Went for a little test drive yesterday.

[Gryphon]

Images can be found here:

http://imgur.com/gallery/qTRsV/new

Impressions below, obviously as a Focus RS driver I am comparing it to the car I know best, so bear with me on that:

- The Mustang feels HUGE on European roads. It's like a freaking battleship. Because of the front end being so long and so far in front of you, and how low you sit in the car, it feels like looking down a runway. Because of that I found I had very little confidence as to where the front wheels were at any given time. Compared to my Focus, it felt twice as big. On the other hand, that view of the hood was intoxicatingly wonderful.

- The sound is incredible. I know that outside the car it can sound tame (and it does), but the sound pipe really does its bit, and when you get on the gas you get an immediate surge of 'VRAAAAP!' V8 sound which is hard to not instantly fall in love with. My very favorite thing about the car.

- The steering is VERY light in every mode. I tried Comfort, Normal and Sport, and honestly I couldn't feel the difference. The car felt very detached from the road and 'rubberized' as Harris put it. Even in Sport, it felt like a ship's steering wheel, which I could just get spinning with a throw of the arm. Quite disappointing.

- The brakes are INCREDIBLE. The feeling in the brake pedal is great and the car drops anchors like nothing else. The four-pot Brembos on my RS are well and truly shamed, the brakes on the Mustang are second to none.

- The interior was a revelation. It felt truly luxurious, to the point where I didnt' really feel like I was in a 'sports car' or 'race car for the road', but rather in a luxury coupe - which I think is the point here. Everything was nice and tight, the leather was soft, the metal was shiny and the instruments felt 'expensive' (compared to the Focus interior, anyway). The backup camera was an absolute wonder. The only real disappointment was the steering wheel, which felt thin, underpadded, and acutely 'unsporty'.

- The suspension is REALLY soft. I don't know how 'performance' this performance package is, but it felt more like an American cruiser like the Mercury Marauder I drove a few years back, than it does like a tight and hooked-up hot hatchback. When you get on the gas, it rears up like a horse, though, which is intoxicating, just not very communicative ;)

- The gearbox is a joy. The ball is right where you want it, and the snickety shift action is a real treat. I really do think auto owners are missing out on the physical sensation of this gear shift mechanism, which is really satisfying (and that's compared to the RS's clickety-click rifle-bolt-precise gears, so that's saying a lot).

- The power was a little underwhelming. 420-ish horsepower should feel like an occasion, like you put your foot down and the world goes backwards. And it just didn't. It accelerated, but it was like flying really fast in a plane - you're going fast but you don't FEEL like you are. I don't know, it left me a bit cold. Compared to the lag-lag-lag-lag-HOLYSHITBOOOST!!! of the RS it just felt too tamed, too civilized and too controlled.

Overall, the Mustang didn't feel like a very powerful car, or, at least, didn't feel like an over-powered one. I couldn't get it to oversteer in a roundabout in second gear with simple throttle application like you can with an E92 M3 for instance (tried in both Sport+ and Track mode). The lack of steering feel combined with the softness of the suspension and the size of the landing deck in front of me meant I had no confidence in the front end, compared to the darty and precise steering of the RS.

So, my conclusion is that the Mustang is definitely NOT a sports car - it's too soft, too numb and too uncommunicative. The Mustang is also NOT a muscle car, it doesn't feel like it has enough power to really bring that visceral 'American Muscle' feeling of acceleration.

What the Mustang is, is a really well-appointed, well put together, comfortable, quiet, civilized and controlled luxury coupe cruiser. It looks after you, takes care of you, and protects you. Everything you move and touch has a well engineered, insulated but luxurious feel. The car manages to provide you with just enough power, sound and experience to feel like you're paying a lot more than you are, and sitting on a lot more power than you are.

The Mustang, it seems, has grown up. And do you know what? That's OK. Because I have too.

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[friendgr]

Your expectations maybe called: Shelby ;)

 

[friendgr]

- The suspension is REALLY soft. I don't know how 'performance' this performance package is, but it felt more like an American cruiser like the Mercury Marauder I drove a few years back, than it does like a tight and hooked-up hot hatchback. When you get on the gas, it rears up like a horse, though, which is intoxicating, just not very communicative ;)

TOTAL different opinion!!!

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showpost.php?p=772649&postcount=231

 

[Gryphon]

TOTAL different opinion!!!

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showpost.php?p=772649&postcount=231

I really don't see how that's possible... I drove a road that's very familiar to me, and bumps and dividers which are definite events in the RS; and can make the front end tramline and your butt feel like it's being pelted with rocks were just dealt with - I could hear them but not feel them. I felt like I was floating above them all. Which is an amazing thing - it means a well-tuned road suspension which makes driving a joy, not a chore - but it certainly by no means was hard or 'back breaking', it just wasn't.

I mean if you get a chance, just get on the power, and get on the brakes, and look at the suspension travel, the car rears up and ducks down like a ship...

 

[Lord Thunder]

My experience (true, it's an Ecoboost) is in the middle of the two extremes mentioned here. I find is nice and sporty, but not overly so.

It really 'goes' when you hit the gas (in the right gears) and does give you the 'getting pushed back in your chair' more than any ordinary car (here in NL anyway).

The suspension is firm, but comfortable for longer trips. I can see how some people are missing the steering feedback, but this is something that comes with electric steering and can't really be helped. It's definitely not worse than my 2012 Focus.

I found myself adjusted to the long hood very fast. Yes, it's big, but it's easy to handle if you're simply not in a hurry all the time (especially when parking).

All in all, I find the car an all-rounder and perfect for me as a daily-driver.

 

[SteveS]

Are you still looking forward to getting the car?

 

[Gryphon]

Are you still looking forward to getting the car?

Oh absolutely. I was all giddy when I was done yesterday. I mean, let's just be honest about what it is and what it isn't, is all I'm saying. But absolutely, on the whole it's going to be an incredible machine and I am still very much looking forward to it.

As I say, the Mustang's grown up, and that's OK, because I have too.

 

[croyde]

It's all down to what you are used to and coming from a pocket rocket like the RS, the Mustang will feel unwieldy and huge.

My personal e36 323 feels tight and sporty but when I added a Boxster to my little stable, the BMW felt loose and handled like a pogo stick.

My Mercury Marquis was huge and soft when I first got it but soon I was threading it through London traffic as if it was a car half it's size. This was a car that makes the Mustang look like a little hatchback.

Jump back in my BMW and it feels like a racing kart.

 

[Gryphon]

It's all down to what you are used to and coming from a pocket rocket like the RS, the Mustang will feel unwieldy and huge.

My personal e36 323 feels tight and sporty but when I added a Boxster to my little stable, the BMW felt loose and handled like a pogo stick.

My Mercury Marquis was huge and soft when I first got it but soon I was threading it through London traffic as if it was a car half it's size. This was a car that makes the Mustang look like a little hatchback.

Jump back in my BMW and it feels like a racing kart.

I think you have it exactly right. This is also why I had a totally different opinion of the Mustang when I drove it in the US this summer. I came from a rented Grand Marquis (what a beautiful car - kudos), and thought the GT PP was a properly sporty and quite compact thing in comparison :lol:

Having driven in London, I have to commend you on even trying with that aircraft carrier of a car!! :hail:

And of course, coming from a rock-hard 1200 kg 300 horsepower rally hatch with a massive turbo the Mustang feels entirely different. But that's the point of getting it in the first place, isn't it. I still absolutely love the car.

 

[SteveS]

Oh absolutely. I was all giddy when I was done yesterday. I mean, let's just be honest about what it is and what it isn't, is all I'm saying. But absolutely, on the whole it's going to be an incredible machine and I am still very much looking forward to it.

As I say, the Mustang's grown up, and that's OK, because I have too.

Cool

 

[croyde]

I'd admit that for the first couple of weeks I just enjoyed driving the Mercury like an old man. Loving the armchair soft seats and the finger light steering but then the red mist descended and I ended up as fast through the traffic as I am in my Beemer.

Didn't lose a single traffic light Grand Prix and left a lot of single black lines in many areas of London.

Great fun

 

[Jimtasteek]

Images can be found here:

http://imgur.com/gallery/qTRsV/new

Impressions below, obviously as a Focus RS driver I am comparing it to the car I know best, so bear with me on that:

- The Mustang feels HUGE on European roads. It's like a freaking battleship. Because of the front end being so long and so far in front of you, and how low you sit in the car, it feels like looking down a runway. Because of that I found I had very little confidence as to where the front wheels were at any given time. Compared to my Focus, it felt twice as big. On the other hand, that view of the hood was intoxicatingly wonderful.

- The sound is incredible. I know that outside the car it can sound tame (and it does), but the sound pipe really does its bit, and when you get on the gas you get an immediate surge of 'VRAAAAP!' V8 sound which is hard to not instantly fall in love with. My very favorite thing about the car.

- The steering is VERY light in every mode. I tried Comfort, Normal and Sport, and honestly I couldn't feel the difference. The car felt very detached from the road and 'rubberized' as Harris put it. Even in Sport, it felt like a ship's steering wheel, which I could just get spinning with a throw of the arm. Quite disappointing.

- The brakes are INCREDIBLE. The feeling in the brake pedal is great and the car drops anchors like nothing else. The four-pot Brembos on my RS are well and truly shamed, the brakes on the Mustang are second to none.

- The interior was a revelation. It felt truly luxurious, to the point where I didnt' really feel like I was in a 'sports car' or 'race car for the road', but rather in a luxury coupe - which I think is the point here. Everything was nice and tight, the leather was soft, the metal was shiny and the instruments felt 'expensive' (compared to the Focus interior, anyway). The backup camera was an absolute wonder. The only real disappointment was the steering wheel, which felt thin, underpadded, and acutely 'unsporty'.

- The suspension is REALLY soft. I don't know how 'performance' this performance package is, but it felt more like an American cruiser like the Mercury Marauder I drove a few years back, than it does like a tight and hooked-up hot hatchback. When you get on the gas, it rears up like a horse, though, which is intoxicating, just not very communicative ;)

- The gearbox is a joy. The ball is right where you want it, and the snickety shift action is a real treat. I really do think auto owners are missing out on the physical sensation of this gear shift mechanism, which is really satisfying (and that's compared to the RS's clickety-click rifle-bolt-precise gears, so that's saying a lot).

- The power was a little underwhelming. 420-ish horsepower should feel like an occasion, like you put your foot down and the world goes backwards. And it just didn't. It accelerated, but it was like flying really fast in a plane - you're going fast but you don't FEEL like you are. I don't know, it left me a bit cold. Compared to the lag-lag-lag-lag-HOLYSHITBOOOST!!! of the RS it just felt too tamed, too civilized and too controlled.

Overall, the Mustang didn't feel like a very powerful car, or, at least, didn't feel like an over-powered one. I couldn't get it to oversteer in a roundabout in second gear with simple throttle application like you can with an E92 M3 for instance (tried in both Sport+ and Track mode). The lack of steering feel combined with the softness of the suspension and the size of the landing deck in front of me meant I had no confidence in the front end, compared to the darty and precise steering of the RS.

So, my conclusion is that the Mustang is definitely NOT a sports car - it's too soft, too numb and too uncommunicative. The Mustang is also NOT a muscle car, it doesn't feel like it has enough power to really bring that visceral 'American Muscle' feeling of acceleration.

What the Mustang is, is a really well-appointed, well put together, comfortable, quiet, civilized and controlled luxury coupe cruiser. It looks after you, takes care of you, and protects you. Everything you move and touch has a well engineered, insulated but luxurious feel. The car manages to provide you with just enough power, sound and experience to feel like you're paying a lot more than you are, and sitting on a lot more power than you are.

The Mustang, it seems, has grown up. And do you know what? That's OK. Because I have too.

Thanks so much for this, got me quite excited actually. One wee q - how'd the chrome trim look with the TY?

 

[Gryphon]

Thanks so much for this, got me quite excited actually. One wee q - how'd the chrome trim look with the TY?

I'd love to answer you if I only knew what TY means :doh:

EDIT: Triple Yellow. Duh.

It was OK, but honestly chrome trim for me is more for darker colors. Guard would look awesome with chrome trim, as would any dark grey color. TY (yay) looked good, but I have a feeling the yellow would pop more if the contrasting parts were darker than the color, rather than lighter. That's just a personal opinion though. You can see for yourself in the image gallery.

 

[Ericc B]

Here's a TY with chrome trim. I really like it on the darker colors, but I'm glad my TY will not have it.

 

[Jimtasteek]

I'd love to answer you if I only knew what TY means :doh:

EDIT: Triple Yellow. Duh.

It was OK, but honestly chrome trim for me is more for darker colors. Guard would look awesome with chrome trim, as would any dark grey color. TY (yay) looked good, but I have a feeling the yellow would pop more if the contrasting parts were darker than the color, rather than lighter. That's just a personal opinion though. You can see for yourself in the image gallery.

It is a shame we can't have the nickle lustre wheels WITHOUT the chrome trim as an option. Or whatever interior leather we like. Grumble over, it's stunning either way.

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