AU xr8 vs Ef xr8

[RG]

There is something to be said about the handling of the AUII - III XR8. They are a great car to drive on the twisty stuff and once lowered they are even better.

[jspec_sti]

Originally Posted by SVR73

I
Someone once told me the AU1 XR handles better than SII or III but ride is better in the later ones.

Interesting... were there any suspension changes made during the AU lifecycle? Obviously the brakes were upgraded in Series II so this would help through the twisty stuff. Even better after a PBR brake upgrade!

[jmack]

hi there i would have to say the au is better as well i have a s2 el xr8 [dumped with herrod bits fr simmons and 18k on the clock] and a s3 au xr8 as well [dumped wheels,hm full exhaust and s/charged] but aside from the el feeling like a slug haha it is rougher and you feel as if you are sitting on it instead of in it.the sitting position just dosnt feel as good.then again my work car is a ba and it dosnt feel as good as the au as well

[Longreach]

well i am liking the idea of the au, i think a s3 would be quite sweet. Guess i'm looking at having to wait longer and save some more cash. cheers again for all the infomation.

[GTS_300_Coupe]

I know that nobody will believe me but I actually beat an AU XR8 ute today to 100 along the highway.
Was in my EF XR6 manual. (intake,exhaust,clutch mods)

Felt pretty good, he was a bit ****ed though he couldnt keep up hehe.

[XR8GRL]

AU XR8, no brainer :P

Originally Posted by GTS_300_Coupe

I know that nobody will believe me but I actually beat an AU XR8 ute today to 100 along the highway.
Was in my EF XR6 manual. (intake,exhaust,clutch mods)

Felt pretty good, he was a bit ****ed though he couldnt keep up hehe.

They probably wern't trying :thebirds:

[fordAU]

Originally Posted by GTS_300_Coupe

I know that nobody will believe me but I actually beat an AU XR8 ute today to 100 along the highway.
Was in my EF XR6 manual. (intake,exhaust,clutch mods)

Felt pretty good, he was a bit ****ed though he couldnt keep up hehe.

I went from a EL XR6 manual to a AU S3 XR8 manual and there is no comparison, as stated above the Ute probably could not be bothered. _2:

Back on topic, E series XR8's are a great car but the AU's are better in every aspect, the gap widens as you go from S1 to S2/3, the 200/220's would be my pick.

[HOON69]

went in my inlaws AU3 must say i was impressed
its done a few K's too and still goes quite hard.

def AU3 ;)

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Cooper69S

when i was looking for an EL2 xr8 in Perth a few months ago, they were very hard to find and very expensive (13-15K). I drove the one for 13K (EL2 manual) and then drove an AU and the EL to me seemed to show its age a lot more in the way it drove - AU felt heaps better. If you can find an E series cheap then they're probably worth considering being nice looking cars and all, but comparing an EL and AU at a similar price i'd have to vote AU. With decent wheels and the full body kit they look every bit as good as an e series, and already come with the good engine bits... (heads, manifold etc).

thats right. au's come with gt40p's and explorer manifold which flow waaay better than e series e7's and HO manifold. to upgrade an e series with these parts will see worthwhile improvements but first you have to find them and then you will be up for close to $2k plus fitting. (heads, manifold, spacer, t/b, maf etc)

the early au's benefit greatly from a cam change and with reasonably little effort will go a lot harder than an e series with similar money spent.

[Sledgehammer]

I think that most have said it here, the Au is the pick for suspension and handling, the IRS makes a significant difference. Great Car.

[pauljh74]

I'd take it the OP isn't after a later AU XR8 (series 2 or 3) due to cost, which is why EF and EL are on the cards. A good AU would probably be the better pick.

[5.4 GT]

Hmm... this is a tough one. The EL2 XR8 is soo much nicer looking both inside and out that its not funny. Could never get used to the bubble cheap looking centre "pod" dash out of the AU's, reminded me of the bloody ugly Ford Taurus' interior. Also in every AU i've sat in including our Fairmont V8 wagon we used to have, the front passengers seat was cocked towards the door for some reason making your left leg hit up against the corner of the footwell. The AU is however the better drive with a more technologically advanced suspension and a newer tighter body (actually this could depend on how many Ks each car has that you are comparing). The AUIII you'd be looking would be more expensive so the difference in money that you'd save by getting an EL2 could be put towards customising (blower *cough*). But if you could stretch the budget to an AUIII XR8 then i'd recommend going one better to a BA series 1 XR6T as I have seen them for around the same price now. If not and its only AU series 1 vs EL2 then go the EL.

[Cooper69S]

Originally Posted by DaveO_SP

Hmm... this is a tough one. The EL2 XR8 is soo much nicer looking both inside and out that its not funny.
...
If not and its only AU series 1 vs EL2 then go the EL.

on the day that i bought my au2, i was deciding between the el2 for $13k or the au for $9.5k. the thought process was along the lines of - the au is more powerful, more comfortable, better handling, newer, lower km's but don't like the look of au's... so was seriously going to buy the EL. anyway as i already said i drove both and the au won hands down, and within 24hours i realised i like the look of the au better than the EL anyway - it grew on me very quickly. the AU wasn't an xr either, just a ex-police forte (pic here). i even prefer it without a spoiler (i was given an xr boot spoiler with it but unlikely i'll ever use it)

point being i think a lot of people (myself included) got so used to considering the au to be an ugly duckling that they forget to notice how good an AUXR or any AU with a couple of mods (lowered+wheels at least) looks. EL's looking better than AU's is person's opinion, not a fact, though i might have disputed that a few months ago...

[XR8-260]

I like the AUII/III XR8's but they are still on the sunny side of 20K. The AUIs are a lot cheaper on the other hand. Get one of those, a body kit, alloys and you'll have a sexy vehicle

[monkey_boy1990]

Now i am only 16 years old but someone told me the ef/el? has a manifold that changes size or something. And i've also been told that the ef/el has a stronger engine (i think that only aplies to the 6cly). so yeah its a hard one.



(au looks a hole lot better in the body kit).

[Cooper69S]

just had a look on carsales
AU1 xr8's $9-12k
AU2 xr8's $11-13K
AU3 xr8's $15-18K

theres plenty more expensive than that but they looked like good value...
also there was a AU Ghia v8 with full body kit and 17's for $7K - sounds like a bargain even with 205k on the clock.

[pauljh74]

Originally Posted by monkey_boy1990

Now i am only 16 years old but someone told me the ef/el? has a manifold that changes size or something. And i've also been told that the ef/el has a stronger engine (i think that only aplies to the 6cly). so yeah its a hard one.



(au looks a hole lot better in the body kit).

I think what it is is a variable length intake. It effectively has 2 sections, one gets closed off depending on engine speed. A longer intake is used for lower engine speeds, then part of it gets closed off, making a shorter intake for higher engine speeds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variabl...ntake_Manifold

I've heard about AU head gaskets being fitted to E series Falcons, so I thought the AU would have been a better unit. I don't think there have been issues with AU motors over EF/ELs

[Abacus]

I've had both an EL and an AU, and it goes like this.

The EL has the better looks, the better dash, and better visibility from the inside looking out.

THE AU is better everywhere else, and I think any AU XR variant is at least as good looking as the EL XR.

I'd buy the AU just for the IRS. It transforms the car, for the better. The improved sound deadening (in AUII/III), better wheel/tyre specs, and higher equipment levels are bonuses. The AU even has a decent sized windscreen washer reservoir, unlike the EL's which is about the size of a large coffee mug.

The ELs are also getting pretty long in the tooth now. Buy a 5-6 year old AUII or III and you would expect to have less age related problems.

I really enjoyed my EL, and I was a bit sad when I let it go. But objectively, in pretty much every area, the AU is a better car.

And remember, the last of the AUII XR8s had the 220kw motor. Shop around and you might get a series II with the 220kw motor for somewhat less than the price of an equivalent series III.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by monkey_boy1990

Now i am only 16 years old but someone told me the ef/el? has a manifold that changes size or something. And i've also been told that the ef/el has a stronger engine (i think that only aplies to the 6cly). so yeah its a hard one.



(au looks a hole lot better in the body kit).

E-series I6's are good but if they do a headgasket or have high kms then steer away from them. Their biggest letdown is the cooling system which in turn makes the head go. On AU's you dont have that worry - Ive never seen nor heard of an AU headgasket letting go.

[aualright]

Originally Posted by jimt3te50

EL2 with 185kw or AU2+

I've had XHII (EL2 Xr8 185kw engine), AU1 sedan, AUII 220kw sedan and the AU1 was by far the worst car I've ever had- had it 3 months, burnt a shitload of money on it then went and bought the XHII.

My AUXR8 has 145000km on it and the only money I have spent are for services, tyres and brakepads. Everything else is a in perfect working order (except for the odd rattle when going over bumps). What did you burn your money on??

Black, full Tickford body-kit with factory 17's makes it my choice over any e-series...although I love them too, they lack the road presence of my AU.