Practically sporty: 2010 Ford Falcon XR50 ute review.

SPECS
Engine: 4 litre Barra I6 DOHC with variable cam timing
Power: 195 kW (265bhp)
Torque: 391 Nm
Gearbox: 6 speed ZF torque converter auto
Suspension: McPherson strut multilink independent front, Hotchkiss leaf rear with live axle
Top speed: electronically limited to 180kph

GOOD POINTS:

• The engine is a brilliant unit. Because it’s hugely over square It’s all about torque, which comes on down low and stays on. It’s almost like a diesel, but it’s happy to rev out to 6000rpm.
• The gearbox is also great, with smooth and decisive shifts. It doesn’t hunt for gears like some of its competitors. Revs at 100kph are about 1600.
• Despite having a leaf rear end, the ride and handling is very good. It is very comfortable, but also precise in the corners. Due to the weight over the front and comparative lack of grip from the rear handling is actually very neutral; pushed hard enough it will gradually slip into gentle oversteer. No frights.
• It’s subjective, but I think it looks good.
• The leaf sprung rear and high torque engine make it great for towing and load carrying.
• Fuel economy on the highway is excellent, at around 7.5l/100km.

THE BAD:

• Probably the worst bit is the driving position. Australia’s motoring journos have been whinging about it for years, but it is true; the seats, although comfortable, are too high and the steering wheel too low.
• The interior is a mixed bag with very comfortable seats, a good 4 speaker infotainment system and a great trip computer; but some surfaces seem cheap and poor quality and a lot of stuff just doesn’t seem too well put together.
• The body is split, with a separate tub; this is inferior to the Commodores one piece body.
• Fuel economy is not too good around town, up to 16 l/100km.
• It’s too heavy to be truly sporty; it weighs 1759 kgs.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT MINE?
Mine has performance mods bringing power up to 270kW (365bhp) approximately, including :

• Equal length headers
• 2.5 inch performance exhaust with high flow cat
• SCT tuner with custom dyno tune for 98RON fuel, and custom gearbox tune.
• Rev limiter lifted to 7000rpm and speed limiter removed.
• 25% reduction drive pulleys
• Custom OTR air intake

In all honesty, these mods have totally changed the car. It us now a true straight line performer, easily holding its own against Holden V8’s. The gearbox now has really fast shifts and the torque converter is locked a lot more of the time.

I could go on about it for ages, but that’s the basics of it. It’s a sporty car with a huge trunk and a great powerplant, not without flaws but it has a personality of its own.

Thanks for reading!