FPV Reviews

That may be shocking in a good way, or a bad way, but whichever way, there is no mistaking the car in the traffic. And there was no better case in point than the Ford Performance Vehicles GT in its aptly named shade of Toxic.People laughed and pointed, some joked with friends — and there were those who appeared to like the electric, Kermit-green colour. But we had thick skin and tinted windows and when the right foot hit the throttle it suddenly didn't matter what people thought.The GT starts from $62,210 for the manual. The car we tested came to $68,000 with the slick new six-speed automatic for $1250, stripes for $595, an extra $2795 for leather, a $950 performance steering wheel and $200 floor mats.The GT comes with a 5.4-litre quad cam 32-valve V8 under the bonnet that produces 290kW of power at 5500 revs and 520Nm of torque at 4500 revs.In "D", the six-speed auto is smooth with quick changes and is rarely left hunting.Flick it to the left and up comes PERF (performance) on the LCD display. The performance mode is a more aggressive automatic mode. Gear changes are held longer on the upshift, the intuitive system avoids nasty shifts in cornering and gears are held under braking.Move the lever forward or back and the transmission goes into manual mode.Push forward for a down-shift, pull back for an upshift. The result is simple (and fast) no-clutch gear changes.In the city the lack of the usually heavy V8 clutch made peak hour a lot more comfortable for the left leg.The BF's auto allows drivers to hold gears at redline without changing in manual.It does, however, have an in-built feature that allows for the need to punch quickly while cruising. An aggressive stamp on the accelerator will have the box searching for the meat of the torque curve to provide maximum urge.With traction control as a standard feature, grip in the wet is a lot more substantial than the previous model, making it easier to get the power on to the black stuff.It will still spin the wheels but the driver is not battling quite as much to keep it in a straight line. If you want to play, the traction control is switchable.What a disappointment it was to find the gentle rocking-at-idle of the previous model no longer exists.While it may seem a small thing, it was one of those delights that make V8s such a visceral experience. This feature has apparently been tuned out to meet new emission regulations. Despite the re-tuning, the GT has not lost the rumbling V8 note that turns into a wailing monster with little prompting.While the GT feels heavy on a tight road, it has a crisp turn-in and not too much body roll.On the open road it is a comfortable cruiser.Tyre noise was more intrusive than expected. And, as time went on, the tyre noise became more apparent rather than fading into the background.The big Brembo calipers and ventilated discs mean the GT stops time and time again, without hint of fading.On the outside, there is no mistaking the GT's pedigree from front to rear.The fog lamps with satin chrome surrounds, sculptured side skirts, three-pillar spoiler, V8 Supercar-inspired tri-slot front splitter and the new rear fascia with the beefy twin exhausts make sure there is no mistaking the GT is a GT from any angle.Care has to be taken, however, when entering or exiting driveways and moving over speed humps because of the tendency of the spoiler to scrub.Inside, the GT's reflective-style silver stitching on the trim looks cheap but the hugging four-way electrically adjustable driver's seat is comfortable and supportive.For $950, the sports steering wheel is more comfortable than the standard XR8-style offering but still unnecessarily chunky.The on-board computer showed an average of 19.4 litres of fuel used every 100km but that was mainly city driving. The optional stripe package should be standard on the GT, as it is on the GT-P, because it makes the car look more like the animal it can be.

But this is the 21st century and things have changed. Today, even the born-again Falcon GT is better as an automatic. Yes, truly.We have driven the latest car from Ford Performance Vehicles and we would choose the six-speed automatic ahead of the traditional manual.Even Ferrari has moved away from old-style manual shifts to the latest generation of Formula One-inspired manu-matics.Volkswagen's Golf GTi, with its breakthrough Double Shaft Gearbox, shows what can be done when you apply technology and automatic programming to a manual gearbox.Ford has made a similar switch with its latest ZF automatic gearbox, which is about as good as it gets in the self-shifting world.The imported gearbox has just been fitted across the BF Falcon range, right up to the king of the hill, the GT-P.It comes with the promise of silky shifts and the chance to still go manual with a touch-change mode. This means a forward push for a downshift and a slight backwards tug to move up a gear.There is a lot more than the self-shifting six-speed to the BF upgrade at FPV, but the gearbox is the star.FPV spent a lot of time, money and effort on the upgrade. Much effort was concentrated on the new-age turbo twins, the F6 Typhoon and the Tornado, but the GT and the GT-P also came in for significant makeovers.Each has a new look with a fresh, more aggressive front, upgraded brakes, 19-inch alloy wheels, twin-outlet exhaust, extra engine electronics and even a wider selection of new-look stripes along the sides.It's easy to see the changes and the GT and GT-P really stand out.The timing is good because Holden is winding down its Monaro program. There will still be HSV coupes next year, but the muscle-car pacesetter is going.FPV managing director David Flint says: "The BF FPV range represents a significant step forward in performance, safety, efficiency and, most importantly, the fun of driving."These cars are fabulous and continue to deliver on our brand promise of providing great-value, high-performance vehicles."Those are big promises, but the GT has been a favourite of ours since it returned to the Ford catalogue, and we were keen to get into the '05 update car.WE WERE so impressed when we first drove the GT that we gave it a score of 19/20.And there is still a lot to like in the latest FPV GT-P.The engine is eager and has more than enough go for any job, the ride is sublime, and the new look makes a suitable impact.It is a great car to hustle down through a favourite set of curves, and the brakes — now with six-piston Brembo calipers from Italy inside the front alloys — are great.The gearbox is just plain fantastic. It means you don't have to suffer a series of leg-press exercises on the clutch in traffic or fight with a heavy manual shift.Yet it still has six well-spread ratios and the chance to take full manual control. Sweet.It should be the first choice with every Falcon buyer, from the XT right through to the GT-P. But . . .The GT-P was a disappointment in several areas and the car has slipped back on our ratings scale, despite the latest improvements.How can that be, particularly when it has so much good stuff?First, the GT-P test car had totally unacceptable tyre noise. At first we thought the boot was open, because there was so much drumming, but it seems to be a reaction between the grippy Dunlop rubber and coarse-chip country roads.John Bowe, who has done a lot of development driving for FPV, believes that earlier harsh treatment — which would have "feathered" the edges of the tread blocks in the tyres — could have caused the problem.We also found the driver's seat was set far too high, even on the lowest setting.FP-V says this is a problem, and believes it could be down to the six electric motors used for seat adjustment in the GT-P, which has a noticeably higher seat position than the GT.We also missed the raunchy rocking at idle, which has been tuned out of the quad-cam V8 to meet new emission regulations, and found the fuel consumption was far too easy to push beyond 17 litres/100km with keen driving.Still, the GT-P is a very good car and the six-speed auto makes it more enjoyable for more of the time.But we came to the hot Falcon at the same time that one of the last Monaro coupes was running through the test garage — and the Ford did not match the Holden for feedback and seat-of-the-pants driving enjoyment.It is a sublimely enjoyable muscle car, and never better as an automatic, but it just didn't ring our bells.

It's similar to the sedan but has a different rear suspension, longer wheelbase, ute back and weighs a bit more.But the essentials are the same – 5.4-litre, DOHC, V8 with 290kW/520Nm output and it's available with a six speed manual or optional six speed auto.One for the fast worker.Superb performance especially in the higher rev range – not as much a "wild thing" as F6 Turbo Tornado. Six speed auto a worthwhile addition for just $1250, almost as quick as the manual, easier to drive in the city. Twin outlet exhausts look the business, sound unreal. Optional hard tonneau cover gives sleeker look, quieter too and carries neat wing. Additional security, has imposing bulge to match bonnet bulge. Engine management changes on BF model allow engine to meet Euro 3 emissions regs. Brakes are the best in the business – six pot Brembos up front, opposing piston Brembos down the back. Traction control a welcome addition to all FPV utes, reduces possibility of unexpected lurid, tail out oversteer. New stripes stop short of bonnet and roof but lift the appearance. There's no mistaking Super Pursuit for anything else. Has new 19in alloys with ultra low profile Dunlop SO9000 rubber – sticks like glue, steers like a race car. Auto's sequential shift mode is fun, operates the right way – away for down, pull back for up changes. Interior has minor upgrade with BF, looks good – metallic fascia, sexy upholstery with deeply bostered seats – hard squabs though. Opening hard tonneau is a pain – two key operated latches. Limits load carrying capacity – not that you'd carry anything in a high performance vehicle such as this. Not bad on the juice – 13.0L/100km average is achievable. Costs more than $10,000 less than GT-P sedan.VerdictImpressive package, not as entertaining as the F6 Tornado turbo six. Sounds better, looks fabulous. Not for work - just a show pony.

Although, don't be surprised if it makes a song and dance about having a couple of extra ratios in hand without needing to operate a clutch pedal.The BF FPV range is now blessed with the six-speed automatic transmission and has mated it nicely to the two powerplants in its range, the 5.4-litre V8 and turbo six.We're getting to know the range-topping sedan, the V8 six-speed auto GT-P, with plenty of grunt and a full load of equipment.The heart of the matter is a 5.4-litre quad-cam 32-valve V8 that produces one of the most delicious V8 burbles delivered by a road-going vehicle.The silken, creamy V8 rumble turns into a sensational wail without hesitation, with the new top end of the Ford bent-eight helping it to breathe deeply and deliver.When driven in isolation – without the awesome 550Nm of the Ford Typhoon to put it to shame – the V8's 520Nm of torque gives the GT-P an easy gait and pulls high gears up long inclines without fuss. But the peak of 4500rpm doesn't help it deliver the low-down shove of the 550Nm Typhoon or the HSV LS2's 530Nm.What the GT-P does do is put the outputs to good use with the new automatic transmission. While the manual and auto gearboxes in both the old Ford and current Holden V8 products are far from slick to use, this auto delivers the best of both worlds – so much so that this committed manual gearbox fan would be opting for the $1250 six-speeder behind either FPV powerplant.In "D", it's a smooth, quick-changing transmission that makes the best use of the outputs, with a flick to the left upping the ante and bringing PERF (performance) up on the gear-indicator LCD display.That doesn't degrade the shift quality but it does make the shift pattern markedly more aggressive, changing down under braking and holding gears longer as required.Manual shifts are performed in the direction of the inertia of the vehicle – down-changes are performed by pushing the lever forward (the weight-shift direction under brakes) with the upshifts complete by pulling back (under acceleration), the right direction.Changing gears in the manual mode won't be overridden by the gearbox unless the throttle is pushed through the detente at the end of its travel – Ford has deemed this an emergency override feature.The ability to hold gearshifts and not be overridden prevents unsettling upshifts mid-corner, something BMW, Mercedes-Benz and a few others should realise.For a car that weighs 1855kg, the GT-P is light on its feet. It still feels a little heavy in some of the tighter corners, but bowling along a windy, flowing country road has the GT-P in its element.It stops sharply again and again, thanks to the big Brembo calipers and ventilated discs, turning in crisply without too much body roll and faithfully following the instructed line.Grip is considerable and the rear end (with the traction control switched off) is difficult (but not impossible) to shake loose.It can cruise comfortably as well, with a decent ride quality, but it's far more enjoyable with the V8's hackles up.The cabin trim may not be to all tastes but it is a comfortable interior for occupants, with drivers below 180cm tall able to use the electrically adjustable seats, the reach'n'rake adjustable steering and the adjustable pedals to get comfortable. At 191cm, I adopted a stooped driving posture, which was required to get decent forward vision – the seats are mounted too high, due to the extra electric seat motors. If you're tall, spend less and option up a GT.The extroverts can spend $595 for orange stripes, combining with the "Menace" purple paintwork to great effect. The high-quality premium sound system – complete with subwoofer – also makes sure the GT-P is noticed, being louder than the paintwork and stripes The only niggles were the optional satellite navigation system that sporadically wouldn't read the mapping DVD and the lack of a footrest for the left foot.Committed V8 fans will happily forgo the Typhoon's torque for the sake of the power bulge in the bonnet and the burble beneath it – and it's easy to see why – but I'd be opting for two fewer cylinders and a turbo.

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.

And speaking of dust, for those who want to create billowing clouds of the muck in between building sites, look no further than the Tornado ute.After a delayed start to life, the Tornado has gathered pace, being launched in May at the relaunch of its sedan brother, the F6 Typhoon.The clutch was stuffed on the Typhoon because of an errant 50c washer which rendered the spin-cycle-assisted straight six a lame duck before it got warm.But the problem has been solved at considerable expense and manpower; some 7300 hours of exhaustive testing and engineering has seen to that.At 270kW the Tornado is a dream drive and feels every bit as rapid and sinewy as a 290kW Boss V8.There is no shortage of thrust once the turbo comes on song and the 550Nm of torque gives this powerplant elasticity.It is responsive on demand in any of the six gears in the Tremec T56 manual. There is no automatic option so the manual has to be liveable and it is.Don't bother about trying to find the traction button. This is blanked out but the Tornado offers reasonable grip.That is in the dry but in the wet it can become a handful with rear wheels spinning and the tail wagging.On the road where there are lumps and bumps, the rear can become unsettled, skipping over surface imperfections.It is not as tied down in the rear, running a live axle and sitting on ancient leaf springs compared with the control blade IRS suspension of the Typhoon.This test car was fitted with the superior Brembo brake package which is an expensive option at almost $6000.But they really do feel as strong and responsive as competition brakes.Fuel mileage depends on how it is treated. Crank up the turbo, keep the revs high and drive it like you stole it and it will drink pretty quickly. On the first 200km of this test the Tornado was consuming about 13.5litres/100km and that was without any really serious driving.It finished the week at a touch under 13 with a lot of highway work and sixth gear helping the figures towards the end.The Tornado is a bit of a magnet for attracting attention. And sometimes it has a rather dubious effect on people like the youngsters in their work utes who turn feral at the sight of the Tornado.As with the Typhoon, the one thing which is underwhelming is the turbo whine and wastegate chatter.Great for Jap import freaks but it still lacks the buzz you get from a deep, deep, ruffled and raucous V8 soundtrack.Still, kilogram-for-kilogram the Tornado rips the heart out of any performance coupe from Europe.And that is the bottom line isn't it?The Tornado will be "utetopia" to many in the ute-mad crowd out there.

We put the F6 Typhoon turbo sedan up against the latest from Holden Special Vehicles, the Dealer Team Spec Clubsport, and it won.Not by much, but it was our choice for our work in our world.Now we have driven the F6 Tornado ute and it, too, is a winner.It's the sort of ute that will be great for play-after-work use, or for people who have discovered that two-door traymobiles are actually the sports cars of the 21st century.The Tornado is very quick, surprisingly composed, and better in some ways than the Falcon GT at the top of the FPV tree.How? It has only two seats and the rear suspension is old-fashioned, but its combination of easy cruising with full-on fun is easier to live with than the GT V8's hard-edged charge.In many ways, the latest developments from FPV mirror the XR situation at Ford.That should be obvious, because Prodrive Engineering does the hot car work at both levels and the compare-and-contrast gear in the F6 and GT line-ups works in much the same way as the turbo XR6 against the V8-powered XR8s.With the F6 Tornado, we began our week-long trial with memories of clutch trouble that parked the F6 cars for three months.A silly little washer caused a series of clutch failures and led to significant re-engineering work that delayed development, sales and deliveries of the cars.FPV says that is all done and gone now, and that it has sold 160 Typhoon sedans and delivered 19 Tornado utes in the first two weeks since the newcomer moved into showrooms.The ute is an all-points performance vehicle, with 270kW engine, limited-slip differential, performance brakes, 18-inch alloy wheels, sports-tuned suspension and even seat trim that matches the egg-crate look in the grille.The most popular option on the $51,950 Tornado is the Brembo brake package, which really grabs but adds $5950 to the price.The heart of the Tornado is the F6 — it's for Forced Six — engine, which steps well up from a regulation XR6 inline turbo.Boost pressure is lifted 50 per cent and the result is the 270kW and 550 Nm in a flat line from 2000-4250 revs.FPV says the torque output is the best for any locally made motor.The gearbox is the latest six-speed Tremec T56 manual. The pack also includes a 100-watt CD sound system, electric windows, twin airbags and airconditioning.There is a body kit, a plaque with FPV build number, sports seats with suede-style trim and FPV inserts in the instruments.It's a good deal for the dollars, though the basic Tornado gets only a soft tonneau cover.ON THE ROADIT IS easy to get going with the F6 Tornado. And the going is easy, right up to when you want to really get going.That's the best thing about the FPV ute. It's not full-on all the time. It can be surprisingly relaxed if you are easing down the highway or hauling a dirt bike in the tray.The seats are great, especially the fabric, and the sound system has six speakers.It is the most car-like ute we have driven, even with leaf springs in the rear. FPV has done a great job tuning the set-up. It's not just a hunker-down job with no refinement.It is nicely compliant and gives good grip, with a slight front-end push in most corners, though sometimes the car gets a bouncy hop happening over broken surfaces or if you push hard through a bump.The styling of the Tornado is predictable and successful. The best thing is the huge silver intercooler in the nose. It is just the sort of brag you need to go up against a Subaru STI or a Lancer Evo. The look has been snitched from the Japanese hooters.The front spoiler, though, is a bit vulnerable and the F6 really needs a hard cover to finish off the back end.FPV says the carrying capacity is the same as the XR ute at 543kg, a load limited by the grippy low-profile Dunlops.The turbocharged six always feels strong. There is real push from as little as 2000 revs and it surges from 4000 before turning manic about 6000.It comes from the combination of big-six capacity and a classy turbo.But it can be a handful in the wet. There is no traction control and you have to take it easy to prevent the back end starting to wave. A bit of a slide can be fun when you're on a fun run, but not on the way to work.We hate the standard Falcon steering wheel in the F6. It deserves better. The extra dials look silly, particularly with no calibration on the turbo boost gauge, and the starter button is hard to use and a piece of frippery.But the headlamps are excellent, the ute is easy to park, and it will carry a load without getting upset or fussed.THE BOTTOM LINEA seriously quick car, but you can also lope along in it without stress, a combination reflected in our fuel consumption of 12.3litres/100km. There are some small glitches, and we hate the standard Falcon steering wheel, but it's a sports-car drive with working-class roots.

Delayed for almost four months after clutch problems were found in the sibling F6 Typhoon sedan, the Tornado's performance is well beyond a sports ute - and many sports cars.Typhoon sales were stopped in December while Tornado production was put on hold for almost four months.It was five months that FPV would like to forget.With the F6 program back on track FPV's managing director David Flint is again upbeat about the cars that run the highest torque output of any Australian production engine."It offers an unparalleled driving experience and bang for your buck," he said at the Tornado launch.FPV is coy about acceleration figures but the 0-100kmh dash whips by in under six turbo- loaded seconds.Given the well documented problems with the Typhoon clutch, FPV decided to re-launch the F6 Typhoon at the same time as the new Tornado, both now with an upgraded clutch and modified engine management system.While the sedan's suspension is simply sublime the ute is still a ute, albeit about as good as it gets in a vehicle that is shunted around by a prodigious 550 Nm of torque.The F6 Tornado becomes the entry level vehicle to FPV high performance vehicles.Like Typhoon the Tornado features the new close ratio Tremec T56 six speed manual trans- mission and will set you back $51,590 before delivery and statutory charges.FPV believes the F6 Tornado, like the Typhoon, will appeal to those already familiar with turbo charged cars _ young people with a techno leaning, as distinct to the traditional V8 buyers.Tornado is easily identified as a sibling to Typhoon.It has the same exterior design cues. Inside the cabin the F6 Tornado has sports seats with suede like bolsters, Technic fabric trim, silver stitching and FPV logos embroidered in the head rests.The F6 270 engine delivers 270kW of power at 5250 rpm and its peak torque is delivered at just 2000 rpm.The good news is that torque remains constant through to 4250 rpm. This means the car is suburban friendly in third or fourth gear where it can be driven almost like an auto.The F6 270 Turbo is based on the turbo intercooled 4.0 litre six engine from the Falcon XR 6 Turbo.Modifications to the engine have resulted in a 50 per cent boost in peak turbo pressure.Tornado has a limited slip differential, FPV tuned double wishbone front suspension, sports rear end and 245/40 ZR 18 Dunlop SP9000 tyres.It was in some ways unfortunate that FPV chose to relaunch Typhoon with Tornado.The Typhoon's suspension is simply so good that it would embarrass many quality cars, let alone a ute member from its own stable.Surprisingly Tornado is heavier than Ty- phoon as it is built on Ford's ute platform. It also has a longer wheelbase than the sedan.These changes add up to a vehicle with quite a different feel to the sedan, the ride is bumpier to start with, but the handling is extraordinarily good. Tornado has a high performance braking package.In addition a Brembo brake package is available at a premium of $5950.

The F6 is one of the most significant newcomers of the year and we had planned to give you the verdict today on the start of the turbo era at FPV, but that was before clutch troubles hit the fast Falcon division.All 80 Typhoons delivered to owners are about to get a new clutch and, to make sure there are no further mishaps after a pair of clutch failures during testing by Motor magazine, all company cars have been parked.That's why our test this week is a Mark II Falcon GT.It's a nice enough car, and has the six-speed manual gearbox the GT always deserved, but it's not a Typhoon. And we're also waiting for our first run in the F6 Tornado ute, also hit by the clutch drama.The GT has been a strong performer for FPV since it was born again for the noughties and it has been one of our favourites since John Bowe first showed us what it could do in 2003.Since then it has been our first choice among the Aussie muscle V8s, ahead of anything from Holden Special Vehicles and also up and away from a bunch of other performance cars, including a range of Alfas and even some of the Audi-BMW-Volvo hopefuls.It is good value in the $60,000 bracket and has hit the sweet spot with a bunch of customers who dreamed about a GT in the 1970s but were too young or too poor.Slipping into the GT MkII instantly reminds you of the strengths of the car: fine engine, well-balanced chassis, cushy seats. It is a top drive.But we were also struck by the lacklustre steering wheel and two cheap-looking gauges on top of the centre console, copying the cabin work in the latest HSV cars.The work on the MkII is a curious combination of engineering refinement and tweaking.The main mechanical upgrade is on the close-ratio, six-speed manual transmission. It's more than just a standard Tremec T56, and has been reworked by Prodrive engineers and given a direct-linkage shifter, linear bearings on the shift rail and unique ratios for the GT.The objective was six usable gears, without the "moon shot" top so common in six-speeders, and a smooth shift that doesn't require Popeye biceps.The suspension has come in for work, too, partly thanks to advice from Bowe.He thought the original GT front suspension was too soft, so the car is now 14 per cent stiffer in the front springs and 10 per cent in the rear. And the GTP model gets 19-inch alloy wheels.Inside, the MkII pack includes dual-zone automatic airconditioning, a large colour screen in the centre of the dash for sound and climate readouts and oil temperature and pressure gauges. A sound upgrade is courtesy of a 100-watt amplifier, subwoofer and six-disc in-dash CD player.Outside, the car is a bit more obvious in traffic, thanks to a Boss 290 Hood Decal and the new GT body stripes, which have a thinner strip over the fat base. It's a change from the double-banger stripes on the original GT, which were a big hit with owners.ON THE ROADTHE MkII is a sweeter GT to drive, thanks partly to the gearbox and partly to the suspension.Its ride is still impressively smooth and jar-free, and it stands up better in corners. It doesn't turn as instantly and enjoyably as the SV6 Commodore, our benchmark for locally made response, but it has a sharper feel than anything from the HSV family.The gearbox is really good, with well-chosen ratios and a slick shift. The clutch is still heavy, but the gear lever is light and easy to use.The six speeds mean it is easier to keep the quad-cam V8 running hard, which is part of the reason for buying a GT.It doesn't have the big holes between gears of some of its rivals and the cruising gait is nice and relaxed. It usually takes only a single downshift to turn more than 3000 revs for instant overtaking and access to the real power beyond 4000.The engine is a highlight, despite the recent introduction of a 6.0-litre Holden grunter in the HSV Senator, Grange and GTO Coupe.The Ford motor is keen to spin and that's why it has a rev limiter and a warning buzzer to stop the action at 6000 revs, a mark we're not keen to explore with the rival Holden motors.Our test car was fitted with the costly optional Brembo disc brakes, which add close to $6000 to the bottom line. They should be standard on any car with this pace, not just the GTP version.We also enjoyed the fuel economy, which was pretty good at 13.7 litres/100km. The result is better than FPV's tests at 15.3 litres, but we did a fair bit of highway running when the engine was barely working and consumption was better than 10 litres/100km.But we could never get really comfy in the seats, the extra dials on top of the dash look like a lash-up from Super Cheap and the steering wheel is a disgrace in a GT.It should look different and make you feel special, but instead it's a reminder that the GT is really just another Falcon.It's not just another Falcon when you turn the key and sample the lovely lumpy idle and gruff exhaust note, but the car deserves more.Still, there are people who want a Falcon GT and only a Falcon GT. What they will find in the MkII is a car that is even better and still a benchmark for local performance cars.THE BOTTOM LINETHE GT is even nicer to drive but we think the cabin looks cheap and the steering wheel has to go.

No matter which way you cut it, the Typhoon is a quicker drive and more engaging as well.But it doesn't have the legendary status nor the booming V8 exhaust note of the GT.Is that worth an extra three grand – to many, probably yes.At $61,350, the 290kW GT II is near the top of Ford Australia's food chain surpassed only by the GT-P which is about $70 grand.The GT commands respect wherever it goes. Other drivers move over, don't cut in and generally treat the car with deference. It's a good feeling for a change.The same isn't really evident when you're in an HSV model.It would make an interesting study in psychology.This is the second generation Falcon BA GT and ushers in a new six speed manual, suspension revisions (stiffer springs), interior enhancements and other minor changes. The 5.4-litre engine remains the same.It's nothing substantial but enough to tweak the GT from good to better.The six speed manual, a Tremec T56, is tailor-made to suit Ford specifications with close ratios and a short change mechanism.In practical terms, the previous five speeder had longer runs through each gear and allowed the engine's torque to run free.With the six speeder, top is really only any use on the freeway and the lower ratios have a shorter run. But fuel economy is better averaging about 14.3-litres/ 100km with mixed driving. That's impressive for a high performance V8 sports sedan.The GT rolls on high performance Dunlop rubber mounted on 18in alloys. The spare is full size.Handling is impressive for a vehicle weighing more than 1.8 tonnes. It feels like a big car but steers with precision and holds a line through bends beautifully. Bumps don't faze the GT.Massive Brembo brakes make light work of repetitive high speed stops.It's good for low five second 0-100kmh sprints and throttle response from about 4000rpm up to the over- rev beeper at close to six grand is inspiring.The interior has Fairmont Ghia plus specification and includes twin instrument pods on the dash.Driving the GT is easy with light controls and a smooth delivery but the front seats are too high, even in the lowest setting and the metal gear knob and starter button become stove hot in summer sun. From a personal point of view, I would like to see Cobra style twin stripes over the middle of the car from front to back. That way it would have more "wow" factor. And after all, what is the primary reason for buying one of these cars?