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Watch these Australian Ford and Holden muscle cars duke it out

Australia's Motoring has put together a little video on two of the great performance vehicles available down under - the Holden VF Commodore HSV GTS and the Ford Falcon FPV GT R-Spec. And while both FPV and the Falcon might be on their way out, there's still plenty of time for a little head-to-head comparison between the two.
The cars aren't all that well evenly matched, though. The Ford boasts a 5.0-liter, supercharged V8, which the Aussies measure out at 449 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. The HSV, though, with its Corvette-derived, 6.2-liter, supercharged V8 is just too powerful - 576 hp and 545 lb-ft of torque.
Predictably, it doesn't end too well for the Ford. As the guys from Motoring point out, the new VF Commodore is just too new and too good, with its extra power and its adaptive dampers (GM's excellent MagnaRide). Interestingly, Motoring did point out that the Holden's electric steering is better than the Ford's hydraulic steering, which is a lot like a Porsche purist saying they prefer water-cooled engines to air cooled.

F-150 just the start of Ford's aluminum plans

Not only have we been told that the 2015 Ford F-150 is tougher, more durable and up to 700 pounds lighter than the current truck, Ford COO Mark Fields said it's also "CAFE-positive." That means, for the first time in the history of corporate average fuel economy standards, the F-150 would be a positive contributor on Ford's CAFE balance sheet instead of being a vehicle it needs to counterbalance with frugal offerings.
Fields' comments made at the Detroit Auto Show were among quotes from other Ford execs that confirmed the carmaker will be using aluminum for more of its vehicles. CEO Alan Mulally said it would "proliferate across our lineup," with speculation being that we'll see it applied to crossover and sport utility models first, since they'll benefit the most. Even gaining the massive scale of using aluminum on the world's best selling vehicle for its first effort - on average, the company sells two times as many F-150s in a single day as Land Rover sells of its aluminum Range Rover in a month - Ford will be looking to further spread the cost of its five-year development investment in aluminum technology. And that should mean better handling and fuel economy for those of us who don't need to wear hardhats at the office.

Drive Ford's new Mustang in Need For Speed Rivals

If waiting for the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang to hit dealerships is just too tall of an order, you'll be happy to hear that there is now an alternative means of getting behind the wheel of America's favorite pony car. The Mustang is making its video game debut in Need For Speed Rivals.
"We worked closely with the development team at EA to provide them with engineering data for the new Mustang, several months before we showed it to the rest of the world," said Ford product licensing manager Mark Bentley. "Computer design models enabled the game developers to create an accurate representation of the new Mustang before it goes on sale."
Players will have access to five unique designs for the Mustang, allowing a degree of individuality beyond solid colors and decals. According to Digital Marketing Manager Andrea Zuehlk of Ford, those designs are drawn from the four most popular designs on the Mustang Customizer, an online, mobile and tablet app that allows the public to design their own custom Mustang. A fifth design, penned by drift racer Vaughn Gittin, Jr., is also available.