Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo Ute Review & Road Test
October 7, 2009 by Paul Maric
The Paris Hilton of Utes: so wrong, but oh so right.
Model Tested:
- 2009 Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo Ute; 4.0-litre, six-cylinder, turbo petrol; six-speed automatic; utility – $43,490*
Options Available:
- Prestige Paint $400 (Dash); Safety Enhancement Pack $600; XR Sports Pack $1000; Satellite Navigation $2290
Gob-smacking acceleration; fuel consumption; cabin space
Load carrying capacity; handling; ESC calibration
CarAdvice Rating: 
What started life as a necessary utility for a tradesman has evolved into something of an Aussie icon and status symbol. No longer is the humble tradesman’s utility about hauling tools and goods from worksite to worksite.
Ford and Holden have capitalised on this and now both offer – and sell in great numbers – sports utility vehicles. The main difference between the two though comes down to their rear suspension setup.
Ford still uses antiquated leaf springs, while Holden uses modern independent rear suspension. At the lower end of the model range, this gives Ford the advantage when it comes to load carrying capacity – allowing up to one-tonne of payload.
Shift up in the model range though and it’s the opposite. Holden’s SS Commodore Ute can hold up to 598kg, while the XR6 Turbo Ute is limited to 565kg. Ford’s leaf spring arrangement comes at the compromise of ride quality and handling, making it a one handed victory to the Holden – or so you would think!
What makes this Ute so special is the engine. Ford’s world class 4.0-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine produces 270kW and a driveline twisting 533Nm of torque. Fuel consumption is also quite reasonable at an official 12.5L/100km – easily achieved during our test.
Mated to the sonorous engine in our test vehicle was Ford’s ZF six-speed automatic gearbox. Fitted to vehicles like the Maserati Quattroporte and the Aston Martin DB9, the fluent and accurate gearbox offers precision cog-swapping and a superb sport mode which holds gears and shifts down into high rev ranges during enthusiastic driving.
Once you turn the key, the seemingly quaint engine idles with the hint of a menacing burble.
The full force of this turbocharged 4.0-litre engine isn’t felt until you unleash with a boot full of throttle. Once 2000rpm comes along, it’s every man for himself. The 245mm wide rear tyres are too narrow for continuous traction and begin chirping soon after a hoof of the throttle.
The best part about the turbo rush is the induction and exhaust note. During full-boost the F-16-like induction noise is met with a raspy snarl from the exhaust on the up-shift. While the rev limited intervenes at a relatively low 6200rpm, there’s more than enough of the 533Nm of torque to go around between 2000rpm and 4750rpm.
In addition to the vehicle’s impressive torque, the engine’s electronic throttle ensures that throttle response is sharp and on-tap at all times.
As with all leaf-sprung vehicles, they tend to ride better with a load over the axle, the XR6 Turbo Ute is no different. While it still rides well unsprung, the rear end really drills down with a load over the rear axle.
The ultimate downside to the entire package is the handling. Body roll isn’t an uncommon trait during tight cornering and thus affects the speed you can carry through a corner.
Fitted with the XR Sport Pack and the Safety Enhancement Pack, the ‘Dash’ coloured test vehicle looked the part with its 18-inch alloy wheels.
Ford is yet to adopt a single side panel design and as such an obvious gap between the tray and passenger cab is visible. The flared wheel arches at the rear just don’t work due to the width of the rear tyres not quite making it to the outer edges of the flares.
On the other hand, the front end looks the goods, bearing an exposed front mount intercooler, hinting at the vehicle’s potential performance.
FG Falcon interior has been adopted within the cabin, making it pretty much identical to the sedan variant of the XR6 Turbo. Storage room behind the seats is an impressive and class-leading 235-litres.
Standard features fitted to the XR6 Turbo include: Multi function steering wheel, leather wrapped gear shifter and steering wheel, electric windows, air conditioning, central locking, cruise control, electric mirrors, fog lamps, single MP3 compatible CD tuner with four speakers and auxiliary input, automatic headlights and four way power driver’s seat.
The XR Sport Pack and Safety Enhancement Pack bring the following features to the table: 18-inch alloy wheels, premium sports interior, iPod integration, Bluetooth integration, side head/thorax airbags and perimeter alarm.
Commercial vehicles have always been neglected when it comes to safety features. Luckily though, the XR6 Turbo Ute is graced with life saving technology such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
The system allows the driver to maintain control of the vehicle during understeer and oversteer. The system allows braking of individual wheels and torque reduction in an effort to bring the vehicle back into line.
Each manufacturer has its own calibration of the system and they all vary in terms of effectiveness and subtleness. Ford’s calibration offers too much leeway before intervening and when it does intervene it does so with more force than it would if it intervened earlier on in the piece.
Although this doesn’t overly affect driveability, it’s noticed in the wet if the drivers gets on the throttle with too much enthusiasm and the back end begins to wander.
At $41,490* (RRP), it’s priced directly in line with the XR8 Ute, which produces 13Nm less torque and chews through more fuel. The pricing point makes it an affordable proposition for tradies who want the perfect balance between load hauling and embarrassing most other cars at the traffic lights.
The XR6 Turbo is that stunning looking friend of yours who eats anything and everything, and never seems to put on weight. It’s the definition of having your cake and eating it too, and by gee it’s a tasty cake.
Ratings:
CarAdvice Overall Rating:
How does it Drive: 
How does it Look:
How does it Go:
Road Test the Rivals:
* Pricing is a guide as recommended to CarAdvice by the manufacturer.
Specifications:
- Engine: 3984cc DOHC six-cylinder (24 valve)
- Power: 270kW @ 5250rpm
- Torque: 533Nm @ 2000rpm – 4750rpm
- Induction: Turbocharged & Multi-point
- Transmission: Six-speed automatic
- Driven Wheels: Rear
- Brakes: Discs with ABS, EBA & EBD
- Top Speed: 235km/h (Claimed)
- 0-100km/h: 5.1 seconds (As Tested)
- CO2 Emissions: 298g/km
- Fuel Consumption: 12.5L/100km (ADR)
- Fuel Consumption: 12.9L/100km (As Tested)
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 68L
- Fuel Type: 91RON Unleaded
- ANCAP Rating: Five-stars
- Airbags: Front, Side & Curtain
- Safety: ESC with Traction Control
- Spare Wheel: Full Size Alloy
- Suspension: Independent (F) / Leaf (R)
- Cargo Capacity: 565kg
- Tow Capacity: 2300kg (Braked)
- Turning Circle: 11.8m
- Warranty: Three Year/100,000km
- Weight: 1739kg (Tare)
- Wheels: Alloy 17 x 8.0-inch (Standard)
Print it: 
Only downside to this ute is insuring a turbo charge vehicle. Even if you are over 25 add another $1000 per year above a V8.
Sorry to nit pick, but the photo’s used in this article were obviously just stock photo’s and not of the test vehicle as these ones show an XR6 Turbo Fitted with sports pack and Premium sound. THose are the 18″ wheels and that is cloth trim and single climate control. The Luxury pack consists of 5 spoke 19″ with leather and Dual Zone Climate…..
As to the traction control, this is a SPorts Vehicle with it’s intended market place being DRIVERS!! As such teh nanny system is calibrated to allow skilled drivers to pilot their car without interference only being hauled back into line if they over cook it. Is this NOT the opposit to the most common complaint with nany systems? By doing this doesn’t it make it more viable that the driver is less likely to turn it off then they would be if it was set up to come in earlier?? Safety First is the key and if the driver can’t enjoy the drive with the system on thgey will turn it off.
Safety First:
You’re correct with regards to the options. It was fitted with the Sports Pack and Safety Pack, along with satellite navigation.
The calibration on the XR6 Turbo is the same as the calibration on the rest of the range, including the base models. As such, it’s NOT calibrated for ‘DRIVERS!!’, it’s calibrated to keep the car from spinning out.
It’s not advanced as Holden’s system which allows plenty of foreplay before stepping in. Ford’s system seems rather primitive and could use a bit more development, especially in the turbocharged vehicles.
Although i agree with the review generally, your comments about the DSC (ESP by another name) system are very puzzling. I am not sure about the utes, so maybe you are correct, but Ford made it quite clear (and having driven them i don’t doubt it) that for the sedans the DSC system was definitey calibrated differently RE diff. models. The G series is calibrated differently from the XRs etc. Moreover, given they run diff wheel/tyre setups, diff. suspension and, rather obviously, different engine/drivetrains it would seem impossible for the calibration to be identical no?
Perhaps Ford cut some corners getting the (delayed) DSC onto the utes but i highly doubt the ESP on the turbo is identical to the rest of the (atmo) range.
As for it being ‘primitive’ that is wierd because numerous reviewers have pointed out upon FG release that the Ford ESP system (based off the same bosch system holden uses) was notable superior to the already good holden set up on VE. Are you referring to the ‘altered’ ESP holden has on SIDI models…which funny enough is more reactive than before due to lower grip from the economy tyres??? For me i think it is an issue of the turbo engine as much as anything. That donk has so much grunt it is difficult (esp. in a tail happy ute) to have any system that can control it. I drove a G6ET once and it is quite easy to get to a point where if the driver doesnt intervene you may very well have an accident with the DSC system on. At the end of the day its an XR6T ute…man up or don’t buy it.
Paul, I will come clean and state that I am infact a Ford sales person and as such yes I am Biased, (also why I picked the little error ;-)) however you will find both Holden and Ford use the same Bosch unit same part number. Ford does differtiate settings between models, XT and Ute have over sensitive units, XR’s seem late in their input (as does G6E Turbo), G6 is somewhere in between. Due to the nature of the business I have driven both vehicles (GM-H & Ford) over the same test track and(because it was a Ford test drive day) the track showed the worst of the GM setup. Lets just say that both setups work and whilst you may prefer the Gm setup others may prefer the Ford system. It works extremely well when you want to keep control yourself.
Pretty sure those wheels pictured are 18 inch
Oh I so want one of these, except make mine bright red.
If I had my time over I would not have gotten my Golf GTI and instead got one of these! I drove my brother-in-law’s and it is so much fun, oh rear wheel drive makes such a difference to how a car feels and the power is incredible, I also think the interior is fantastic. Hmmmm make mine bright blue.
Is it just me, or is 1 in 3 car reviews using the can have your cake and eat it too quote…. lol
The I6t is a mean engine.
As far as the options fitted go, this car is fitted with the optional Sports Pack(18in alloys,bluetooth phone kit & i-pod integration), Sat Nav(only available with the 7in colour screen which is also fitted when the Luxury Pack is specified but without the 6 stack CD player of the Premuim Sound System), Safety Pack and Hard Tonneau with Sports Bar.
As for the ESP(DSC in Fordtalk), Paul, you say in your article that the system allows too much leeway before intervening but then in your reply to Safety First you say that it is not as good as Holden’s which allows more foreplay before stepping in. Exactly how much foreplay is enough foreplay?
0-100 in 5.1 seconds….pretty bloody good for a tricked up utility with ancient suspension setup. I agree with the observation, the rear wheel arches do extend too far and it makes the wheels look to small and just doesn’t finish as neat as the commodore ute. However, I would rate the Ford ute over the Commodore ute anyday for everything else!
Was dead set going to buy a VEssv ,but thought i should at least test drive the xr6t ute even though the handling had been bagged.
Needles to say i ended up buying the xr6.
The biggest suprise for me was the handling.I was expecting much less but its suprisingly good.The esp works a treat.The one time i would have lost control,it corected everything beautifully.
But the power difference compared to the Ve was huge.My mate who has a VE ss couldn t beleive how much better the XR6t goes.
My only complaint,is the little things.Window switches and steering wheel controls that dont light up.The lack of compartments behind the seats.
The little things wich make u wonder why thwy wernt included.
First up I will say that I have no preference for either the Ford or Holden product, they both have their advantages and disadvantages, but I must say the dash and the centre electronic display on the Falcon looks so much better and more classy than the Apple IIe, ’stuck in a time warp’ green look of the Commodore display. Just an un-biased observation. I can’t believe that Holden are so good with their engineering (the VE chassis is, and always has been world class and FINALLY the mechanical package is up to speed), but they STILL can’t work out how to properly fit and finish an interior.
Holden’s ute is safer, its got more Airbags (6 in fact) as standard not optional, not to mention that 18s come standard with the the equivalent package and you can options 19s and 20s, no wonder its outselling falcon Ute
Not to mention sedan and sportwagon out selling falcon sedan and wagon .
Holden can throw as many pillows at their commodore as they want, but the truth still says the Falcons safer structure outweighs however many airbags Holden wants to throw at theirs.
Ford still has a higher 5 stars
Not the ute. Airbags work to slow your body down in the event of sudden deceleration so as to stop internal damage. They are all about slowing you down. So i’d rather my Commodore with standard curtain bags, then a falcon with out them any day if i was tobe invloved in a Side Ipmact crash.
How cheap and nasty do they look inside? OMG what is with the instrument cluster,yuck.
Falcon and commodore utes are line balls for sales, last month falcon outsold the commodore ute.
I currently drive a ba11 turbo ute, great fun to drive and plenty of power however with the old 4 speed auto it’s a guzzler.
When did they throw the 6 speeders in???
I would have thought it would have been around BA11???
RE DSC settings, I’ve had a good drive of the new FG F6 and found the intervention of the system spot on.
My current daily driver is a BF2 Typhoon with no DSC and 550nm of torque, slightly more than the current XR6T engines. Before people winge about the DSC they should try controlling one of these puppies, especially in the wet !!
These turbo engines are truly ballistic in whatever form you choose, but of course people need to understand they’re buying a genuine muscle car and harden up. Those looking for totally safe, predictable and gentle ride need not bother applying, simple as that.
these new fords are fugly as.
There is a case for them coming with the airbag predeployed so you can use them to cover your head so you won’t be recognised by your friends…
fugly
FOR GODS SAKE “GET A LIFE”
Buck…
Couldn’t agree more about power and control with the rear ends!
The XR6 turbo ute i drive has no traction control or DSC and if the rear tyres and low on tread and it’s a wet raod, watch out!
motogp fan…
Styling is subjective, just out of curiosity what vehicle do you find good looking??
anything but a big green ford ute with 18″ alloys
It might work if you are 21y/o but an adult will look stupid…
nice to see a review that mentions the fact that the ford ute can be optioned with 1 tonne suspension! this is the trade off with the ford ute, like the split side panel that can easily be converted to flat try – end of the day this is a ute! designed to carry stuff… the guys buying the xr models are buying a sports model and dont expect the large carrying capacity as much as your base model purchaser.
i am not aware of the composition but if you look at the sales the holden ute would probably have the majority of sales made up of sv6 and ss (i know that all i see round here…. unlike the ford models which are probably made up more of trade sales…..i know all the tradies i know swear by and always purchase ford utes with the exception of one.
one thing i would like to have compared which is probably not really relevant to the sports models is the towing capacity and if there is any difference
Andrew that is a very simplified view on safety. The FG Falcon has a 5 star safety rating without curtain airbags. Jeff if you think the Falcon interior is cheap and nasty what do you think of the dated interior of the VE then?
The VE is awful, it looked cheap when Wheels thought it looked Audi like. I remember first seeing the VE Berlina at the motor show and that awful fake timber insert in the dash was hanging out, I knew then not only was it ugly but very cheap. One of my best mates thought it was terrific because his wife was getting one for work and he was happy it was easily removed and replaced.
I was talking the entire range here, and im if correct Holden has more locally buitl cars that have a 5 star safety rating the ford. Airbags should be standard ( why i have explained above) reguardless of the safety rating of the car.
Firstly the ute came about for Farmers who approached Ford, not Tradies as the article states.
I also find it odd that handling is a negative point. Compare it to a Hilux for eg and you will think this is an Aston.
The leaf sprung rear handles a lot better than you think it would.
A lot of people hear leaf springs and think it handles like a billy cart.
over the years Ive read comparos where the leaf sprung Falcon has been rated as a better handler than the coil sprung commy ute.
For road going conditions Ive never noticed any real difference.
And on to load carrying……
The technical load carrying counts for not much.
sure the SS might carry 33kgs more, but one of the biggest problems with loading the rear end of the commodore isnt as rugged.
When you do load it the rear wheels camber out meaning you chew your rear edges big time. Thats one of the biggest differences people dont realise.
I will agree on the over bloated rear wheel arches though
Bloody hell 0-100 in 5.1…….I wasnt ready for that…….
Poor old traction control would be working over time when the rear is empty I imagine.
Not too much of tweak would get it running in the 4s………. Is the manual faster ?
Im over those race pedals Ford, can we grow up a bit please and ditch them ?
I believe the 6sp auto is faster.
in the days gone by you could always bank on the Manual version being more economical and faster, but with a box like the ZF it seems to change those rules.
Ditch the race pedals???
Why???
They actually improve the feel and grip of the pedals especially with wet shoes, plus they look better than a chunk of b l a c k rubber.
These FG utes are great………especially the Turbo……..GM has no answer for the Turbo…..its better than their old V8 anyday……….performance, economy and refinement are way way ahead of the old V8. Ford at least give you the choice of a tub or a tray, I have both and use both at various times. The interior of the FG is so far ahead of the VE GM should be ashamed (every motoring writer admits the GM VE interior is awful, even in the HSV’s) and you only have to sit in both cars to realise that. Not only does it look way better the ergonomics are way better too…..why does GM insist on putting power window buttons on the centre console? And the handbrake…….well the less said about that the better .
The VE should be less ergonomic in side its nearly 4 YEARS old compared to the FF nearly 2 years.
Ergonomics involves desginign an interior which makes it easier and more comfortable for the passengers when interacting with the vehicle.
Have you sat in a Calais spec interior? It has to be one of the best thought out design of the centre console etc in a car. It’s simple to use and buttons are placed in good places and are of a good size.
More die hard stubborn Holden fans would have a different opinion if they actually experienced one rather than just putting rubbish on what is commonly regarded as the better vehicle.
Something I’ve noticed is that Ford’s I6t keep running low 5’s, yet when the FPV F6 is clocked, it can’t go any faster and usually gets timed slower then a G6Et..
What’s up with that?
Possibly the standard turbo Falcon is already at or near the limit of the grip that can be efficiently produced by the tyres and rear suspension from a standing start. The extra power etc in the FPV could ‘over-whelm’ it and as a result can actually make it slower. This would effect 0-100 and 1/4 mile times more that ‘roll-on’ etc as most of your speed/time is made from getting a good start. I wouldn’t be suprised if the FPVs are quicker in roll on tests. I know of a few cars that are not the quickest from 0-100, but absolutely fly in mid-range/roll-on tests and can quite easily beat a car that is quicker than it from 0-100.
Motor timed a few F6 sedans and whilst the 0-100kmh was the same 5.1s (as the G6ET/XR6T) which is still quicker than HSVs, the F6 demolished the 80-120kmh test in a 911 Turbo equalling 2.7seconds.
So, yeah as Devil said. The Falcon is probably at the limit of traction.
Yeh I saw the 80-120km/h times. Very incredible, but that’s what happens when you have a turbo xD.
Thanks for clearing that up.
I have a FG XR6 what a great car the only problem is the inside of all 4 tyres are down to the steel belts after 27000k and thet tell me the wheel alignment is OK any one else having problems