As a grand touring car

[Detector]

Exactly why I bought my 15.

I hated the looks of the S550 at first. I loved the more classic looks of my 2006 Pony Package V6 but the ride wasn't all that great. I drove it only to car shows and a few times on nice days. The rest of the time it sat in the garage. I took a ride in the S550 and that was all it took. A pony that not only ran good, but was very nice to ride in. I have grown to like the looks so I'm one happy camper.

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[GTP]

I consider the non performance pack premium ecoboost as the ultimate grand tourer. Very smooth ride, cooled or heated seats for the ride, very good gas mileage, less stopping on the road due to getting low to mid 30's on the highway, and the ecoboost is quieter than the gt which makes a big difference when you're cruising for that long.

That is a very good point. I changed my order from EB-PP to GT-AT6. Maybe I should change it back to EB-AT6, or EB-PP-AT6, or ...

Wait a minute. I've been through this already! :frusty:

 

[jasonc0604]

I can't agree more. This is one car that you just can't help but want to drive until the tank is empty, fill it up, and drive until it is empty again. My wife just can't figure it out, but she is rather accepting to the fact that I love this car and can't help it if I just have to go for a little drive.

Simply put, this is the best mass-production Mustang Ford has ever made.

 

[wag4513]

I am glad to see this thread. I wanted a touring car. I like to drive and two of my children live on the east coast, about 1,500 miles from here. My Acura MDX is a great road car, but it gets about 19 mpg on premium. The car I ordered has the performance package because I wanted the larger brakes and radiator. I don't think the heavy duty front springs will make the ride to firm. The car also has the blind spot information system which I wanted, and adaptive cruise control, which is very nice on the open highway.

I have already bought a Steeda catch can and Steeda CAI, which I will have installed after the break in. I plan on putting all season tires on the car as soon as I get it.

Then I will wander off, either to the east coast to see my children, on is in D.C. and the other is in Philly. If we are into winter I will go to the west coast and drive my convertible up the Pacific Coast Highway.

 

[corvettez06usa]

Wow, so happy to see these responses. I was afraid it would either turn into another performance vs practicality thread or just another performance thread.

I remember when word first got out that the S550 wasn't going to be smaller or lighter than the S197, I was severely disappointed. So much so that I added the BRZ/FRS and the 370Z to my list of cars to view and test drive for my next ride. Of course the GT won out (overall value and cheap ownership vs 370z, power and cost vs the "86"). Yes if it weighed >3500 pounds it would be faster and more nimble, but something about its size appeals to me. It's wide and low. It feels like it's worth its price tag (those 86s just don't seem like 25k worth of car to me). It makes me want to cruise around and even just sit in it when it's going no where. On day one all I was looking forward to was slamming my favorite curves on the country roads around me (I live in the sticks so there are sooooo many fun corners), and while those moments still make me giddy, I find myself enjoying this car in a way I didn't even remotely consider; as a cruiser. And I'll agree with what a few others have said, sometimes when I get to my destination I have a hard time putting it in park and turning the engine off.

 

[GTP]

Last night a colleague was talking about this subject with me, as we have on and off for the past few months. He used to own an STI, drove like a maniac, autocrossed it, etc. He grew older and slowed down a bit.

So last night he said he just enjoys riding his moderately powered dirt bike around. He explained that he stills gets that "inner ear" excitement from acceleration in many directions, but at 30-50mph. So he gets his cornering and acceleration fun, all below the speed limits, and without turning cops' heads.

He thought that owning a powerful Mustang could be a source of frustration to some owners, knowing how fast their car could go, but at what risk?

Food for thought.

 

[corvettez06usa]

He thought that owning a powerful Mustang could be a source of frustration to some owners, knowing how fast their car could go, but at what risk?

The first week with my Mustang I had 2 reoccurring thoughts:

-With great power comes great responsibility. As in for the safety of myself and the safety of others I share the road with.
-A sleeping giant. My GT is sedate and mundane till I drop a gear and lay into the throttle.

The way I prefer to drive would probably make some people on this forum weep (never 5 MPH over. Stay under 65 on the freeway). Those two thoughts eventually became a theme with my behaviors vs my impulses. I love that I have 400 ft-lbs of torque on tap in case I want it or need it, but it by no means is a constant draw of temptation. I can see that point of view, but for me it's sort of become a source of amusement in that there has to be people daily passing me in the right lane going "why the hell is he driving a V8?" For those folks I'd say, follow me to my favorite country roads.

 

[73MachI]

Lots of interesting thoughts on this thread. Personally, and I suspect that this is different for everyone - so we have to be tolerant of differing opinions - I feel that my GT with the Perf Pack is the ultimate, perfect Gran Turismo for me. Every time I pull into my garage knowing I'm done with the car for the day, I'm a little bit sad. (And I am most assuredly not looking forward to winter, because I won't be driving it.)

However, winter is the time to plan a 2016 GT road trip...

 

[Old 5 Oh]

I ordered mine specifically to be a "Gentleman's Express," a term I think Motor Trend invented a long time ago to describe the Jensen Interceptor, and one which fits a lot of Aston Martins. With its long legs (3.15 gears), AT, V8, and Premier interior, my S550 does a very decent DB9 imitation, at least as much of one as I can get for 25% of the price.

It is nothing like the Foxes, SN97s and New Edge Mustangs and Cobras that I have had in the past. Much faster, smoother, better handling, quieter, more comfortable and all around better.

I am more than happy.

 

[Tony Alonso]

From one Cincinnatian to another, enjoy your grand touring machine. Yes, it's more that way in standard form than it's probably ever been as compared to the recent generations. It's cool Ford provided a performance pack option to up the fun factor for those who appreciate the content for the price and the way it feels when they drive it. This car is my daily transportation. I appreciate its stock virtues, so much, in fact, that my dreams of modifying it keep getting put on hold because I like the stock experience so much :-)

By the way, check out the "Ohio Thread" in the regional subforums for some area meet-ups.

PS - Did you know the original "GT" package for the first Mustangs was named that way to make a connection to the Ford GT40s that would go on to win LeMans? I got this information from a recent article in "Mustang Times".

 

[amilhazes]

Great post. Literally had this conversation with a buddy of mine a few weeks back. I sent him this link. Correct me if I'm wrong. But read this page and tell me it doesn't describe our Pony to a t.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_tourer

 

[JohnDoe]

Mines a convertible. As far as I'm concerned, the ultimate touring car. Nothing like driving through the mountains with the top down, get a little cold, heated seats to the rescue. Any threat of inclement weather, just put the top up.

Absolutely! I have spend countless consecutive hours in it with the top down, going from A to B to C running errands and what not. Makes every single chore and commute an absolute PLEASURE!

 

[Dave]

I really agree, and I felt the same way when I test drove the car, intending to buy it as a daily driver and car for road trips and such. Even with the Performance Pack, it's not too stiff for daily driving duties.

It's not a lightweight corner-carver, but it handles very capably and feels substantial. The manual is precise and it's easy to drive, no odd clutch uptake or anything like that. On the highway, you get a nice earful of V8 roar when you downshift and put your foot in it, but at cruising speed it just glides along relatively silently.

The steering has a good ratio; not so slow it feels like a commuter car but also not nervous and twitchy. That makes it enjoyable to drive on the highway, but also still enjoyable to take corners in.

That said, there is something about the "driving experience" in a car that doesn't come from reading reviews or looking at lap times. The Subaru BRZ and FR-S are amazingly enjoyable cars to drive at the limit, even though they're slow. They have a raw, connected, feel with the road that you do not get in a car like the Mustang GT, but on the other hand, they are awful little cars to daily drive because you are working the piss out of it to keep up with an Accord and they are twitchy and bouncing all over the road on the highway... Different kinds of cars, and thus, different experiences. And I fully realize the Mustang will trounce them on any road course with more than 1/8 mile of straightaway (and probably hold its own in the corners, too.) That's not the point.

The point is the feel... Which is not quite as visceral in the Mustang, but... Is that a BAD thing? Hell no, not in a GT car, and for that this car is absolutely amazing.

 

[pigdoc]

One of the best threads here lately. I got my EB 6MT coupe for a driving car. I've been on several medium to long trips and it is so easy to drive it's like I'm always going downhill. And when I was in Ozark curvy roads, it was a beast on rails. Extremely comfortable interior and 30.4mpg over the first 5k miles. Grand Touring with the EB....I am blessed.

 

[Genxer]

I was pleasantly surprised at the comfort combined with power, when we took a road trip of a few hundred miles. Handling and braking up to snuff too. Truly won on all points with me.

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