FPV F6 Tornado 2005 review

It sure takes the leg work out of changing gears, especially in city traffic.

Continually punching in a big, heavy clutch pedal in the manual can be a real pain, even for the purist.

The F6 Tornado is the utility equivalent of the turbocharged Typhoon sedan.

Think gale-force winds and you won't get either of the force-fed models confused with others in the range.

This is the first time FPV has offered an auto with its cars and it's certainly been worth the wait.

The lightweight, compact ZF six-speed automatic transmission is the same basic unit as that used in the standard Falcon.

But a performance version has been developed specifically for the FPV range with upgraded clutches featuring extra plates in each clutch pack to achieve a torque capacity of 600Nm.

That's a good thing because with 270kW of power and a massive 550Nm of torque on tap the turbocharged 4.0-litre straight six produces even more torque than the V8 – and lower down the rev range too.

The auto heads a list of changes in the BF series all of which add up to a more refined, much more liveable day-to-day vehicle.

If there is a performance hit with the auto and there is bound to be a small one, then it's a price we're happy to pay – given the convenience.

Of course it should be borne in mind that the auto is in fact a sequential transmission which means you can change gears manually anyway.

The tranny adapts to different styles of driving and is designed to hold gear in corners, with a transient rpm limit that allows the engine to momentarily exceed the rev limit during upshifting.

The achieves an engine speed that is closer to the rev limit than would otherwise be possible.

The hard, sports suspension can be harsh at times, but I guess that's the price you pay for flat, precision handling.

We're partcularly pleased to see the addition of traction control for the first time in the ute which tends to become a handful in the wet.

Even with it fitted we still managed to send the car fish-tailing across two lanes of the freeway as the rain came down.

We'd been taking it nice and easy until that point, but the big mistake was deciding to accelerate at the same time as we went to change lanes.

Fortunately, the electronics caught the car before things got too of hand and the car went into a spin.

Other than some eye candy, the other noteworthy change with this model is the addition of upgraded brakes.

Four-piston Brembo front calipers are now standard on all models except GT-P and Super Pursuit which feature Premium six-piston Brembo front calipers.

The sophisticated traction control system along with four-channel ABS has been specifically tuned for sports-oriented drivers and exploits the benefits offered by the electronic fly-by-wire throttle system.

Commendably, FPV continues to offer a complimentary full day professional driver training course with every new vehicle purchase.

Fuel economy in our test vehicle averaged 13.8L/100km.

At a recommended retail price of $52,780, the F6 Tornado is the cheapest but by no means the least vehicle in the FPV range.

The six-speed auto adds $1250 to the price.