FPV F6 2004 Review

It surges forward as though a gale has erupted under the bonnet: You've unleashed a whirlwind, a storm on four wheels.

Ford – or to be more precise, its Ford Performance Vehicles offshoot – has turned a six-cylinder Falcon into a turbocharged supercar, claimed to have the most torque, or pulling power, ever produced by an Australian production car.

Drive the FPV F6 Typhoon and you believe it. It has been developed from the Falcon XR6 Turbo, itself a potent sports sedan, but given a dose of steroids – higher turbo boost, better breathing, more cooling, stronger engine parts, bigger brakes, bigger wheels, more aggressive-looking shape – to create the Typhoon, all $58,950 of it.

The first cars have just left the factory (they go down the Ford production line, then are fitted with the special bits by FPV) and are on their way to dealerships. Eager buyers have placed orders already, and FPV expects to build about 60 a month.

The "F6" part of the name refers to its forced-induction (meaning turbocharged) six-cylinder engine. The Typhoon part becomes self-explanatory when you put your foot down.

"Any gear, any time, any day, you can stick your boot in and get the full load," Typhoon program manager Alastair Bacon said.

However FPV, wary of appearing too aggressive, will not reveal the Typhoon's acceleration figures.

But since the XR6 Turbo is capable of the 0-100km/h sprint under 6sec and the Typhoon has considerably more power, torque and a new gearbox full of ratios designed to suit, it should produce times which will make Ford enthusiasts smile.

Happily, the "hoon" word which lurks ominously in the second half of the Typhoon name doesn't apply here.

It is mighty quick, sure, but not anti-social.

Nor, in spite of its mega performance, is the Typhoon any hardship to drive. It stays reasonably quiet, even during full acceleration, and the ride is surprisingly comfortably and supple.

Yet there is a sporty tautness about it, gripping the road with sureness, answering every movement of the wheel instantly, precisely.

A key part of the package is a new six-speed gearbox which FPV also uses in the V8-powered Falcon GT. (No Typhoon with automatic transmission at this stage because Ford doesn't have one able to handle the turbo engine's output).

The gearshift requires a firm push, but everything engages easily, happily and the clutch is not heavy enough to be a chore. Stop-start driving, surprisingly for a car with such muscle, turns out to be no worry.

On a long run in the country, as the Typhoon romped on a preview drive, it trotted along with lazy ease, far from stressed. It felt, well, normal, which is a compliment for a car capable of such extreme performance.

Yet after driving the Typhoon, even the awesome Falcon GT seems almost restrained because it takes a few moments to build up power, compared with the lighter six-cylinder car's right-here, right-now style of delivery. It responds with the eagerness of a light switch.

Let rip in a full-bore takeoff – strictly for research purposes, you understand – and the Typhoon catapults forward, first gear seeming to last for just an instant before a beeper warns you've reached 5700rpm and it is time to grab second.

Feels like it has enough force to tear furrows in the bitumen and that's what torque is all about. The more the merrier: this is the stuff which brings response when you touch the accelerator, which delivers acceleration, punch for overtaking and effortless hill-climbing ability.

This is the stuff which the Typhoon has in such abundance that it is in exclusive territory. A scan of the performance-car lists shows that the next car which out-muscles it, with 553Nm to the Typhoon's 550Nm, is the Jaguar S-Type R at $162,500.

However, FPV expects most buyers will be moving up from machines like Subaru's iconic WRX, drivers who love turbocharged engines but want a bigger car. The theory is that few GT owners will migrate to the Typhoon, because they're hooked on V8-style noise and character.

To show that its performance isn't to be taken lightly, every buyer gets a one-day advanced driving course. Excellent idea.