Base model owners - what do you think?

[Highwayman]

Base GT, Manual, PP and Recarros. Don't like leather, why nav? (Everyone's phone has it), puddle & emblem lights? (Get a Lexus). I actually prefer the tail section of the base over the Premium GT with tacked on diffuser. Get the base and spend that cash on goodies to make it a better PERFORMING car, IMHO.

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[Malikona]

The only options I want on a GT are the PP and red leather.

It's a shame I have to go with a Premium to get the latter since I don't give a damn about anything else in the Premium package and could do without it all
:tsk:.

I feel the same except I would like the drive modes.

 

[Highwayman]

I feel the same except I would like the drive modes.

A step up to the PP should have the drive modes. Can't think of any reason, why it doesn't. Other than penny pinchers. I think almost every PP buyer would have no issues to pay the small extra to have it included in the PP.

 

[JeffreyDJ]

While my car was having it's AC Compressor fixed (with 40 miles on the OD), I was given a base V6 as a loaner, the only options were Automatic Trans and upgraded 18 inch wheels.

When I first was looking at the Mustang I thought I could go non-premium. However, I really, really like the premium interior and features. Count me as someone who really likes MFT. I also wanted the heated/cooled seats and other features. I also had to have the PP - you can tell the difference in feel and was well worth the upgrade.

Given, the sticker on my car (after all options) was $35270, but it looks, feels and drives like a premium car.

My thoughts on the non-premium: The cloth seats were scratchy and not as comfortable. The radio was fine, but underwhelming. The interior overall seemed much more plasticky. The V6 was smooth and great for day-to-day driving.

I wouldn't get the automatic, so subtract and you're talking about a 25K car. For the price it was a great choice, but it wasn't for me. What one needs to decide is what you want and won't have buyers remorse over in a year or two. For some people that may mean it has to be a V8 or ecoboost, or premium, or navigation, or manual, or the performance package (or some combination thereof). What that is for each person can't be answered on by members of a forum, because we all have an opinion

 

[BlackWidow]

The following statements reflect my personal opinion and are not to be interpreted as anything more than that.

I will be ordering a base GT with the PP and Recaros for several reasons.

• 
  First, I see no need for any of the other fluff that comes with the Premium trim packages. Cosmetics aside, I am buying this car because I want the raw power and easy power adders that come with the Coyote motor.

• Second, said fluff with the Premium trims are mostly gimmicky IMO. Toggle switches to change driving modes, pony projection puddle lights, a MFT head unit that is inferior to what's available in the market, the additional "soft touch" areas, etc.

• Third, since I am getting the Recaro seats I lose all of the fluff the premium leather seats offer (heated/cooled seats, power adjustable, memory, etc.) The fact that Ford wants to charge extra for the Recaros despite losing all of the "tech" that are in the premium seats is a little silly. If anything, the Recaros should be an even swap on the premium.

Now, I do have some issues with the base GT as well but I didn't expect to be able to configure the car exactly how I wanted. It's almost like buying a house with expectation that everything will be perfectly suited to your taste the day you move in. In all likely hood you'd want to repaint some of the walls, change out the carpet, etc. The same goes for cars. The base GT gives me a great base platform in which i can then make it my own. It has 98% of what I want and nothing I don't.
The center stack area will be the first cosmetic change I make. I have now spend several hours in the base GT at dealerships in my area. There are way too many buttons around the radio, it looks like something from the 90's. I am not an audiophile and have no desire to improve the sound, i just want to improve the visual aesthetic so it is on par with the rest of the car.
My biggest disappointment is the lack of a Redline option for the interior. I have always loved the black and red contrast, especially on cars. In a way, though, it's a good things I can't get it from Ford. I'd rather take the car to an upholstery shop and have them make some accent pieces exactly how and where I want them.

All in all I think Ford did a great job putting their packages together and giving us the choices that we have. Sure we can nitpick each item and say "well Ford should have put this option with this package" but ultimately it's not really our call. They felt these package options were the best arrangement of features for this Mustang and I am ok with that. I do, however, hope that they take advantage of people like Rachael from Ford Service here on the forums to give them future insight on what we are looking for and what we want. From what I have seen here they really do care about customer feedback and we can only hope that moving forward they take our opinions into consideration.

 

[Axe]

The thing about the "fluff" is, when youre actually driving your car, youre obviously sitting inside of it...if all they offered was the base interior I'd still be in my 13. Count me in for the fluff!

 

[BlackWidow]

The thing about the "fluff" is, when youre actually driving your car, youre obviously sitting inside of it...if all they offered was the base interior I'd still be in my 13. Count me in for the fluff!

Yes...but are you really going to sit there and play with all of the radio functions, constantly adjust your seating position, or touch all of the "soft touch" areas of the car? I'd bet those pony puddle lights will lose their appeal and go unnoticed after a few months. The driving mode toggles, to me, just seem to be more trouble then they are worth. Having to select all of your driving settings every time you get in the car. Not to mention, if you ever tune your car, I fail to see how you can preserve the "unique engine tuning" and other such features without affecting said tune.

I am currently driving a fully optioned G35, leather, fancy radio, sunroof, all the bells and whistles, and I really have no desire to repeat that experience. The leather gets super hot in the summer and really cold in the winter. I have heated seats but they take 10 minutes to warm up and by that time my ass has already warmed up from sitting :lol:. I barely listen to the radio and my seat hasn't been adjusted in years.

Everyone obviously has there own opinion and that is perfectly respectable. I am just factoring in my experience with all these fluff items and have come to the decision that after a few months they all become novelty items I never really used.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Yes...but are you really going to sit there and play with all of the radio functions, constantly adjust your seating position, or touch all of the "soft touch" areas of the car?

Yeah. I'll be using seat heating or cooling every single day. I'll be using navigation two or three times a week (more if the traffic alerts actually work). My number one gripe with the S197 is that the top of the door, where it butts up against the window, is hard plastic and my elbow gets sore resting on it while I drive. I get annoyed now when I drive a car that doesn't have selectable gauge color lighting and ambient lighting. Every time a drink or something spills on the seats, I'll be thankful that they're leather and clean up easily as opposed to cloth that just soaks stuff up and stains. And listen to the radio, and hear the better sound quality, and all of that. This is a daily driver for me, which mostly means that I'll be spending somewhere between 10 and 20 hours a week sitting in it in stop-and-go traffic. I want to be comfortable.

I totally understand not going for the premium interior; if speed is really what you're getting this car for, and you intend to drive it at its limits and use it as a track toy and not a regular get-the-groceries type of car, I totally get that. If money's an issue, I totally understand. Just for me... yeah, I'll be using that stuff all the time.

If my car ever gets here...

 

[JeffreyDJ]

The thing is - We can all respect each other's choice and be thankful that Ford offered us options. I'm glad I can get the fluff! One of my complaints (actually only complaint) in my 2009 GT is I wanted some of that fluff in it!

 

[BlackWidow]

Yeah. I'll be using seat heating or cooling every single day. I'll be using navigation two or three times a week (more if the traffic alerts actually work). My number one gripe with the S197 is that the top of the door, where it butts up against the window, is hard plastic and my elbow gets sore resting on it while I drive. I get annoyed now when I drive a car that doesn't have selectable gauge color lighting and ambient lighting. Every time a drink or something spills on the seats, I'll be thankful that they're leather and clean up easily as opposed to cloth that just soaks stuff up and stains. And listen to the radio, and hear the better sound quality, and all of that. This is a daily driver for me, which mostly means that I'll be spending somewhere between 10 and 20 hours a week sitting in it in stop-and-go traffic. I want to be comfortable.

I totally understand not going for the premium interior; if speed is really what you're getting this car for, and you intend to drive it at its limits and use it as a track toy and not a regular get-the-groceries type of car, I totally get that. If money's an issue, I totally understand. Just for me... yeah, I'll be using that stuff all the time.

If my car ever gets here...

I completely understand that viewpoint. I prefaced my original post with "this is my personal opinion" because I knew that there are plenty of individuals like yourself who would have the opposing viewpoint, and that's fine.

This will be a DD for me as well during the spring, summer, and early fall. I usually drive 15-18k miles a year. Money is not the issue as my G35 was 42k out the door a few years back. It just comes down to preference. I'd rather take the money I save on the unnecessary luxuries (again, my opinion) and put that towards mods and customizing the car the way I want it.

I already plan to swap the factory head unit so the upgraded premium unit is pointless and even then, for me, it's just an aesthetic issue. Sound quality is a very low item on my list, i'd rather hear the exhaust note with the windows down. I already plan on having some custom interior work done to make it my own. I will be removing the rear seats as they are not practical or necessary for me. The hard plastics on the upper door panel, if they become an issue long term, ill just have them redone. I have only had maybe 3.5-4 hours of actual seat time in a base GT but during that time It didn't seem to bother me, only time will tell.

I am going backwards from most I would presume, from luxury car to a Base GT, but Performance is really my only priority for this car. I'll be replacing my second vehicle sometime near the end of next year, I can worry about all the niceties then.

:cheers:

 

[Tim Hilliard]

So, can we confirm if or not the base GT is lacking in power/throttle due to not having different driving modes? Does it FEEL any different?

I own a 300A GT/PP/Recaro Shutting the t/c off makes me smile...a lot. It's like Jeckyll and Hyde.

 

[Tim Hilliard]

Haven't received mine yet but here's why I went with the base GT.
-435hp for under $34k is hard to beat.
-I prefer cloth
-I'm cheap and will not spend $40+k.
-The driving mode switches are nice but I'm fine with tapping the button twice to defeat the traction/stability control.
-I didn't want that round antenna on the roof so to make it easier to stripe myself.
-I don't need all the bells and whistles

The base model has way too many gadgets for my personal preference.

 

[Endokendal]

Got to say I'm loving the fluff.

 

[Axe]

I've gotten lots of compliments on the fluff! And 35k out the door, can't beat that.

 

[Chameleon]

I love it. Only added the 3.55 gears.

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