At first glance, the
Ford XR6 Turbo looks like a weaker brother to the FPV F6, which cranks out an extra 55 bhp, and is a real stormer. On the other hand, you don't get that brash and rather weird front end of the latest FPV cars, so the XR6 Turbo is a sort of Q car, that delivers stacks of power, but just looks a smart, quiet sedan. All very understated.
On the road, the F6 looks pretty good, as the big wheels and reduced ground clearance make this muscle car look lower. All in all it is a pretty sleek and stylish car – apart from the rather weird front end. It is different though!
Pushed back into the seat....
However, if you give the engine its head, and let the six-speed auto do its job, you will find yourself pushed back into the seat and racing forward at any speed from about 50 mph upward. So this is a real Jekyll and Hyde, which appeals to a lot of folk these days, combining real power in a fairly sedate package, apart from the rear spoiler. If anyone looks carefully, they can see a wide grille below the main grille, which shows that this engine needs a bit of cooling.
But some aspects of the interior not so hot
All-round visibility is pretty good, the rear wing being low enough not to get in the way. I had been told that the car had an upgrade to leather seats, but before long, in the hot Australian summer I was thinking that was very much a downgrade! Every time I got into the car during the day, the seat was very hot, not a problem with cloth seats. Also, of course, the leather makes you perspire more even with the aircon working hard.
Another disappointment was the rev-counter, which is white on black, and poorly lit, with a bright blue band around it, which just makes the figures more difficult to see.
Despite these grumbles, I soon found that this car had something, as I swung it through some tight roundabouts in the outskirts of Perth. The steering was precise, and the roll muted.
As on the F6, the ZF six-speed auto, which has a manual sequential override on the gear lever, was very responsive, shifting down quickly and smoothly without being asked, other than with a prod on the loud pedal.
Great engine/auto match for speed on demand
When I put my foot down, the super turbo and six-speed auto showed their mettle, thrusting this fairly big chunk of metal forward at an indecent speed. The automatic has a superb kickdown, which is very responsive, so that for most of the time you don't need to use the Tiptronic-like manual shift, over the other side of the auto gate.
Good Tiptronic-style manual control
Manual operation is just the ticket when you are driving round twisty roads, up and down in the hills, giving you plenty of control. The engine pulls with real power from about 2,500 rpm, right up to 6,000, and thanks to the wide spread of torque which is available from about 2,000-5,000 rpm, you always have plenty of power in hand. Who wants a V-8? Well, if it's the new supercharged FPV model I might!
But for everyday use, this XR6 Turbo is as good as the Aussie V-8s. For the most part, it is a smooth silent carriage, just as home in the busy city streets as it is out on the open road. The in-line six-cylinder engine is super smooth, although it must be said that the XR6 Turbo does not give a boulevard ride. The damping has been stiffened up in the interests of better handling, so that the ride is harsh over poor road surfaces, but on the other hand is well controlled once you get a move one.
Good steering and handling
The steering is direct and accurate, which partly reflects the mounting of the rack forward of the front suspension. What about the handling? It is difficult to fault. Corner hard and the XR6 Turbo corners on rails, and you can feel the double wishbone suspension working to keep the wheels at the right angles to the road, so the outer tyres dig in and drive you through the bend. As you can see from the image, the front suspension is a modern doble wishbone set up with good geometry.
The handling generally feels neutral, and there is little roll. The seat also gives pretty good lateral support, so you remain in the right position to steer the car with precision, which you can do. However, on wet roads any exuberance leads to some oversteer which is pretty easy to control, thanks to the good steering.
The XR6 Turbo is certainly an excellent high-performance sedan that can match the performance and refinement of some cars costing a great deal more. If you don't like the conservative appearance, you can go for the more extrovert version from FPV, of course.
