- Joined
- Mar 31, 2013
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- Cincinnati, OH USA
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- '01/'09/'19 Bullitt, '90 GT, '00 Corvette FRC
First of all - thank you for your service!
Regarding your decision making process, the amount of money you are talking about is definitely worthy of consideration. Having now owned an S197 for almost 5 years as a daily driver, and having been in love with the 2015 since December, here is my intial take on the differences. Please note that I have only sat in non-moving 2015 cars and recently had a ride in one (see here), which has brought a little more data to the picture.
Engine performance - you are getting 2 very comparable V8 experiences with the 5.0L. I certainly understand one can debate the finer points of straight line acceleration based on the recent videos, but unless you regularly race your car, these are meaningful only for discussion sake.
Handling (street) - there are so many variables to consider, but on the street, the new IRS will continue to have an advantage in helping to put the power down when you come out of a corner (stock-for-stock). This is what I noticed from the passenger seat when I had my quick ride. My 2010 GT is the stock suspension without the Track Pack, and the 2015 car I rode in was has the Performance Pack. Once you modify, things start changing. You can do a lot of things to the S197 suspension (many years worth of aftermarket experience) and make it into anything you want. We are still on the leading edge of development for the IRS, and I suspect it will take a good 3-6 months before we have experiences and parts availability to really make changes there.
exterior design - goes without saying; if you like one better than the other, than the decision is easy in this regard. I happen to like the styling of both cars, but for different reasons. In fact, I am actually not looking forward to trading in my 2010, but I can't swing the $$ for both, especially at the new GT's price (premium model).
interior materials - indeed, the new car has many new interior parts that are of a better quality than '10-'14 cars. However, the '10-'14s were noted for their distinct improvements over the hard plastic everywhere of the '05-'09s (although there was an option to try and pad the dash top with a leather material). The fit and finish on both cars, to me are comparable, but the S550 excels in terms of the front seat room ergonomics with the redesigned dash.
seats - the new base seats are a clear winner in terms of their construction and cushioning. I found the cloth seats in both the V6 and GT to be very appealing over the ones in my 2010.
driver technologies - there are definitely more of them on the new cars when you purchase the premium trim levels. However, some of the features do exist on the S197 (Track Apps, selectable steering feel, pony projector lights, Sync). On my 2010, the main thing I have is Sync, which I use really only for linking my phone for phone calls. I don't really use it much for playing music or for other services. Clearly, the new car has the MyFordTouch interface and Sync integration, which makes it more powerful than the S197 generation.
I like what one of the previous posters framed in the decision making by asking "what will you like 5 years down the road?" That's a wise question to ask, given that's partly what you will be dealing with going to a less expensive but previous version of the Mustang. Definitely not right or wrong answer here - good luck with your decision!
Regarding your decision making process, the amount of money you are talking about is definitely worthy of consideration. Having now owned an S197 for almost 5 years as a daily driver, and having been in love with the 2015 since December, here is my intial take on the differences. Please note that I have only sat in non-moving 2015 cars and recently had a ride in one (see here), which has brought a little more data to the picture.
Engine performance - you are getting 2 very comparable V8 experiences with the 5.0L. I certainly understand one can debate the finer points of straight line acceleration based on the recent videos, but unless you regularly race your car, these are meaningful only for discussion sake.
Handling (street) - there are so many variables to consider, but on the street, the new IRS will continue to have an advantage in helping to put the power down when you come out of a corner (stock-for-stock). This is what I noticed from the passenger seat when I had my quick ride. My 2010 GT is the stock suspension without the Track Pack, and the 2015 car I rode in was has the Performance Pack. Once you modify, things start changing. You can do a lot of things to the S197 suspension (many years worth of aftermarket experience) and make it into anything you want. We are still on the leading edge of development for the IRS, and I suspect it will take a good 3-6 months before we have experiences and parts availability to really make changes there.
exterior design - goes without saying; if you like one better than the other, than the decision is easy in this regard. I happen to like the styling of both cars, but for different reasons. In fact, I am actually not looking forward to trading in my 2010, but I can't swing the $$ for both, especially at the new GT's price (premium model).
interior materials - indeed, the new car has many new interior parts that are of a better quality than '10-'14 cars. However, the '10-'14s were noted for their distinct improvements over the hard plastic everywhere of the '05-'09s (although there was an option to try and pad the dash top with a leather material). The fit and finish on both cars, to me are comparable, but the S550 excels in terms of the front seat room ergonomics with the redesigned dash.
seats - the new base seats are a clear winner in terms of their construction and cushioning. I found the cloth seats in both the V6 and GT to be very appealing over the ones in my 2010.
driver technologies - there are definitely more of them on the new cars when you purchase the premium trim levels. However, some of the features do exist on the S197 (Track Apps, selectable steering feel, pony projector lights, Sync). On my 2010, the main thing I have is Sync, which I use really only for linking my phone for phone calls. I don't really use it much for playing music or for other services. Clearly, the new car has the MyFordTouch interface and Sync integration, which makes it more powerful than the S197 generation.
I like what one of the previous posters framed in the decision making by asking "what will you like 5 years down the road?" That's a wise question to ask, given that's partly what you will be dealing with going to a less expensive but previous version of the Mustang. Definitely not right or wrong answer here - good luck with your decision!
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:shrug: