Stepping into the red GT-P, I was instantly confronted with what those three letters mean. The 'GT' stands for Grand Tourer - she sure is roomy and comfy - and it is also a throwback to another Ford hey-day when the iconic GT name first entered the Australian domain in 1967 with the XR Falcon GT.
And the 'P' stands for posh. Or premium, as stepping into the cockpit is an experience unto itself. The leather bucket seats have lovely side bolsters to keep you secure during high-gee cornering and the headrests are much bigger (and better) than those found in the GT.
Then there's the satellite navigation, dual zone climate control, auto headlights, classy multi-function display, six-stacker CD stereo with seven speakers, a 150W amplifier and tasty rear-mount subwoofer just for good measure. While many of these, such as the sat-nav and sub-woofer are cost options, they make driving the GT-P that much more of joy - a complete package if you will - and so come highly recommended.
Is this GT-P worth an extra 10,000 clams over the GT model though? It all really depends on what means most to you as a driver. Both offer almost identical drives, but if you don't mind spending the extra cash, the premium options are more than worth it.
There's leather everywhere in both models, with a smattering of suede on seats and in the door inserts, faux carbon fibre (it's the thought that counts), electric everything including fuel filler opener, and who could forget that very special starter button.
Some hate it, but for mine, it's the dogs bollocks. It reminded me - every time I started the car - that yes, this is something special. It adds a twinge of excitement before you drive off and is far more pleasing than just turning a key.
The GT gets slightly different seats to the GT-P: Not quite as plush, but I found them better suited to enthusiastic driving.
It also misses out on the 100W stereo, sat-nav, fancy information display centre and climate control, but this by no means relegates its to cheap and nasty -- it is still a very nice place to spend your driving hours.
Interior space, like all other Falcons, is commendable, and the idea of having such a highly-strung sportscar with enough room to cart around the entire family and lug a great big trailer is a bloody good one.
While the car's are primarily designed to hard and fast, created to eat up corners like a hungry goldfish slurping down pond scum, they offer remarkably good slow speed control, and your passengers in the back will be more than happy with the plush rear bench.
In the rear, there's also a fold-down armrest, which houses two cupholders.
The steering wheels in both FPV sedans are identical, and have been crafted with solid ergonometrics. They're quite curvy and contoured but are lovely to use, with lots of leather, which is also covering the handbrake lever and auto shifter. The manual stick is a good-looking polished steel Momo job.
The dials are tastefully finished with FPV decals, light up blue at night and have a 270km/h limit. Like the dials in the XR6 Turbo, you can quickly glance at them and be fully informed as to what the car and the engine are doing.
Like the XR6 Turbo, again, there's no redline marker on the bold tachometer and the manual models don't have a gearing guide, which is a little odd.
All things considered, and the GT has a very comfortable cabin with great front bucket seats and easy to use controls. The GT-P takes things to another level, with more creature comforts than you can shake a stick at, and is a fitting vehicle to sit atop Ford's reinvigorated locally made line-up.
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