Ford Falcon XR8 Luxury Pack 2008 Review

Road Test - Ford FG Falcon XR8 Luxury Pack

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 4.0/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.5/5.0
X-factor: 3.5/5.0

About our ratings

Ford's latest XR8 Luxury Pack is also Ford's latest top-of-the-range version of a proud Ford V8 heritage that dates back to 1932. However, it could well be the last. There are several reasons why Ford fans could be forgiven for thinking that Ford Australia couldn't care less.

That said, there are conditions and user types for which this model comes into its own. So is it the spent force some pundits are already claiming?

First, some perspective. The FG XR8 inherits the Boss 290 from the previous FPV GT with noticeable improvements in power delivery, economy and shift smoothness in both manual and auto transmissions. It also features Ford's first semi-active exhaust system which delivers aural benefits via a more open exhaust path at higher revs.

Up until the late 2006 arrival of the E-Series HSV range, this package in the old BF Falcon chassis was still regarded as having the edge. In its 2008 FG setting, the chassis goes up a substantial notch so it's far from off the pace.

Ford's post-Geoff Polites (Ford's maverick local chief who revitalised the company after the AU debacle) attitude towards its V8 heritage does the XR8 no favours and the company still claims there is no point in offering a G8E luxury model as long as there is a G6E Turbo. This implies that the XR8 has no place either and that's how the presentation comes across. The gaps in the Ford and FPV ranges also need revisiting when they have prevented the special XR8 version on test from having its own clear identity to match its premium $54,000 pricetag (see below).

Because neither the XR8 nor XR6 Turbo Luxury Pack carry a special badge or identity to match Holden's SS V, Ford's premium buyers face a massive resale drop on what is the best local Ford-badged premium performance range ever (race homologation specials excepted).

This slapdash model strategy also means the $54,000 XR8 Luxury Pack buyer still has to pay extra for a lockable fuel cap and line the bootlid. Apart from a very ordinary set of 19-inch alloys, there is nothing to distinguish it from a $39,990 XR6. Under Ford's new lexicon, why isn't this top-shelf model presented and badged as the XR8 E?

This XR8 deserves so much better when its Luxury Pack leather and dual-zone climate control interior lifts the XR8 up to the old Fairmont Ghia level and beyond. The rear camera and the colour screen also lift it another league ahead of its immediate opposition.

It's here that the progressive and smooth power delivery of the Boss 290 is far more consistent with the packaging. Without exception, all passengers over the test period loved the smooth burble and strong, relentless push of the V8. In contrast, the XR6 Turbo's more brutal and sudden delivery is more likely to create unease.

The XR8 Luxury Pack really plays the serene and secure family cruiser role to perfection, yet there is more than enough mongrel waiting to be accessed on demand.

So why does this new XR8 invite such criticism? The truth is most drivers have forgotten how to drive one and some never learnt. Better to blame the car than admit fault, seems to be the adage.

Drivers who loved their VP to VS Commodore SS models with the old cast-iron Holden V8 under the bonnet would know exactly how to drive this XR8. These Commodore drivers would also know what went missing after Holden switched to the alloy Gen III US crate engine in the VTII.

By any rational measure, these pre-VT Commodores which were designed around a four (or small-capacity inline six) were not supposed to handle with a cast iron V8 hanging over the front wheels. Yet it was an engaging challenge for the driver to make them steer and handle. It was this challenge, which the XR8 still offers but without the warts and danger, that made heroes of local race drivers.

The Boss 290 has a cast-iron block with a 5.4-litre capacity closer to the old Holden 5-litre V8 than today's lightweight 6-litre, thus the weight distribution and power access issues are exactly the same -- even if the FG is far more sophisticated. Where a good VP-VS SS driver knew exactly what power was required to make their IRS squat at exactly the right point in a corner, today's SS driver under 100km/h needs little more skill and involvement than required in guiding a railway wagon around a curve.

The Boss needs at least 4000rpm to deliver the grunt to shift the weight balance from front to rear in a corner and Ford engineers have intentionally set-up the rear suspension to encourage such a technique. It won't flatter ignorant drivers in a way that today's SS and XR6 Turbo will. Haul it around on the steering on a trailing throttle and it will try to plough on like a pig. Yet get the XR8 to pivot around the rear end at exactly the right point in a corner, ready to exit under full power and you will experience one of life's great pleasures. One that any competent Porsche 911 driver will also understand.

The XR8 is possibly the only road car available today (apart from FPV) still true to the 1970s cars that Brock and Moffat raced around Bathurst. The new auto calibrations and the great new TR6060 manual have just added extra precision to the process.

Like rock and roll, you need to know some basic steps to participate. In today's world of ultimate power stats and lap times that cannot even be remotely applied to the road, some see this requirement as a joke.

It's true that this XR8 can never be as quick nor as tidy as today's inherently better-balanced VE SS range through tight corners. And for those who don't understand the commitment and pleasure in extracting the best out of a car that's not absolutely perfect, the XR8 is a hangover from another era. Yet as the six figure prices for the original muscle cars are showing, this level of involvement is indeed highly valued which makes this XR8 something of a bargain.

Unlike the original muscle cars, the XR8 has stability control as a safety net which works like a treat. Even in the wet there is more than enough grip unless you deliberately provoke a slide. If you do, the XR8 quietly maintains a benign, gentle sideways stance until the electronic aids brings it smoothly back into line.

An average fuel figure over 400km of short trips, fast rural driving and freeway cruising in the low 13L/100km range is awesome for an engine of almost 400hp and better than the SS. Where the SS can exploit its tall gearing and extra capacity to deliver impressive freeway figures, the XR8's smaller capacity and 32-valve breathing will win the day as soon as the revs need to climb.

Although the XR8 can still be driven safely in a way where you don't need to know any of this, it would be a shame never to experience the pleasure waiting in an XR8. Like flying, some drivers might need some expert instruction to get the best out of this XR8. Feedback from those who took advantage of FPV's courses for the previous GT confirm this can be an exhilarating experience. With the FG's vastly superior steering and front suspension, it will be better still.

The FG's new cabin architecture has also made a big difference to the driving as well as easing access to both the front and rear seats. The extra vision from the deeper side glass and reworked windscreen pillars generates a confidence during high-speed driving denied to VE-SS drivers.

However, it's not perfect -- the steering column height adjustment is so limited that some tall drivers will find it hard to get in under the steering wheel. This can also obscure the top of the instruments. The FG is also 'cosier' in the front thanks to a wide centre tunnel which some will find restrictive, others more intimate.

These tight dimensions (caused by Ford's central crash safety reinforcement also apparent in the Focus) generate other compromises including the loss of a clearly defined left footrest, although the angled toeboard is quite adequate for this purpose. The front seat width is also limited which might explain why the XR8's side bolsters are so squishy -- the seats would be too narrow if they were firm.

The loss of Ford's brilliant in-door grab handles from the previous model makes no sense until you realise that the new armrests are set at the optimum height, level with the centre console. The new side glass plunges so low for extra vision that there simply isn't room for an adult-sized grab handle between the armrest and glass. It's a pity Ford couldn't explain this at launch time.

There are already reports that Commodore SV6 owners are swapping over to the new XR6 to access its more involving driving experience and grunt. The XR8 Luxury Pack also offers a warmer, more intimate cabin and driver involvement that you still can't get in the Commodore SS V. Yet sadly, in the XR8 Luxury Pack's current unfinished state, there is no reason why a Commodore SS V buyer would even look.

If Ford's marketers could be bothered to firm up the top specification, finish it off properly and give it a name to match the engineering commitment so apparent on the road, this XR8 Luxury Pack (and its XR6 Turbo stablemate) could just as easily strike a chord with traditional Commodore SS owners as well as the blue team.

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