Review: New FPV GT vs HSV GTS - The Big V8's At Play, Plus The New FPV F6 Turbo!

[JoeT]

GT vs GTS

Bruce Newton
16 June 2008
www.wheelsmag.com.au

Now with full FG benefits and running an upgraded Boss V8, FPV's GT is in the best shape of its life. But can it match the HSV GTS's new 6.2-litre punch?

Mount Gambier Airport, 11:00pm. Water is streaming across the runway, rolling down the HSV GTS’s silver flanks and over the FPV GT’s black eye patches. It's enough to make you cry. Having driven day and night to get here in Australia’s two highest horsepower production cars, we’re rewarded with this. The farmers are happy and we’re happy for them. But why did it have to rain now?

The precipitation has cost us the chance to add another chapter to the enduring legend that is the Holden versus Ford V8 rivalry. Like it or not, for all the millions of dollars invested in crumple zones, dust sealing, noise minimisation and ergonomic iPod adaptors, when it comes to these cars, it’s all about who’s top dog. That’s quantified on the strip, where every tenth of a second counts.

And on this two-day run from Melbourne to Adelaide the schedule says it’s on this evening, on the main 1.5km runway of Mount Gambier airport that we find that out.

But then, the schedule didn’t take into account the low that started dumping its load. It’s no isolated shower either; we’ve been dodging rain ever since we collected the FG GT from outside Ford’s national headquarters in Broadmeadows about, oh, 11 hours ago.

Melbourne, early afternoon. It only takes a few minutes to realise that the GT has progressed markedly from its BF predecessor and the impression is made – surprise, surprise – by what’s under the bonnet.

There’s a lightness and immediacy of response from the latest iteration of the dohc, quad-cam Boss 5.4 V8, the long-stroke engine displaying a willingness to rev quicker and further than ever before.

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Boost Master - FPV F6

Bill McKinnon
13 June 2008
www.wheelsmag.com.au

FPV's F6 isn't just the company's best car by some margin, it's also quite probably the greatest performance car Australia has ever produced.

These may be the last days of fossil-fuelled performance, but as far as the Australian car industry is concerned, the internal combustion era will end with a whopping great 300kW-plus bang rather than a whimper.

Whether your response to this is “Good on ’em!” or “Irresponsible *******s”, history will show that the 2008 F6 from Ford Performance Vehicles was one of Australia’s great cars.

It has taken a while to get it right, though. The 2004 F6 Typhoon I drove after the car’s launch was a real disappointment, being considerably less coherent, polished and reliable than its donor BA XR6 Turbo. FPV, it seemed, had stretched its unique force-fed, big-six performance strand too tight.

The 2008 F6 drives like a jet – both literally and metaphorically.

Rather than the mechanicals dominating the senses, it is the rush, compression and expulsion of big volumes of gas that defines this engine. You hear it spin the turbine to a high-pitched, wicked whistle. When you lift off the accelerator, excess pressure flutters off the turbo compressor and through the blow-off valve. And when the Garrett turbocharger is pumping the full 0.91 bar (13.3psi) into those cylinders, you feel all that air (and fuel) launch the F6 up the road with an effortless, exhilarating violence few engines can match.

In fact, I can think of only two: AMG’s 6.2-litre V8, and Porsche’s 3.6-litre twin turbo flat six.

FPV’s finest now produces 310kW – 40kW more than previously – at 5500rpm. However, it’s the torque that really does the business, with 565Nm (a 15Nm increase) available from just 1950rpm all the way to 5200rpm.

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New Ford Performance Vehicles Falcon Range Released
Performance Comparo: Falcon XR6 Turbo v Falcon XR8 v Commodore SS - The Verdict

FPV GT (top), HSV GTS (above) and FPV F6 (below)

[NZ_HOLDEN_FAN]

the f6 is fast but its got nothing on a v8 sound the fg gt looks ugly whats up with the black things under the lights it looks cheap as for the stickers why are they trying to be like rice cars its not 2 fast 2 furious and the back of the gt & f6 has the ford back lights can't they change them like the what hsv did to there back LED lights compared to the nomal back lights of the ve and why does the gt need a bulge on the bonnet it looks like a pimple hsv wins hands down in the looks department love the rims on the gts hate the cheap ugly looking rims on the ford did a 3 year old design those rims the hsv need the PONTIAC G8 HOOD SCOOPS then it will finnish it of nicely ford take those cheap stickers off

[NZ_HOLDEN_FAN]

can't wait till holden do the torana and hsv drop a ls7 in it and a twin turbo v8 or supercharge it i did a torana chop

[lightbrotha2004]

As much as i love GM I would have to go with the FPV F6 so long as I could get the GT hood. I just don't like the HSV front end.

[Aych Es Vee]

In order of what I'd want most -

1 - HSV Senator
2 - FPV F6
3 - HSV GTS
4 - FPV GTE
5 - FPV GT

REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY hard to choose between the GTS and F6.
I'd probably still take the GTS over the F6, but not sure.

[ZR1-S10]

Sounds like a win for the HSV GTS to me. The Falcon is improved but still not up to the VE.

[usa1]

Those front bumpers are atrocious.

Mark

[YupYupYup]

The fronts of those cars are anything but conservative...Hmmm...

[nota]

HSV GTS vs the quicker and $11,000 cheaper (USD $10,300) FPV F6?

I'd take the Turbo Ford & cash thanks!


GTS vs the similarly less expensive GT (perhaps including $11k worth of supercharger etc, eg 500+ hp)

Hmmm..

[SpaceCowboy]

YupYupYup, I really don't think there is any point kicking off that tired old arguement again. I don't for a minute think that it's a bad thing to have some pride in the products produced by your nation. You find Aussie cars boring, so be it. A lot of Aussies aren't big on American style, but that said there are particular people who don't go for Euro or Japanese cars either. Let's all just let this one die quietly. When you compare both of these offerings to the fleet packs they are based on then you can see the difference.

Nota, yours is quite a compelling point of veiw too. As much as I prefer the GTS and my loyalties lie firmly with GM, I'm also a big fan of getting as much bang for my buck as I can and $11,000 gives you plenty of scope to make something a lot faster, on top of the fact it's got a slight advantage already.

But at the end of the day the turbo is never going to sound like either of these V8's and for me that is the biggest reward so maybe things would become easier after a few blocks with the windows down!

[Generation IV]

Originally Posted by nota

HSV GTS vs the quicker and $11,000 cheaper (USD $10,300) FPV F6?

I'd take the Turbo Ford & cash thanks!


GTS vs the similarly less expensive GT (perhaps including $11k worth of supercharger etc, eg 500+ hp)

Hmmm..

Uhh, woah there buddy. How about the Clubsport R8? That's cheaper than the F6 and its the better car. If you equip the F6 up to the GTS's level of equipment then you would find that the F6 costs about the same. The f6 with premium brakes and leather costs aroun $75,990. The GTS has all that, with MRC and the looks and a 6.2 V8 for only $1000 more.

I'll take the GTS, I'd lose $1000 but get a more reliable, better looking, better sounding and better balanced car. If $76,990 is to much, i'll buy the just as good Clubsport R8 for $62k. Where the F6 wins in price, I don't really see. They are basically nigh-on, and the F6 is absent of any high tech suspension. An Fg FPV with the same levels of equipment minus MRC is the FPV GT-E which is $76,990, the same price. Why?

[samkung]

GT looks the best for me, but then i wont mind the Clubsport

[fingers]

Hmmm the wheelbase on the FGs almost kill them for me. It just needs to be slightly longer. But then I see pics like this....



definitely F6 for me!

[Generation IV]

Originally Posted by fingers

Hmmm the wheelbase on the FGs almost kill them for me. They just needed to be slightly longer. But then I see pics like this....



definitely F6 for me!

looks real nice there

[commodorecoops]

FG looks like a BF MKIII would. The Falcons already look old and they've only been out 5 minutes! And even if they did a bit more to separate it from the previous generation, those hideous bits of black plastic under the headlights alone are enough to send me straight to a HSV dealer.