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I Ran Into (and SAT in) a 2015 Guard EcoBoost Fastback today

Tony Alonso

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Out for a run with my running group this morning, I unbelievably came upon a 2015 EcoBoost Mustang fastback in Guard. There is a local concours show tomorrow in Cincinnati which will feature a "50 Years of Mustang" block of cars.

I could not have planned this in anyway. I literally was running on the side of the street and as I approached where this car was displayed, my jaw dropped.

I abandoned my running group for awhile to get some photos. Amazingly, I was permitted to sit IN the car for a brief 5 minutes, so here are some impressions as compared to my 2010 GT.

INTERIOR MATERIAL QUALITY

The dash, center console, and seats are definitely a step up from my 2010. In addition to the soft touch surfaces, the interior grab handle provided a nice heft when closing the door. The center console lid was covered in soft touch leather feeling material. The leather on the steering wheel felt soft. The leather on the seats definitely felt softer than the leather in my 2010. The door panel plastics felt similar to the current car, which might disappoint some. However, this is a prototype car. The door leather panel with stitching felt soft.

Overall, I'd rate this interior as an 8.5/10 as compared to my 2010.


INTERIOR DRIVING POSITION/ERGONOMICS
The seats are a noticeable improvement over the current standard seats in terms of side and bottom bolstering. For a daily driver, I am very pleased with the way these feel. I am 6'2", 230lbs, and have a 34 inseam. This front seat room immediately felt roomier over my 2010, especially in the area of the hips and shoulders, even with the added side bolstering.

I immediately noticed the feel of sitting lower than my 2010. It felt "racier". Also contributing to that feel was the smaller steering wheel. That change is a welcome one for me, as I think the wheel of the current car is a bit less sporting because of the width. The sight lines to the gauges were good for me. I did not adjust the steering wheel or the seats.

With redesigned dash, the front leg room and the feel of more interior front space is a big change up from my 2010. Topnotch posted a video about the interior space, and I could definitely see why the 6'6" man would put the seat forward.

Overall, I'd rate this a 9/10 over my current car.


TOGGLE SWITCH FEEL
I flipped the switches to see how the buttons felt. They only push down and not up as seen in the recent EcoBoost drive video. The click-click action is solid. The "heft" of the switch itself felt a bit lighter than I thought they would, however, again, this is a prototype vehicle. You'll get to play with at least one of those switches a lot to operate the hazard lights, of course.

Cool factor is definitely there!


TRUNK SPACE
The increased rear width results in a wider opening. I actually can take the front wheel off my road bike and put it in my 2010. I think it will be easier with the wider opening. The depth appears similar to the current car. I think I again will be able to get my bike in the trunk (no bike racks on this car).

Overall, I'd rate this an 8.5/10 over the current car.


VISUAL IMPRESSION OF GUARD IN THE SUN VS SHADE
When I first came upon the car, I thought it was Magnetic. It took a bit to see the green "flecks" in the paint. In the shade, it looked like a dark grey, but in the sun, the metal flake and the green came out. It has a bit of the "color change" effect. It's an interesting color that will result in people talking about it. I heard 3 people who were not Mustang owners talk about the beauty of the color. My photos make it look like grey unfortunately because my cameraphone is limited. I will say this - if it is Magnetic and I am wrong, then chalk it up to color blindness!


I didn't want to overstay my welcome too much, otherwise I would have tried to hear the engine, take a few more photos underneath and gotten a few other interior shots.

Below is what I got using my Samsung Galaxy S camera phone.


Final comment - this made it easier for me to prepare for letting go of my 2010 GT, which I have enjoyed very much the past 4 1/2 years.
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StangBANG

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Beautiful stuff man thank you!
 

StangBANG

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Thats definitely guard btw..
 

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Tony Alonso

Tony Alonso

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When without ruler, measure with your hands... :)
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OppoLock

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Thanks for taking time out of your day to share the experience with us! Your descriptions paint a good perspective of things.
 

Tim 2015GT

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Is there any way you can go back and take a picture of the door seem on the drivers side of a certain sticker?? :)
 
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Tony Alonso

Tony Alonso

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One of my running buddies caught me blathering at the moment of "holy cow...I can't believe this is here!" She has an iPhone.
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Tim 2015GT

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They switched Tach and Speedo positions around it seems as well.
 
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Tony Alonso

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Is there any way you can go back and take a picture of the door seem on the drivers side of a certain sticker?? :)
I checked for a sticker in the door jamb and there was none. I did have the presence of mind to look for it though :)
 

Tim 2015GT

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Hahaha Wishful thinking on my part I guess ;)
 
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Tony Alonso

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Couple more...tomorrow, I plan to go to the show where this will be displayed, but I am thinking this was as about as close as I will get for now.
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Awesome, thanks for the insight and pics!

If you get a chance tomorrow, I'd love to hear some more video on the exhaust sounds.
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