September 2004
Six-pack stonk
Classic
SHOWDOWN
FORD XR6 SPRINT v FORD XR8 SPRINT v HOLDEN SS-V REDLINE
72 WheelsMag.com.au
But it’s the SS-V Redline that again
takes the ‘driver’s car’ gong. Not only does
its engine sound gloriously boisterous
when you’re up it, the atmo V8’s more
progressive grunt delivery means you can
give the Commodore the full boot out of
corners much earlier, without the threat of
snagging its ESC system – incorporating
a unique Competition mode in Redline
spec that allows greater slip angles – and
impeding its fluency.
The SS-V Redline also has more to give
through a corner. Its chassis is more faithful
and chuckable than the Blue Oval duo’s,
with higher grip limits, more consistent
balance and an encouraging nature that
goads you to drive it harder. It’s more of a
young person’s V8, if you will, and yet it’s
also smoother-riding, more luxurious and
much quieter, with a more expensive feel
and next-level comfort.
Inexplicably, the XR8 has a much more
fluid ride than the jiggly XR6. It feels more
relaxed at all speeds, regardless of the load
on board, whereas the knobbly XR6 never
quite settles, even carrying four adults.
And then there’s the XR8’s additional
steering meat mentioned earlier, which
seems to gel better with its suspension
tune. Faced with a big-distance bash, we
know which one we’d choose.Right about now I should probably be
talking about interiors, and which car
has the best seats, the better stereo and
all that comparo gumpf, but none of that
really matters anymore. Not when this is
the end of the line for the Falcons, both of
which sold out almost immediately. There’s
probably a regular XR8 still hovering
about in a dealership somewhere, not to
mention an XR6 Turbo or G6E Turbo, but
it’s the Sprints that will always be certified
as the last, and the best.
Of the two, it’s no surprise by now that
we prefer the eight over the six. While the
XR6 has its moments, the greater polish of
the XR8 wins out for us.
The XR8’s delicious engine and exhaust
backing track, mixed with an overlay of
blower whine, is utterly addictive – more
so than the turbo six’s whistle – and that
great big bonnet bulge up front gives it
more presence, too. But the smaller build
number of the XR6 (500 units for Oz,
compared to 750 for the XR8) and its well-
liked sticker pack means there’s a strong
chance it’ll match the V8’s residual values
in the future.
It’s hard to believe it was only 10 years
ago that Holden spent a billion Aussie
dollars developing the all-new, Zeta-
platformed VE, intended at the time toAll-new ‘Alloytec’ 3.6-litre
brings VZ SV6 into the 21st
century for engine tech.
But BA XR6’s big in-line 4.0
remains the stronger six