![]() ![]() A Garrett GT40 ball-bearing turbo spins a humongous 3.2-inch-diameter compressor wheel, blowing 5.8 psi of air and allowing the so-called Barra 240T to drop 322 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque into your choice of a four-speed automatic or, if you'd rather stir with a stick, a five-speed manual. It gets-now follow this closely-a 4.0-liter DOHC 24-valve inline-six with an electronic throttle and variable valve timing on both cams. Ford calls the engine the "Boss 260," but to Australians it's a hallowed "vee-bloody-eight."Īntipodean fuel is pricey, however, so Ford has developed the new $36,065 XR6 Turbo, which is just a well-aimed spit from the XR8 in performance. $37,859, an XR8 driver sits behind Ford's 5.4-liter DOHC 32-valve V-8, outracing a kookaburra's call with 349 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of steamship torque. The Falcon XR6 and XR8 are the swaggering road burners of the family. Haul a steer to town with the "one-tonne" Falcon Ute flatbed, and then have the town over for steaks with the "BBQ Ute" edition, a Falcon fitted with a broiler and companion esky (a beer cooler) housed in an aluminum cylinder the size of God's own septic tank. It's an entire Ford dealership packed into one model, with various versions sold as taxis, cop cars, family wagons, executive limos, even pickup trucks. Redesigned for 2003, today's Falcon has independent suspensions at both ends and overhead-cam engines across the line. Ford introduced the Melbourne-built Falcon to Australia in 1960, and it never stopped evolving. It turns out that we Star Spangled singers have been getting the shaft for years. Meanwhile, Australians get their kicks in a rear-drive bomb with wind-smoothed sheetmetal and a Euro-tune suspension. For American mid-size buyers, Ford excretes the tired, charm-free front-drive Taurus with a Tupperware interior and floppy handling. Still reading? Okay, but you're risking total disgust with the current crop of domestic Ford sedans. Please go about your regularly scheduled Taurus leases and forget everything you've seen. There's nothing for American readers here, just some funny business from Australia that doesn't concern you. The Ford Motor Company would like you to please turn the page. ![]()
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