AU XR8 Ute Review* The Ugly Duckling from Ford! (0-100kph test) 

I actually loved the look of the au xr8 as a kid. Loved that twin headlight look

Funny how the VT looked so much better in 1998, yet in 2021 I think the AU has aged better?

Who cares what it looks like when it sounds like that. These videos keep on getting better top work fella.

Old mate that put the dislike in has no money to buy one lol

Thanks for a great review on it. My AU2 XR8 is certainly my favourite and still going strong at 312,000km. She's only the 4 speed auto but got me to and from work for 7 years doing a 200km a day round trip, and comfortable too. I miss her, she's having a rest but will be back on the road later this year for her 20th anniversary. Keep up the great work.

This was a Nice surprise to wake up to. Again thanks for the shout out for patron. Nice car, This is actually my favorite front end of the AU Falcon. Always liked the Double headlights on the XR models. Even more so then the front lights of the Tick ford TS50.

I have a series 3 XR8 ute and can't get enough of it. Currently going through a restoration because it deserves to be returned to its former glory. They're amazing cars and they really did have the best combination of engine, suspension and braking by the time they were retired

Another good one mate. You know I must have been the only one who thought these things looked good back in the day. You got another thumbs up from me ...

Definitely one of my favourite falcons of all had four of them and the best part is still have two of the AUs ones a 2002 series 3 wagon on factory gas and the other is a 2002 AU ford falcon sedan that was a Ex Vicpol car definitely goes hard with the LSD differential

Thanks to the owner for letting Ross Reviews sharing it ! Nice fun Ute to drive !

One of my favourite videos that you've uploaded. The sound of that Windsor is so good. Keeping my eye out for one in New Zealand. Cheers Ross

Love the S1 lip on the S2 front bar. Nice one Johnny

Love our Au3 Xr8 Manual ute, great review! 👍

Love it brings back the memories! Love the sound of the Windsor. Should never have sold mine back in 2018, who would've known they would triple in value!

The AU design really grew on me! I love the arc of the boot with those triangular taillights at each end! The contemporary VT/VX Commodores look dated and bloated to me. Id defo say yes to an AU series III XR6!

I never understood why people didn’t like the front end. I always liked the generic AU and this one with the 4 eyes. Looks cool to me.

Love both my AU's. Great video Ross.

COMING NEXT: Au 6 cyl wIth original plastic wheel covers and 215s!!

i HATED the look of the au when it first came out but they've really grown on me

Great video Ross. 👍 I picked up a totally stock series 1 XR8 ute with 5 speed manual in Silhouette black about a month ago. It's not as quick as the warmed over 302 Cleveland (1978 XC engine) I had 20 years ago, but it has much better manners. It's a great cruiser and drives so well. I'm thinking it needs a twin exhaust now though. 🤣 Also, I'm using an app to track my fuel usage. So far, on the minimal data I have , the average on the 185kw 5 speed is 13.37L/100km. Keep it up with the videos 😁

Good review. AU's were underrated for an an family Aussie sedan and price point. Yes AU stands for Australia. They are becoming collector/desirable for good examples - not P plater skid pigs that unfortunately have been wrecked by kids.

ive got the series 3 sedan version ...it aint pretty or that fast but the sound fro the little Windsor is nuts ...cant wait for this one mate

great video! Never realised how iconic the falcon was as a muscle car here in Aus, until now. Now with the inflated used car market, these are becoming collectors items. That white one at 6:51, was actually 20min from my house here in Melb. I looked at it in person, and told the owner I'd need time to think about it. 2 weeks later, he sold it to someone else. They dont make v8 sedans or utes like these anymore!

Good honest review👍. The exhaust has a nice bark & note to it. I don't mind the Quad lights on the AU ute, it looks better than a stock AU. I might be a little biased too, because my first car, a Ford laser tx3 had Quad headlights & I like the Celica GT-Four also.

Ummm what. I literally had a dream last night that you reviewed this and here we are

Very Nice Video showing the good and bad points of the AU, I have the exact model you were driving in the video. Just under curiosity, what exhaust system is installed on that bad boy? That system gives it a nice note.

Good review ,I liked them from day one only in xr not std and they have a big following now ,i race one 185 kw chipped and thats it and she is so reliable and strong under some good thrashings and street circuits :)

Great vid as always, up the au

love it mate.. got a black one myself on the build.....

Great review dude. Makes me appreciate the XR8 AU more.

Probably my favorite. Although I do have the FG R-spec Pursuit Ltd I also have 2 AU XR8 utes (both manual) in this colour (Galaxy Blue). I also have an XR6 ute but hey... not the same. I also have a matching trailer with tool box & electric brakes. I just love the look of the AU XR8 ute & the way they 'feel' & look inside just has soul.. personality.. something. Great utes. Can't wait to show them off once they're painted & 'finished'.

Imagine if the pursuit Ute 250 got the T3 front 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤

Great video

I’m the lucky one who recently bought 2010 FG Falcon XR8 Ute, it’s got purple vinyl wrap which is done by the previous owner, it’s only travelled 83k odometer so far and I’m very enjoyed driving it daily, yes the gas price today is crazy but still like to drive it everyday to work, I have to say this is a great car built in this country but a few disappointed things I would like to say, the engine is boss 290 5.4L NA but it DOES NOT make you feel it’s a fast and powerful car, acceleration is bit of slow to its stock power, I have to smash down to the gas paddle every time but it still feel bit of slow, second thing I would say is the sound and exhaust is very Quiet, again it doesn’t make you feel that you are driving a big V8. I guess I am used to it since I bought it. You a lot of attention and appreciation from other people when I behind the traffic light 😂 but again to my opinion I would say it should come more aggressive for car like that, especially the engine name is called Boss 290 you know. But overall it’s a lovely car to drive and it’s very reliable.

great vid Ross! great car! It was actually all Aussie which is great. I also laugh at the ba fans because the pilers, windows and doors are the same lol and the 5.o litre sounds unreal! the AU has certainly agre the best imo. thanks again for the vid mate.

Great review Jono! Even though I said last night I'd tune in for the live viewing, life got in the way, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. That particular example is a credit to the owner, its been wonderfully looked after. Not everyone is a fan of the AU, but give them a choice between a forte and a XR? Pretty sure XR's will triumph! Cheers for sharing mate.... Leafs

Hi, enjoying the AU reviews. Sold my Series 2 XR8 manual ute to my neighbor in 2016 when i bought a BF F6 auto ute, i bought the AU back 18 months later for $1500 less and sold the F6. The AU handled better (same kms) than the F6 which surprised me. F6 is way quicker but i preferred the old school feel of the V8 and manual.

Great review johnny👍 the AU XR model's are awesome in my opinion but surely it will do 7s my old EB XR6 does it in 7.8 seconds

I live in Europe and Australian cars were always a bit of a mystery to me. This is the first time I'm seeing this AU XR8. It looks truly unique. I could imagine it rolling in the streets of Europe, it would be a real head-turner. Great video.

I loved how the tick fords you reviewed looked, tbh im the same, I prefer the standard au look over the XR kit

I still love the front of these, ever since I seen the VT and AU on the Need for Speed High Stakes game on PS1

You should review a FPV F6X

The dash and controls are brilliant

A good example of not judging a book by its cover.

Great one Johnny,sounds great goes pretty good & in mint condition & they go forever,but I still don't like their look lol,but I will say the front end on the Ute looks more suited than on the sedan as you've stated,each to their own but the best looking later model Fords in my opinion is the BF & FG MK1,Mk2 still nice but a bigger bottom grille full of plastic,FGX looks like a platypus front on lol,don't get me wrong though I'd own a turbo sprint tomorrow if I could & you're killing it mate best show on the net buddy.

The AU , and yes I do own one for coming up on 18 years is ridiculously reliable , It's that good . I would pretty confidently say that there would be more AU's plying the roads for it's age than any other car bar none . They are literally everywhere , And they are very loved by anybody who knows them . My series 2 Futura with the all black interior except the headlining of course still looks good , bloody comfortable and rides beautifully on pretty much any road . She needs a paint job because the Liquid Silver has faded somewhat in recent years but everything works . The SOHC Intech 4.0 inline 6 has tons of pull and the BTR Auto never does anything wrong . I did take out the factory Radio /CD and put in an aftermarket one with USB for devices but that's about it for mods . She's got the classy 18 spoke factory alloys and the spare is exactly the same ..And I do love the look of the AU and they have aged rather well in my humble opinion ...Great review as always ...keep them coming .. See if you can get hold of a AU Fairmont Ghia ...They are really nice ..

Best looking au by far imo love these utes. And the Ford 5ltr engines sound so good

Neat vid! Love an AU. I have an AU ute that I've turned into a police divvy, sillitoe down the side, 4 external cameras, lights, sirens, gadgets, laptop inside, painted a lot of it gloss black too :) Falcon_147 for the full build. Keep doing vids mate!

I had 1.3m km on my AUII Fairlane and sold it running with no faults (cost a bomb in maintenance over the years I had it though). They really were well engineered and some of the best Aussie made cars! Would love to see a review on a TL50 but they are almost impossible to find now.

Good work.

I have a AU 2002 Series 2 XR8 in Congo Green just ticked over 102,000 kms. I' ve had it 6.5 yrs and had 78,000 when i bought it off a cool older dude who was about 74 yrs old then, awesome car. Only mod i've done is after market extractors and exhaust other than that the thing is stock.

GODDDDDDDDD THE XR8 SOUNDS SOOO GOOD I HAVE A RED XR6 CAN NOT WAIT TO BE 18 TO DRIVE IT

If the front end of the AU was better designed it would have been a winner in it's day. The whole design is actually quite reasonable when you take the time to ponder it. But the legacy of the AU is in it's front end more specifically the lights, not in it's rear or any other aspect of the design. The front end can be made to look good (TE50 kit for example) but ultimately if the base model is not pleasing to the eye, the car's reputation is gonna suffer. It didn't help that at the time the VT Commy was cruising around, which I admit is a comparatively great design. I still love my AU though!

Here in Auckland where I'm from mate when that Falcon AU XR8 drive pass on the street the oldies be like yeah bro mean car brother

Man , had my chances to buy one but never pulled the trigger 😱Kicking myself. Nice review bro.

the Tickford and XR AUs looked great

Dude my dad loves au’s he’s always looking for More

I've got an all original au xr6 tickford with only 119.000ks in really good condition in white what you reckon could sell it for sedan

I got a 220 KW x cop car with a calibratable speedo dash, not the XR dash. Good torquey motor its waiting for a nice cam and a tidy up. I like it.

Never had thought the AU was ugly myself, have liked them since i first saw them. First time i was in one, was a series 2 or 3 AU Futura sedan a relative of mine had 20 years back. Then in about 2009 or so i think, one of my cousins had a red AU XR8 ute, not sure what series it was but went for a run in it one day with him, and it certainly was a good time that day. So yes, some might not like the look of it as much, but i've always thought it's a nice one. And this ute certainly is a nice one as well.

You need to review the 250 pursuit Ute

Here in Sydney and regional NSW you don't see many equivalent VT/VX Commodore on the road but still heaps of AU Falcon (I, II & III) still on the road doing there thing, overall the AU Falcon was the better of the two in the long term but that has always been the case with Falcon since the at least XE Falcon of 1982 onwards over the now decades even with the FG and FGX (due to Police force in each state/territory).

Au xr models look great still i personally luv the look of em.and there comfortable ive owned one in ute form.my drive now is fgx xr6 turbo ute but still luv the look oof these things

I have a series 3 xr8 sedan in an auto. I have personally done the 0 to 100km it does do it as ford have claimed in 6 and half seconds. The utes have traction issues due to the leaf suspension setup. Great video buy the way. 👍

Nice one , my XR auto 4 speed works for a living, hasn't missed a beat in about 5 years great tow truck 285000 km no sign of giving up yet,..

I'm a Holden Man but i don't care what anyone says i like the AU & it's front end and yes your right it was ahead of its time even graig Lowndes said the same some years back, my only grumble is ford fucked up getting rid of the Cleveland and yes i no but im just a Cleveland 4V HEAD lover when it comes to ford power. Did you visit brockys memorial while you where out there and the actual crash site, i was out there just two weekends ago with my neighbor for a visit while visiting a friend. I recognized two water tanks where you parked and some other markers. Nice road A MATE. Hope im right. It was giggi yeah. 😎👍😁✌👊🇦🇺

The xr Au falcons always look great even back when they come out in my opinion

damn!!! i was really hopeful of my Au xr8 ute filling the slot as the first of this model to get reviewed on here... :-( Mr Reviews when are you looking to do some reviews in the eastern states if at all? i had been contemplating getting a small group of friends together whom are interested in having you review their rides. Those of whom that are also partial to the notion of throwing in on a sort of support package type scenario that could possibly eliminate or at least help to alleviate the bulk of the expense of your travel and stay were you to actually visit us in our town. Regardless of weather said support is in the form of a direct input toward the total expenses of your stay or even an offer of personal support to provide accommodate to you for the duration of your stay completely free from any charge, or even the possibility that one could be very capable of supplying you with some mode of transportation for you to use as your wheels during your visit. Either way I know that id be able to get the guys/girls with the right connections and understanding attitudes on board with it in order to make it all happen. Question is however is this something you would be open to? Regards Jayp.

Can you try to get au1 xr8 sedan. Wanna see if it’s worth it for me because I want it on my p’s. in nsw we have limits. Au1 only has 185kw

I used to own one of these in the exact same colour. I fitted a powerdyne supercharger, bigger injectors, fuel pump, water/methanol spray, extractors and exhaust with an SCT Flash tune. It certainly woke the lil Windsor up! It wasn't crazy power (around 250kw at the wheels), but fark it was fun to drive! Hell dangerous in the wet around corners!

got my 2000 model au xr8 ute, manual for $4000 in great condition not a scratch on it in january 2020 just before covid took off

What do ya rekon Ross, sound and performance wise? Your old ute or this one?

Such a cult car.. I agree that s2 utes should have had the 220.. great review on a even better ford.. I believe they haven’t hit there peak yet..

You still gotta try an Au tickford v6 they just seem to deliver extra power at 4 grande revs, they are very fun to throw around.

I had an XR8, zero issues in 5 years before I sold it. Other than some Koni's it did everything very well. It handled insane. Sure power was very mild but the little Windsor with not much effort can be a mighty mouse. They should always wear a girdle. I have a BA GT now but I've considered getting an AU V8 ute as a driver.

I've got an el Fairmont Ghia with a 5 L only 173000km on her. Full stainless steel from headers...... U can't beat the throaty sound they put out a real head turner....

My Utes a 2001 AU XR8 stoked to a 347 cammed and running a vortec supercharger at 7psi Little more than 200kw haha Oh and full T series seats interior/momo wheel/knob etc

Scored myself a S3 AU XR8 flat tray thanks to my dad 👍 Resto soon. She's black to

I had a series 3 AU. Very comfy and solidly built. Just weird design. Everything was round and bubbly inside.

AUII XR6 VCT's are equally as expensive right now as well.

Swapped a shitty magna and $4500 to get a series 3 ute in great condition 2 years ago. Got it cammed, new exhaust and i fucking love it!

fun fact these r p plate legal in nsw

gotta love the sound of a Winsor 'Baby 8' On start up owned mine since 2012 bought it with 104ks currently on just under 130ks yep i dont drive it much, only regret is it didnt recieve the 220kw like the sedans got, Oh well 200kw isnt to bad i guess.

The head lights look great it grows on you

According to Wheels magazine back when the AU was released, the original AU design by Ford Aus was a stunner before Ford USA got involved!

Au means gold in the periodic table

I had an auto, it lost reverse, besides that I loved it

I reckon the quad headlight models look good 👍🏼

I think the au xrs looked awesome!

My dad was as a tradie bought his Ford au brand new in 2001 he sold in 2011 with 400000k’s great ripper of a Ute fuckin flys too

Love the sounds. Too bad you can’t drive v8 in your p plates (at least in qld)

I always liked the XR front , but always disliked the rear of the sedans . And the dash was a shocker with that big circle in the middle

Looks like a cleaner version of my one!😂

"quite a nice AU going by" is something I never thought I would hear.

Ya cant spell beautiful without AU!

Do people actually find the AUs ugly other than series 1 forte? I think the xr's look super tough. Xr8 trayback utes look awesome. The interior is a bit lame that's all. In my opinion the VT looks like a big ugly bubble.

#bowdensown videos are great mate 🤙

Pretty good fuel economy on the freeway. Not so much around town. I get 800kms out of every tank 99% freeway at 110kmh. Mines manual too

I had 2001 Au series 2 XR8 Ute, was the best car I had, wish I never get rid of it

AU XR are one of the best looking falcons hands down