Basically the coolest xr8 in my eyes. It was definitely the car that made me fall in love with fords. Fast track to present day and now I have a 1500rwhp xr6 turbo 👊
Gotta admit as a Holden man I've always thought of the AU as the ugliest thing ever built on Australian soil but nowadays they're growing on me.. they had arguably the lowest drag coefficient of any large Aussie sedan ever built (WK & WL stato/caprices a distant 2nd i think) and more simplified running gear in both 6 & 8cyl.. not that the boss 5.4s or coyote 5.0s or the barras are shit, its just these are simpler cars from simpler times
@@jimclarke1108Just don’t expect it to hold up for decades , b series on , rubbish fragile interiors . The au will follow & pass you by as your fox goes to the wreckers.
They use the vct engines in speedway cars and with a bit of a tickle in the tune and a cam grind they put out just over 300hp NA freaking awesome engine
Thanks for the Review on my XR6 Jono! I’m really happy with how the vid turned out! Just wish you could review the car now coz of all the other stuff I’ve done do it since then.
Whomping the right side pedal down to the floor in my 317,000+ km, AU 2 XR8 220kw, always brings me that same feeling you get ! Nothing better than making the man who put it together in 2001 proud (J Neves) !!
Really enjoyed the reviews of the two AUs, Ross. The XR8 sounded really good with the 3inch exhaust. Thinking of getting an exhaust like that for my FG. Both cars look very well looked after.
this was a fantastic video, thank you for giving some love to these cars, they really are better than most people thought they were. Especially with that awesome IRS and LSD in the back. I've owned two AU's, both August 98 built date and the one I still have is a series 1 Galaxy blue XR6 VCT sedan with 176K on it and some nice upgrade mods. it still brings a smile to my face after owning it for eighteen years. She has the bodykit (front, rear and side skirts and that bi plane) and I will always prefer the series 1 XR kit and overall appearance of it over any other AU even the T series due to that forte like front end they had but they are beasts on the road. It's only the front grilles of the series 2 and 3 cars and the dashboard changes that's better about them IMHO but each to their own. From memory the XR8 was around 7 ish seconds to 100 km/h and the XR6 was 8-8.6 or so. Anyone with an AU XR or T series, hang onto it, I sold my XA Coupe too soon and I'm not making that mistake with this one
My favourite comment on the AU Falcon ..can't recall who said it but it's ....."The AU Falcon will outlast religion ".. They will indeed.... Thank you Jon for yet another great vid..
.....I almost wish I had kept my AUIII SR. Nothing spectacular but an excellent Stuart Highway cruiser and yes, I did hit the speed limiter restriction at 180km/h. 😎
My dad just brought a au xr6 Tickford with the full body kit but instead of the au engine it's got a fully built bf/FG turbo engine in it, it made 498hp on 98 at 12psi on last dyno
Awesome review 👏 I have a nice little soft spot for the 4.0l I do have a xr6 vct 5 speed ute in the same spec and I enjoy every moment I drive it. Their definitely the underdog in the Au series and in my opinion the better car
Loving the AU content Ross! These 2 seem tastefully modified and used as intended! I've got a series 1 XR6 VCT 5sp, same colour and body kit as the XR8 here. I think Tickford banked on the 6 being the bigger seller overall and spent way more money developing it for the AU to start with. Personally I prefer the lower maintenance of the 6 and using the revs to make the most of it, however the 8 has a much nicer exhaust and scope for power NA.
just sold my 1998 AU S1 Tickford XR6 with the VCT eng other day, adaptive shift, Irs, Lsd, had it for 13 years and still sad. Loved it. had 278,000 km`s on it. same interior and wheels as the v8. same body kit
Back in 1998- End of AU Falcon series alot of Ford fans were old men who didn't put exhaust system, cold air induction and use Turbo 400 Gear boxes in AU XR8 and it's natural enemy VT SS commodore and VT Club sports wit 5.7 Chev engine ( LS1 ) was much superior to Windsor 5.0. VT SS were done up back in late 90's to early 2000's. In 2003 when Ford released XR6 Turbo that's when Ford picked up their Game. Would love to see these old AU XR8 fitted with 6 speed ZF auto transmission and Genuine Ford Falcon Diff 3.73 LSD IRS M86 with full exhaust and cold air induction.
I remember my dad ordered an EL fairmont ghia V8 just as the au was being introduced / released (maybe end of 97?) I remember him saying “The new fairmont looks like a poofters arse!” 😂 different times…. That said he was kind of right. 😅 he is now a very old man for perspective.
I love the AU Falcon's triple spoiler 😍 It's a design feature that no others car would, or ever get.. it's such a shame that Australia stopped the production on Australian made Fords
The 6cyl au and v8 had different gearbox ratios fwiw. The styling of the S2 and S3 au xr's were way better imo. But you can't beat the noise of the Windsor, much like the holden 304.
I am lucky enough to have a Series 3 220KW Manual (Liquid Silver) and a Series 2 VCT in Auto (Galaxy Blue) Hope to hang on to them both as long as possible
I recently bought a Tickford AUXR6 (Identical to the blue xr8 in your video). The original VCT motor was shagged so i replaced it with another VCT engine with only around 125,000km and i gotta tellya', it is a an absolute weapon for what it is. She's auto, but great fun to drive. The interesting thing is Ford put more features in the series1 XR6's than the following series 2 & 3 as standard, such as limited slip diff standard, independant rear suspension standard, adaptive shist trans . I know people either love them or hate them, but in XR form, i think they look absolutely awesome. If the xr front end treatment was standard across the range, they would have been a match for the commodore.
I’m about to pick up a Series 3 AU XR8 in grey…Auto…it’s got some serious throttle response…It’s got some balls…I remember when the AU came out…I didn’t really like them…I preferred the EF or EL…but over the years they’ve really grown on me and while the 6 seems marginally faster than the 8…you can’t beat that sound of the V8…even the sound the engine makes when the starter motor cranks that little Windsor over..still surreal that I’m about to own one 😳
I love them both. They sound awesome... especially with a T5 manual behind them. I think they are a good box with great spread of ratios. Love the vids Johnny 👍👍
@@RossReviewsau For sure, before I got the AU I bought a new GT, the last of the BF's just before they went to the FG model. I kept that GT for 2 years, sold it and got the AU an kept that for nearly 8 years. If prices had not of gone nuts Id have loved to grab a T3 TS50 manual.
A Canadian review our xr8/xr6 best review by yourself Ross by far always love watching your videos to see what u r driving love it I own a au xr6 myself and it has been the best $200 iv spent buying a car it needed close to $5,000 of work but I enjoy driving it
I have had two AUs 1) 465 000km and still going as a paddock basher. 2) 341 000km and still going beautifully as my daily driver. Unfortunately never had a XR.
have owned my AU1 XR8 5 speed since 2009 (well before people thought they were good cars and even longer before they were a internet meme) and honestly they are probably the best Falcon dynamically, the series 2 or 3 with the 220kw was the absolute gem but the series 1 had the best looks IMO exactly how ford wanted it to look
i have a 99 5 litre 5 speed ute with 263k but not sure how many owners its had but its an occasional car as i want to hang on to it as there arent many around
@@RossReviewsau and like you said, at the time they were not well received in the front looks, but now I love, drives like the day it came off the showroom, and yeah you're mate, I can't bring myself to sell it. Thanks for the review I like em mate
The mighty AU battle Johnny,I knew it would be pretty close but you can't beat the sound of that V8 it sounds great & like others on here I too thought the AU was the ugliest car ever built lol,but not so much anymore must be old age setting in haha,top one brother loved it.
I mostly know of the AU through watching plenty of V8 Supercar races on UA-cam. The front end design immediately stood out compared to the Holden Commordores, and coupled with some of the liveries such as DJR's Shell Helix livery... yeah, the AU is my favourite Supercar. It's such a shame it wasn't particularly successful in the years it raced. Or even in sales of the road-going versions of the car when it was in production. Hindsight in recent years seems to have looked favourably on this car.
Great Cars, pity the bean counters stuffed the clutch with a cable which ruined the dynamics, a healthy BTR set up properly with a 3.89 rear is best. Naturally spending gangster money to convert it to hydraulic would be the intimate..
i recently just picked an au xr6 manual and although it ah its fair shear of issues i love it so much and am working on it to fix it up (and maybe Barra swap it on day )
Im all about a six everyday of the week, but the AU220s are really woken up. If you think with the mindset of year 2k again and block out everything after it makes for a whole different perspective. Even the HSV SS Commodores everyone loved were only making 195kw. It wasn't till the b-series and vz where +200kw factory was an option. 220s really made Holden pucker and play the catch up game going with larger displacement just to keep up.
Not quite, 195kw was what the base model of the holden 5L made in 1998, you could get a harrop stroked 220kw version of it from hsv since the vr/vs models though. Then by 1999 all base model v8s got the early Ls1 with 220kw right through to the calloway tuned Ls1 in vt gts that made 300kw. Most hsvs in year 2000 would have been at least 255kw though.
the Xr8 desperately needed the 351 windsor as an option but that 302 still sounded sweet, it always did but it just got hosed by a 5.7ltr 4 door corvette!
Mmm maybe at first, but by the time the S3 arrived both the VX SS manual, and the S3 AU XR8 manual were essentially level pegging for the 1/4 mile. Mostly due to 3 things. : The more user friendly and nicer shifting 5 speed box, combined with much more logical gearing opposed to the vague 6 speed in the SS. : Lighter car with a rear suspension system that actually put the power down, rather than making loud drive train thuds and bangs as it tramped it arse off like the SS. : Torque... yeah you read correctly I said torque, despite the SS's extra 800cc of capacity both engines are very close in peak torque figures. However it's where in the rpm that peak torque is made, and as luck would have yessss the S3 AU wins this one too easy smashing the highway overtaking test well ahead of the SS and usually with one less down change to do so. P.s. an even better argument can be made for the T3's with their much improved all round package. Like factory stroker, big brake upgrades, beefier box etc etc. I have an original Motor Magazine from the day that the Red T3 went head to head with the Clubsport R8, the latter of which got it's teeth kicked in. Happy cruising man 👍
@@justin3131ify I have the wheels and the motor magazine when the AU XR8 220kw went head to head with the VX SS. You are right they were virtually the same acceleration and quarter mile times with in 1 to 2 tenths of a second. I wish they compared the autos as I know for a fact the ford adaptive shift Auto was ahead of its time and shifted a lot better than the Holden one.
@@yusuf.alajnabi Yeah I agree with that. The old btr 4 speed gets beaten up on & Bullied by enthusiasts a bit these days. Mainly because of the exotic shit that is available to them these days. The old lady has a completely standard s1 au xr6 vct, and the adaptive shit is so much more alert and awake, than the may as well be running on mogodon 4L60e that the boy's on the other side of town got in busses.
Loved the episode but, I don’t think you got the best times out of either car. Anyway that XR8 is the best sounding V8 I have heard in a long time. I bet that car has no muffles at all, outside the cats.😀
I had a few au xr through the years. Manual and auto. I would pick the vct xr6 t5 over series 1 and 2 xr8 any day. The series 3 220kw t5 is better than all of them but they're hard to get.
The long stroke of the ford intech 99.31 mm (3.910 in) really caps the RPM, that said standard non VCT ones with replacement cam can spin to 6000rpm without a problem.
Love a great sounding mighty au and I believe the diff gears would be 345s as I have a xr8 diff in my Fairmont wagon great video and beautiful examples of au xr's
Love my AU HP XR6 auto S1 but brakes are crap compared to s2/3 I had a s3 before but I got FG XR6T brakes front and rear to fix that but xr6 gone so much better then a standard AU
Through binging on your videos I'm seeing it slowly go from pure American/Canadian to having subtle hints of the Australian accent. Where are you originally from?
I'll always have a soft spot for the AU. Had two AUII's and still regret selling my XR6 4 yrs ago. VCT, 5spd man, 150k km and sold it for $3500 🤦♂️. Thanks for the great vid.
G'day cobber! Just my 2 cents worth incase you were even interested. Anyhow Au xr8 t5, and Au xr6 t5 actually have different ratio's in the first three gears. Diff ratio's are obviously the same. 👍
@@RossReviewsau There actually is alot of small difference between them..., but in regards to the ratio's according to Ford each vehicle's ratio's were specifically matched to each engines characteristic. Its very obvious that this is not common knowledge or widely known information for many enthusiasts, let alone the majority of people out there. Hence why so many people believe that the only difference between the i6 t5, and v8 t5 is just the the minimal bit's that you need to have changed over when using a box from the 6 to the 8 and vice versa. While they do both work with each other once you change over all the input shafts, bearings, bell housings bolts & shit. While the v8 t5 definitely is not top of it's class in regards to it's strength & durability by any means compared with what we have today. Even so inside the 8 cylinder t5 it has had a somewhat revised finished gear set and slightly different ratio's for it's first 3 cogs. Take it easy Mr Reviews 👍
@@gumnut6922 Interesting, maybe yours was a lemon... But can I ask, was it an AU or not? I've heard of some earlier AU's with head gasket issues, and pre AU 6 cylinders were known for this
@@MartinJones123 It was an AU Forte. Was a very nice car to drive. When I asked around with people I knew about cars the answer was that its a known fault. The radiator thing must have been down to a faulty one I guess.
Thanks for reviewing my AUXR8 Jon, that afternoon was pretty sick!
Anyway, hopefully catch up with you again one day man, all the best!
thank you mate! absolute legend.. ill be back again soon and we will have to catch up
Nice car mate
Sick car Michael sounds mental!!! 👍👍 mad review jono
Not enough info on exhaust set up😔.... True duels? H pipe? brand mufflers?
or Y pipe into 3inch?
I need this setup 🤣
@@lloydhookey8739 twin 3, h pipe, and 2 unknown brand hot dogs around the centre of the underside, then straight out.
That was fun to watch mate. Good to see a couple of AU's being used and looked after. The V8 made me smile more than the 6 but hey, both cool cars.
glad you enjoyed it mate! was a blast to film
Basically the coolest xr8 in my eyes. It was definitely the car that made me fall in love with fords.
Fast track to present day and now I have a 1500rwhp xr6 turbo 👊
And here we have the mighty au falcons, in its natural habitats
(David Attenborough)
@@RossReviewsau atleast someone got it
Agreed
Gotta admit as a Holden man I've always thought of the AU as the ugliest thing ever built on Australian soil but nowadays they're growing on me.. they had arguably the lowest drag coefficient of any large Aussie sedan ever built (WK & WL stato/caprices a distant 2nd i think) and more simplified running gear in both 6 & 8cyl.. not that the boss 5.4s or coyote 5.0s or the barras are shit, its just these are simpler cars from simpler times
CUT THE BS HOLDEN BOY, YOURE A DIEHARD HOLDEN FAN AND WEIRDO.
FORD FANS DONT REQUIRE YOUR INDISCRIMINATE SUPPORT.
They are ugly, the front on the XR8 changes it a little, cant get around the matching ugly interior,glad i bought an FGX 😁
@@DrSaucePacket yeah umm....just like the AU....everyone hates it at first...but 10 years down the track......💕❤👅💋💕❤
@@jimclarke1108Just don’t expect it to hold up for decades , b series on , rubbish fragile interiors . The au will follow & pass you by as your fox goes to the wreckers.
They use the vct engines in speedway cars and with a bit of a tickle in the tune and a cam grind they put out just over 300hp NA freaking awesome engine
really good engine!
220 kW really? That's pretty impressive... Are these tickled engines still using vct?
Correct Pacemakers on the VCT with a 100 cell cat and 2.5" catback easily gives you another 11kw, don't forget the heat shield!!
@@priseene How do they get the Vct to operate still?
The biggest issue is getting them to breath they can be helped with really good designed exhaust mine makes 175kw at the treads
Thanks for the Review on my XR6 Jono! I’m really happy with how the vid turned out! Just wish you could review the car now coz of all the other stuff I’ve done do it since then.
Glad you liked it! ill be back soon ;) part2
Whomping the right side pedal down to the floor in my 317,000+ km, AU 2 XR8 220kw, always brings me that same feeling you get ! Nothing better than making the man who put it together in 2001 proud (J Neves) !!
gotta love it
Really enjoyed the reviews of the two AUs, Ross. The XR8 sounded really good with the 3inch exhaust. Thinking of getting an exhaust like that for my FG. Both cars look very well looked after.
Should see the roof, man I cant wait to get her resprayed!
cheers Peter! the 3 inch sounded so good!
The V8 every time. Your first shot is why. They’re fun even going slow.
this was a fantastic video, thank you for giving some love to these cars, they really are better than most people thought they were. Especially with that awesome IRS and LSD in the back. I've owned two AU's, both August 98 built date and the one I still have is a series 1 Galaxy blue XR6 VCT sedan with 176K on it and some nice upgrade mods. it still brings a smile to my face after owning it for eighteen years. She has the bodykit (front, rear and side skirts and that bi plane) and I will always prefer the series 1 XR kit and overall appearance of it over any other AU even the T series due to that forte like front end they had but they are beasts on the road. It's only the front grilles of the series 2 and 3 cars and the dashboard changes that's better about them IMHO but each to their own. From memory the XR8 was around 7 ish seconds to 100 km/h and the XR6 was 8-8.6 or so. Anyone with an AU XR or T series, hang onto it, I sold my XA Coupe too soon and I'm not making that mistake with this one
My favourite comment on the AU Falcon ..can't recall who said it but it's ....."The AU Falcon will outlast religion ".. They will indeed.... Thank you Jon for yet another great vid..
The AU falcon will be the new pyramids🤣 when we’re all gone these cars will still be sitting in a paddock somewhere ready to send it
.....I almost wish I had kept my AUIII SR. Nothing spectacular but an excellent Stuart Highway cruiser and yes, I did hit the speed limiter restriction at 180km/h. 😎
My dad just brought a au xr6 Tickford with the full body kit but instead of the au engine it's got a fully built bf/FG turbo engine in it, it made 498hp on 98 at 12psi on last dyno
Awesome review 👏
I have a nice little soft spot for the 4.0l
I do have a xr6 vct 5 speed ute in the same spec and I enjoy every moment I drive it. Their definitely the underdog in the Au series and in my opinion the better car
Thanks for sharing! def the underdog but man it still goes hard!
Up the AU! I guess it's up to you on weather you want an Intech or a Windsor...
both are epic!
@@RossReviewsau Agreed...
Loving the AU content Ross! These 2 seem tastefully modified and used as intended! I've got a series 1 XR6 VCT 5sp, same colour and body kit as the XR8 here. I think Tickford banked on the 6 being the bigger seller overall and spent way more money developing it for the AU to start with. Personally I prefer the lower maintenance of the 6 and using the revs to make the most of it, however the 8 has a much nicer exhaust and scope for power NA.
After tracking my s2 xr6 with a barra swap for years, the suspension in aus is brilliant and a step up from B series.
Hell yes Barra swapped AU 😈
just sold my 1998 AU S1 Tickford XR6 with the VCT eng other day, adaptive shift, Irs, Lsd, had it for 13 years and still sad. Loved it. had 278,000 km`s on it. same interior and wheels as the v8. same body kit
Back in 1998- End of AU Falcon series alot of Ford fans were old men who didn't put exhaust system, cold air induction and use Turbo 400 Gear boxes in AU XR8 and it's natural enemy VT SS commodore and VT Club sports wit 5.7 Chev engine ( LS1 ) was much superior to Windsor 5.0. VT SS were done up back in late 90's to early 2000's. In 2003 when Ford released XR6 Turbo that's when Ford picked up their Game. Would love to see these old AU XR8 fitted with 6 speed ZF auto transmission and Genuine Ford Falcon Diff 3.73 LSD IRS M86 with full exhaust and cold air induction.
Great video mate. Got a blue S1 XR8 myself, such a wicked noise and handles nice too
Couldn't agree more!
I remember my dad ordered an EL fairmont ghia V8 just as the au was being introduced / released (maybe end of 97?) I remember him saying “The new fairmont looks like a poofters arse!” 😂 different times…. That said he was kind of right. 😅 he is now a very old man for perspective.
Love a good AU, especially an XR8. 💪🏻
If the AU had a Barra or good turbo setup it’d be great, but as it is I’d have to say I prefer the V8. 👍🏻
Gotta love that Windsor
The KFC wipes in the centre bit ahaha, also love the Windsor as everyone does, but the intech will always have my heart
I love the AU Falcon's triple spoiler 😍
It's a design feature that no others car would, or ever get.. it's such a shame that Australia stopped the production on Australian made Fords
Gotta love an AU
Triple? No it two spoilers not three.
The 6cyl au and v8 had different gearbox ratios fwiw. The styling of the S2 and S3 au xr's were way better imo. But you can't beat the noise of the Windsor, much like the holden 304.
I am lucky enough to have a Series 3 220KW Manual (Liquid Silver) and a Series 2 VCT in Auto (Galaxy Blue)
Hope to hang on to them both as long as possible
I have a series 3 liquid silver xr8 but mine is auto. These cars are definitely worth hanging onto.
Awesome collection mate
I love these, i had a identical Galaxy blue XR8 just after high school in 2003. I bought it purely because of my FTR and GSR love.
I recently bought a Tickford AUXR6 (Identical to the blue xr8 in your video).
The original VCT motor was shagged so i replaced it with another VCT engine with only around 125,000km and i gotta tellya', it is a an absolute weapon for what it is.
She's auto, but great fun to drive.
The interesting thing is Ford put more features in the series1 XR6's than the following series 2 & 3 as standard, such as limited slip diff standard, independant rear suspension standard, adaptive shist trans .
I know people either love them or hate them, but in XR form, i think they look absolutely awesome.
If the xr front end treatment was standard across the range, they would have been a match for the commodore.
I’m about to pick up a Series 3 AU XR8 in grey…Auto…it’s got some serious throttle response…It’s got some balls…I remember when the AU came out…I didn’t really like them…I preferred the EF or EL…but over the years they’ve really grown on me and while the 6 seems marginally faster than the 8…you can’t beat that sound of the V8…even the sound the engine makes when the starter motor cranks that little Windsor over..still surreal that I’m about to own one 😳
I love them both. They sound awesome... especially with a T5 manual behind them. I think they are a good box with great spread of ratios. Love the vids Johnny 👍👍
You gotta love the mighty AU
You can take 172kw to a good 200kw and 400+nm with 4480 pacemakers full 3" exhaust and a proper cold air intake and a quick ecu remap
Port and polish the head, pistons, cam, double valve springs, throttle body upgrades, diff gears, E85 tune...
@@lachlanbrown409 May as well just turbo at that point
@@JC-zg4xe nah itb em or better yet tripple webbers...
The older au's get the better they look 👌
AMEN
These are great cars, I used to have a series 3 AU XR8 Manual with the 220kw engine and rebel body kit. I loved that car.
They really are amazing machines in there own crazy way
@@RossReviewsau For sure, before I got the AU I bought a new GT, the last of the BF's just before they went to the FG model.
I kept that GT for 2 years, sold it and got the AU an kept that for nearly 8 years.
If prices had not of gone nuts Id have loved to grab a T3 TS50 manual.
Love the AUs! I myself have a white S3 XR6 and a Black S2 XR8 flat tray 👍🤘
oh hell yes! good stuff man
@@RossReviewsau 👍💪 utes a project but complete and registered
Nice glad he keep the bi plane rear spoiler. Like it heaps when they came out. Hardly ever see them now. Love it.
very cool wing eh
A Canadian review our xr8/xr6 best review by yourself Ross by far always love watching your videos to see what u r driving love it I own a au xr6 myself and it has been the best $200 iv spent buying a car it needed close to $5,000 of work but I enjoy driving it
Thanks so much mate glad you enjoy the channel 🙌 love showing these cars off
I have had two AUs
1) 465 000km and still going as a paddock basher.
2) 341 000km and still going beautifully as my daily driver.
Unfortunately never had a XR.
Still Amazing numbers 🙌🇦🇺
have owned my AU1 XR8 5 speed since 2009 (well before people thought they were good cars and even longer before they were a internet meme) and honestly they are probably the best Falcon dynamically, the series 2 or 3 with the 220kw was the absolute gem but the series 1 had the best looks IMO exactly how ford wanted it to look
Love both these cars, Both really clean examples. Have a S3 XR8 manual sitting in the garage myself, Driven not hidden.
Awesome work mate!
Every video your accent has more and more aussie pushing though. Love it.
🤣🤣🤣 cheers mate 🇦🇺
just picked up a Galaxy blue Au xr8 S2 5 speed 250k in awesome condition for $7500 was really lucky. I aleady love it more than my Ba xr6t
love it mate.. nice score
I wish I still had my series 2 XR8 manual. It also had a full exhaust and the sound was epic like this. It got written off in 09.
:( RIP
That’s tight. Both manuals ya really did get the best cars for the reviews pal love the effort 💪🏻💪🏻
Was the universe aligning 🙏😈🇦🇺
S2 XR8 Manual 220KW, 120K KM, sitting in the shed for three years now.
BeAUtiful mate 👌🤤
I had a AU3 8 work car once….best handling thing I’ve driven only downed by tiny brakes. Every time u drove it, just smiled. 😂😂😂
I got a 2nd owner 99 5lt 5speed man ute, 250odd
Still drives beautifully, I love it
i have a 99 5 litre 5 speed ute with 263k but not sure how many owners its had but its an occasional car as i want to hang on to it as there arent many around
@@iansmith1455 they're a pleasure to drive ey mate
hold onto her mate! getting rare to find
@@RossReviewsau and like you said, at the time they were not well received in the front looks, but now I love, drives like the day it came off the showroom, and yeah you're mate, I can't bring myself to sell it. Thanks for the review I like em mate
The mighty AU battle Johnny,I knew it would be pretty close but you can't beat the sound of that V8 it sounds great & like others on here I too thought the AU was the ugliest car ever built lol,but not so much anymore must be old age setting in haha,top one brother loved it.
It's like the 1970s again with the 6 cyl Valiant's being as fast as all the V8s.
🤣 true.. the AUs just to damn good
Oh have I been waiting for this 😈
hope you enjoyed it
@@RossReviewsau it was a great vid mate
I mostly know of the AU through watching plenty of V8 Supercar races on UA-cam. The front end design immediately stood out compared to the Holden Commordores, and coupled with some of the liveries such as DJR's Shell Helix livery... yeah, the AU is my favourite Supercar. It's such a shame it wasn't particularly successful in the years it raced. Or even in sales of the road-going versions of the car when it was in production. Hindsight in recent years seems to have looked favourably on this car.
Can confirm the SOHC VCT are equal to the 5.0 power wise
Very Equal quite impressive
100% as equal in performance add headers and exhaust and bigger intake to the sohc vct the 8 will have its work cut out to keep up
comparing apples to Oranges, when series 2 had 200 and 220kw windsors, not making a VCT hit those numbers without boost
I've been driving mine for just over 10 years now she still drives good
Good to hear! Love AU’s
@@RossReviewsau ❤
I've got the vct Fairmont, chipped and cammed does 0-100 in 7.3 as an auto
Not to shabby
You're a sucker for an Au! And I'll watch every single one your Au reviews probably more than once
I do love a good AU mate
185kw crank, now that's inefficiency to perfection, love it lol
HAHA IKR but you cant not love the thing
EVERY EXPLORERER 302W is a 220kw version.... just shave the heads, port the exhaust, slap some roller rockers on & you have 220kw.
Sold my AU 8 back in 2015. This made me wish I hadn't lol
They are so cool eh.. wish I still had mine too
Own factory black au Xr8 manual great car hopefully get a chance to do it up one day
Love a manual AU
Great Cars, pity the bean counters stuffed the clutch with a cable which ruined the dynamics, a healthy BTR set up properly with a 3.89 rear is best. Naturally spending gangster money to convert it to hydraulic would be the intimate..
i recently just picked an au xr6 manual and although it ah its fair shear of issues i love it so much and am working on it to fix it up (and maybe Barra swap it on day )
Ok mark I’m going to sleep to this video
🤌😴
Shot bro love your content was thinking of selling my au series 2 xr6 2000 tickford enhanced but may hold on to her now lol but will see
Im all about a six everyday of the week, but the AU220s are really woken up. If you think with the mindset of year 2k again and block out everything after it makes for a whole different perspective. Even the HSV SS Commodores everyone loved were only making 195kw. It wasn't till the b-series and vz where +200kw factory was an option. 220s really made Holden pucker and play the catch up game going with larger displacement just to keep up.
Not quite, 195kw was what the base model of the holden 5L made in 1998, you could get a harrop stroked 220kw version of it from hsv since the vr/vs models though. Then by 1999 all base model v8s got the early Ls1 with 220kw right through to the calloway tuned Ls1 in vt gts that made 300kw. Most hsvs in year 2000 would have been at least 255kw though.
I think it's just personal preference.. For me the v8 is the falcon legend, however.....
Both are amazing 🇦🇺🤝
@@RossReviewsau yes mate, the best car at those times
gorgeous cars the AU xr's, got my liquid silver s1 xr8 sitting in the garage.
I reckon HP xr6 5spd would be faster again because it has a live axle and not irs saving 200kgs
true.. is it not IRS also?
It was an option, VCT it was standard
@@RossReviewsau series 1 XR6 with the live axle only had 168kw, no VCT.
The six sounds gorgeous. It gets my vote.
not bad at all eh
@@RossReviewsau Sounds better than a barra even if it isn't as powerful.
That’s one beautiful sounding v8
So angry 🤤🥵
the V8 tone is orgasm to the ears
it really is! i was loving it haha
..........eargasm....???
@@lancecooper4646 correct
Keep em comin Jono ...
Have a tickford au ute, 5 speed manual, 170,000ks
In silver.. great car.
Just a baby with them kms
the Xr8 desperately needed the 351 windsor as an option but that 302 still sounded sweet, it always did but it just got hosed by a 5.7ltr 4 door corvette!
Mmm maybe at first, but by the time the S3 arrived both the VX SS manual, and the S3 AU XR8 manual were essentially level pegging for the 1/4 mile. Mostly due to 3 things.
: The more user friendly and nicer shifting 5 speed box, combined with much more logical gearing opposed to the vague 6 speed in the SS.
: Lighter car with a rear suspension system that actually put the power down, rather than making loud drive train thuds and bangs as it tramped it arse off like the SS.
: Torque... yeah you read correctly I said torque, despite the SS's extra 800cc of capacity both engines are very close in peak torque figures. However it's where in the rpm that peak torque is made, and as luck would have yessss the S3 AU wins this one too easy smashing the highway overtaking test well ahead of the SS and usually with one less down change to do so.
P.s. an even better argument can be made for the T3's with their much improved all round package. Like factory stroker, big brake upgrades, beefier box etc etc. I have an original Motor Magazine from the day that the Red T3 went head to head with the Clubsport R8, the latter of which got it's teeth kicked in. Happy cruising man 👍
@@justin3131ify I have the wheels and the motor magazine when the AU XR8 220kw went head to head with the VX SS. You are right they were virtually the same acceleration and quarter mile times with in 1 to 2 tenths of a second. I wish they compared the autos as I know for a fact the ford adaptive shift Auto was ahead of its time and shifted a lot better than the Holden one.
@@yusuf.alajnabi Yeah I agree with that. The old btr 4 speed gets beaten up on & Bullied by enthusiasts a bit these days. Mainly because of the exotic shit that is available to them these days. The old lady has a completely standard s1 au xr6 vct, and the adaptive shit is so much more alert and awake, than the may as well be running on mogodon 4L60e that the boy's on the other side of town got in busses.
@@justin3131ify the BTR 4 speed was a great reliable transmission. They really strengthened it in the late 90s early 2000s.
@@justin3131ify yea fair points but i was still begging for Ford to bring back the 351 though
Loved the episode but, I don’t think you got the best times out of either car.
Anyway that XR8 is the best sounding V8 I have heard in a long time. I bet that car has no muffles at all, outside the cats.😀
It was raining and cold so yeh lots of slip
I had a few au xr through the years. Manual and auto. I would pick the vct xr6 t5 over series 1 and 2 xr8 any day. The series 3 220kw t5 is better than all of them but they're hard to get.
I was expecting the straight six to rev a little higher, but no. Both 5600 rev limit
Yup that was a bit surprising eh
The long stroke of the ford intech 99.31 mm (3.910 in) really caps the RPM, that said standard non VCT ones with replacement cam can spin to 6000rpm without a problem.
Wicked review man
Xr8 sounded the bomb
Should be mid 7’s too 100 without wheel spin..
are we getting a Windsor shirt made up..
i am wanting to do that! gotta sort my merch out again as society apparel has closed recently :( def in the 7s without the wet road and spinning
Love a great sounding mighty au and I believe the diff gears would be 345s as I have a xr8 diff in my Fairmont wagon great video and beautiful examples of au xr's
Xr8s diff was irs so I couldn’t see it being on a wagon
@@JoeDirt-ok2hm it's a xr8 ute diff
XR6 Turbo........cause they're fun
My XR6 ute is basically the same as this its even blue , would love to spend some good money on her
Love my AU HP XR6 auto S1 but brakes are crap compared to s2/3 I had a s3 before but I got FG XR6T brakes front and rear to fix that but xr6 gone so much better then a standard AU
brake upgrade is a smart move
what is your dragy mean ? lost it ? your licence ?
Through binging on your videos I'm seeing it slowly go from pure American/Canadian to having subtle hints of the Australian accent. Where are you originally from?
HAHA cheers mate! from canada originally ;)
I'll always have a soft spot for the AU. Had two AUII's and still regret selling my XR6 4 yrs ago. VCT, 5spd man, 150k km and sold it for $3500 🤦♂️. Thanks for the great vid.
Rip lol glad you enjoyed the video
Awesome review mate… even the AU falcon deserves a turn .. love how you portrayed them..
Ever thought dabbling in 4WDs ???
i have a little only really seen success at it tho with 70 series
I’m so thrown by the accent hahaha
Greta video thank you
🤣 people usually are eh
cool vid mate as usual, keep them coming👍
Thanks Chris
How about a au xr8 220kw vs au barra swapped na
i need to find a barra swapped AU!
The series 1 xr8 can do 0-100 in 7.1 seconds. You need good tyres and a dry road.
Was Melbourne 😅
Have you noticed the AU craze with young people. Us older people wernt ready for the au but the young one's are.
It’s a cult classic now
@@RossReviewsau who would have known the AU would be the next EH.
The AU XR8 engine is a brilliant donk, it was grossly underpowered though unfortunately.
I WILL HAVE BOTH THANKS
I have a toyota gx81 and lx90 both manual. and I need another manual au3 xr6. Fuk yeah that 4.0 sounds so dirty it's good
Love it eh mate
AUGHHHHHH I MISS MY MANUEL S1 AU XR6 VCT SO MUCH
so rare nowadays
in this case, the XR8 wins in my books for being an S1 aero package.
Fair capl
I push a 02 xr6 vct and she's mint as I wish I had a xr8i
Ross if I knew you were in Melbourne doing reviews I would have begged you to review my series3 xr8. Great video on these cars buy the way.👍
Next time I’m down let’s see her 😈
@@RossReviewsau ok 👍 done 🙂
Windsor sounds better, intech block can handle more power with boost. Both are great!
Both are amazing yes🔥
XR8 would sound much better and deeper if the the mufflers were slightly baffled , more torque as well
I was addicted to that noise
G'day cobber! Just my 2 cents worth incase you were even interested. Anyhow Au xr8 t5, and Au xr6 t5 actually have different ratio's in the first three gears. Diff ratio's are obviously the same. 👍
Cheers for the info mate! Wasn’t sure on ratios
@@RossReviewsau There actually is alot of small difference between them..., but in regards to the ratio's according to Ford each vehicle's ratio's were specifically matched to each engines characteristic.
Its very obvious that this is not common knowledge or widely known information for many enthusiasts, let alone the majority of people out there. Hence why so many people believe that the only difference between the i6 t5, and v8 t5 is just the the minimal bit's that you need to have changed over when using a box from the 6 to the 8 and vice versa. While they do both work with each other once you change over all the input shafts, bearings, bell housings bolts & shit. While the v8 t5 definitely is not top of it's class in regards to it's strength & durability by any means compared with what we have today. Even so inside the 8 cylinder t5 it has had a somewhat revised finished gear set and slightly different ratio's for it's first 3 cogs. Take it easy Mr Reviews 👍
Don’t mind an au at all but it really couldn’t compete with the vt commodore
You reckon 🤣 I need to find a VT to compare
I drove a 6 cylinder for many years. A smooth ride and engine, but at 110,000klm it blew the head gasket and needed a new radiator.
Did you maintain the thing? That sounds like you had no mechanical sympathy
@@MartinJones123 Regularly serviced by Ford in Canberra as required. It had never been overheated or poorly treated.
@@gumnut6922 Interesting, maybe yours was a lemon... But can I ask, was it an AU or not? I've heard of some earlier AU's with head gasket issues, and pre AU 6 cylinders were known for this
@@MartinJones123 It was an AU Forte. Was a very nice car to drive. When I asked around with people I knew about cars the answer was that its a known fault. The radiator thing must have been down to a faulty one I guess.
sounds pretty nice for a straight 6 too
*jz and rb owners will remember that
Very nice eh
@@RossReviewsau no exhaust is the best exhaust
- book of limi bash, compressions 9:1