XR8 v SS-V road trip

IT’S A rivalry burnt into Australia’s psyche: Holden v Ford. XR8 v SS-V. But this iconic battle just got juicier thanks to added firepower.

The revived Ford Falcon XR8 now boasts the same 335kW/570Nm 5.0-litre supercharged V8 as the discontinued, and substantially more expensive, FPV GT, meaning that on paper at least the Blue Oval’s flagship performance sedan completely outguns its rival from Holden, which produces 260kW/517Nm.

But how do they stack up in the real world? To find out, Wheels took both on an epic 1500km road trip from Melbourne to the spiritual home of the Aussie sports sedan, Bathurst.

Here’s what went down.