- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 2 seats
- Engine
4.0i, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
164kW, 366Nm
- Fuel
NA
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Cattle dogs optional
PIGEONHOLE: Updated Aussie icon from the original (circa 1934) inventors of the trayback.
PHILOSOPHY: Humble underneath, the XR6 is Ford's ute in a suit.
WHO'S BUYING IT: Already No 1 on the wish list for any B&S Ball but city blokes, too, fancy the combination of looks and load. Redefines what the Yanks call the sports ute.
WHY YOU'D BUY IT: Passenger car manners combined with a whopper tray. Ride and handling are well developed. It's comfortable and accurate to drive, has loads of eye appeal and a sharp price tag.
WHY YOU WOULDN'T: Seats only two because there's no extended-cab version. Tail end can be flighty if there's no weight in the back. Cattle dogs may follow you home.
STANDARD EQUIPMENT: The big style appeal comes from alloy 17-inch wheels with low-profile tyres. Then there's a tonneau cover with steel bow supports, tray liner, body-coloured bumpers and mirrors, power windows, electric door mirrors, steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise control switches, and a country mile of options. These include a polished, highly decorative alloy bar for the tray, motorcycle tie-downs and a cabin tidy that stows behind the seats. M-a-a-t-e!
SAFETY: Driver's airbag only. Why? Isn't the passenger important? Anti-lock brakes. The frontal crush zone is the same as the Falcon sedan, so crash standards should meet passenger car, not commercial vehicle, levels.
CABIN: Bigger inside than any previous Falcon ute, with lots of room for the Akubra, extended rearwards seat travel, more hip and shoulder room, plus an extra 400mm of storage space (complete with cargo nets) behind the seats. Comfort is a strong point.
SEATING: Well-bolstered sports versions of the standard Falcon buckets do a good job even for beefy blokes.
ENGINE: Warmed-over 164kW version of the Falcon six cylinder is notable for its smooth, torque-rich mid-range delivery. While it might sound a little raucous in a sedan, it feels and sounds right in this ute.
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual or four-speed electronically controlled auto. While the manual is no smooth-as-butter shifter, it's a good match for the rugged versatility of the ute. With a $500 limited-slip differential, it'd be perfect for a bit of circle work.
STEERING: Aggressive tyres help, but the rack-and-pinion system is accurate and reasonably fast, with just 3.1 turns lock to lock. The turning circle is on the large side at 11.5 metres, but parking efforts are low.
HANDLING: Expectations of a ute with leaf springs under the back may not be high, but the reality is a pleasant surprise. The system may be so old it needs carbon dating, but the latest refinements have produced new polish. You can almost drive it like a car except on a wet or gravel road with an empty tray. Then, the tail can come unglued. Nothing a few cement bags or a 44-gallon barrel of diesel wouldn't fix.
FUEL: Long-range 82-litre tank (up 20 litres) is a welcome addition. With manual transmission, driven in a combination of city and country road driving over 800km, the XR6 ute returned an outstanding figure of just over 10 litres/100km.
BRAKES: Four-wheel discs with anti-lock are fine for most work. How they'd handle three-quarters of a tonne in the back down a mountain pass is open to question. Brakes have never been Falcon's best point.
BUILD: Superior to Holden's often roughly finished Commodore ute. Well painted and assembled, the test car's trim was better finished than some previous Falcon sedans.
WARRANTY: Three years/100,000km plus five years anti-corrosion on inner metal panels, with a lifelong panel replacement warranty if rust perforations appear.
ANTI-THEFT: Standard Falcon immobiliser, remote central locking and keyless entry.
AUDIO SYSTEM: Radio/cassette with four speakers and more grunt than standard Falcon unit but still no CD player. Power antenna, though.
COST: The XR6 lists at $32,600. Extras include prestige paint ($214), Momo steering wheel ($650), sports bar in the tray ($645) and the motorcycle kit ($305). Still too scarce for big discounts, but fleets and primary producers get the usual concessions.
VERDICT: As utes go, this is one of the best. The bias is very firmly on show-pony attributes and on-road couth. Heavy work would better suit one of the more basic Falcon ute models, with price tags starting at less than $25,000.