Picking up a used GT....401A Package Question

Intrepid175 said:

True that! I bought a 2016 GT convertible last November with the 401A. It's got the BLIS, memory seating, and the upgrade radio. I don't remember the Shaker radio upgrade being available as a stand alone option. I thought you could only get it with the 401A but I could be wrong about that. To the OP, check the trunk. You should have the subwoofer on the right side of the car. That'll confirm the radio upgrade either way.

As for the turn signals in the hood? They were only there for one year. Probably because they're totally useless. I'm just shy of 6'3" tall and I can't see the one on the right side of the car. I'd be just as happy if they weren't there.

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they are there as a retro thing going back to the 60s, cool piece of kit, but other then high up buses or lorries they don't serve a purpose, but are they meant to ?

goldengooner said:

they are there as a retro thing going back to the 60s, cool piece of kit, but other then high up buses or lorries they don't serve a purpose, but are they meant to ?

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No. Just a throwback to '68.

For some reason, these one year off additions have made certain years more desireable. I don't really understand why, but it has.

Just look at your side mirrors and you'll know if you have BLIS or not.
If you have a single mirror piece of glass, you have it. If you have the little convex mirror in the corner...you don't have BLIS.

I wish the wide angle mirror came with BLIS.

The cross traffic warning is wonderful to have with a small car such as this. I'm always getting boxed in by SUVs.

goldengooner said:

they are there as a retro thing going back to the 60s, cool piece of kit, but other then high up buses or lorries they don't serve a purpose, but are they meant to ?

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Fender mounted turn signal indicators used to be relatively common with some American manufacturers in the late 60's through the 70's. Chrysler had them on most of their Chrysler's, Plymouth's, and Dodge's in the early to mid 70's. The first car I ever bought with my own money was a 1975 Plymouth Valiant and it had them. They were just a couple of rectangular little boxes out on the corner of the fenders.

Were they meant to have a purpose? I always saw them as a heads up display kind of thing. I could see that the turn signals were active without having to look down at the instrument panel. On that car, I kind of liked it but actually, they were redundant. The sound the car made when the turn signals were active was pretty obnoxious so the extra visual indicators weren't really needed but at the time, I thought they were kind of neat because it wasn't a feature most cars had.

I understand why Ford was encouraged to add this feature to the S550. It's nostalgic but given the shape of the 15-17 hood, pretty much useless. I think it would work a lot better on the 18's because the driver has half a chance to see both sides but I wouldn't encourage them to bother with it at this point.

2015Etrac said:

I have 401a and it does have BLIS and cross traffic alert. They make driving these cars so much easier. The cross traffic alert is a must have IMO when backing out of parking spots. These cars sit so low that you generally can't see any cross traffic in parking lots, especially if you have a truck or SUV next to you. I actually wish the front end had it too. I never had BLIS or cross traffic until I bought my Mustang, now I'd never buy a new car without it.

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I agree.

My wife's suv has the all around camera which is super useful pulling into parking spots and being able to see if your at the parking block or not.

michail71 said:

The cross traffic warning is wonderful to have with a small car such as this. I'm always getting boxed in by SUVs.

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I had to smile at this one. You're used to full size SUV's so the Mustang feels small to you. I drove a Honda Civic for seven years so for me, the Mustang feels pretty darned big. It's definitely a lot heavier car. It's all in your point of view! ;)

Advantages of BLiS and reverse sensing far outweigh any possible disadvantages. Very useful.

goldengooner said:

they are there as a retro thing going back to the 60s, cool piece of kit, but other then high up buses or lorries they don't serve a purpose, but are they meant to ?

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Not that I am aware of...completely useless imho. I cut my vents out all together.

brucelinc said:

Window stickers are not necessarily complete at showing what all is included in a package. If it has 401A, it will have BLIS, cross traffic alert, memory seats as well as the upgraded sound system.

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Not always the case. I was looking to buy a 401a but it had the stock sound system. The upgraded Shaker audio is an extra option.

Intrepid175 said:

It's nostalgic but given the shape of the 15-17 hood, pretty much useless.

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I thought the same, actually worse than useless, a waving flag saying look at the bad design. Then I got a dash cam and it can see and record both sides and I'm now glad I have them.

Mustanggt5.02011 said:

Not always the case. I was looking to buy a 401a but it had the stock sound system. The upgraded Shaker audio is an extra option.

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The OP was talking about a 2016. This is from the brochure:

Available Equipment Group
Equipment Group 401A – Shaker™ Pro Audio
System with 12 speakers and amplifier, HD Radio™
Technology, ambient lighting, driver’s seat and
sideview mirror memory feature, and BLIS® (Blind
Spot Information System) with cross-traffic alert

In my 2018, the shaker pro was not part of the 401a package. It was a separate option.

I couldn't agree more with the usefulness of these safety features. I also would highly recommend the adaptive cruise control. I would take it over any other piece of technology in the car.