2009 FPV F6 310 Road Test Review

Acceleration from a standing start is phenomenal. Like a jet, the turbo relentlessly builds boost between gears, topping out a little north of 6,000rpm.

Your senses cop a pounding. The turbo whines, the waste-gate flutters as it dumps excess boost on gear changes, the induction roar is glorious and you very rapidly find the legal limit.

What really impresses is the F6’s mid-range punch. Forget those big capacity V8 competitors because nothing that we have driven can match the F6’s ability once on the move (or even from a standstill for that matter).

Bump the shifter across to sports mode, nail the throttle and the effect is instant and vicious as the ZF drops down a couple of gears, dropping the big six right into its torque-laden sweet spot.

Where the FPV GT feels like a brawny grand tourer, the F6 feels nimble and lithe.

That ‘feel’ is largely because the F6’s powerplant is lighter and sits lower in the engine bay than the GT’s. As a result, the F6’s front dampers have an easier life than those in the GT and the handling is better balanced.

For a big sedan, the F6 inspires confidence when cornering with excellent turn-in, minimal body-roll and good feel through the wheel. Like all of our big Aussie performance sedans, the F6’s chassis is no technological tour-de-force, but it is certainly highly effective.

For the majority of driving situations, the F6 displays a composed ride and predictable handling, only rail crossings and patchy bitumen will ruffle its feathers and send a little unwanted feedback to the driver through the wheel: but just enough to remind you that this is a performance sedan first and foremost.

That’s the refined Dr Jekyll in the F6 equation.

In true F6 tradition, Mr Hyde though is never far away and he demands your full attention.

The F6 is perfectly capable of scaring the pants off a ham-fisted or clog-footed driver. While it is substantially better to drive than its less well-sorted predecessors (overall a smoother and more predictable power delivery), it can be thoroughly brutal in the way it delivers that truck-load of torque… a quality that will appeal to some, and intimidate others.

Get this beast on boost mid-corner and there is potential for disaster, that’s just ‘physics 101’ when you have 565Nm arriving at the rear wheels in a rush. That mighty boosted six can and does carry a whip hand to the rear rubber and stability control systems, especially in the wet.

For the inexperienced who fail to exercise restraint, piloting the F6 can be a white knuckled ride.

The Verdict

Urban myth, a Jekyll and Hyde, a legend in the making, the F6 is all of those and more.

On the one hand, it is capable of lulling you into a perfectly comfortable sense of security on the daily commute. It can even have you questioning your $65k spend.

On the other hand, a rush of adrenalin, excitement and even fear are just a flex of the right foot away.

Is it better than a GT or R8? Well that depends on how you like your power delivered. It is dynamically superior to the FPV GT, on par with the Clubsport R8 and faster than both.

For some, bragging rights will be enough and the F6 will be their only choice. They’ll most likely be full-time family men and part-time adrenalin junkies.

Cashed up younger men will ‘understand’ the F6, they’ll appreciate its street cred and most likely have been brought up on a diet of turbo-charged Japanese grey imports.

The F6 will be their only choice of Australian performance sedan in this price bracket, a V8 would just be too old fashioned.

Then there are the ‘over 40’s’. Brought up on a diet of Aussie V8s, there will be some who will buy it simply because having the hottest ride in town is important in itself. Others will be content to respect it from a distance, safe behind the wheel of their ‘slower’ GT or R8.

Out on the road, they’ll give the F6 a wide berth, because with age comes wisdom.

In a few years, the straight-six powered F6 is to be consigned to history. Take a walk on the wild side and grab one while you still can.

Likes

• Cool streetfighter looks
• Brilliant drivetrain
• Big torque
• Brutal performance
• Highly effective (optional) brake package
• Refined and capable handling
• Adjustable pedal box (optional in auto only)

Dislikes

• Can feel like a Falcon in everyday driving

[Photography by Joel Strickland]