obi

Well fella's have been missing for quiete some time now since selling my BA XR8 & my latter BF XR6T, but am now considering the purchase of the latest model. Would appreciate any info in regards to this model, both good & bad !

Now you why I have the SS. Ford's quality control. Have been there & done that. My final decision was cracked body welds at 7000k's with Ford wanting to reweld the rear end. No thanks ! & no offer of a new car. Next door neighbour had similar issues with a XR6T ute & sold it within a month & bought a Mazda.

Yeh Iconic, I'm one of them. Have had a BA XR8 & BF XR6T & won't be going back to a Ford any time in the future ! Ironically I enjoy driving the VE SS over both the previous (except the "A"pillar) Ford's especially going for brakes at speed & getting no feedback through the steering wheel. The SS just seems more planted on the road, more room inside, bigger seats & surpriseingly 14.5lt to 100 (5,200k's) around town. Haven't taken it on a long trip but G/Coast to Brisbane at 100k's shows 8.9ltr 100 average at 1500rpm (6/auto). I find the vehicle better to drive in everyday conditions with more grunt down low than the XR8 with more linear power than the Turbo which was either on or off boost. But the ZF Auto leaves the GM product for dead, although I believe the newer SS models are programmed with a better format. After having Ford's for years I never thought I would be driving a GM product, but Ford's quality control finally changed that, (although Expensive Daewoo also has it's prob's) & I'm more happier with this vehicle with no complaints so far. Will probably go back to a "Racoon" when the final model comes out !

Don't bank on Fraud fixing it or a new car ! I had a BF1 XR6T (7,000k's)that had cracked welds in the body (rear end) that would have needed the whole rear welded internally & no guarantee that it would stop the torsional groaning. No offer of a new car ! Now drive a VE SS & have no complaints. Had a BA XR8 before the T & it had problems too.

What's the reason for starting in 2nd ?

Pardon my ignorance, but do you mean a separate transmission cooler ?

If there is no problem with the rack, why is it that on just about every Road Test on all models, they are getting rack rattle on bumpy cornering & are saying Fraud are looking for a solution ?

Have heard that there is a problem with the Turbo bearings & the steering rack on the new model. Can anyone in the know verify this & what Fraud are doing about it ? Rumour has it that this is why there is no Turbo demonstrators at the moment at Dealers.

Where's he gone ?

Go & see Ian Schmidt Auto Repairs Olsen Av, Ashmore. Phone 55649967. He knows XR6T's backwards. Has his own XR6T showcar, & is reasonable on his prices. Used to be a moderator on this Forum.

On the same token I wouldn't be too worried about low K's. I sold a BF1 XR6T after 12 months & it only had 7,000k's on it, so it can be genuine if it has not been driven alot. My VE SS has just hit 4,000k's after 10 months, so when you have 2 vehicles it is possible to do low k's when the vehicles are shared.

Now that you have picked the good bit's, what about the bad. Control Blade Suspension made for FWD that chops out bushes by the time the car has done 80,000K's (as per cabs). Steering racks that go clunk in the night (on 2 cars I have had, BA XR8 & BFXR6T). Turbo & manifold bolts that come loose. Actuators that freeze up. Build quality that is suspect ( broken welds around windows on BA & a cracked weld somewhere around the rear end on a BF1 that was never found as Ford wanted to reweld the whole rear end (vehicle groaned in body with torsional twist).. Brakes, that when hit at speed shudder like hell through the steering wheel (BA & BF).. Mate next door bought a new XR6T ute, had it for a month & sold it, apparently the style side was moving on the chassis, the D/S door was flying open going around left hand corners, & numerous other probs. He even gave me serve for telling him how good Ford's were, but calmed down when I told him I had traded my XR6T on a VE SS. Problems with VE so far NIL, & the brakes at speed, enough to bring a smile to ones face , so good you could take your hands off the wheel. After being a FORD man for years, I am very disappointed with the present build quality from the Blue Oval, & untill they lift their quality control won't be going back. This type of Post might sound like I have it in for Ford, but that is not the case, it is in the hope that FORD monitor these Forums & lift their game, bringing previous buyers back into the fold instead of alienating them.

Nice area mate. Worked the Nowra area with Telecom for 10 Years before moving north. Lived at Orient Point. To answer some of your Questions. I had a BA XR8 4/auto & traded it on a new 11/05 BF1 XR6T 6/auto. The turbo is lighter to steer & seems to handle better than the 8. Power wise the Turbo seems to have it at lower speeds with the 6/auto, but after driveing a XR8 with the 6/auto I don't think there's a lot in it. I traded The Turbo last year on a VE SS 6/auto after having build issues with the FORD. I found that I prefer the 8 as you don't have the minor problems with Actuators, oil injestion into the intercooler & other associated problems one seems to get with forced induction. The one I have now seems to be more potent down low with just sheer capacity & minimal throttle, whereapon I found with the Turbo you had to floor it to get on boost. Overall it's up to you. I traded the XR6T with 7,000k's for $30,000 last year & it went on the lot for $35,000, so that will give you some idea.

Yeh! I bought a VE SS last year & after having a BA XR8 & BF Turbo & I can say that the SS feels more solid & secure on the road. The brakes feel better at speed whereapon you don't get that initial shimmy that appears on the Turbo & XR8, but you have to push harder. I don't get that horrible steering clunk on hard left or right turns & that's about it. Power wise I don't think there's much in it, but I think the SS might have the edge at different times. I drove a BF XR8 with a 6 s/auto & was amazed at the difference off the mark against my previous BA XR8 4 s/auto. I would say that a stock BF XR8 & Turbo would be about equal in performance ( but not handling) in general driving. I enjoy driving the SS more than the Ford, (with the exception of the thick B Pillar) as it's more planted on the road, but the GM 6/auto is no where near as good as the ZF & needs some shift mod's. The build & structural quality is far better than Ford, but paint matching between body & bumper's & skirt is atrocious & is a real turn off on silver cars (mine is silver). Have definately not regretted buying one as a V8, as in my opinion it has a lot more torque than the XR8, but as I never get too attached to cars I will be looking at the Orion when it comes out.

Do what the mate done ! Take up Whip Cracking for a month. Then get out the trusty .22 & low & behold the neighbours think your cracking the whip. (One must add that this is strickly illegal & the mate may be stretching the truth ! )

I think your Dealer is talking through his hat. If it's under Warranty take it to another dealer, if not a Brake Specialist ! It shouldn't do it.

They say if it's a water cooled turbo wind down is not necessary. Whether this is true or not I don't know. Stopping the motor after a high speed or normal run cuts off the oil supply to the Turbo, so this may tend to have some impact at a later stage.. I have a Land Cruiser Turbo Diesel & have been guilty of turning the engine off after a country run at speed with no problems yet. TURBO TIMERS ARE ILLEGAL !

How big & heavy is the boat ?

It's funny that you mention the SV6 handles better than the XR6T as I have the VE SS after having previously owned a BF XRT 6/auto. I find mine to be cumbersome to a point with more body roll than the XR6T. The T I found to be a delight & nimble with more chuckability & with far more vision when negotiating corners. I miss the T in regards to the ZF gearbox which is far superior to the 6 speed GM model, & as such I would imagine the 5 speed to be even worse. Top end grunt in the VE SS I feel does not have the kick in the pants as the T, but this could be deceptive. The car does feel more stable in a straight line & the front end less prone to kickback under brakes than the T. As a drivers car I would rate the T as the overall better car ( having had a BA XR8 before the T ) than the SS. Structurely the Late model camira is a tighter car in the body with less flex. Fuel wise there is little in difference in regard to consumption. Why did I change to Late model camira you ask, well the T developed a structuaral problem in the body at very low K's that Ford could not fix without rewelding the whole rear end which I would not agree to (Body flex). I still miss the T, but for now will wait for the Orion to come out. Yes your right the auto lights on are a pain in the Butt with the headlights comming one when I pull up under bridges & entering my garage during the day!

2007 VE & we WON"T get into a slinging match as I'm well aware of all the cars capabilities ! For your information the VE SS is rated at 270kw & 530nm, so if you have supposedly BURNT off VE R8's (more HP) you must have a better XR6T than the one I had because the VE SS is around about the same performance plus abit as the BF Turbo's.

I think Chippa you might have to wait the 2 years for your mods to smoke that SS off at the lights ! I just sold my BF Turbo/ 6 speed auto recently & now have a SS & believe me they produce a lot of fat down low & up high. I was a bit sceptical at first, but as the engine loosens up these SS's are bloody scary even on a dry road. I found mine broke traction at 80 k's the other day under 3/4 power on a dry & slightly bendy road & I started to stain the pants a little. That was with Traction on. I was reluctant about letting the BF go, as I thought the Dunnydore wouldn't be much better than my previous BA XR8, but I'm happy to say that it's far better & with a fine edge in power over the Turbo. That said it has it's faults just like the Ford !

Could try a bit of WD40 on your actuator !

$30,000 for 12/05 BF1 6/auto with 8,000k's as a trade on a new BF11 XR8 or the same on a VE SS Dunnydore.

Might also add that when I received the car it had a full tank of petrol & knowing Dealers it would no doubt be 91ron, as I couldn't see them putting 98 in it!

After getting my new SS yesterday(albeit damaged) I thought I might put in a few of my observations after reading the report. I would agree on a few of Mickyg comments & some I would add. Interior Vision: Would be the worst car I have driven both for rear view, forward to right & left & changing lanes. Cars can be totally obscured by the rear spoiler & it may be stretching the truth a little but I reckon I can back a B Double easier. Ford wins. Brakes: Agree with the report, they do not instill confidence as they appear to be underboosted & you would not be confident if your wife was small person with weak legs. Ford wins Controls & Instrumentation: Pretty good with everything in plain sight & not hidden behind the wheel. Terrible red dash lighting & speedo & tacho that is hard to see in daylight. Visually at night it is a sight to behold if you like that sort of thing, but I prefer the Ford blue. Has a Blauplunk radio but it's nothing to write home about, although the 6 stacker is a bonus. On par overall. Engine & Transmission : Hard to say with the engine as it's new, but initial observations to the T is that there is not much difference in them (BF XR6T 245kw 6/auto). There is no initial lag off the mark as in the T with instantanious power from the 8, but I think is is gained back by the T comming on boost at 2000rpm. Up top again hard to say with new engine, but at the moment the T has the shove back in the seat attitude over the other, but I think the 8 is a little deceptive as when I thought I was doing abot 100kph I was doing 120kph. The ZF transmission is defineately better than the Holden, although I believe in Sept Expensive Daewoo are upgradeing the programming on the Auto which will give faster shifts. One again to the Blue Oval. This is not elaborate as Mickyg report, but I thought I might throw it in as a second opinion. Will add any adverse or complimentary reports as the vehicle gets up some more K's & when it gets back from it's appointment from the Spray Shop.