compact. The ford also shares the same transmission as the 5 series and the abs and esp is brilliant when pushed beyond ordinary divers capacity with great predictabilty and throttle response.

I hope the US is lucky enough to drive this car. If Ford are too stupid to export it, they desrve everything they get.

Scooter

Good feedback. I may be in the market for a new car in the next 6 months and given the new 5'er will only be 18 months away, the new E clss even less I will have a very close lok at the G6Et in the mean time. I have not doubt I would not be dissapointed with it. On the other hand I would never buy the Calais, it feels cheap to me from the moment you grab to door handle and as you noted will, like every Holden ever made, age very quickly. No surprise all taxi's in Asutralia are Fords. PS When you say the media proclaimed it a 5 series beater you mean 'Holden Wheels Magazine'...lol

The G6Et is a pretty compelling package and who knows if I buy one I may decide to keep it in the shed forever given it will be th last Australian made i6.