Ford FG Falcon XR8 Review

Fuel may be getting more expensive, but tell that to the Aussies. The latest iteration of the Falcon, the FG, sports a NZ$52,290 XR8 model that effectively houses the 5.4 litre V8 engine from the previous generation FPV Falcon GT.

That's 290kW and a stump thumping 520Nm of torque and it really has me wondering whether there's such a thing as too much power.

In terms of Kilowatts and Newton Meters there's only a certain amount to can push through a certain car. European power cars have all sorts of traction controls and ultra wide tyres to channel excess power to the tarmac, but when I pulled the XR8 out of Ford New Zealand's parking lot the stability control had to kick in to stop myself and the car from spinning into the XR6 parked to the right.

Oh, and this was on dry tarmac. Not a good start, I think you'll agree, but I did eventually realise how to drive the XR8 properly, and that's to ignore all the electronic stability systems. Oh, you can still have them on, but in the XR8 any clumsy throttle movement results in any number of software programs complaining and shutting down power and applying the brakes in untidy manner.

No, this is a car that you have almost to relearn to drive. You see, electronic control has been such a central component of cars since the mid 90s that when you get a car with enough power and not all that much traction from the driven wheels you are instantly transported back to the days - at least I was - when I drove a MK V Cortina on tyres so hard they made Stalin look like a liberal puppy collector.

So we have here a real, proper muscle car in the guise of a mid range XR8. It has a bite this one, and one that many people won't like. In all honesty the best way to handle it is to disengage the stability control so it doesn't destabilise the car, use the sequential manual gear change on the six speed ZF gearbox, and drive it like it was 1970 all over again.

That way you can have some real fun with the car, feathering throttle input, balancing power against traction and really feeling what the car is doing. That's where this particular XR8 diverts from the old. The old one was a doddle to drive, but this new one requires a much more delicate touch.

In part that's due to the rear tyres, which seem able to lose traction at a moment's notice, but more importantly the stability control system has obviously been set unto Uber-Nanny mode. Just the scent of wheelspin and there's no power available from the engine.

Hit the throttle hard while pulling out of a side street and there's a big sideways moment and then the stability control kicks in, and then out, and then in again. It's all very untidy.

But drive the car like it's a classic muscle machine and you'd be surprised at how enjoyable it is.