@@Paul-um6pi Trust me, I would if I could, but my budget's looking more like an AU currently. and given their present value, I think they're also a reasonable investment.
By far the most insane fun you can have for 60 grand in Aus! I brought an FG X in 2015, first and only new car I've owned so far. 5.5 Years of basically daily driving (minus 3 months in panel shops when a plastic esky almost brought it to its end, pretty sure that incident saved her from 900km a week of driving at that point) and 63,000km later I still can't wipe the smile off my face when I get in. During her time off the road I had the privilege of running around in a 4.7L Twin Turbo Mercedes-Benz V8. (For a few weeks until the insurance broker wised up and advised me I wasn't covered to drive it while under 25 years old ..... oddly enough no issues driving a Supercharged V8 @ 22 years old but a Twin Turbo V8 Merc was a no-no.). Merc couldn't hold a candle to the XR8 in the get up and go or noise department. I've retired the XR8 to just occasional driving in March this year, normally only comes out on Sunday's now, and the occasional day when I deem it necessary to brighten my day.
You Australians made some beast of cars. Falcon FG XR8 Falcon XR8 Sprint Monaro VE Commodore VF1 and VF2 Commodore SSV Redline HSV GTSR W1 While the US got the Monaro and the VE Commodore as the Pontiac GTO and Pontiac G8/G8 GT/G8 GXP and the VF1/VF2 Commodore SSV Redline as the Chevrolet SS Sedan (which is the car I currently own here in the US and I am grateful and thankful for this car your country has decided to share with me and those of us others in the US who own either these 3 cars), it sucks we never got the supercharged version of the VF2 Commodore SSV, the HSV GTSR W1 which I feel should've been our final model year version of the Chevrolet SS Sedan with the supercharged LS9 engine, nor have we ever had the newer modern-day Falcon XR8's in North America either. The Falcon XR8's could've, would've, and should've been the answer those of us looking for a Mustang in a 4-door sedan in the US with a manual transmission and the FG XR8 and XR8 Sprint could've, would've, and should've been the car Ford North America should've gotten from Ford Australia to do so. There are certain cars that you folks from Down Under just do better than here in the US even if the V8s are all or mostly killed off; the domestic 3 in the US should take notes from you and learn to listen to us for once and give us cool cars like this that would've helped boost your sales down there and even bring back the Falcon name in the US on behalf of you all in Australia.
As an American, I can say that this was the most American sedan that was never sold in America. It was full-size with a V8 and RWD. Those are classic American sedan specs but out of all such cars with such specs not sold in America ever made (as far as I know), this one stood out because it was made by an American brand, that being Ford whereas the rest were non-American brands. Hard to believe the last “true” American sedan by Ford wasn’t sold in America even eight years after discontinuation. Luckily, the recently rendered Mustang Mach-4 may be virtually identical to the Falcon and it could act as an indirect successor to it for those Down Under. Not only that, America will finally see a proper American sedan again since the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 were discontinued. Finally, the Falcon had sedan, pickup and station wagon forms. I couldn’t help but think of them as the Australian counterparts of the Crown Vic, Ranchero and Country Squire, respectively.
Excellent and honest review, Ross. Having driven a new XR8 and one that was run in with 10,000klms, the difference in power feels like night and day! The one with 10,000klms felt like it had been tuned, it’s that noticeable.
really! that's interesting i think your right tho.. does take a bit of time before everything settles n starts working full go.. ok now i need to review another one with higher kms haha
We've got a standard FGX XR8 and it really is amazing how much you get for the money. Just with custom catback exhaust, K&N filter and a tune it makes 550HP AT THE WHEELS Give you a little more info on these engines, in first gear the power is limited to 50%, in second its 70% and onwards it goes to 100% when stock. Ours is tuned to 70% in first gear and it cooks the tyres.
A fantastic review. Nothing can come close to the last Falcon V8 and 6cyl Turbo. It's a pity Ford US wouldn't approve more money to put into updating the interior. Australian motorists cannot have another vehicle like the Falcon. Wish I could find one that hasn't been thrashed. Have a great day.
All the dislikes are from Commodore owners who get smoked by this beast. A true Aussie muscle car. It's such a shame that they don't make cars in Oz like this anymore. Nice review mate.
Is that the stock exhaust? That’s sweet if it is! Only complaint I have about my 6.0 Calais is that it’s too quiet even with a 3” cat back. Apparently I now need headers and cats! Approx $2k to have my Holden V8 sound like a V8! Give me a break.
@@chris929rr7 Pretty sure it's stock, those FGX falcons have bimodal exhaust from factory, when ya step on it it opens everything up let's it breath better and sound better. Sucks how modern V8s aren't given the exhaust they should have but not gonna lie when I love the sound of a big 6.2 Holden with a proper exhaust even though I'm like Falcons.
Seeing the last and very best of Australian made vehicles brings a smile, but knowing I’ll never be able to own one of these brand new not gunna lie, it hurts!
Ross Reviews you and me both mate, You’re more Aussie than most of us, doing us proud sharing the Aussie pride! I just want Australians to support Australia again!
Not brand new no but 2nd hand you can still enjoy all our great cars mate. I have never bought a brand new car in my life but when I buy a 2nd hand car it's new to me.
@@mikenolan3060 yeh i know mate but I'm too bloody suspicious that the previous owner was indeed a petrol head like me and secretly thrashed the thing when they thought no one was looking.
Hi, I have the auto version of the review car in the same Kinetic blue as my daily driver and still love how it drives, with not a squeak or rattle anywhere. It has 130,000km's coming up, much to some peoples horror, but it's so much better than looking at it in a garage waiting for a fine Sunday. The XR8 Sprint was actually 345 kw and the standard XR8 was 335 kw, plus a 10 second overboost to over 400KW that reboosts each gearchange for up to another 10 seconds ( good luck with your licence if you go flat out in all six gears and can find enough road). Acceleration from 80-120kph is only 2.4 seconds which is quicker than many at much higher prices.
they are an amazing car! i loved this xr8 sprint more than the XR6 sprint.. (i love the barra) but the noise from the Miami V8! and the 6 MT just made me say yup id pick this one
Something about that grill, in terms of looks its quite subtle, not over the top and not boring either, but honestly great car, those headlights are amazing, love em, that bonnet bulge takes me back to the ba falcon i think that had the bulge on the xr series, the simplicity of the look gets me, if anything i think its the colour of the rims id change maybe i dunno id have to see
They really sorted the styling out for the FG-X, using that Ford corporate face ('borrowed' from Aston Martin) and the Jaguar XF-style rear end. Since the original FG from 2008 styling was just a bland rehash of the BA-BF, which many people didn't like. They'd have done a lot better putting something like this out earlier, and not being so conservative in the looks department. RIP Ford Falcon, what a fantastic car it was.
Such a shame Ford abandoned the Falcon... My dad has owned Falcons all my life, I own a MK2 BA Fairmont and would love to upgrade to one of these! I've been driving or driven around in Falcons for all my 40 years, it makes me sad that there won't be any more.
@@RossReviewsau That's a tough one! Both so good! I think with the Australian heritage behind the barra makes it quite desirable. So I think I'd go XR6 Sprint but only by a tiny hair lol
XR8 Sprint just over the 6 solely because of the manual option. Owned both and got rid of the XR6 Sprint as level of engagement was slightly lower due to auto and quieter.
@@Rooster1717 it really was the deciding factor for me.. love the barra my fav engine but.. god that XR8 Sprint (manual) was just so good n really engaging
@@XxSCaaRyFiEnDxX this is a really fair call.. i love the Barra the most but in the end i couldn't pass up the V8, Supercharged, MANUAL! like you said tho just by a hair lol
Looks like you are having a lot of fun. Also for us looking at a computer screen it looks like a lot of fun. 14L/100 is not bad for something that delivers such driving pleasure.
Watching these videos by Ross the thing that tares my heart out is the fact we will never see their like again, and I refer to Holden and Ford. The cars I grew up with. I have no preference Ford or Holden, for me it's just a huge kick in the guts that part of our DNA has been taken away from us. So thank you Ross for keeping the spirit alive. RIP Ford/Holden I miss you both.
I’m onto my second FGX XR8 manual this one only has 17,000ks and I’m doing the exhaust, Shockworks suspension and a Herrod tune of 400kw they are awesome cars smiles per K can’t beat them 🤪
another good review, love the local content. The Sprint actually has 345kW in non-overboost (10kW more than the GT/XR8). The Miami is a great engine but i wonder how it deals with aussie heat without an intercooler. Aftermarket water/air intercooler would be a must I reckon.
glad you enjoying the content :) it seemed to cope well but it wasn't that hot of a day when i drove it.. australian conditions def would recommend a intercooler for any performance car
They modified the cooling system in the miami/ coyote block here in Australia for cooling a company called premcar formally FPV were developing an intercooler set up for this block but couldn't get it released in time before ford shut the doors they did release the package 1 year ago under premcar look them up if younand tonread the stats etc www.premcarholygrail.com
All Miami’s are the same engine wise, the only difference is the throttle restriction. So simply with the right laptop one can turn the 315kw Miami into a 351kw Miami. Or if you remove the throttle restriction entirely you get way over 450kw. But then gearbox, diff, tyre issues come into play.
Everytime I see these Sprint's I want one even more! very weird that they only came in a few colours.I'd like to see you review the FGX Sprint XR8 'Wholy Grail',If you can get hold of one to review!,
You almost did ..in a fashion . There was a time when they were seriously being considered as cop cars and then after they were retired from service like the Caprice PPV's (Commodore VE) they would have slowly become available...That would have been great .. I'm still surprised that on the back of the success of the G8 and Chevy SS and the PPV's that more Americans aren't looking at importing a few Australian built Falcons even with the silly 25 year old rule ...The newest Falcon in 2021 that would be importable without trouble would be a 1997 EL but a EB , ED from the mid 90's with the V8 and manual or the beaut 4-0 inline 6 SOHC that is essentially what the Barra originated from would be pretty cool ...Check out the Ford Falcon EB GT especially ..That's one handsome car ....Cheers
Wow - that's a very rare and low KM car - looks like it hasn't been fully dealer delivered as yet. Lucky that you were able to drive that one. Great stuff.
i always felt when ford left and discontinued the falcon they never really gave it a proper send off like the commodore got with the GTSR W1 it would have been nice to see the Falcon both get a old school send off like bringing back the GT-HO and really go nuts with it
100% agree, XR8 Sprint and I would personally buy the BFmk2 XR6 turbo, but that's me as I had BA mk2 XR6 turbo, difference was 4 speed auto but did gain the 6 speed manual and the BFmk2 xr6T used the ZF gearbox 6 speed auto
Would love to see you do a review with both the XR8 Sprint vs GTRS W1 as both cars represent what Ford & Holden considered a send off tribute and put everything into these cars, maybe a track day/drag.
@@EnkeiTenjin agree it wouldn't be much of a competition i think the Sprint vs a LSA is probably more appropriate.. haven't been in a GTSR yet so not sure how that would stack up
The sound track is superb. Great recording. I played it a few times to listen to it. Plenty of Snap, Crackle and Pop on the overrun. I wonder if it would show a bit of flame from the quad pipes at night time? Styling is muted, no stripes or engine capacity badges - like my BA, which is plain silver, and only has the "Boss" decals on the bonnet bulge. All the better to not attract the attention of Five O.
easily one of the best sounding modern V8s ever in my opinion! Im sure it wouldn't be hard to get some flam action in these.. im told these cars really do fly under the radar.. gets no attention but has all the power n speed
Not gonna get flame with the stock exhaust mate. The cats will stop any of that. No cats yeah for sure, E85 and it’s flame on haha. TBH I thought when I first got one that the stock exhaust was ok with the bi model disconnected. Fast forward years down the track and with a Twin 3” Manta, high flow cats and a tune coming in at 419RwKw the standard exhaust I’m sorry to say is lame. These cars have so much more potential from factory. With the right mods it is the angriest sounding 5L V8 I’ve ever heard and absolutely flys.
Your first 16 seconds summed it up, here in America we are pissed this car never came here like are they stupid... where is the home of V8 sedan's such as this and Ford never sent it here... Now the Dodge charger is eating their lunch money
Love my Sprint, would never sell it as it always puts a smile on my face. I put a after market stereo(stock one is pure shit and criminal that ford didn't put a decent one in from Harman Kardon etc ) and a full 3inch Manta catback in. Pisses me off no more Falcon or Holden/Commodore in Aus anymore. XR8 Sprint is a pig to launch off the line as it needs bigger tyres, what is crazy the Miami engine is able to put another 100+hp out with ease with very few upgrades and a good tune but ford lacked any real funding for the FGX Sprint and it shows they cut corners.
far out m8 very nice! yes the miami is so over engineered criminal! tune and a exhaust easy 100HP n im addicted to the sound of it eh.. is a shame Aus stopped production of these amazing machines :(
Can I ask what aftermarket stereo you put in? I just picked up an FGX G6E Turbo and really hating the head unit while loving the rest of the car, but can't seem to find any that fit the car. All I want is a modern head unit with Apple car play and it'll be the perfect car!
Poor sales. Nobody has monies to buy and maintain these anymore. Rent is just too damn high and takes about 30-50% of most peoples salaries even after tax.
@@SSchithFoo Umm, they all sold out before release mate. Plenty of us who work hard, paid our house off, and now are in the position to buy a nice car. It is all about priorities.
Ross ,Ford USA only gave FORD AUS a buget of $110,000,0<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="0">00:00</a> to up grade the falcon and territory and thats why the interior was never updated
yes.. sounds like a lot of money but in the car game.. especially in Australia (high pay) was not enough to fully revamp the car.. personally tho i love what they did with the money they got.. interior should be last on the list
Ross Reviews i agree , imagine if Ford US had given Ford AUSTRALIA $500,000,000:00 like GM did with Holden for the VF Commadore , could been a much better car. ps love your reviews
Sorry to correct you Ross but the FGX XR8 SPRINT is rated to 345 Kw and 575 Nm. But what I did learn from your thorough review is that the XR8's rims are based from the FPV GT-E and FPV F6-E. 😶
Is it using 9&1/2 rubber in the rear? I own a good GT limited edition with 8's all round & so hell running is a BLAST, only one problem dealer ship Mechanic's R USELESS & 2 find someone who Cares is a GOD SEND
Good on ya Mate ! Great Review ,possibly the best yet ? And my pick also ,Love this Car,Love this Engine ,Love this Gearbox ! Clean Lines ,Shape & a Real Sleeper ? Beware ,all U fools ? Beautiful !
it was a bit of a frankenstein but lets remember ford australia was going down the tube at that point n the fact they even made them at all i think we should be grateful for.. its not perfect but god its good to drive
way more engaging driving the manual but that's just me.. they reckon the manual is faster off the line in the hands of a pro.. but ya auto is the easiest way to beat quarter mile times
Bud, you didn't use the launch control feature again? I am not sure how to engage it in the manual, as mines auto ... but it definitely has it. Fair enough it's not run in though. 👍 I respect a man that respects his cars
yes i always try n use it if the owners don't mind.. but this only having done 400kms i didn't want to risk it. next V8 review i tested the launch control :) tho it didn't really work haha just left massive black lines down the road 🤫
The standard XR8 is better car than the sprint. Unfortunately they softened the suspension on the sprints a little, which was unfortunate. Probably more liveable day to day though. The standard XR8 is a GT-F in different clothes. These cars must be driven hard. Luckily I live in the bush haha. The Sprint is more collectible. Swings and roundabouts.
The FGX styling came from the global ford design language at the time which came from the Evos Concept car that was released in 2011. Therefore, most Ford products took visual cues from this design.
nice car mechanically but not much thought was put into the dashboard on these cars, in my opinion doesn't look much different than the earlier ford falcon dashes.. exterior looks nice.
Fg-X xr6 Ute daily driven..even with a new battery. leave it 3+ days it needs jump-starting. Simple car is the perfect way to describe its features, very basic for the year. Traction control button that you must push in the correct machine gun 3 finger sequence to stop it going Into burrrr slow-mo mode is a pain if you start to become bogged on wet grass. If you can't get a simple button to work in time & give you some drive.. it can make you get bogged. Cup holder's that seem to be perfectly engineered too tip a Large takeaway cup contents out into your lap ..first corner after the drive thru 🤣 has Xf spec turning circle. looks like a big Mondeo without any driving lights & the buldge she's a bit boring imo. But I'd still drive it. Better than a Ran-Gerr any day 😆
Great review again Johnny mate,very nice car but for me the fg mk1 still has the best look ever,but of course if i had a spare lazy 60 grand in my hand I'd buy one & have the same reaction you had on your face at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="606">10:06</a> wooo hooo lol,ok looking forward to your next vid take care man.
Hey love your channel mate. Quick question. How come the xr8 sprint doesn't have a boost gauge on the instrument cluster? Why would Ford have not included that? Thanks for having a great channel!
hey thanks for being a fan glad you are enjoying the channel.. no clue about the boost gauge lol i think they just really didn't change much from the regular xr8... n unfortunately they had to cut costs with this Sprint just to get it out to production..
@@RossReviewsau Sorry man my bad haha Yeah I have checked out some might have to sub for sure. How long have you been In Australia for? I'm from Adelaide we have some insane cars down my way if your ever down here
@@wtfisthis2316 cheers for checking the channel out hope you will consider subscribing :) been in Aus for nearly 10 years now.. hoping to travel soon for reviews so might catch up with ya one day there
@@RossReviewsau yeah definitely subbing man, yeah if your ever in Adelaide hit me up, I'll hook u up with some cars to check out for ya channel..know plenty of people may even be able to check out my build it's not finished yet but I have a vs commodore was a supercharged 6 but I just bought an lsa for it and looking for a 6 speed manual. Will be in paint shop in a few months brandy wine is the plan. I have a mate with a Ferrari the only wide body one we know of in Adelaide. Maybe he might let ya check it out if your ever here? 10 years your pretty much an Aussie now lol loving ya channel mate I'm sure it will grow and grow. Keep it up
@@wtfisthis2316 much appreciated m8! sounds good would love to check out your cars.. wow widebody ferrari.. epic! yeh i call this awesome country home now.. very lucky more vids on the way
depends on what you want from it.. i honestly prefer the XR8 because it was manual and the sound was SO GOOD.. but the Barra is amazing and felt faster once in boost.. worth another 10G hard call lol if your not fussed with auto get the barra.. if you love a manual you better get the XR8
As an American its seems that all of Fords best cars never made it to America. The Falcon, the rs2000, the codsworth, the classic escort. I mean what it is Ford doing! How could such a legendary car company with so much heritage act so foolishly. It makes me so upset.
100% agree as someone who used to live in north america literally only the pickup trucks where good from ford.. the aussie cars are simply insane and really surprised me when i moved here how good there auto industry was up until it collapsed in 2016-2017
How do you think we feel? These things will never return. I'm one of the lucky few to have one in my garage. It sucks I agree. Funny thing is, nobody looks twice, they have no idea what lurks underneath. 300km/h taxis. No shit.
i would take the sprint.. just the rare factor and the extra kws.. it is tough tho as the GT does look a bit more special.. Sprint is def quicker.. tho wouldn't feel a whole lot different
Best name.. Ford falcon XR8 sprint.. this right here is the perfection where Aussie cars where built at.. same with the VF holden range.. Aussie production.. and we F it all up.. All gone... after Holden closing i just haven't felt the same driving my VF.. i love it but yeah really knocked me....Great video keep doing what your doing.. keep the history alive . Not one to promote but Nvidia asked me to do a tribute video. its forza to holden- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ipvo1KF6ueg.html
@@RossReviewsau Always found it odd. Yes we are smaller then some of the big players but the quality was 100% but legit some people.. especially the states have no idea we even make cars...
