Some will buy it for patriotic reasons. The option of buying Australian-made is going to dry up very quickly in the next three years.

Some will even buy it as a speculative long-term investment. Many early Falcon V8 models are now worth many times the price their original owners paid for them.

But none of that answers the question: is the final Falcon (designated FG-X by Ford) still worth considering for car buyers spoilt by choice from a dazzling array of imports?

It took some persuasion to prise an example of Ford Australia's final V8 hero car from Eclipse Ford this week. Most of the first batch were snapped up by buyers within days of the car's arrival and the last one was in great demand for test drives. It has been a while since Eclipse has had these problems.

Our immediate impression upon seeing the car was Ford's drip-fed photos of the car do not do it justice. Importantly it looks substantially different to the previous model FG, despite sharing the same basic shape and structure.

The layout of the interior, on the other hand, will be instantly familiar with anyone who has sat in a recent Falcon. The layout, the buttons and most of the materials have not changed, Ford Australia obviously wanting to spend what limited budget they had elsewhere, such as the exterior styling.

There have been changes to the roof lining (it's now black), some of the trim and other details, but anyone expecting an all new interior will be disappointed.

Compensating for this is the introduction of Sync2, Ford's latest voice activated interface system which allows the driver to literally tell the car to play music, change the interior temperature, make a phone call or give directions. It is all displayed on the centrally located colour monitor and is a substantial upgrade on the system from the previous model. We only began to scratch the surface with Sync2 but we can say it does work (although why it is necessary to tell the car to increase the climate control temperature rather than tap the button ourselves is a bit of a mystery. Have we become that lazy?).

The driver and seats are suitably snug although large enough to easily climb in and out of, a compromise between pure sports sedan and grand tourer. And while the cabin is not state-of-the-art, it is still user friendly ergonomically sensible.

On balance, the cabin is efficient and comfortable even if it has some old-fashioned elements such as an old-school handbrake (which some of us actually prefer).

Any questions about the FG-X's worthiness disappear, however, when the engine is started. And oh what an engine. It's a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 with 335kW peak power and 570Nm of torque, and it sounds utterly glorious. Suffice to say it has more urge than 99 per cent of drivers will ever need (including me) and, with the six-speed automatic, accelerates and cruises with extraordinary ease.

We only had the XR8 for a few hours so took it out on some of our favourite roads out past Invermay and Nerrina. The suspension, borrowing from the final FPV GT, emphasises handling but the ride is also supple for touring, and the steering feels solid and responsive. The drive experience is a match for machines many times its price and, in terms of performance, poise and comfort, we can think of little that can match it for the money.

So the answer is yes - the final Falcon isn't just a fitting send-off for one of the world's longest serving car nameplates - it's a bloody good thing in its own right.

Your local dealer is Eclipse Ford: 5336 1555

Ford Falcon XR8

ENGINE: supercharged 5.0-litre V8

POWER: 335kW at 5750 revs

TORQUE: 570Nm at 2200-5500 revs

TRANSMISSION: six-speed conventional automatic

DRIVE: rear-wheel drive

FUEL: petrol, 13.6-l/100km (ADR 81/02)

BRAKES: ventilated discs front, solid discs rear, with ABS, brake assist and stability control

ANCAP SAFETY RATING: five stars

PRICE (RRP): $54,690 plus on-road costs (automatic)

OTHERS TO CONSIDER:

Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo: from $45,190

Holden Commodore SS V: from $46,490

Chrysler 300C SRT8: from $56,000