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The engine starts with a gravelly bark and settles into a softly growling idle. Prodding the throttle results in instant surges of torque. Thankfully all of it is channeled to the rear tires, and to help the grip further, a limited-slip differential and traction control system are standard. The throttle itself is drive-by-wire, with the pedal acting as a mere electronic switch, the computer performing the actuation of the throttle plate. A 4-speed auto takes care of the shifting duties. The boatload of torque ensures that there's immediate response even in high gears. A heavier press of the pedal, and e AT obliges with a quick downshift. Pushing the gearlever left of D engages the sport mode, cutting down the response time and moving the shift points higher. The sport mode also has a sequential manual mode, by pushing forward for downshifts and pulling for upshifts. The manual mode allows revving up to redline without an automatic upshift; the limiter cuts in smoothly. In manual mode, the gearbox still shifted itself down with a floored pedal. Of course, the system goes to first gear during stoplights and stays there until the next manual upshift. The sequential shift makes for entertaining driving, but passengers may balk at the sharp dips and surges that they were not expecting. Ignoring the pleas of our passengers, we tried leaving the transmission in first gear, we soon discovered that after a smooth launch, the Falcon warps to 80 km/h while still in first. After that, we thought it most prudent to leave it in D lest we get thrown in an Australian jail. Brakes are up to the task of hauling down this 1694-kg beast. Large discs stand ready at all four corners. The brakes had a tendency to squeal in town, but they stopped straight and true even from triple-digit speeds. |
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