The Ford Falcon XR6 is a six cylinder sports sedan based on the Falcon. It was produced by Ford Australia from 1992 to 2016. A turbocharged model, the XR6 Turbo was introduced in 2002.
First generation (1992–1998)
EB (1992; S XR6)
The Ford Falcon S XR6 was released in October 1992, in the EB II series. The suspension and engine was tuned by Tickford Vehicle Engineering. It was powered by a 4.0-litre Ford straight-six (I6) producing and , increasing the power by from the base engine.
ED (1993)
The Ford Falcon (EB) XR6 was released in August 1993, dropping the S prefix from the name. It featured quad headlights, and introduced the XR6 wagon. It was powered by a 4.0L I6 producing .
XG (1993; XR6 utility)
The Ford Falcon (XG) XR6 Utility was released in 1993. It was powered by a 4.0L I6 producing , and had reduced the payload of .
EF (1994)
The Ford Falcon (EF) XR6 was released in 1994. It was powered by a 4.0L I6 producing and of torque. The EF II series released in 1995 and discontinued the wagon variant. Compared to the regular engine in the Falcon, exhaust valve size was increased from to , and increased the compression ratio from 9.3:1 to 9.35:1.
EL (1996)
The Ford Falcon (EL) XR6 was released in 1996. It was powered by a 4.0L I6 producing . It used a one-piece bushing in the lower control arm, rather than the three-piece bushing in the regular Falcon.
XH (1996; XR6 utility)
The Ford Falcon (XH) XR6 utility released in 1996. It was powered by a 4.0L I6 producing , and had a reduced payload of . The XH II series released in 1997, and increased the payload by .
Second generation (1998–2008)
AU (1998)
The Ford Falcon (AU) XR6 was released in 1998. It was powered by a 4.0L I6 producing , with an increased compression ratio of 9.6:1. The XR6 VCT was powered by a 4.0L I6 with variable camshaft timing producing and of torque, and featured independent rear suspension as standard. The XR6 utility had a payload of .
BA (2002)
The Ford Falcon (BA) XR6 was released in 2002. It was powered by the same 4.0-litre Ford Barra engine as the base sedan, the Barra 182 producing and of torque. It featured a new headlight design with cut-aways under them into the bumper, changing from the previous quad headlight design.
The XR6 Turbo was introduced, powered by a turbocharged Barra 240T engine producing and of torque. It featured a limited-slip differential and recalibrated traction control.
BF (2005)
The Ford Falcon (BF) XR6 was released in 2005. It was powered by a 4.0L Barra 190 producing and of torque, the XR6 Turbo was powered by the Barra 245T producing and of torque.
A cab chassis variant of the XR6 utility was released in May 2006, as the 'Tradesman' special edition. The LPG-only Barra E-Gas was available as an option, and produced and .
Third generation (2008–2016)
FG (2008)
The Ford Falcon (FG) XR6 was released in 2008. It was powered by a 4.0L Barra 195 producing and of torque. The XR6 Turbo was powered by the Barra 270T producing and . The XR6 Turbo featured overboost, allowing it to produce 10 per cent more power for several seconds.
The XR6 utility was available in styleside and cab chassis, the XR6 Turbo utility was only available in styleside. The XR6 cab chassis was able to be optioned with one-tonne suspension, which increases the payload capacity to and the gross combination mass to .
The LPG-only Barra E-Gas engine was available as an option for the XR6, with the engine producing . In 2011 it was replaced by the Barra EcoLPi, producing and .
FG X (2014)
The Ford Falcon (FG X) was released in 2014. It was powered by a 4.0L Barra 195 producing or a Barra EcoLPi producing . The XR6 Turbo was powered by the Barra 270T producing .
The special edition XR6 Sprint was released in 2016. It was powered by the Barra 325T, producing and of torque. It featured an airbox made of carbon fibre, and an overboost feature. With overboost it produces and of torque for ten seconds. It was limited to 550 units, with 50 units being sent to New Zealand. The Sprint nameplate was previously used for a special edition AU Falcon, the XR6 VCT Sprint.
A blue XR6 was the final car manufactured by Ford Australia, rolling off the production line at the Broadmeadows Assembly Plant on 7 October 2016.
See also Ford Falcon GT
References