TDC
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2015
- Threads
- 45
- Messages
- 2,247
- Reaction score
- 1,363
- Location
- Long Island
- Vehicle(s)
- 2016 GT350, 2019 Challenger Scat Pack Widebody, 2019 Corvette Grand Sport
- Thread starter
- #1
DAY 1:
So I finally took delivery of chassis G0050 this Friday. She was born 9/24 as an Oxford White with Blue OTT Stripe and Tech Pkg.
I had her delivered un-preped with all of the stickers and protection film in place. All of these items were saved. Floor mats and owner’s manual are still in the sealed clear plastic. WeatherTech laser cut floor liners were put in their place and they fit great.
The car garnered a good amount of attention during my drive home. One guy in a Ford F150 had his phone out taking video.
DAY 2:
Took her for a 500 mile drive to drop off some parts to the gentlemen who purchased my previous ride, a ’68 Firebird that I had owned for 21 years. It was a perfect excuse to put some miles on her, get some shots of the two cars together and break in the engine (I varied RPM, speed and engine load of course).
This car just eats up the miles with a surprisingly comfortable ride over rough, uneven pavement. There is some tramlining when two vastly different pavement textures converge or when encountering ruts depressed into the road from tractor trailers. On center, the steering feel is a bit numb as with most electric steering systems. However, when steering into a corner there is decent feedback through the wheel telegraphing road texture and front tire grip. The wheel itself feels good in the hand. Maybe a slightly thicker rim would be nice.
Transmission: I believe the gear ratios are well matched to this engine. Unlike some other reviewers I feel 6th is fine and great for long haul driving. Over moderate grades you’ll want to downshift to 5th so as not to lug the engine. The shifter has just enough of a mechanical notchy feel to let you know you’ve got the right gear and without being difficult to row. Throws are sufficiently short. Clutch bite point is a bit high for my taste but I have become used to it.
Shock Settings: I have to say the magnetic shock option is well worth it. On rough pavement I leave it on “Normal” for a comfortable ride. Even in this setting there is enough rigidity in the suspension to remind you you’re driving something special but is not abusive. I use “Sport” mode most of the time as it controls the body motions noticeably quicker than “Normal” mode, yet is compliant for a comfortable ride on good roads. I have rarely used “Track” mode as this really ramps up the damping speed resulting in a rough ride and turns off some of the nannies that keep you from getting in trouble on the street. “Track” mode will clearly be an asset to those enjoying this car on the road courses. There is virtually no body roll or brake dive in this setting.
Engine………my god the linearity of power delivery from this engine inspires confidence as you accelerate out of a sweeping corner. The throttle has a nice amount of travel so you could modulate just the right amount of power. Torque is more than adequate for around town driving should you choose to daily drive it. My previous car had an aluminum headed high 6.6L engine making 500+ lb/ft at about 3500 rpm and although this car doesn’t have nearly the same torque curve I was not disappointed. The linear power delivery and high RPM more than make up for it.
Exhaust: As soon as I’m out of my neighborhood I IMMEDIATELY switch the exhaust mode to “LOUD”. With this magic toggle you are treated to a symphony of growling and burbling sounds. For true enjoyment keep the windows down and roll quickly on the throttle around 3000 RPM where the engine will begin to growl and then smooth into a yowl as the RPM builds. Since I’m still breaking in the engine I had to keep my excitement in check and kept from exceeding 6500RPM. Love the exhaust, period. On the way back home a C7 Z06 and I had a little fun going through tunnels. We were downshifting to bring the revs up and would perform short pulls to hear the echoing exhaust off the tunnel walls. Pretty fun!
Brakes: Amazingly powerful brakes. For most driving you will need to depress the brake only about a ¼” to bring the car to a halt. Being on public roads I didn’t need to get aggressive with the brakes so can’t comment on fade.
DAY 3:
Went with my brother to Car’s and Coffee at Captree State Park. The car garnered a decent amount of attention. Mustang owners of course were particularly interested as was a lot of the younger crowd.
By now I have had enough miles on it to feel comfortable exploring its steering performance. We pulled 0.9G in a right hand roundabout and the car stayed amazingly flat. The seats hold you in well up to about 0.8G. At the 0.9G level you could feel the seat bolsters straining to keep you in place. The drive had my brother questioning whether he could pull off getting a Mustang for a weekend cruiser.
When the weekend was over her odometer had rolled from the 27 miles she was delivered with to about 620 miles. This car is definitely a great bargain at MSRP; offering a lot of character, a sports car feel, in my opinion excellent looks and a great driving experience with good visibility all around.
So I finally took delivery of chassis G0050 this Friday. She was born 9/24 as an Oxford White with Blue OTT Stripe and Tech Pkg.
I had her delivered un-preped with all of the stickers and protection film in place. All of these items were saved. Floor mats and owner’s manual are still in the sealed clear plastic. WeatherTech laser cut floor liners were put in their place and they fit great.
The car garnered a good amount of attention during my drive home. One guy in a Ford F150 had his phone out taking video.
DAY 2:
Took her for a 500 mile drive to drop off some parts to the gentlemen who purchased my previous ride, a ’68 Firebird that I had owned for 21 years. It was a perfect excuse to put some miles on her, get some shots of the two cars together and break in the engine (I varied RPM, speed and engine load of course).
This car just eats up the miles with a surprisingly comfortable ride over rough, uneven pavement. There is some tramlining when two vastly different pavement textures converge or when encountering ruts depressed into the road from tractor trailers. On center, the steering feel is a bit numb as with most electric steering systems. However, when steering into a corner there is decent feedback through the wheel telegraphing road texture and front tire grip. The wheel itself feels good in the hand. Maybe a slightly thicker rim would be nice.
Transmission: I believe the gear ratios are well matched to this engine. Unlike some other reviewers I feel 6th is fine and great for long haul driving. Over moderate grades you’ll want to downshift to 5th so as not to lug the engine. The shifter has just enough of a mechanical notchy feel to let you know you’ve got the right gear and without being difficult to row. Throws are sufficiently short. Clutch bite point is a bit high for my taste but I have become used to it.
Shock Settings: I have to say the magnetic shock option is well worth it. On rough pavement I leave it on “Normal” for a comfortable ride. Even in this setting there is enough rigidity in the suspension to remind you you’re driving something special but is not abusive. I use “Sport” mode most of the time as it controls the body motions noticeably quicker than “Normal” mode, yet is compliant for a comfortable ride on good roads. I have rarely used “Track” mode as this really ramps up the damping speed resulting in a rough ride and turns off some of the nannies that keep you from getting in trouble on the street. “Track” mode will clearly be an asset to those enjoying this car on the road courses. There is virtually no body roll or brake dive in this setting.
Engine………my god the linearity of power delivery from this engine inspires confidence as you accelerate out of a sweeping corner. The throttle has a nice amount of travel so you could modulate just the right amount of power. Torque is more than adequate for around town driving should you choose to daily drive it. My previous car had an aluminum headed high 6.6L engine making 500+ lb/ft at about 3500 rpm and although this car doesn’t have nearly the same torque curve I was not disappointed. The linear power delivery and high RPM more than make up for it.
Exhaust: As soon as I’m out of my neighborhood I IMMEDIATELY switch the exhaust mode to “LOUD”. With this magic toggle you are treated to a symphony of growling and burbling sounds. For true enjoyment keep the windows down and roll quickly on the throttle around 3000 RPM where the engine will begin to growl and then smooth into a yowl as the RPM builds. Since I’m still breaking in the engine I had to keep my excitement in check and kept from exceeding 6500RPM. Love the exhaust, period. On the way back home a C7 Z06 and I had a little fun going through tunnels. We were downshifting to bring the revs up and would perform short pulls to hear the echoing exhaust off the tunnel walls. Pretty fun!
Brakes: Amazingly powerful brakes. For most driving you will need to depress the brake only about a ¼” to bring the car to a halt. Being on public roads I didn’t need to get aggressive with the brakes so can’t comment on fade.
DAY 3:
Went with my brother to Car’s and Coffee at Captree State Park. The car garnered a decent amount of attention. Mustang owners of course were particularly interested as was a lot of the younger crowd.
By now I have had enough miles on it to feel comfortable exploring its steering performance. We pulled 0.9G in a right hand roundabout and the car stayed amazingly flat. The seats hold you in well up to about 0.8G. At the 0.9G level you could feel the seat bolsters straining to keep you in place. The drive had my brother questioning whether he could pull off getting a Mustang for a weekend cruiser.
When the weekend was over her odometer had rolled from the 27 miles she was delivered with to about 620 miles. This car is definitely a great bargain at MSRP; offering a lot of character, a sports car feel, in my opinion excellent looks and a great driving experience with good visibility all around.
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