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XR...
Hmmmm....
A turbocharged intercooled DOHC inline six... or a SOHC V8...
I wonder if the turbo has the VSS Variable Valve Timing...
Or what gearbox they will have as the TREMEC 3650 in the Holden
is about quick as a crowbar in a bucket of bolts.
Ford's hyping up the Control Blade rear end... the dude de Vlught
who is responsible for the chassis is from Ford Europe so it will be
very interesting what his influence will be. After all Peter 'HandlingBerger' was responsible for the great RTS improvement in the Kingswood. Also the Focus and Mondeo are considered class
benchmarks for handling and traction in Europe...
One thing that I have noticed between the Euros and the Australians (and the Japanese for that matter) cars I have driven relates to
two main attributes...
a) High Speed Lane Change Stability
Simulated high speed (120 kph+) double lane change - Generally,
some ride quality has been sacrificed for roll stiffness and stability
for the AU cars compared to the Euros (even more for the Japanese)
on dry roads.
Not a criticism as the AU Cars are expected to perform in far more
varied conditions than the urban and autoroute based Euros.
b) Steering Feel
Turn-in on the Euros I have driven has been pin-sharp - possibly
because they all been on 16 and 17 inch fronts - and either FWD or
AWD. In contrast, both the Falc and the 'Dore are a little more
hesitant - esp AU vs the EB 2/3 models. The ED on seem to lose
turn-in possibly to help with wet weather stability with the RWD on
variable road conditions.
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