Road test: FPV Pursuit Ute

By Feann Torr

Question: Is there a power war looming between the big two local automakers? Ask either one of them and they'll tell you no. Of course not.

But when Ford Performance Vehicles arrived on the scene after the BA Falcon reinvigorated local large car sales for the once ailing operation, both Holden and HSV took notice. And scrambled the engineers to squeeze more power from their big 5.7-litre V8 as a result.

Bragging rights went to the Blue Oval in mid-2003, regardless of what real-world tests concluded, and and spec sheet didn't look good for the General: Ford's 290kW vs Holden's 265kW.

Ford's entry-level Falcon engine, a 4.0-litre straight six, also churned out more power than its competitor, with 182kW compared to Holden's well-worn 152kW Commodore V6. It comes as no surprise that HSV fired off the first shot after Ford's big comeback, with its Series II HSVY range.

Most '04 HSV models now output a more competitive 285kW, which is one of the specialist marque's biggest jump in power output. Coincidence, or playing catch-up?

Ford, on the other hand, has resisted a similar mid-life upgrade to its hi-po models, instead taking a more cost-effective approach by sticking to its already beefy guns. Not wanting to give anymore group to Ford, Holden will also fire the second shot, when the much-anticipated VZ Commodore arrives midway through 2004, making use of a more powerful all-aluminium V6.

What has all this got to do with FPV's Pursuit? Quite a lot if Holden keeps upping the ante. Ford leads the power struggle for now, if only by a whisker, and being the new kid on the block is no easy task, and you've often got to prove your worth.

The HSV Maloo has been a hoon favourite for many years now, so we ask yet another question: Can the Pursuit rumble with the big boys?

Make: Ford Performance Vehicles
Model: Pursuit (utility)
Price: $56,000
Transmission: 4 speed auto w/sports shift
Engine: 5.4-litre, 32-valve, vee-eight cylinder
Fuel Consumption: City cycle - N/A, Highway cycle - N/A
Seats: 2
Safety: Driver and passenger SRS airbags, ABS

Drive

FPV's two-door 290kW performance vehicle

One of the first things you notice when hunkering down in the big FPV buckets of the Pursuit is the lack of a traction control button.

Welcome to live rear axle land (aka ute central).

A lot of people like utes, a lot of blokes like utes, and perhaps this is one of the reasons why.

Jab the throttle with your right foot and marvel as the low-stall torque converter responds quickly, the 5.4-lite V8 roaring to life, sounding much larger and angrier than its size would otherwise suggest.

And sometimes the low-profile tyres won't always bite - but then this probably won't put many potential buyers off. Even on the driest Aussie arvo, the power-sapping automatic version of FPV's only two-seater vehicle will happily ignite the rear hoops.

As I've mentioned in my other FPV road tests (click here for the low down), Ford's range-topping 5.4-litre V8 Boss 290 is a thing of beauty.

It's got a fairly quiet idle, which is good if you don't want to wake the neighbours, but becomes very angry and very loud when the tacho needle dances beyond 4000rpm. Keep the engine on the boil, and you'll quickly discover that the FPV Pursuit is not to be underestimated.

Throttle response is also impressive, and the gearbox runs circles around Holden's four-speed, both in auto shift and sports shift mode. The fact that in sports shift mode (tip-tronic) the transmission will hold on to gears - even when you arrive at the rev limiter - is a good thing, and makes tackling the twisties a less haphazard experience.

There's nothing worse than planting your foot once you've passed an apex, only to have the gearbox drop a gear to achieve a higher engine speed.

The sports shift, despite being almost a couple of years old, is still a brilliant combination of hardware and software - it's intuitive to use, has fairly rapid shift times and encourages exploration of the vehicle's performance. And Holden will have to match in the coming months if it wants to be competitive.

When throwing the Pursuit into corners, it pays to be somewhat vigilant, as the lack of traction control can make for unsettling moments when firing out of corners. On the whole though, the front end tracks very well and thanks to uprated suspension settings the car sits flat under high lateral loads, and this minimal body roll inspires confidence.

Ballsy 520Nm engine easily overrides traction from standstill

Being the first ute I've road tested I was very tentative early on, thinking it wouldn't turn in as crisply as the GT-P or XR6T, and that the rear end would be a nightmare.

Not so. Even when you factor in the rear leaf suspension, it still has generous amounts of grip, and I was pleasantly surprised with how far it could be pushed before the 18-inch wheels began to protest.

It'll hold its line, almost impeccably, through smoothly-surfaced corners, and doesn't protest too much when you have to correct the wheel or dab the brakes mid-corner, but it did tend to get a little skittish when imperfections were present through corners.

Granted, it's no Renault Clio, but for something that weighs more than 1.5 tonnes, it does an amazing job of sticking to the bitumen.

Communication through the light-ish steering wheel is pretty good, and while the suspension is tuned more towards the sporty end of the spectrum, the Pursuit handled potholes and other road blemishes remarkably well.

In less dramatic circumstances, the Pursuit handled city driving well. When placed in 'D', the auto transmission does a good job of modulating the extreme power the engine is capable of.

The seating position is also really good, and suits both the slow peak hour and extended drives along winding country roads. There's lots of under-thigh support, good levels of head, shoulder and leg room and the electric seats provide effortless adjustment. The steering wheel can be manipulated by tilt and reach, and while the Pursuit can only seat two, it does so remarkably well, with lashings of leather and a solid sound system.

The PBR 'C6' brakes that come as standard (Brembos are a $5950 option) do an impressive job of hauling the bulky Boss in from speed, with well modulated pedal sensitivity allowing you to just tickle the discs with the callipers or alternatively bite hard when pressure is applied.

Vented and grooved discs front and rear make up the package, with the discs measuring 325mm up front with twin callipers and 303mm at the rear with single squeezers.

We intentionally worked the ABS and EBD-equipped brakes for signs of fade, but this proved largely fruitless, with only a mild drop in stopping power. I guess for this PBR deserves a pat on the back.

At the end of a hard days driving, the FPV ute turned, accelerated and stopped with an astonishing level of composure for such a long and large vehicle, and didn't mind doing it all over again the next day. There's definitely something to be said about driving utes, and with this one on particular, it's all positive.

Engine

The Pursuit handles remarkably well considering there's a lot less weight over the rear wheels than the FPV sedans

Ford's locally-assembled 5.4-litre V8 is quite a piece of work. It's big and heavy, and it drinks fuel like a fish when you wind every ratio out to its 6000rpm redline, but the enjoyment factor blows such insignificancies away.

It'll dispatch the 0-100km/h dash in about 6.0 seconds, depending on conditions of course, but when the engine's on song it feels a lot faster.

While there's massive amounts of torque on tap from as low as 2000rpm, the engine howls along at license-voiding speeds when you keep it on the boil, with a mammoth powerband between about 4000rpm and 5600rpm, and the crisp acoustics that emanate from under the bonnet are incredibly endearing.

The 5408cc powerplant has a 90.2mm bore but a longer stroke, 105.8mm to be precise, and together with a 10.5:1 compression ratio, it loves to rev.

FPV-exclusive features include a high-lift intake (13mm lift) and exhaust camshaft (12mm lift), while 75mm high-flow throttle bodies, a long runner intake manifold and stainless steel fabricated exhaust manifolds contribute to the powerful 290kW @ 5500rpm top end - not to mention the deep, bassy V8 growl.

Vital stats are as follows: Maximum power of 290kW peaks @ 5500rpm, while 520Nm of torque hits @ 4500rpm. A cast iron block is matched to aluminium alloy heads, with a 10.5:1 compression ratio. There are 4-valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams per cylinder bank and the fuel tank can hold 80 litres of petrol.

Unlike the items used in other BA Falcon models, the BTR-built transmission gets new internals to deal with the increased torque, and a low-stall torque converter completes the performance package.

Exterior

Looking at the FPV Pursuit, there's a lot to like. Like it's sedan siblings, and indeed HSV's stable of high performance V8s, it demands attention. The bodykit is impressively tough, though is so slow that some speed humps and gutters will be kissed.

The FPV lettering seen on the ute's flanks and rear end is bold, but not too full-on, and though this writer is no great fan of the spoiler on the back of the ute (I reckon it ruins the utes character somewhat, and it's aerodynamic advantages are dubious), the tonneau cover and chunky rear end are still rather pleasing. The ute can only carry 500kg of cargo in the tray, largely due to the sports suspension package, so as a workhorse its usefulness is limited.

Bonnet bulge is menacing, ride height is low

Viewed from the front, the Ford is a winner, no question. The front spoiler is deep and low, the greyed-out lower beam (splitter) adds contrast, and the enlarged air dam hints at its potential.

Chrome-rimmed fog lights, larger than Falcon XR models, look gear and the mesh inserts for the grille and lower air dam add character, and chunky side-skirts give the car an appealing profile.

And then there's the ubiquitous bonnet bulge, signalling the inclusion of the big V8 mill.

Sure, it's macho, it's blokey, but it suits the car to a tee and gives the front end and bonnet strong lines.

The five-spoke 18-inch FPV rims are also a nice touch, and the low profile rubber is suggestive of its cornering abilities.

In addition to the big wheels, the dual chrome exhaust pipes, when combined with a lower-than-usual ride height, really add to the Pursuit's agro demeanour, as do the nicely-sized PBR disc brakes and callipers lurking underneath.

Interior

Fit and finish is pretty good in the FPV ute, but there's too much Falcon in the interior. Sure, you get bits of faux carbon fibre, an FPV build plate, the red starter button, and drilled alloy pedals, but the overall design, I feel, needs to be further removed from the BA Falcon.

The blue-backlit dials, with 270km/h and 8000rpm displayed, look very cool, and together with a momo gear shifter and Pursuit-etched metal scuff plates the end result is, by and large, very favourable for such a sporty ute.

Standard features of the $56k Pursuit include the usuals, such as electric windows and mirrors, remote central locking and air conditioning, while a powerful 100-watt CD stereo sweetens the deal.

The FPV ute dampens exterior noise well, and despite the large 18-inch wheels shod with 245/40 ZR rubber, tyre whine (and wind noise) isn't overly intrusive.

The sports shift is simple, stylish and intuitive - much like the rest of the cabin

While the V8 mill makes itself known at pretty much all engine speeds in the cabin, I don't count this is as a negative, so enjoyable is the rich, eight-cylinder warble.

The model we tested came with leather seats ($1850), and though the standard seats are finished in suede and cloth, these are still just as comfy (but harder to get milkshake stains out of).

The switchgear takes little time to familiarise oneself with - it's very easy to use - and the steering wheel controls are the better than any others offered by local manufacturers.

The FPV Pursuit has a small area behind the seats to stow items, and there's a cargo net too, which in comes mighty handy when you just want to throw things in there quickly, without wanting to spend time unlocking the tonneau cover.

All told, the interior is a nice enough place to spend a Sunday arvo, and commuting is a doddle (save for slightly reduced rearward vision), and while the overall look and feel was too Falconised for my liking, the sporty extras like the drilled alloy pedals, glowing starter button and fancy instrument cluster go a long to remedying this.

Overall: 4/5

As the cheapest FPV in the range, the Pursuit is also one of the most, ahem, exciting to drive. It doesn't have the mid-corner pace of the sedans, what with their fancy control blade IRS setup, but the lack of traction control isn't missed.

Like other BA-based vehicles, it's easy to drive in a wide array of conditions, from freeway cruising, to high density traffic and especially on winding, undulating roads. The interior ergonomics are good, making for a very comfortable ride and, when called for, the 290kW V8 engine reacts both quickly and effortlessly.

While it's cheaper than HSV's Maloo R8, it's a couple grand more than the standard Maloo ($52,400), though service intervals of 15000kms (compared to Maloo's 10000km) do nothing to hinder the FPV's real-world longterm appeal.

While the Pursuit we tested fetches $56,000, the manual model asks just $54,850, and for the price, either model is a cost effective way to get into one of Ford's supremely powerful quad-cam V8s. And let's face it, it doesn't hurt to have bragging rights in the Ford vs Holden power war (that doesn't exist), either.

With heaps of street cred, head-turning looks and tyre-shredding V8 power, this is not a family car, nor does it pretend to be. Instead, it lives up to its performance namesake, and if you want big stomp and aren't planning on shifting more than one other person at a time, you should definitely take one for a test drive.