FPV Pursuit Ute 2003 Review

What we liked
>> Sweet V8 has loads of grunt
>> Car-like ride and handling
>> Well-appointed, sporty cabin

Not so much
>> Strictly a two seater
>> Fuel bills and other running costs
>> Limited practicality

OVERVIEW
Lifestyle utes are big news, following the raft of dressed-up utilities that stole the limelight at the 2003 Melbourne Motor Show. Ford, via its FPV go-fast division, aims to capitalise on the strong appeal of these workhorse warriors with a 290kW Pursuit ute. The Pursuit joins FPV's three-pronged attack of high-performance V8s, and is currently the most powerful mainstream production ute available.

The humble Falcon ute is a popular choice for city and country folk alike, even though the Blue Oval brand struggled in recent times. Sales of the two-door Falcons increased four-fold in the last three years to around 1500 a month. Adding to the ute's appeal is the increasing number of performance variants on the market. With reduced payloads and luxury features, these hot haulers are turning the rugged workhorse into a two-door sports coupe.

The Pursuit badge first appeared in 2001 on the limited-edition rump of Tickford's 'Pursuit 250' powered by a high-powered 5.6-litre V8. The latest Pursuit raises the bar further, offering 290kW and 520Nm from the Boss 5.4-litre V8 and other goodies from the FPV GT.

Putting Ford's two-door hero car in your driveway doesn't come cheap, though: budget $54,850 for the manual or $56,000 for the four-speed sequential auto - and even more for leather trim and other tasty options.

FEATURES
The Pursuit makes an aggressive styling statement. It has the GT's front end with its low-slung spoiler, driving lights and race-style splitter. There's also side skirts and a rear wing, bonnet bulge, five-spoke 18-inch alloys, and Pursuit badges. Special FPV colours, like our test vehicle's Phantom purple paint, give it even more impact.

The lockable hard tonneau cover sits flush when not in use, and opens together with a rear fold-down gate to reveal the large rear tray compartment. Load capacity is limited to 500kg owing to its sports suspension, and compared to 1280kg in the cab-chassis versions. Add a luxury-lined tray into the equation and the Pursuit is destined for light work duties only.

Inside there's more sporty touches, including drilled-alloy pedals, red-glowing starter button, carbon-fibre-look inserts, FPV build plate, Momo aluminium gearknob, and a blue-backlit 270km/h speedo and 8000rpm tacho.

Big sports seats feature standard suede and cloth trim, or there's optional leather with FPV logos ($1850), and leather-wrapped sports steering wheel with audio and cruise control buttons ($950).

The Pursuit is reasonably well-equipped for the money, with remote-central locking, 100-watt audio system with in-dash CD player, climate control air-con, trip computer, and electric windows and mirrors.

COMFORT
Well-bolstered and cushioned sports seats with four-way electric adjustment and lumbar support, combined with a fully-adjustable steering wheel, allow most body types to find a comfortable and safe driving position.

Ford's 'space cab' design gives an airy, spacious feel inside with plenty of shoulder, head and elbow room for two, big-boned occupants. There's numerous storage pockets and containers to hold loose items, plus some valuable space behind the seats to stash small bags or groceries rather than having to throw them in the rear tray.

SAFETY
The Pursuit gets most of the safety items expected on a modern performance vehicle. Standard PBR disc brakes with ABS are a good match for the rest of the vehicle, or there's an optional $5995 Brembo brake package for wannabe racers. Unfortunately traction control is missing, which would have been handy on a vehicle with this much tyre-frying potential. Twin airbags, and seatbelt pre-tensioners, provide extra back-up.

A bugbear of all Falcon space-cab utes is the small rear window/thick pillar design which restricts the driver's side vision when changing lanes. The low-slung body kit and longer wheelbase of the Pursuit will also test your skills in a crowded car park.

COMPETITORS
Not surprisingly Holden's hot-shop, HSV, provides the Pursuit's main rival. The Maloo R8 ($57,950), is similarly specced and costs $3000 more. It also produces less power and torque (260kW and 475Nm), but as it's 200kg lighter, should be a a match in a sprint. HSV will introduce another player to this niche market later this year, a tray-back version of the Maloo ute expected to cost around $60,000.

Further down the price rung, Ford and Holden also sell fast entry-level utes that offer scintilating performance for a lot less money. Ford's XR6 Turbo, for example, will race to 100km/h in a Pursuit-like 6.0sec, but costs around $15,000 less. The Pursuit offers more features and a greater degree of exclusivity, however. FPV only plans to sell a total of 100 vehicles a month, so you're unlikely to see too many other Pursuits on the road.

ON THE ROAD
If you're after an Aussie-made, sporty-looking, V8 performance car with two doors and extra carrying capacity, then the Pursuit is unlikely to disappoint.

Ford's locally-assembled quad-cam 5.4-litre V8 sounds as good as it performs. It shakes and rumbles reassuringly at idle, and rises to a gratifying roar from around 3000rpm. Stomp the pedal at rest and it responds with gusto, with truckloads of torque available early. It's tempting to hold onto gears and continually rev the smooth V8 to the 6000rpm cut-off. A paunchy 1850kg kerb weight does take some of the edge off acceleration, but once up and running the mid-range grunt allows for plenty of options.

The rest of the heavy-duty package is easy to live with. A rugged five-speed transmission provides smooth changes, steering is sharp with good turn-in and feel, and it feels well-balanced and controlled in corners. The grippy 18-inch rubber do a good job of keeping the leaf-axle rear-end in line. Like the Falcon GT, the Pursuit rides superbly for a hard-edged sports machine. It glides over cobblestones and rough roads with little fuss or feed-back transmitted in the cabin.

It also cruises quietly on the highway with only minimal tyre and wind noise. Overall, fit and finish is of a high standard, although the odd loose trim and a minor rattle in our test vehicle indicates all's not perfect.

As a city commuter, highway cruiser or week-end blaster, the Pursuit fits the bill perfectly. But with only two seats, and a gutter scraping body kit, it's not designed for families or your average tradesman.

You can also expect higher than average running costs, with factors such as increased tyre wear, insurance premiums and fuel costs likely to put an extra strain on the wallet. We managed to limit consumption to 20 litres of premium unleaded petrol for every 100km with mostly city driving, so expect regular fill ups of the 80-litre tank.