FPV GT Mark II 2011 Review

The ingredients are simple -- supercharger, V8 engine, six-speed manual gearbox. The premise compelling -- rear-wheel drive, large sports sedan with touch-screen infotainment system and a few other bells and whistles besides. But it all comes down to execution. If the fine tuning and little compromises are too great, it will all be for nought...

Thankfully in the case of the updated FPV GT MkII it's a well-sorted behemoth.

Belting out 335kW/570Nm, the FPV GT MkII is not short on power. You'll pay $71,290 for the privilege, but it's not something you'll quickly forget. The 5.0-litre Coyote engine is mated to a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual cog-swapper and together they deliver power in a most enjoyable fashion.

The gear shift is a little notchy and heavy, but the short throws feel precise time and again, and the clutch is light (enough) for something kicking out almost 600 Isaacs. Getting the power down effectively is not difficult in the big GT, nor unenjoyable, as peak torque arrives at a user-friendly (licence unfriendly) 2200rpm and is sustained until 5500rpm. In other words, the GT's rear end will crab sideways slightly if given a bit of a poke, even with stability and traction control switched on.

With a touch of supercharged whine in the background, the engine will happily wind out to 6000rpm but delivers massive punch from half those revs.

Acceleration is not a problem for this Australian-developed, American-engined muscle car. During the test we also happened to have a BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG and Lexus IS-F in tow and the FPV was quicker than all the Germans for mid-gear, roll-on acceleration; and was bested only by 6.2-litre Merc’ when push came to shove in a straight line pursuit.

Through corners the FPV does a good job, considering its lardy kerb weight of 1835kg. The steering is reasonably accurate and delivers good feedback, particularly when navigating tight hairpins the wet. Even with a touch of throttle-induced oversteer the car can be casually controlled through the corner. Indeed, communication is good. Better yet, it would appear as though the rack rattle that has beleaguered almost every FG Falcon and derivative to date was not evident in our red GT. I'm not going to celebrate just yet, but I am cautiously confident...

FPV's GT is a satisfying car to drive hard and a lot more fun than I remember, though you will learn its limits pretty quickly. It's chubby mass means it'll want to push wide if you get overconfident and at higher speeds narrow roads can get a little foreboding. The Brembo anchors do a good job of washing off speed and it should be said the suspension was better than most at soaking up bumps in the road -- which came in handy on poorly surfaced sweeping corners.

As a cruiser the FPV GT Mk II is a no-brainer, though shifting gears did get tiresome in heavy traffic. If you plan on commuting, the ZF six-speed auto would be worth looking into. The auto is a no cost option too, which makes the choice an easy one.

So the powertrain hasn't changed for the MkII update but the mid-life update brings one cosmetic exterior addition - projector beam headlamps – as well as infotainment system improvements.

Our GT wasn't equipped with sat nav, but the new infotainment system is a big improvement on its predecessor, now a touch-screen affair. Unfortunately it's still not as good as the Holden-based iQ system arch-rival HSV offers, called EDI or Enhanced Driver Interface, but it is a step in the right direction.

The touch screen works well, is colour and of a high resolution. I just wish it had several different telemetry readouts for real-time torque output etcetera. Not because it's useful but because it looks cool.

Another new entertainment feature is that all FPV models now get an updated USB input for MP3 audio file playback, which can work support storage devices of up to one terabyte.

The FPV GT delivers a slightly more upmarket experience thanks to the modernised infotainment system, and small touches like the reversing camera add value. It's still a ludicrously rapid vehicle with more power than you'll ever need (or use for the most part), but it's nice to know it's there.

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