Fpv Suv
Just like AMG takes Mercedes Benz vehicles and turns them into high performance machines, Ford Performance Vehicles changes normal vehicles into fire breathing powerhouses.
It’s an overworked cliché that ultimate power corrupts ultimately, but even though the FPV F6X has not quite reached the upper stratosphere of power (‘only’ 270kW and 550Nm of torque) it is certainly a corrupting experience.
FPV does not make a 0-100km/h claim for the F6X, but extremely fast would be an appropriate answer. Hit the throttle and the six speed gearbox runs quickly through the gears, while g forces pin the occupants back into the seats.
These days there’s really no point in knowing the top speed of a vehicle, but it goes without saying that the F6X will go a fair bit faster than your average SUV.
Here you have an SUV that can accelerate like a sports car and do a pretty good impression of one through the corners thanks to reworked suspension tune and massive Brembo brakes which fill the 18-inch rims. The brakes themselves measure a not inconsiderable 355mm at the front and 328mm at the rear, with six pot callipers handling the front and a single pot calliper set up on the rear.
As many might already have guessed the F6X is the product of a heart transplant from the previous generation FPV F6 Typhoon sedan, with the same 4.0 litre turbocharged straight six cylinder engine nestled in the engine compartment. The intercooler is relocated from the front bumper to a position above the engine and is fed via a bonnet scoop. While this would normally make the intercooler less efficient due to heat soak from the engine some tweakery has left the power and torque outputs unchanged from the previous generation F6 sedan.
The leather seats are comfortable, although the embroidered logos on every seat are a bit over the top, and this F6X has the optional third row of seats, which makes for a great people carrier, but for a long trip it would be advisable get one of those containers that sits on the roof rack – there’s no room in the boot when the rear seats are deployed.
As well as being good for carting the kiddie baseball/football demographic the F6X comes with another kid friendly feature, a reversing camera. It’s difficult to see out the back of any vehicle while reversing and the camera offers much more piece of mind.
It’s been a while since the F6X was launched in Australia, so it has taken a year to get to New Zealand, and in these uncertain economic times it most likely won’t be a sales success, but it certainly succeeds in being a halo model for both the Territory and the FPV brand, in that it’s possible to have a high performance SUV without shelling out megabucks.
At NZ$79,990 The FPV F6X is still a rather pricy option, especially given that the standard Territory turbo is almost as good. See it as a value packed alternative to the likes of the Porsche Cayenne though, and it seems like a real bargain. Add to that the fact the F6X arguably looks far better than the Cayenne and it has all the makings of a seven seat SUV that can whisk you from place to place in high speed comfort.
