WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

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I drove one around the track at the RAC driving centre last year.. Very nice on road.. You can feel the difference on the corners..it really picked up when you planted your foot in the convoy exercise.. Brakes might need upgrading though..lol

The one I drove also had the Lovell’s suspension upgrade..

I never drove it off road so I don't know how they handle

The V8's are great!

They've got a shedload of torque from the TD V8, and just cruise over anything.... Compared to a regular (non-FESA) 'curiser, they're a bit heavy, but the uprated suspension keeps everything sitting pretty.

I love them! Solid improvement over the straight six.

I have been in a V8 Off road and they sit as if there on a solid road really smooth and very comfortable cornering.

great off the road. turning circle like a cruise ship. NO BRAKES. not real good on fuel either, but that is to be expected with a V8.

We have had one for a year now and as mentioned above they are a great improvement over the old 6cyl. Much better onroad and off especially when needing to overtake. Redline is higher than any V8 diesel I have ever seen which is handy as it doesn't like doing much off boost which is around 1000rpm so wont tractor like the old 6cyl do so in soft sand you have to drive them a bit harder and keep the revs up. Long soft slopes with a full tank of water can be a bit of an issue especially if you dont have a good run up.
Only have a couple of minor issues so far which are the location of the lights and siren buttons above the 4wd selector and they can get knocked easily when wearing gloves and switch off lights while on the fire ground.
Another thing to watch is they tend to float a bit at higher speeds 110km/h + (under lights and sirens only of course) and can try and wander on long bends if your not paying attension (which everyone always does at higher speeds) The tank apparently has a baffle but the water moving in the tank is still quite noticable while cornering. New LED worklight is also a huge improvement. Haven't found brakes to be an issue but they do require a bit more force to work due to extra weight of the vehicle but they should instuct you on this during the handover of the appliances.