2009 FPV F6 310 Review
January 31, 2009 by Paul Maric
2009 FPV F6 310 Review & Road Test
An FA18-like induction noise ensues with each slam of the throttle
Model Tested:
- 2009 FPV F6 310 six-speed automatic – $66,590
Options:
- Graphite 19-inch alloy wheels $1034;
Mind boggling acceleration; induction noise; design; price; gearbox.
Handling; everyone trying to race you!
CarAdvice Rating: 
There are those critics who think Aussies can’t build cars. Well, I’d agree in some regards to that statement, but after driving the FPV F6, it’s any wonder engineers from Ford’s go-fast division haven’t been poached by leading German manufacturers.
Different coloured panels at the front set the F6 aside from regular Falcons, as does the massive exposed front-mount intercooler!
Climb on board and Ford’s new FG Falcon interior is on offer, including the LCD screen display which includes full iPod integration and an intuitive menu system to connect your telephone via Bluetooth.
The seats are quite comfortable, offering plenty of side and bottom bolster. There’s heaps of leg room for both front and rear passengers, with the rear door cutaway also being modified to cater for taller passengers.
All the controls are easy to use and in the right place. My only gripe was with the steering wheel controls at night time. They don’t illuminate, meaning your photographic memory is needed to remember which button does what in the dark.
All the fun starts when you turn the key and nudge the starter button. Powering the F6 is an insanely brutal – yet smooth – 310kW, inline-six-cylinder, turbocharged 4.0-litre engine. The claimed combined fuel economy is 12.1-litres/100km. This figure is achievable, but expect it to creep higher each time you hit the loud pedal.
The test vehicle was fitted with the stellar six-speed automatic ZF-Sachs gearbox, which certainly isn’t a detriment to the package.
Gear shifts are the quickest you will find this side of a dual-clutch gearbox and the accuracy and precision of the sport mode doesn’t leave much to be desired. The sport mode allocates a number of points before deducting them based on your driving style.
Al Juraj u are totally correct if this had stiffer suspension and better tyres it would truly kick the lights out of E63/M5’s. The quality of Germans will always be better as they have 100’s of years of heritage and experience. For our aussie maufacturers to be tis close is austouding. They should be proud but have a ways to go b4 they reach Germania.
FORD Performance Vehicles (FPV) will have a more powerful V8 engine next year, but it will still be locally assembled.
With Euro IV emission controls set to come in on July 1 next year, FPV will finally retire the existing 5.4-litre Boss V8.
What is not clear is whether the 2010 engine will be an advanced version of the current unit, which an FPV insider previously told GoAuto had exhausted its development capability, or a significantly new engine.
Two engines being developed by Ford US could form the base of the new FPV powerplant.
One is a dual-overhead-cam direct-injection V8 and the other is a 6.2-litre single-overhead-cam V8 that could be converted locally to a dual overhead cam set-up.
Either engine could be available in XR8 Ford models, which will also need a new or updated V8 to meet the mid-2010 emission standards.
It is not yet clear if these two Ford US engines would be available in time for the mid-year FPV deadline.
Either engine may require additional performance components to meet the sorts of power and torque figures being sought by FPV.
It should be noted that recently released Jaguar 5.0-litre direct-injection V8, available in naturally aspirated or supercharged form, is an upgraded version of the existing AJ engine and is different to the new Ford 5.0 V8.
FPV general manager Rod Barrett remains tight-lipped about the all-important powerplant, but did confirm the replacement engine was under development at the company’s Campbellfield headquarters.
“We are pressing on, we have got engines here at the moment and we are currently developing our new engine which will be Euro IV on July 1,” he said.
“This (existing) engine will go and there will be a new engine for us.”
Mr Barrett said the engine would be unique.
“I think you will be surprised when you see the engine come out,” he said.
“The engine will be hand-built over at FPV as it is now. That doesn’t mean the componentry can’t come in from somewhere else as it does now, but it will still be assembled at the engine plant.”
The big question among Ford fans is not so much about the identity of the new engine, but if it will be able to match the performance of the HSV V8 engines.
GoAuto asked Mr Barrett if the new V8 would rectify the perceived weakness of the Ford V8 compared to the HSV equivalent.
He said: “Yes. I’m excited about our new V8.”
When asked whether the engine would allow for more development – more power and torque – Mr Barrett said: “To stay competitive we have to keep developing the engine.”
It would also allow for fuel economy gains, Mr Barrett said.
“We got seven per cent out of F6 and five per cent out of the V8 when we went to FG so we will continue to look at fuel economy as we go,” he said.
While FPV does also have a strong six-cylinder, the V8 is the most important engine with sales split 62/38 per cent in favour of the eight.
“We are still very much a V8 car company,” Mr Barrett said.
July 10 is the bgining of a new era for the falcon V8 and the death of HSV V8s being number 1 n havin to ride on the bitch seat!!!!
Ben,
I hope your right as finally FPV can take the brakes off the F6. They tuned the F6 motor to run on as little as 91 Octane, lowered the compression ratio and are still understating the true power output at 310KW.
Torque too has been held back by the 600nm limit on the ZF HP26 gearbox limit.
Lots of guys are typically already getting around 280KW at the rear wheels in factory stock tune which with theoretical drive line losses widely acknowledged at not less than 17%, indicates the deliberatly de-tuned engine is already really making about 337KW.
at the crankshaft.
You see, up till now FPV don’t want to acknpwledge that their inline turbo six is making more power than a V8, that’s marketing sucicide when 62% of sales are the V8.
The truth is a simple re-tune to run on 98 Octane only and recalibration of the ECU has them making about 350KW at the crankshaft and well north of 600nm, but of course they need the higher powered V8, (to avoid a marketing gaff) and higher torque ZF box before the true potential of the F6 MK11 can be realised, hopefully sometime in 2010.
To true mate, I just hope this new V8 is on par with the f6, that way theres a better chance of the ho returning, yeh i said it, the gt-ho!!!! Will be interesting to see if they make the gt supercharged as standard, or just leave it for the ho, which they probably will. But the fpv V8s have to make at least 335 kws and somewhere around 580nm at 4200 rpm? Thats sounds good in my books, n its dohc/soch so itl sound so awesome making that power to. Up the mighty ford/fpv V8!!!!
Im ova hearing bogan assholes go on about whats wrong with the F6. Its the best muscle car this side of 120k in the world, period!!!! N it belts the shit out of thatW427, hsv said thats the best they can do when it comes to building cars, then they have just proved that fpv is better when its compared to the f6, n fpv dont even have a gtho!!! Imagine if they did? N real world times, If u can drive, like a local ford dealer/ ford nut here, hes takin his stock standard FG F6 down the quarter mile in 12.6 seconds!!!! Put that in ur pipe n smoke it!!!! Plus fpv insiders have continuosly said that when they were testing this car that it was very possible to do a 12 seconds in this car. FPV is better then HSV!!!! Go figure mofos!!!!!
Sorry in the 12 second zone lol. GO FORD N FPV!!!! Cant wait for the new V8!!!!!
Ben,
I agree completly with you. The F6 is a truly remarkable vehicle, we really should be incredibly glad we still have access to this sort of genuine muscle at what is a very reasonable price for the outstanding performance on offer.
I have a neo blue BF11 Typhoon ZF six speed auto with the same turbine style rims as the current F6 and really love it. It blows away any HSV I’ve ever met, has huge reserves of useable torque and power and despite saying 270KW / 550nm on the plate, I know from the Ford Forums most guys are getting low / mid 240′ KWs at the rear wheels which with typical 17% drive-line losses, indicates about 295KW @ the crankshaft, again FPV were understating the real power figure.
I’ve had a good drive of the new FG F6 and its absolutly ballistic, trouble is its only about 0.3-0.4 seconds quicker than my puppy so its hard to justify to the missus the $30,000 change-over price, in fact I find it hard to rationalise it myself.
Anyway, much as I love my Phoon I’m also really looking forward to the possibility of the GTHO and am hoping they go with the supercharged 5.0 direct injection V8 engine Jag are using which makes 375Kw and 620nm.
They’ll need to use the higher torque ZF box rated to 700nm or detune the torque slightly to get under the 600nm limit of the ZFHP26 unit.
With a new high tech diesel coming for the Territory, modernised Euro4 compliant inline engines and liquid LPG injection, and the above developments, 2010 looks like a big year for Ford & FPV.
Bring it on, I can’t wait.
Meantime I will have to MAKE DO with my BF11 Typhoon…such a hardship…LOL.
lol yeh i really feel sorry uv just gotta drive ur Typhoon around, good that must hurt lol. Yeh it will be a big year, cant wait, go the blue oval!!!!
Well done to Whincup for winning the first round in the V8s. Just shows you why Ford are still the leaders in performance cars. Holden stil learning from Ford after all these decades. Cant wait for new GTHO and its gonna fry HSV of this planet.
Yeah BK although I would have liked to see Coldbum there instead.Qualifying system sucks ,I can see them ditching it!
Hell yeh!! Go the ford/fpv boys clean sweep all the way!!!! This years lookin pretty good, pitty the cars arent a closer version to what they r to when they come out of the factory. My Anti-spam word is falcon to lol
OSU811, “GREAT CAR!!! When its new at least. my only reservations would be, my confidence of fords build quality long term, when the rattles and loosening of the car starts to happen.”
My question is how long does it take for one to drive the F6 before the rattling and stuff become noticable? Less than 5 – 8 years?
hello ppl.
the f6 310 is a very fast car. i would no bcoz mum father has 1.now he has read up on this car and he gound out that the car is under rated if u didnt no that. the car reali has over 330KWs. if this car had fatter tyers it would b a very quick car as the tyres dnt reali grip on in the car now as the car has to much power.
Rack and pinion Says:
January 31st, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Yeah i agree……very brief review for such a great car. But thats typical really. People are only interested in crap cars like daewoo holdens and boring plain transport like toyota’s. Ford are the oly ones that really make something different like the F6 G6E Turbo and XR6 Turbo and because it doesnt have a Holden badge on it it gets one page. Imagine the review if this was a HSV F6…….it would be the best car evr and the review would be a real wankfest for Holden bogans !!! Oh i forgot…….its not an old pushrod 7 litre v8 so ………….
So true mate, so true. Cant wait for next year, hopefully with the more powerful V8 coming out, the f6 can have some more power upgrades n some room to have fun =)
Great time to be a ford/fpv fan
BEM LINDO!!!!!!!!!!