The XR8's future?

[Red F6310]

Yes... except if the best performance product from Ford was the XR8 and not the XR6T they'd have sold twice as many XR8's as they have currently sold XR6T's....

I think people have walked away from Ford rather than settle for the XR6T....

If ford wouldnt have developed the XR6T then my dad would never have bought another new falcon back in late 2002 (he had one of the first BA XR6T's in SA) and i would never have bought my BF XR6T (which i still own) and then the G6ET and now my new F6.

Dad bought the XR6T as he no longer wanted a V8 (but he still wanted a "performance" car) and he wanted to try something different.... nearly 10yrs and 110000kms later he still loves the damn thing and has not had 1 problem with the car at all.

I have only bought the Turbo 6 falcons cos modern day V8's just dont do it for me (I love old school V8's though) and yes i have driven numerous BA onwards V8 falcons and some VZ/VE commodores over the past few years but none of them have excited me like the midrange rush of the turbo6

[FTe217]

Yes... except if the best performance product from Ford was the XR8 and not the XR6T they'd have sold twice as many XR8's as they have currently sold XR6T's....

I think people have walked away from Ford rather than settle for the XR6T....

Thats the $64000 question ?
Now the XR8 was the better/best performer pre 6T - BA on it got smoked and not by just on road but by the press saluting the awesum performance/package of the 6pack hence contributing to the diminishing XR8 wiht the 260.
Next a large % of Fleet/Rep buyers who didn't like the whoosh being V8 lovers would have opted for the SS in that case, sharper pricing, always looked to offer more outside and inside.
.........but as F6310 posts many new prospective buyers did buy into the 6T who possibly never would have considered the XR8.

There's arguments either way - I'd love Ford to have a premium V8 again but why do I say this ? because I grew up with the halycon days ? most likely, my 2 boys probably would take the I6T in the future as the entry purchase for performance and when more coin come into their pocket head for FPV into the SC and beyond, don't know if it makes sense what I say but all I see is the buyer is a different animal compared to when the 8 was king for Ford.

[Falc'man]

Makes perfect sense.

[4Vman]

Thats the $64000 question ?
Now the XR8 was the better/best performer pre 6T - BA on it got smoked and not by just on road but by the press saluting the awesum performance/package of the 6pack hence contributing to the diminishing XR8 wiht the 260.
Next a large % of Fleet/Rep buyers who didn't like the whoosh being V8 lovers would have opted for the SS in that case, sharper pricing, always looked to offer more outside and inside.
.........but as F6310 posts many new prospective buyers did buy into the 6T who possibly never would have considered the XR8.

There's arguments either way - I'd love Ford to have a premium V8 again but why do I say this ? because I grew up with the halycon days ? most likely, my 2 boys probably would take the I6T in the future as the entry purchase for performance and when more coin come into their pocket head for FPV into the SC and beyond, don't know if it makes sense what I say but all I see is the buyer is a different animal compared to when the 8 was king for Ford.

BAXR8 was quicker than the first BA XR6T, pretty sure BAXR8 outsold it too, BF onwards is where the drift occured....

Having owned 3 XR8's now im what you would consider a "brand loyalist".
My opinions on this are in no way my opinions on the XR6T/XR8 product itself, but more a broader view of how and why XR8 died.

In my opinion every XR6T sale has ultimately cost Ford atleast 2 XR8 sales.... Why? well for a host of reasons;

1) like it or not the VAST majority of Ford/Holden performance buyers are V8 buyers first, its got NOTHING to do with their age, or "technology", look at the absolute plethora of 20 something SS ute owners.... The LSX engines are the lowest tech engine on the market, so i dont buy the "youth tech" angle or "old V8" angle at all.

2) The media have slaughtered the XR8, unjustly IMO.

3) Forum parrots who have neither owned or driven a new XR8 recite magazine dribble like they've owned 1 for 5 years and are scathing of the product, largely without challenge....

4) the performance deficit between XR8 to XR6T has "embarrassed" Ford buyers to leave the brand.

All this has done is ruined the image of the XR8.

I believe many Ford performance buyers have simply said "pfft... if the XR6T is better than the XR8 ill just buy some other brand, i dont want a turbo 6" or "ill wait".

Those people either are waiting, bought SS's or just walked away from performance vehicles into "A to B" vehicles...

These people need to be drawn back if XR8 is to be a success but it needs to be a better accepted product that it was and the XR6T has to go to make room for it.

Yep, controversial views but i believe them. Let me also say the XR6T is an outstanding vehicle, but there isnt room for it if Falcon and XR8 is to succeed.

[Elks]

BAXR8 was quicker than the first BA XR6T, pretty sure BAXR8 outsold it too, BF onwards is where the drift occured....

Having owned 3 XR8's now im what you would consider a "brand loyalist".
My opinions on this are in no way my opinions on the XR6T/XR8 product itself, but more a broader view of how and why XR8 died.

In my opinion every XR6T sale has ultimately cost Ford atleast 2 XR8 sales.... Why? well for a host of reasons;

1) like it or not the VAST majority of Ford/Holden performance buyers are V8 buyers first, its got NOTHING to do with their age, or "technology", look at the absolute plethora of 20 something SS ute owners.... The LSX engines are the lowest tech engine on the market, so i dont buy the "youth tech" angle or "old V8" angle at all.

2) The media have slaughtered the XR8, unjustly IMO.

3) Forum parrots who have neither owned or driven a new XR8 recite magazine dribble like they've owned 1 for 5 years and are scathing of the product, largely without challenge....

4) the performance deficit between XR8 to XR6T has "embarrassed" Ford buyers to leave the brand.

All this has done is ruined the image of the XR8.

I believe many Ford performance buyers have simply said "pfft... if the XR6T is better than the XR8 ill just buy some other brand, i dont want a turbo 6" or "ill wait".

Those people either are waiting, bought SS's or just walked away from performance vehicles into "A to B" vehicles...

These people need to be drawn back if XR8 is to be a success but it needs to be a better accepted product that it was and the XR6T has to go to make room for it.

Yep, controversial views but i believe them. Let me also say the XR6T is an outstanding vehicle, but there isnt room for it if Falcon and XR8 is to succeed.

A round of applause for Norm please.

I coulsd see myself in all of your scenario's. I've been fortunate and landed out the far end with an FPV, but had many false starts along the way. If the XR8 was the equal of an SS I'd have bought one.

[4Vman]

A round of applause for Norm please.

I coulsd see myself in all of your scenario's. I've been fortunate and landed out the far end with an FPV, but had many false starts along the way. If the XR8 was the equal of an SS I'd have bought one.

Yep Tony.... and its predominantly why i ended up with an XR6 and not a XR6T.... i wanted an XR8 but it was obviously dead as a model and resale worried me with all the negativity towards it and i just couldnt bring myself to spend the extra on a XR6T.

I was done a deal to wait for a GS....

[galaxy xr8]

I believe there is also a maturity factor that might effect certain buyer's, the younger consumer's are more likely to purchase a product that is percieved as "a must have in today's fashion" and unfortunatley the Ford brand is not that for this generation. Where as older more mature consumer's will do their homework and purchase on what actually suit's their day to day need's.
This could also back up Norm's statement that V8 people will buy a V8 product, which lean's more to those that grew up in the era where V8's were the thing.
These day's the younger gen are keen on Turbo's etc and Ford did see this as a market that they pursued, But did they look at the Long term effect's of this, did they bite the hand that feed's them ?.

[4Vman]

The game might get a bit more interesting once the 40mill Miami bill is paid off.... i just hope the Falcon is around when each Falcon fitted with a Miami donk can drop 8K off its RRP at no loss of margin.....
THEN Ford could re release a S/C XR8 @ 50ish k..... Untill then they're stuck between a rock and hard place.

[Elks]

This could also back up Norm's statement that V8 people will buy a V8 product, which lean's more to those that grew up in the era where V8's were the thing.
These day's the younger gen are keen on Turbo's etc and Ford did see this as a market that they pursued,

.

That doesn't explain the bazillion young fella's (and a surprising number of girls as well) who either want or have an LS powered Holden.

[Red F6310]

BAXR8 was quicker than the first BA XR6T, pretty sure BAXR8 outsold it too, BF onwards is where the drift occured....

Having owned 3 XR8's now im what you would consider a "brand loyalist".
My opinions on this are in no way my opinions on the XR6T/XR8 product itself, but more a broader view of how and why XR8 died.

In my opinion every XR6T sale has ultimately cost Ford atleast 2 XR8 sales.... Why? well for a host of reasons;

1) like it or not the VAST majority of Ford/Holden performance buyers are V8 buyers first, its got NOTHING to do with their age, or "technology", look at the absolute plethora of 20 something SS ute owners.... The LSX engines are the lowest tech engine on the market, so i dont buy the "youth tech" angle or "old V8" angle at all.

2) The media have slaughtered the XR8, unjustly IMO.

3) Forum parrots who have neither owned or driven a new XR8 recite magazine dribble like they've owned 1 for 5 years and are scathing of the product, largely without challenge....

4) the performance deficit between XR8 to XR6T has "embarrassed" Ford buyers to leave the brand.

All this has done is ruined the image of the XR8.

I believe many Ford performance buyers have simply said "pfft... if the XR6T is better than the XR8 ill just buy some other brand, i dont want a turbo 6" or "ill wait".

Those people either are waiting, bought SS's or just walked away from performance vehicles into "A to B" vehicles...

These people need to be drawn back if XR8 is to be a success but it needs to be a better accepted product that it was and the XR6T has to go to make room for it.

Yep, controversial views but i believe them. Let me also say the XR6T is an outstanding vehicle, but there isnt room for it if Falcon and XR8 is to succeed.

Good to see your opinion but it one that i dont fully agree with (yes im a fan of the Turbo 6)

Most young lads that drive/own a V8 SS ute do so because its a HOLDEN not because the heavy cammer 5.4L ford V8 was lacking in performance.

90% of young guys (under 30) i know wouldnt be seen dead owning/driving a falcon ute no matter how bloody good the thing was (its a family thing, you know the saying my dad drove a holden and his dad drove a holden blah blah blah), and the young guys that have bought modern falcons have all gone either straight for the XR6T utes or if there wallets allowed they bought FPV pursuit utes not one of them considered a XR8.
I asked them why and there reply has been "the turbo 6 is best bang for bucks and is a fully aussie built engine" or they say the "FPV ute was worth the $$$ to get the exclusiveness of a FPV product" (funny that none consider the F6 ute even though it was better performing vehicle that the pursuit/super pursuit)

Now im in my late 30's and have a wide range of friends across a wide range of age groups and nearly all of them agree that the turbo 6 is a great engine BUT it doesnt have the noise of a old school V8 (they also say the same about the ford SC 5L and how it sounds fake with its SC whine)...
I just smile at them and say if noise from ya Holden (chev) V8 gets ya all hard then go for it, i'll just sit back and waft along on the fat midrange torque of my fully AUSSIE BUILT turbo 6 and enjoy the cheaper running cost (rego etc) and IF i want to hear a V8 scream then i'll just go into my shed and fire up my old 65 ford which is running a nicely built 347 stroker.

At the end of the day we are just lucky that Ford gave us the choice of 2 different performance engines... and it was lucky that the T6 has been able to hold the performance batton for ford/fpv in magazine tests until the SC 5L came along, cos there was no way the 5.4L was going to do that from the day dot (in stock form)

So good to be able to give our opinions on this forum with out being shot down like a person would on that "other" forum