Ford Falcon XR8 2003 Review

Ford fans are going to hate me. Why? Because the $50,130 XR8 is soft, it has lost its edge. Where the XR6 Turbo made big leaps forward in Aussie-built, performance six cylinder motoring, the XR8 seems content just to shuffle a little further up the food chain. No pushing the performance envelope, no blindingly quick acceleration, no scalpel-like cornering precision. No edge.

This bloke's off his tree, Blue Oval fans are undoubtedly muttering while flicking the yellow pages for the nearest dial-a-hitman. Let's look at the facts. Ford's BA Falcon XR8 weighs in at 1795kg (unladen). It is 130kg heavier than its AU III XR8 predecessor. It is 200kg heavier than a Holden Commodore SS. It is 135kg heavier than a 260kW HSV ClubSport.

And it's top dog sports sedan reputation suffers for every kilogram on the road. Where the AU III XR8 felt light, responsive and agile on tighter, winding roads, the BA feels more cumbersome, more brute force bully. Boosting engine power by 40 kiloWatts can overcome the extra kilograms in a straight line, but it's harder to disguise the increase in mass when cornering forces come into play. Simple physics tells you that lighter cars go around corners better than heavier cars, all other factors being equal.

Tighter corners really expose the XR8's weakness for understeer. We understand the XR8's 4-valve version of the 5.4-litre V8 engine and smoother-shifting Tremec T3650 5-speed manual gearbox (which replaces the locally sourced BTR 'box) account for 60kg of the XR8's extra weight over XR6T, most of it forward of the centerline. Yet no suspension adjustments were deemed necessary, and the standard XR8 runs on the same 17 inch wheel and tyre package as the turbo.

Those expecting blistering straightline performance may walk away disappointed because the XR8 doesn't feel fast. Power and torque delivery is strong from just off idle, and really gets firing above 4000rpm. The new 5.4-litre V8 engine is worlds better than the old 5.0-litre donk, it revs cleaner and harder right through to redline, and there's less driveline vibration and harshness.

But getting almost 1900kg (with driver) off a standing start is going to cost over the quarter mile. We're tipping the guys at Wheels magazine won't get a sub-14 second time out of the XR8. No doubt the XR8 will perform strongly in rolling start acceleration, which is probably more useful to the Australian driver.

So, do you get the feeling we're thumbs down on the XR8? We're not. We just think it's undergone a fundamental repositioning - perhaps dictated by its extra girth. To us it seems like Ford is defining its performance car lineup more clearly now than ever before. The XR8 is more in the vein of a grand sports tourer than the XR6T. It's all about fast, effortless, performance motoring - qualities it certainly has in spades.

CarPoint's first meeting with Falcon XR8 occurred in a bushfire-ravaged central Victoria, mostly on highways and major country roads in January 2003. Two journalists to a vehicle, we covered roughly 150km behind the wheel. Not enough to reach a definitive conclusion, but certainly enough for a lasting impression.

Strong points? Engine performance, engine and exhaust note, ride quality, steering feel, gearbox. Weak points? Too heavy, too thirsty.

On this last point Ford claims 12.5l/100km for city cycle and 9.2l/100km highway, yet in our time behind the wheel we averaged 15.6l/100km. Even with cruise control set to 100km/h on a section of straight, flat road the instant fuel consumption function on the trip computer never dropped below 10, so how it achieves that claimed highway cycle in the real world is beyond us.

A Ford Falcon XR8 costs about $600 more than the Commodore SS, and is about $8000 cheaper than the power equivalent HSV ClubSport. And while it doesn't feel as dynamically agile as either of those two vehicles, the XR8 makes up for it with a 5.4-litre heart of gold.