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S550 VS. S650 Body Style

geep81

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Everyone hates the new generation. I bet if you pulled the first few days of posting after the 550 was announced you'll find massive amounts of haters. I like certain things about the 650 and dislike others it's all relative to your taste.
I don't believe that's true in the S550's case, I remember the car pretty much being universally loved right out the gate. I think what you said is definitely generally true though.
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I don't believe that's true in the S550's case, I remember the car pretty much being universally loved right out the gate. I think what you said is definitely generally true though.
I seem like I remember the same thing. At least among my friends and coworkers it was well received.
 
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ABEcoBoost

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I seem like I remember the same thing. At least among my friends and coworkers it was well received.
Yep, I agree.
 

MidwayJ

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I can't see a single similarity. If I see an S650 from the rear, obviously not a Camaro. If I see it from the front, obviously not a Camaro. From the side it looks the most like an S550 to me with the shape of the top and size of the windows being identical to an S550.

Even getting into details, the body line in Mustangs passes through the door handle, not below it.


The hood vents look almost identical. I'll give you that. But there's no way someone would confuse the two cars based on that. I didn't even notice they had that similarity until you pointed it out.

The side haunches have no specific unique shapes that are the same or even similar. The S650 Mustang body line terminates into a downward line. The S550 line just stops. The Camaro body line is curved in that area. If you start looking at a 2 inch square area of sheet metal and saying it's similar, to me that becomes nonsensical. Every 1/4 panel in the world looks the same from a close enough perspective.

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Bottom line to me, I don't think Ford would have deliberately copied styling from a car that had such poor sales. I liked the performance of my Camaro, but I understand why it didn't sell well. I bought mine in black to hide some of the ugly.
I think the side haunches of the S650 look huskier (and therefore more like the Camaro) even though the body lines are not identical. Whatever Ford's intent was, many believe that's where the S650 looks more "Camaro like." I happen to think it's the only aspect where the S650 looks more like a Camaro, though.
 

MidwayJ

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The exterior grew on me. I now own one. I didn't like the price, though. :) I still don't like the dash. I don't mind it so much while driving with the screens lit up, but the design itself is way too generic for a Mustang.

My favorite things about the S650 vs my '19 are the better shifting A10, magneride (which I didn't have on my S650), quieter cabin, and the Adriatic Blue color.

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The exterior grew on me. I now own one. I didn't like the price, though. :) I still don't like the dash. I don't mind it so much while driving with the screens lit up, but the design itself is way too generic for a Mustang.

My favorite things about the S650 vs my '19 are the better shifting A10, magneride (which I didn't have on my S650), quieter cabin, and the Adriatic Blue color.

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WOW!

It is nice for sure. What made you pull the trigger? You wanted a newer Mustang?

I did so many mods on my S550 (as you can easily see, LOL) I would never let her go. :)
 

MidwayJ

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WOW!

It is nice for sure. What made you pull the trigger? You wanted a newer Mustang?

I did so many mods on my S550 (as you can easily see, LOL) I would never let her go. :)
It started as getting the itch for something "different" since I'm retired and will likely not have very many more cars. Also, I drove the hell out of my S550 on road trips with no PPF, so it definitely had some cosmetic issues. I figured if I spent the money on paint work I would want to hold onto it longer.

I was very interested in the Nissan Z because I love the look and I loved the original 240/260/280Z. In the end I wasn't thrilled with reviews I read and with giving up on V8 sound. Then I looked into C8 and C7 Vettes, but I don't like the look of the C8 and just couldn't see myself in a Vette. Finally I considered used Porsches but chickened out on spending that much coin on an out of warranty machine.

Just as I was back to thinking I'll keep my S550, I saw the new Adriatic Blue color and fell in love with it.
 

Arthonon

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I don't believe that's true in the S550's case, I remember the car pretty much being universally loved right out the gate. I think what you said is definitely generally true though.
Maybe not the original release (I didn't really look into it at the time), but the '18 refresh got a lot of hate.
 

MidwayJ

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Maybe not the original release (I didn't really look into it at the time), but the '18 refresh got a lot of hate.
I remember that. It was mainly the front end as I recall. Lots of 15-17 owners liked the quad exhaust and switched to the 2018+ taillights.
 
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I remember that. It was mainly the front end as I recall. Lots of 15-17 owners liked the quad exhaust and switched to the 2018+ taillights.
Yes, I remember that as well. People actually didn't like the new DRLs and taillights and also the front end, especially the "Darth Vader" inspiration. I actually love those parts of the car! :)
 

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ABEcoBoost

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It started as getting the itch for something "different" since I'm retired and will likely not have very many more cars. Also, I drove the hell out of my S550 on road trips with no PPF, so it definitely had some cosmetic issues. I figured if I spent the money on paint work I would want to hold onto it longer.

I was very interested in the Nissan Z because I love the look and I loved the original 240/260/280Z. In the end I wasn't thrilled with reviews I read and with giving up on V8 sound. Then I looked into C8 and C7 Vettes, but I don't like the look of the C8 and just couldn't see myself in a Vette. Finally I considered used Porsches but chickened out on spending that much coin on an out of warranty machine.

Just as I was back to thinking I'll keep my S550, I saw the new Adriatic Blue color and fell in love with it.
That's cool. It's always a great feeling when you love your car.
 

geep81

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Maybe not the original release (I didn't really look into it at the time), but the '18 refresh got a lot of hate.
Only the front end and gear ratio on the manual have gotten lots of hate on the 18+'s. Most every thing else they updated was a hit.

The A10 changed the game for the 18+'s and people have loved what they got out of those vs the old auto.
 

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Yes, I remember that as well. People actually didn't like the new DRLs and taillights and also the front end, especially the "Darth Vader" inspiration. I actually love those parts of the car! :)
Me to. I really like the 18 front over the 17. I do think that the 15-17 front end was a nice transition, progression maybe, from the S197. But the tweaks to the 18 really made it for me.
 

geep81

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Me to. I really like the 18 front over the 17. I do think that the 15-17 front end was a nice transition, progression maybe, from the S197. But the tweaks to the 18 really made it for me.
Same here, the '18 front was what made me put my money down after a lifetime of loving Mustangs. I love the shark face/catfish nose.

It also is neat that if you look at the front bumper from the side, it resembles the Shelby snake head.

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Arthonon

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Only the front end and gear ratio on the manual have gotten lots of hate on the 18+'s. Most every thing else they updated was a hit.

The A10 changed the game for the 18+'s and people have loved what they got out of those vs the old auto.
I bought one, and I liked all of the changes, but I remember a lot of people really hating on the front end, and that dominated a lot of the discussion. Much like when people hate on the front end of the S650.
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