2016 Ford Falcon FGX Sprint Launch Drive day.
Days like this in life are few and far between, to say this opportunity is a milestone and highlight for me would be an understatement. I’m buzzing with excitement, appreciation and anticipation.
After breakfast we assemble in the forecourt to be assigned cars.
While walking towards the cars I notice an older couple looking at them, they asked me what I thought and I responded with enthusiasm, I then asked them their thoughts, the gentleman told me he had worked on the cars and had since left Ford but wanted to come across for the launch!!! I congratulated him on the cars and his commitment, his wife was brimming with pride.
The people who make these cars love their jobs and it shows, even after leaving the company. It was one of those moments where you can’t help but feel emotional over this all.
The magnitude of this launch and the privilege I’ve had being a small part of it washes over me.
With the briefing out of the way and pairings sorted out we head off on a loop that will eventually finish at Baskerville raceway but with a driver swap half way at Old Beach.
Road Test, XR8 Sprint.
For the morning leg we are in an auto Sprint 8, I am the passenger for the first section, we are ably guided by the Sync 2 Nav which does a fantastic job of guiding us through unfamiliar territory because to be honest, I have no idea where we are!
First impressions are one of familiarity with my environment, the Dash treatments and trim colors are a nice blend.
From the passenger seat you can feel the urgency that exists with the slightest touch of the throttle, the subtle hum of the supercharger is ever present when called upon.
Following another Sprint I noticed something, the rear tyres pick up so much loose material, they must be very sticky.
Once out of the suburban sections of Hobart we wiz past Risdon towards Old beach. The Sprint feels planted and in total control of the tasks its performing, it is also remarkably quiet and comfortable, more than I remember any XR before it being.
We arrive at the change point and swap over.
Ok, enough of being a passenger!!! We head off up a nice incline and I stab the throttle, WOW.. this thing has all the poke I remember of a 335!!!
Brakes.
As soon as we get onto some more open sections I did some emergency brake tests, the 6/4 Brembo’s are outstanding, so much so that my passengers lollies ended up on the floor well and both of us strangled by the seat belts!
3-4 successive 100-0 rapid stops saw not an ounce of fade and some ridiculously short stopping distances with barely a hint of ABS intervention, the tyres are incredibly grippy. From the presentation I remember that braking distances had been improved significantly over the existing 4 piston Brembo/Dunlop setup by about 4 meters.
Driving dynamics.
The Sprint 8 flows extremely well, the first thing I notice is how much more responsive it is to initial wheel input than the existing XR8, this car reacts and goes where it’s pointed.
There is no sign of “push” or understeer through corners, the Pirelli’s are sensational and never protest when on their limits. I look for some undulations to see how the front end reacts to being unsettled before or mid corner, this is where I make another discovery.
Previous Miami powered Falcons had a tendency to understeer, feel nose heavy and lack rebound control in the front end, any mid corner bump would unload the tyre and you’d get 2 to 3 “bounces” in the front, each one pushing you bit by bit away from the corner apex. While being conscious of the speed limits I honestly couldn’t induce any kind of understeer at all. Very impressive. The front no longer feels “heavy” either.
I also noted the ride quality over bumps and undulations was very comfortable and compliant, more comfortable in fact than any previous FG I’ve driven. They have somehow managed to not just improve the grip and handling of the car but improve the driver comfort too! Amazing.
I try various modes in the auto, including manual shifting it but to be honest its best left in sports mode and left to decide for itself what gear is best. The trans is a magnificent piece of engineering married perfectly to the engine.
Power down has been improved too, the traction control is barely noticeable, intervention is subtle and progressive, it neither unsettles the car or kills your momentum, they have really done an outstanding job of improving grip and calibrating the TC to compliment the car.
Baskerville Raceway.
We arrive at Baskerville for some fun, first laps are in the Manual Sprint 8 followed back to back with the Sprint 6.
What an amazing little circuit, lots of blind corners and 2 short straights, its technical and challenging.
After a sighting lap we do a practice Start using launch control. The manual car requires finesse and practice but after 5 attempts I got the hang of it, let the clutch out too fast and traction control spoils the party and it bogs down, too slow and you’re slow. When you get it right though you really get boogying. To be honest after launching all 3 cars I ‘think” the Manual 8 just might be the quickest of the lot in a straight line from a standing start, but you really have to be spot on with your launch to be fast, whereas with the Autos you really can’t get it wrong.
Back on the track with the 8 and this car has some serious grunt and is so linear. The manual is so much fun to use in a situation where you can apex corners and use all that magnificent 400kw, the linear and instant nature of the power delivery makes the 8 with Manual transmission really scalpel sharp on its limits.
Redline comes amazingly quick in every gear, the cornering is as per the road test, this car encourages you to push it because you always feel in complete control, even when you get close to the limits of grip rather than surrendering and letting go in a howl of noise and action you can feel them progressively start to slide, in a very controlled way, it neither creates nerves or excessive over reactions. This car inspires confidence.
We swap over into the Turbo 6 for the next round of laps. Relative to the manual 8 launch control in the Turbo 6 is so easy, 1900 rpm off the line and while it feels like its bogging down its simply applying all that brutal performance in a controlled manner. After the cars moving that turbo rush slams you in the back and you shoot forward with such ferocity, this engine is certainly a rocket, the midrange on this car is unbelievable. Powering up the hill the traction control is activated over number of undulations, from outside of the car watching other laps you can hear it working but inside the car its less noticeable.
I actually think it could be the quickest Australian made car in the 80-120 test. Massive statement I know but midrange is the strength of this engine and you can feel it. Handling of the 6 on the circuit is so similar to the 8 that it’s hard to find differences. Steering wise it feels ever so slightly faster to turn in, but its splitting hairs. I need more laps!
The track session finishes and I want more laps but it’s not to be. If I had to pick a favorite on a circuit it would be the manual 8, you just have complete control of everything the engine does and that locked relationship with the driveline allows you to use the power more precisely. That’s not to say the auto cars wouldn’t be great but for circuit duties id personally prefer the manual and with Miami.
We enjoy a nice healthy lunch and time to reflect on the mornings driving and circuit action.
Road test Sprint 6
Heading back to Hobart we’re in the Sprint 6, after my stint as passenger again I take over the driving with glee. We take a number of routes including trips both sides of the Derwent river. The Sprint 6 is every bit as poised and accomplished as the Sprint 8, in fact that midrange really is a feature.
I did notice the front ride was ever so slightly firmer in the Sprint 6, maybe it was tyre pressures or the fact it’s got 23kg less over the front end but it felt the bumps ever so slightly more compared to the 8. It certainly didn’t detract from the car at all.
Brakes.
As per the 8 the 6/4 Brembo's on the Sprint 6 are superb and work the same.
Driving dynamics.
The Sprint 6 also flows extremely well, it too is extremely sharp and quick to respond to steering input.
There is no sign of “push” or understeer through corners, the Pirelli’s are sensational and never protest when on their limits. I look again for some undulations to see how the front end reacts to being unsettled before or mid corner, same result, perfect..
Again I try various modes in the auto, including manual shifting it but to be honest its best left in sports mode and left to decide for itself what gear is best. The trans is a magnificent piece of engineering married perfectly to the engine.
Power down has been improved too compared to a F6, the traction control is barely noticeable, intervention is subtle and progressive, it neither unsettles the car or kills your momentum, they have really done an outstanding job of improving grip and calibrating the TC to compliment the car.
The Turbo 6 really enjoys the new engine and trans calibrations, they have worked wonders on this car, compared to my memories of a F6 this car is a quantum step forward in every way including low rpm throttle response. Ok, to be honest the Sprint 6 doesn’t feel as punchy off idle as the Sprint 8, but the midrange quickly gets you back level pegging.
Brakes and handling on the road felt the same as the Sprint 8, they really are very similar cars to drive.
With sadness we arrive back to the motel to part company with these magnificent vehicles.
Wrap up.
I’m sure everyone’s wanting to know which one is fastest or best, its simply not that easy. The cars have as I suspected individual nuances and also very similar traits.
It’s impossible to make a definitive unanimous statement, sorry guys.
I think the Sprint 6 will be the quicker car 80-120 but it will be close, I think the Sprint 8 gets off the line quicker than the Sprint 6 but to 100 the midrange will even that up. Over the ¼? Even contest is my guess.
As a track car myself I prefer the manual 8, its superb. As a daily driver you can’t go wrong with the Auto 6 or 8, they are that good it comes down to personal preference.
The soundtrack on the 8 is addictive but so is the midrange of the 6. You can’t lose regardless of personal choice.
For me though I have a preference so I’m going with the Sprint 8 auto. It ticks every box that’s important to me.
But at the end of the day these cars are damn close and not just the best ever high performance Falcons but the Best ever Australian made Performance cars.
The fantastic people from Ford:
I want to thank these guys again for their amazing hospitality, never ending passion for what they do and of course delivering the best Falcons ever made!
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Originally Posted by Paxton
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