2009 Ford FPV GT E Road Test & Review

Pros: Great engine note; subdued design; brakes.

Cons: Price; handling.

By Paul Maric | March 03rd, 2009

FIND DEALS

Price: $29,810 to $35,970

Our Rating:

Performance, Ride & Handling	3.5
Comfort & Interior	4
Quality & Design	3.5
Value & Features	3.5
Safety	4
Green	2

2009 FPV GT E Road Test and Review

You can now have your cake and eat it too …

Model Tested:

2009 FPV GT E – six-speed automatic – $78,190

Options:

None fitted.

CarAdvice Rating:

- by Paul Maric

Whoever said you couldn’t have your cake and eat it too couldn’t have been further from the truth.

FPV’s all new range offers a choice for all punters, ranging from petrol snorting turbocharged cars, right through to luxurious road trawlers – like the FPV GT E being tested here.

Open the driver’s door and a forest worth of faux wood is on display. The comfortable, leather clad pews offer impressive side and bottom bolster to hold you in while tackling corners on your favourite mountain run. A chunky steering wheel offers great feedback and a commendable turning ratio to help reel in apexes.

The GT E features Ford’s new Human Machine Interface (HMI), which incorporates all the comfort controls. Dual-zone climate control allows the driver and passenger to set alternating temperatures, while full iPod integration allows the passengers to scroll through their iPod’s folders on screen. The system also charges your iPod, meaning infinite listening time – pretty impressive!

Also on offer via the HMI is Bluetooth connectivity. Syncronise your telephone with the car and all calls are displayed on the LCD screen in the cabin. Calls are answered and ended through the telephone button attached to the steering wheel, negating the need for any fines – GT E owners have no excuse!

Interior room is on par with the best. The FG Falcon features an improved ingress/egress rear door cutaway, allowing easier access to the second row of seats. Legroom is sufficient for adults, as is headroom.

Starting the GT E involves a turn of the key and a stab of the starter button. Once the fire-breathing V8 turns over, a mellow burble is heard until the car begins moving. The idle burble is enough to send any autophile’s pulse racing.

Under the bonnet, a 5.4-litre V8 engine sets the theme. Producing 315kW at 6500rpm and 551Nm at 4750rpm, the BOSS 315 as it’s more affectionately known completes the 0-100km/h sprint in just under 5.5-seconds. Official combined fuel consumption sits at 14-litres/100km, but expect to see that figure get larger as your right foot gets heavier.

Swapping cogs for the GT E is the German ZF-Sachs six-speed automatic gearbox. Commonly found in Audis and BMWs, this gearbox is one of the best on the market.

The slick shifting unit allocates points to the driver variable upon their driving style. The gearbox can then hold gears and downshift during hard braking if it senses that you’re heading for a spirited run.

What’s the GT E like to drive then? For what it is, it’s pretty impressive.

Under full-throttle acceleration, torque is felt through the entire rev band. Once the revs head north of 4000rpm, a set of valves open in the exhaust to make an incredibly raucous noise. It sounds like an angry car God, it barks and yells at the top of its voice in an attempt to gain attention; it’s a wicked sound and outdoes the vocal note on offer from the HSV competition.

Through corners, there is a considerable amount of body roll when pushed hard. It’s an occurrence that is expected though, considering the GT E’s weight – some 1852kg. It’s also more of a cruiser than an all-out apex slayer.

If you sink the boot in mid-corner, the rear end digs into the tarmac and pulls the mass through the bend without any fuss.

Braking is taken care of by six-piston 355mm cross-drilled and slotted Brembo brakes up front and four-piston 330mm cross-drilled and slotted Brembo brakes at the rear. These impressive anchors pull the GT E up in amazing fashion. They are virtually fade-free for run of the mill driving, likewise with several track laps.

Although the GT E features the same running gear as the FPV 5th Anniversary GT we tested last week, it resembles more of a sedate package. The lack of rear wing and go-fast overtones makes it the perfect package for the executive with subtlety in mind.

Your 78-large doesn’t get you satellite navigation though which is rather annoying. Ford’s latest iteration of satellite navigation features a system called SUNA TMC which communicates with your local traffic management centre to determine road conditions.

The Traffic Management Centre (TMC) relays the information to the satellite navigation unit in the vehicle. The driver then has the option of avoiding congested areas by taking an alternate route. The system works relatively well and contains detailed information on the congested areas – such as the average speed and delay in minutes.

The only issue with the system is that not all roads are monitored. Only main arterials and roads fitted with traffic sensors are covered for information, so often alternate routes are also congested.

Safety features standard in the GT E include: eight-airbags; Dynamic Stability Control (DSC); Traction Control (TC); alarm and a reversing camera (a very nifty feature when parking!).

The FG Falcon range also scores a five-star ANCAP safety rating, the best on offer in an Australian built vehicle.

FPV’s GT E is part of an eight car FPV line-up. Prices start at $57,990 for the F6 Ute and finish at $78,190 for the GT E flagship being tested.

The FPV GT E is the tea drinking, scone eating man’s choice in performance cars. It maintains a classy image, while still keenly erupting at the drop of a right foot. It’s the sleeper of the sports sedan world.

CarAdvice Overall Rating:
How does it Drive:
How does it Look:
How does it Go:

Specifications:

Engine: 5408cc Vee-eight
Power: 315kW @ 6500rpm
Torque: 551Nm @ 4750rpm
Induction: Naturally aspirated
Transmission: Six-speed automatic ZF Sachs
Differential/Driven Wheels: Limited slip differential/rear wheel drive
Brakes: 355mm cross-drilled and slotted front 330mm cross-drilled and slotted rear
Top Speed: N/A
0-100km/h: 5.4-seconds
0-400m: N/A
CO2 Emissions: 334g/km
Fuel Consumption: 14.0-litres/100km
Fuel Tank Capacity: 68-litres
Fuel Type: 98RON petrol
ANCAP Rating: Five-star
Airbags: Six-airbags
Safety: ABS brakes with ABS and EBD. ESP.
Spare Wheel: Full size spare
Tow Capacity: 1600kg braked/800kg unbraked
Turning Circle: 11m
Warranty: 3-year/100,000km
Weight: 1852kg
Wheels: 19-inch alloys with 245/35R19 tyres

Owner reviews of the FORD FPV Add a New Review

2011 FORD FPV GT-E
By Peter Anthony RYAN

Adam

Best looker in the FPV range!

Love the subtle but aggressive looks.

However, that is a hell of a price for such a vehicle, and hard to justify.

Would personally prefer an F6E.
Tim

I just love the looks of this thing! Its modern, yet not done over the top with silly wheels/spoiler/body kits and looks like a stealth weapon.

Not a fanboy, but FPV is so much further ahead of HSV.
Elitist

I love how this site always gives these hoon cars 4/5 then states something like “cons” price and handling….

Yeah ok..I didnt think the handling of a car mattered that much…
Limited slip

Damn these FG FPV’s look great !! The FG body sure is a great flowing design and looks so modern. I like the F6- E better as i love Turbo’s but for a V8 guy this is the ultimate exec cruiser.
Chris

So is this what you will be picking me up in on Saturday Paul?
Andrew

8 Airbags, are you sure its not six? where are the other to?
Supply & Demand

Does it come in a diesel? No? What a pity it almost looked feasible. If anyone from Ford had of taken a drive down to BMW or Audi and ask them how many petrols as opposed to diesels they’re selling in that price bracket for executive cars Ford would have saved itself alot alot of time and space (when I say space I’m of course referring to the patch of grass these things will sit on down at the Ford factory until yet again the out-of-touch Ford execs realise they’ve read the market horribly wrong and they’ll have to revert to whoring them off to smart peopl at huge resale crushing discounts – yet again).
topdog

This looks waaaaaaaaay better than that senator that was on here
http://skyline The Salesman

Cant wait for the turbo four.
Limited Slip

Supply and demand……why would it want to come with a diesel? You really dont know much do you ? This car isnt marketed to people who want a diesel, dont you know that? Its for people who want a high performance V8 without the wings and stipes. FPV have produced a great car that hits its target perfectly. Not everyone wants a diesel.
Supply & Demand

Thats quite a niche you’ve described there Limited Slip. I hope its a big niche for FPV’s sake! See when I think of FPV and the FG Falcon I can’t help but think of disastrous sales results, job losses and missed opportunity. When I think of its competitors I think of the Audi A4 being one of the only vehicles in Australia to improve its January sales results on last year. Don’t get me wrong I think FPV make great cars, just not sure their making the right ones.
Andrew M

I would prefer this over the GT or GTP.

Good write up, but surely you could have put the steering wheel the right way up and removed your jacket from the seat for the photo ha ha ha
Andrew M

Yeah it is a bit of coin, but if you couldnt get 10 grand of the price than you just have sucker written all over you.

Only suckers pay retail, especially in this economic climate.
Paul Maric

Sorry Andrew. The story wasn’t going to be published here initially, so I grabbed a few photos for the sake of grabbing a few photos.

We couldn’t get the car back for proper shots, so we had to make do with what I had
Bavarian Missile (.)(.)

Absolutely Andrew………..I would like to know what the average punter is paying for cars at the moment!Who is offering the best bargins ?

In the back of the TOP GEAR Mag they have recommended retail then a target price ,that is the lowest price paid at the time the mag goes to print. Great idea !
Andrew M

Paul,
no worries, i already got the opinion you snapped it in a quick hurry.
Out of interest what do you mean it wasnt meant to be published here??

BM,
Yeah great idea for the consumer, but i reckon the dealers hate it ha ha ha ha
http://skyline The Salesman

Supply & Demand,
Kia also posted a year on year increase in sales .

BM and Andrew M,
If you are looking for the best deal than ask the dealer for the oldest stock car, that one will most likely have a bonus on it and the dealer will throw away all the margin to move it off the floor plan.
Frontman

Nah just go to Toyota and tell them you are looking at a Commodore or Falcon :p
Actually Mazda and Hyundai are doing a lot of price prostitution at present. Hyundai are advertising heavily discounted pricing on 09 plated stock, Getz’s for less than what we were doing with the campaigns on X3 Excels!!
Andrew, as for the dealers hating it, where do you think TG get the price from??
Paul Maric

Andrew – the car was taken out for another publication which took along its own photographer.

Initially there were no plans to run the story on CarAdvice, but Ford OK’ed it, so we thought we’d go ahead with it.
Andrew M

Thanks Paul
Andrew M

Frontman,
thats exactlly what you do ha ha ha ha

Tell them your business is going else where and they wont give a hoot how long the vehicle has been on the stock book.
Im sure they would rather slash their margin right down than not get a sale at all

My little secret is thats exactlly the game i played when i shopped out my FG.
But I didnt lie. I did go to Holden and get theur price etc etc. I let the ford Dealers know what i was offered and exactlly what i wanted.
(I just left out the bit where I preffered the Falcon Shhhhh)
Adam from the Gong

Thanks for the great write-up, Paul. I love these things, just I loved the Force 8. I like understated performance, all the stripes and decals are a bit too “racer-boy” for me. The FG is the best Ford in a long, long time, IMHO.
http://honda holstein hore ).( ).(

Yawn , so yesterdays car
Cupid Stunt

So nice, really subtle but if fuel goes up again the markets dead for guzzlers. Long live the V8!!
The Realist

Another rep mobile that will die a quick death like the Force 6 and Force 8.

$78K for this??

Look at the options in that sort of price range… Ford must be joking.
ben

Check out the last coment on the new f6 review. Its about fords new v8
Simon

“They are virtually fade-free for run of the mill driving”
Virtually? For run of the mill driving, if they have any fade then they are dangerous.
Gotta agree with the statements on costings. Anywhere near $78K is far too much for an Aussie sedan that will lose 20% as it leaves the showroom. Down 50% in 4 years. This will be bought by people who don’t care for value but love the Boss. Period.
Chris

Love the new FPV range. Can’t wait for the new V8 next year too ))
thenamesless

Jeez.. All this talk about resale. What do you think an Audi, BMW etc will retain once you “drive out” of the dealship? The same. Some of you need to get your head out of the sand and let reality slap you in the face..
Al Juraj

The V8 sound is the only reason to choose this over the new F6E. It’s slower, thirstier and heavier on the nose. FPV should just get the Mustang GT500′s supercharged engine and make a 427 fighter.
Wheelnut

Al Juraj I don’t think either Ford/FPV nor Holden HSV are particularly keen on starting a power war as that will result in a supercar scare like we had back in the late 70s which saw the end of the GT Phase IV project and similar projects at Holden and Chrysler.

Incase you weren’t aware back in the 70s there was a Photograph of a GT Falcon doing well over 120Km/h on a public raod in Melbourne on the front cover of every major newspaper in Australia – which shocked Mr and Mrs Average.. so much that it was seen as irresponsible for the local car companies to even consider building a car that a car could reach such excessive speeds

The V8s in the Falcons and The Commodores can produce virtually twice as much power as they do at the moment but have retarder their engines not only to make the cars more drivrable but also appease the road safety Nazis

Even if Ford/FPV did drop the engine out of the GT500 SuperSnake HSV have alot more room to move with the new
LS-7 or even the LS-9 V8 from the New ZR-1 Corvette [approx 700Bhp] despite being relatively old-tech
Owner

I have one!

Just stunning!

Looked at Beemers, Mercs, Audi’s, all way over priced for what you get. You could easily pay another $110K for a similar car. The GT E came out trumps every time.

It is an absolute missile without the stripe wank factor. The sound is music to Henry fans.

Well done FPV! I will put my name down for the new GT HO in 2010 – 2011.

A great Aussie car.
Swagger

100kg less weight from a lighter coyote v8 will give these xr6 like handling,Magic.
Mal

I also own one. Got it in Feb ’09 and LOVE IT.
I have had a BA XR6Turbo and a BF F6 Typhoon, but wanted something different.
The Racoon eyes of the F6 put me off a bit, but it was the understated look of the GT-E that got me.
I managed to get a very sizeable discount off the RRP, so the F6 was traded for the GT-E and 8 months later, I still love driving it.
Next year we will be trading in the wifes Territory Turbo Ghia, hopefully on a new TTG with all the FG electronic goodies.

As for value, there is nothing that comes close to these cars in terms of value. I looked at RS4 Audi’s, GTR’s and M3 BMW, but could not justify the $100k difference.
I am also supporting a local company who makes excellent cars. Well done Ford and FPV.
Dave

its a great car, but the sad fact is that when driven normally there is no difference in drive ability from this when compared to a now aging 4.0Litre BA XT.

Once you start to boot this and once you get it over 4000rpm, it will show its teeth.

The problem is the torque, and i mean the torque between idle and 3500rpm, it just does not have any and up to 3000rpm a stock 4.0Litre BA XT actually makes anywhere between 3-10% more torque! and will beat it for POWER from idle to 2300-2400rpm ~ and this is no joke i have seen graphs to prove this.

Which means in gentle driving a 4.0L BA XT will be a slightly smoother car to operate.

Yet don’t forget, this 315kW monster …. once you get it above 3500rpm it will accelerate anywhere between 40-50% faster than a BA XT or FG XT which i have only used here as a baseline.
http://www.musclebeach.com.au Mike

I think they are fantastic cars, not as silky as some euro type cars, but the performance for the money is astonishing. esecially the F6E, wake up Australia…we have a legendary supercar here….just take one for a drive, thats all it will take.
4xking

I actually own this car!