- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 2 seats
- Engine
5.6i, 8 cyl.
- Engine Power
250kW, 500Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 11.8L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Beaut ute
Subtle it ain't. But subtlety's not what Ford's Falcon XR8 Pursuit 250 is all about. Think of it instead as a performance car with a huge boot.
Pigeonhole: In hot pursuit of the perfect ute.
Philosophy: Sports car with XXL parcel tray.
Who's buying it: In any country town, this has more badge cred than a Benz. Usually seen in the company of big speedboats and big trail bikes. Owners usually not vegans.
Why you'd buy it: Indecent performance. Without cargo, it has a better power to weight ratio than a Falcon GT. Other cars drip oil, this one leaks testosterone.
Why you wouldn't: The automotive equivalent of walking around with your fly undone. It's also a cop magnet.
Standard equipment: The lot! Power windows, air conditioning, leather sports seats, Momo wheel and gearknob, cruise control, side skirts, rear wing, hard tonneau lid, alloy wheels, high-performance tyres, sports suspension, limited-slip differential, power steering, tinted glass, full hoon instrumentation.
Safety: Dual airbags and anti-lock brakes. Loads of grunt and no weight over the tail call for cautious application of the right foot
Cabin: Room for two but bags go in the tray, under the lockable tonneau. Centre console and glovebox provide some cockpit storage.
Seating: Supportive sports buckets built for big frames, good range of adjustment.
Engine: Old-tech Windsor V8 is stroked to 5.6 litres to play the mine's-bigger-than-yours game with arch-rival Holden. That's 250kW and 500Nm of torque. Hoo-aah! Sounds meaty, too.
Transmission: Heavy-duty five-speed manual operates behind a chunky flywheel. Huge torque curve means four-speed automatic may be the smarter choice.
Steering: Very sharp for a ute. Big Dunlop SP 9000 tyres on 18-inch wheels make a noticeable contribution. Light efforts for parking.
Ride: Decent compromise between sharp handling and comfortable bump soaking.
Handling: Lots of grip from the tyres in dry weather, but big horsepower, wide rubber, a wet road and no weight in the back prove interesting.
Fuel: Buyers of big-output V8s aren't too fussed about consumption but the auto will chew 20-plus litres per 100km in the city.
Brakes: Ford's premium brake package consists of larger four-wheel discs with three-channel anti-lock.
Build: The XR8 is well put together, if no threat to Lexus or Mercedes.
Warranty: Three years/100,000km. Five-year body rust perforation cover and lifelong cover for outer panels.
Anti-theft: Standard engine immobiliser, anti-theft ignition and door hardware, remote locking.
Audio system: The 100-watt prestige system from Ford's catalogue includes an in-dash six-CD stacker. Good long-distance AM radio coverage and better than average sound quality.
Cost: This is art, mate. So how you put a value on the $54,250 opening price for the manual is a very personal decision. Emotionally involved gentlemen have been known to mortgage the house for something like this. Grunty utes tend to hold their value.
Verdict: In the parlance of Parramatta Road, this is a fair-dinkum, drop-dead glamour. Perfect for the main drag of Bathurst any day of the week but especially over the first weekend in October. An Aussie boy icon: our equivalent of America's big pick-up truck.
Prices correct at publication date.