2021 GT500: Manual Trans Option?

[MadMax]

There is no question that the 2020 GT500 in either a 4 seat and especially a 2 seat configuration are outstanding automobiles and are certainly the fastest, best braking and best handling regular production Mustang that Ford has ever produced.

Having said that I have driven numerous PDK vehicles and have also owned DCT high performance automobiles and have happily also walked away from those cars which also includes walking away from my CFTP allocation in the spirit of purchasing a 2020 R.

We get how cool and fast the new GT500 is on a road course or straight line but there are many of us out here that still prefer to have one hand on the steering wheel, one hand on the shifter and 2 feet working the 3 peddles down below which equates for many of us a much more engaging driving experience even though we will be driving and experiencing a slower Mustang than yours.

If I was still tracking a Mustang I would have kept my CFTP allocation without question but for an overall driving experience on the streets and backroads of America I am more than happy with my choice despite what your thoughts are.

Now you know a second person aside from @Jingram who prefers a manual transmission over a faster and more efficient DCT.

Lastly, after many discussions with friends and fellow enthusiasts I can tell you without question that there are many more Mustang owners that think like @Jingram and myself than you may realize.

Well said Harry maybe the others will like your wording better than mine, haha.

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[IceAge]

Interesting thread and I love to switch it up on all cars and brands. Being a Hellcat guy for years never thought I’d be a true Mustang lover but damn I Am converted. And I have owned many performance brand cars over the years and have to say the Mustang fun factor for sure out does them all. And believe it or not between my GT350, Mustang GT 10speed auto, GT500 DCT and the Bullitt manual. The 10speed GT is what brought me over and feel FUN factor is her. The manual Bullitt is just too slow and not exhilarating and the GT500 of course is the baddest ass of them all hands down over all the current American Muscle Power. But when I get in the back roads with my GT 10speed auto she just seems to connect and the rev matching is just so fun. So I have to agree to the GT 500 manual would not be an exhilarating ride over the DCT. And for sure just a whole different transmission interaction which is just so cool. She just radiates race ready attitude over any car I have ever owned. And here’s my collection to compare true road time and driving character.

View attachment 480734

 

[obspsd]

Interesting thread and I love to switch it up on all cars and brands. Being a Hellcat guy for years never thought I’d be a true Mustang lover but damn I Am converted. And I have owned many performance brand cars over the years and have to say the Mustang fun factor for sure out does them all. And believe it or not between my GT350, Mustang GT 10speed auto, GT500 DCT and the Bullitt manual. The 10speed GT is what brought me over and feel FUN factor is her. The manual Bullitt is just too slow and not exhilarating and the GT500 of course is the baddest ass of them all hands down over all the current American Muscle Power. But when I get in the back roads with my GT 10speed auto she just seems to connect and the rev matching is just so fun. So I have to agree to the GT 500 manual would not be an exhilarating ride over the DCT. And for sure just a whole different transmission interaction which is just so cool. She just radiates race ready attitude over any car I have ever owned. And here’s my collection to compare true road time and driving character.

View attachment 480734

Just get one of everything!

 

[Classic Lover]

Bullitt is too slow, oh you drive hellcats and gt500s now it makes sense. It’s all what you compare it to. 480 hp is plenty for a kid like me.

 

[Epiphany]

I'll never consider upgrading to a GT500 until they release a manual option.

It's not about how fast it is, it's about how enjoyable it is.

And the 2020 GT500 isn't about bringing joy to the manual transmission crowd but rather maximum performance from a rather portly platform within certain budget constraints. The 2020 GT500 is indeed about how fast it can be. And with the DCT in place, the car is very fast.

You know that for 100% sure? Cause AFAIK, there are no manual GT500 out there. There's plenty of GT350R's doing all kinds of incredible things at all kinds of tracks with a MANual.

Nobody is discounting the manual transmission in the GT350. It's a fun car and Ford did a great job with it. This DCT allows performance that you wouldn't see from yet another TR6060 (or TR6070 if Ford wanted 7 speeds). Just about everyone has experienced some sort of lockout in the earlier GT500's from '07-'14 and while you can upgrade to an aftermarket shifter, it still can't deliver the consistency or modern performance features that this newly developed DCT from Tremec can deliver.

While a sequential isn't a DCT, there are similarities that make both more capable than a traditional manual transmission. I witnessed this firsthand during the 2018 IMSA Continental series as Ford had let go of the TR3160 used on the GT350R-C during '15-'16 and made numerous changes for the 2017 season. Multimatic driver Scott Maxwell put it this way..."Another thing, the paddle shifts, the new gearbox we’re running, it makes it a lot easier (than the TR3160 manual), obviously. It’s a lot cleaner shifting. That helps with lap times." Again, a sequential is not a DCT but my point has to do with automation and consistency.

When the 2021 car becomes available, and again with a DCT-only, some will voice their opinion yet again that they won't buy the car since a manual isn't offered. All I can say is that if you want maximum performance in a factory Mustang from Ford then the GT500 will put a huge grin on your face.

 

[Classic Lover]

DCT crowd. It’s faster.

Manual crowd. It’s more fun.

Both are good points and I think most of us can agree that it would have been nice to have a manual option in the new gt500 that being said the DCT is a huge deal and it’s understandable for Ford not to offer one. The point is manuals are dying and that saddens a lot of car guys, not just old men either, I’m 21 and I have no intention of getting an auto in any performance car I would buy and I am in the market. Let’s remember that after the gt350 goes of into the history books the highest HP mustang with a manual will be 480 that’s assuming no other new models come out soon. Chevy will still probably offer 650 in the Camaro, and dodge 717 in the hellcat. That’s a very big difference and no small deal IMO.

 

[Tomster]

Well said Harry maybe the others will like your wording better than mine, haha.

Not a chance.

FWIW, Harry chose a GT350 over a GT500 for the third pedal.

If you want a third pedal, get a GT350 or Mach 1. If you want stupid horsepower, go to Shelby American and they can drum up a third pedal stupid horsepower car that is useless as tits on a bull.

 

[Epiphany]

And for the umpteenth time, there is an economies of scale argument here. Or in this case - no scale.

Just to pick a generic number, if Ford were to split the GT500 with half being a manual transmission and half being DCT, the cost for both goes up. With the DCT already at over 20k retail, that may have killed it before it ever got off the ground. Only 2,500 units of each makes the argument to have both rather difficult.

It was a gutsy move to choose the DCT, no argument there. It wasn't a choice intended to make everyone happy and Ford obviously knew there would be complaints from the manual-only crowd (because again, producing both at the target volume made no sense) but they stuck with it. And as a result they have performance in a factory Mustang like never before. Before we wave goodbye to ICE powered pony cars for good, this car will stand on its own with the performance it was able to deliver. All I can say is that until you have driven one on track, turns or no turns, you really don't know.

 

[Classic Lover]

And for the umpteenth time, there is economies of scale argument here. Or in this case - no scale.

Just to pick a generic number, if Ford were to split the GT500 with half being a manual transmission and half being DCT, the cost for both goes up. With the DCT already at over 20k retail, that may have killed it before it ever got off the ground. Only 2,500 units of each makes the argument to have both rather difficult.

It was a gutsy move to choose the DCT, no argument there. It wasn't a choice intended to make everyone happy and Ford obviously knew there would be complaints from the manual-only crowd (because again, producing both at the target volume made no sense) but they stuck with it. And as a result they have performance in a factory Mustang like never before. Before we wave goodbye to ICE powered pony cars for good, this car will stand on its own with the performance it was able to deliver. All I can say is that until you have driven one on track, turns or no turns, you really don't know.

Agreed 100% it's not a huge deal like some would have you believe. I don't mind it really so long as they offer it in the gt350 and other mustangs. If the only thing Ford had done to Mustang was offer only a DCT in the new gt500 we would be silly to complain. However Ford is showing us a pattern of 'gutsy' moves like putting the pony on a suv, once you walk away from your roots its a slippery slope.

Edit im not saying the dct=mach E

 

[PP0001]

Not a chance.

FWIW, Harry chose a GT350 over a GT500 for the third pedal.

If you want a third pedal, get a GT350 or Mach 1. If you want stupid horsepower, go to Shelby American and they can drum up a third pedal stupid horsepower car that is useless as tits on a bull.

Actually I chose a 2020 GT350R over a 2020 GT500 not only because of the manual transmission availability but for numerous other reasons as well.

 

[Tomster]

Actually I chose a 2020 GT350R over a 2020 GT500 not only because of the manual transmission availability but for numerous other reasons as well.

I thought that's what I said.

 

[Jmeo]

There is no question that the 2020 GT500 in either a 4 seat and especially a 2 seat configuration are outstanding automobiles and are certainly the fastest, best braking and best handling regular production Mustang that Ford has ever produced.

Having said that I have driven numerous PDK vehicles and have also owned DCT high performance automobiles and have happily also walked away from those cars which also includes walking away from my CFTP allocation in the spirit of purchasing a 2020 R.

We get how cool and fast the new GT500 is on a road course or straight line but there are many of us out here that still prefer to have one hand on the steering wheel, one hand on the shifter and 2 feet working the 3 peddles down below which equates for many of us a much more engaging driving experience even though we will be driving and experiencing a slower Mustang than yours.

If I was still tracking a Mustang I would have kept my CFTP allocation without question but for an overall driving experience on the streets and backroads of America I am more than happy with my choice despite what your thoughts are.

Now you know a second person aside from @Jingram who prefers a manual transmission over a faster and more efficient DCT.

Lastly, after many discussions with friends and fellow enthusiasts I can tell you without question that there are many more Mustang owners that think like @Jingram and myself than you may realize.

I feel like you are taking my post personally........?

What I was trying to convey was Jingram is the only person I have heard of who has purchased a 2020 GT500, and sold it because it isn't a manual. Thats all I meant, period. It's 100% true, I haven't heard of anyone else doing that. Maybe others have, I just haven't heard of it.

That said, I don't think ill of anyone for feeling this way. We are all different, it makes NO difference to me what other people decide.

Now, I do not track, or drag my car. I do not care if its faster than a manual, it's not about that to me. I drive it, thats it. I know first hand what the manual experience is, like I have stated, I have driven manual cars my whole life. What I am saying is, this car is so amazing (to me) as a whole package, that I do not miss a manual at all. Nobody has to like it, it wasn't meant in any sort of way, except its how I feel about my car.

I think people who know they have to have a manual will never buy this car.

 

[Epiphany]

I don't mind it really so long as they offer it in the gt350 and other mustangs.

And this is why I mentioned the economic aspect. Ford isn't about to bump the price point of the GT350 and other Mustangs, substantially, due to a transmission that was developed to handle way more power than they deliver. 90k Mustang GT's and 100k GT350's would probably bump the scale a bit too much too.

 

[PP0001]

I feel like you are taking my post personally........?

What I was trying to convey was Jingram is the only person I have heard of who has purchased a 2020 GT500, and sold it because it isn't a manual. Thats all I meant, period. It's 100% true, I haven't heard of anyone else doing that. Maybe others have, I just haven't heard of it.

That said, I don't think ill of anyone for feeling this way. We are all different, it makes NO difference to me what other people decide.

Now, I do not track, or drag my car. I do not care if its faster than a manual, it's not about that to me. I drive it, thats it. I know first hand what the manual experience is, like I have stated, I have driven manual cars my whole life. What I am saying is, this car is so amazing (to me) as a whole package, that I do not miss a manual at all. Nobody has to like it, it wasn't meant in any sort of way, except its how I feel about my car.

I think people who know they have to have a manual will never buy this car.

No not at all and appreciate your post and your insight.

I suggest that Jingram may be one of the very first to sell his 2020 GT500 in favor of going to a manual transmission car and with the GT500 being still relatively new to the market I suggest that we might see a few more enthusiasts heading in that direction and possibly for reasons other than just the manual transmission.

Just as he had done with respect to purchasing a new 2020 GT500 and discovering that it wasn't exactly what he was looking for and decided to move onto another Mustang model so have I gone down that same path in the past with other HP vehicles therefore I can fully appreciate and understand where he is coming from.

As I mentioned in my earlier post the very best and fastest regular production Mustang to date is certainly the 2020 GT500 in whatever configuration but for a great number of Mustang enthusiasts such as Jingram and myself I suggest that we are very fortunate to have another option which is the GT350/R which allows all of us Mustang enthusiasts two outstanding options.

 

[PP0001]

I thought that's what I said.

Tom, let me be clear that I did not choose the GT350 over a GT500 just for the third pedal but made the change for numerous reasons other than that.

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