FPV Force 6 2007 Review

The Force models are upmarket equivalents of the turbocharged Typhoon and V8 powered GT, minus the overt styling Instead of a big rear spoiler and loud paint job, you get a restrained, more conservative look – a Fairmont Ghia with the works.

Our test car was the FPV Force 6 priced from $71,590, almost $10,000 more than the Typhoon. Finished in a chromatic dark green called Deja-vu, it looks almost black in some lighting conditions.

We clocked up almost 2000km behind the wheel in a week-long Riverina odyssey. The fast Ford is a great choice for long distance slogs, with plenty of power, comfort and a big boot for luggage. But with sports suspension and low profile tyres, the ride can be harsh depending on the road surface.

The Force 6 gets the same turbocharged 4.0-litre straight six as Typhoon, with an impressive 270kW of power and 550Nm of torque. It’s only available with the ZF 6-speed sequential auto (nothing wrong with that), which also gets you the adjustable driver’s pedals that go with it.

Suffice to say the car goes like stink and is actually quite frugal if driven carefully. It takes premium unleaded as a minimum and with fuel economy, officially rated at 13.0 litres/ 100km, dropped to a low of 9.6 litres/100km after about 600km of steady driving.

Interestingly, we decided to refill the car with E10 ethanol enhanced fuel after finding it’s cited as OK with its higher 95 RON octane rating. Subsequent economy, however, was 11.2 litres/100km, dropping briefly to 11.1. It goes to show that you use more of the stuff and doesn’t really justify the 10c a litre that we saved at the bowser.

For a car that’s going to cost $75,000 by the time it’s on the road we expected a little more in the equipment department. You get leather, dual zone air as well as front and side airbags for the driver and front passenger.

Traction control is fitted but it’s not as sophisticated as the dynamic stability control fitted to ordinary Falcons. Performance is supremely confident, with the ability to overtake at will – when and where you like.

Lights, including fog lights, provide plenty of illumination for night driving in the country. Ultra low profile 35 series tyres make a din like rain on a tin roof on coarse bitumen.