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ORRadtech

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So I wanted to drive a convertible on our vacation to Florida. I assumed it would be a Mustang since they are so prevalent down there. But no, all they had was a '19 Camaro 2L turbo. I thought ok it will be a good comparison with my 18 EcoBoost convertible.
Thank God I bought a Mustang!
My dislikes;
*Trunk space - about the same as the Mustang with top up but with it down only about 1/3 of the Mustang.
*Top operation-works like a hard top, feels clunky and takes up a tremendous amount of trunk space. Also has some funky luggage cover that has to be snapped into place for top to work and it kept falling down.
*Interior- far less roomy than my mustang, seats don't go as far back and just felt cramped. Also, the heat/ac vent arraignment was odd. I won't compare the electronics because it was a base model and mine is a premium. Overall the interior was uncomfortable with less storage space and an odd feeling of cheapness. Only one, oddly placed power point.
*Performance didn't feel quite up to the Mustang EcoBoost. The automatic transmission only had 7 gears and three mode settings (Touring, Sport and Wet). Sport did not feel as aggressive as the sport setting in the mustang.

Things I liked;
* Front seats have power recline, my premium mustang only has manual.
*Hood has pneumatic struts, not a prop rod.
* Top works up or down at up to 30mph.
* Transmission holds last mode setting (T,S,Wet) unlike the mustang which reverts to normal at every restart.
*The traction control nannies didn't feel quite as aggressive as my mustang.
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Mavro

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So I wanted to drive a convertible on our vacation to Florida. I assumed it would be a Mustang since they are so prevalent down there. But no, all they had was a '19 Camaro 2L turbo. I thought ok it will be a good comparison with my 18 EcoBoost convertible.
Thank God I bought a Mustang!
My dislikes;
*Trunk space - about the same as the Mustang with top up but with it down only about 1/3 of the Mustang.
*Top operation-works like a hard top, feels clunky and takes up a tremendous amount of trunk space. Also has some funky luggage cover that has to be snapped into place for top to work and it kept falling down.
*Interior- far less roomy than my mustang, seats don't go as far back and just felt cramped. Also, the heat/ac vent arraignment was odd. I won't compare the electronics because it was a base model and mine is a premium. Overall the interior was uncomfortable with less storage space and an odd feeling of cheapness. Only one, oddly placed power point.
*Performance didn't feel quite up to the Mustang EcoBoost. The automatic transmission only had 7 gears and three mode settings (Touring, Sport and Wet). Sport did not feel as aggressive as the sport setting in the mustang.

Things I liked;
* Front seats have power recline, my premium mustang only has manual.
*Hood has pneumatic struts, not a prop rod.
* Top works up or down at up to 30mph.
* Transmission holds last mode setting (T,S,Wet) unlike the mustang which reverts to normal at every restart.
*The traction control nannies didn't feel quite as aggressive as my mustang.
I agree, the interior is ugly! The media console looks cheap and outdated. The exterior of the car is nice though.

My neighbor placed an order for a 2021 Camaro. Says he prefers it over a Mustang... To each their own.
 
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Girl at work has one and took me for a spin. I was not impressed comparing it against my mustang. The seating was ok but the dash, controls, vents and such all seemed odd to me. The car is styled like a 60's camaro on the outside which is great but it just does not carry through to the inside. Was a bit challenging getting in and out of as well.
 

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Ecoboosted

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MaskedRacerX

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* Top works up or down at up to 30mph.
* Transmission holds last mode setting (T,S,Wet) unlike the mustang which reverts to normal at every restart.
Get a SmartTop module, it's fantastic. Installs in ~20 minutes, adds both operation at speed (you can program the max speed), and "one touch" operation, that's either the button, or, even better, the latch too (so you unlatch, and the top operation starts).

As a side perk, it also allows you to set the start mode (that resolved bullet point 2)
 
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ORRadtech

ORRadtech

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Get a SmartTop module, it's fantastic. Installs in ~20 minutes, adds both operation at speed (you can program the max speed), and "one touch" operation, that's either the button, or, even better, the latch too (so you unlatch, and the top operation starts).

As a side perk, it also allows you to set the start mode (that resolved bullet point 2)
Believe it or not mine came while I was away. It's sitting on the workbench waiting for me to install it.
Hood struts are on the way too.

It's just a bit aggravating to have to purchase things for my Premium Ford that come on a base Camaro.
 

jag7885

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Never understood why Mustang still has prop rod.

At least its a fairly inexpensive fix! But agreed, a prop rod on a modern sports car just seems out of place.
 

ice445

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Never understood why Mustang still has prop rod.
I think its because of how large the hood is. With how strong of hydraulic rods you need to hold it up (and for them to actually last) I imagine its easy to bend the hood by closing it too hard.
 

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Ace

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I think its because of how large the hood is. With how strong of hydraulic rods you need to hold it up (and for them to actually last) I imagine its easy to bend the hood by closing it too hard.
No sorry, it's just Ford going cheap. Just like they only paint the upper grille on GT. Most people I know who own a Mustang installed hood struts right away and have no problem, then even fix a good amount of the hood shaking problem at high speeds.

*Performance didn't feel quite up to the Mustang EcoBoost. The automatic transmission only had 7 gears and three mode settings (Touring, Sport and Wet). Sport did not feel as aggressive as the sport setting in the mustang.
This is pretty plausible, since Ford made the performance increment of the Mustang V6 -> Ecoboost -> V8, while Camaro goes 4Cyl -> V6 -> V8.
 

ice445

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No sorry, it's just Ford going cheap. Just like they only paint the upper grille on GT. Most people I know who own a Mustang installed hood struts right away and have no problem, then even fix a good amount of the hood shaking problem at high speeds.


This is pretty plausible, since Ford made the performance increment of the Mustang V6 -> Ecoboost -> V8, while Camaro goes 4Cyl -> V6 -> V8.
I'm sure cost was a factor as well, I kind of touched on it but poorly. Rods that actually will last a reasonable amount of time would have probably cost more than a few bucks a car, and it's the kind of feature that makes no sense to bean count on only lower trim Mustangs because people will complain. Anecdotally I've also heard many people see notable hood flex when closing it after installing struts, especially the Ford Performance ones.
 

Vlad Soare

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The Mk5 Mondeo (and possibly also its twin brother, the Fusion) comes with a hood strut, and there's no flex in the hood at all. At least none that I can perceive. However, the hood end of the strut is attached more to the front and a bit towards the center of the hood that all of the variants made for the Mustang. This makes it less attractive, but probably more efficient. And it allows them to get away with just one strut instead of two.
The same system used to be offered in the Mk3 Mondeo twenty years ago (though strangely they reverted to a lowly rod in the Mk4).
So it's not like they don't know how to do it at Ford. They certainly do. It must have been a bean counting thing.
 

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To the OP
For Mustamg there is a fix module for convertibles, offering option for opening/closing the top while driving as well as remembering last mode of driving
 
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ORRadtech

ORRadtech

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To the OP
For Mustamg there is a fix module for convertibles, offering option for opening/closing the top while driving as well as remembering last mode of driving
Yes, I know, thank you. There's one sitting on my workbench waiting for me to get off work today and install it.

That there are fixes for some things isn't really the point though. IMO Ford is missing the mark by not incorporating some of those things into their flagship sports car. As a small example, why allow a driver to select the transmission mode they want but have it revert back to a default at every restart. That is just inane.
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