New Falcon XR8 Review: The Power And The Passion
What’s hot: Superb power & handling, brilliant Sync2 system, comfortable ride.
What’s not: Interior fit-out is a generation adrift, lost some V8 aural excitement.
X-FACTOR: One for the cognoscenti, those who understand just how much quality and performance you get at such relatively modest dollars.
Price: $52,490 (manual, plus on-roads); $54,690 (auto, plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 5.0 litre 32-valve supercharged V8; six-speed manual or six-speed auto
Power/torque: 335kW@5750rpm; 570Nm@2200-5500rpm
Fuel consumption listed: 13.7 l/100km | tested: 14.4 l/100km
OVERVIEW
The reborn 2015 Falcon XR8 is the best handling V8 Falcon ever. It turns in better, and sits flatter than any before it.
It also feels alive at the wheel - alert in the degrees away from the straight-ahead - and yet manages to provide the compliant, comfortable ride that big Australian sedans have made an art form.
The thumping power is still there, that Boss 5.0 litre 32-valve supercharged alloy fist, but the boy-racer stripes are noticeably absent, as is the big wing, and there is a subdued restraint to its on-road presence.
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