Been on any looooong road trips yet?

[Farmundeh]

Thanks Farmudenh. I'm looking at same setup for hopefully a 2016 order in late May.
How was the gas mileage with 3.55 Auto on highway?
Was the seat comfort better compared to s197? I've to keep adjusting my seat in 2013 s197 during longer highway trips.

Gas mileage wasn't bad IMO. hovered around 23-24 mpg the entire time, and I was primarily in sport+ mode and driving in a "spirited" fashion at times

As for the seats, there was a noticeable difference with the S197. It could be due to the added legroom and the console being moved, but overall it was a more comfortable 10 hours in the car. And keep in mind that I wasn't blown away with the leather seats when i first got the car. I didn't see or feel much of a difference compared to the base cloth seats I had in the S197, aside from the heating/cooling. And btw, the heating feature definitely came in handy as well during the trip.

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[valentinoamoro]

Hi all,
Reviving my kinda oldish thread to throw in a pic of everyone's favorite Ford product with Mt Shasta in the background, taken earlier today ;) Arriving back home to San Diego tomorrow. Very interesting trip thus far. I found out the car alarm truly works while I was in my hotel room. I had gotten back late and ended up with the sketchiest parking space possible.
Nothing was taken nor the car damaged. Seems someone may have pulled the handle to see if it was unlocked then took off when it sounded. Jerk. addle:
The guy at the front desk let me move my car to his reserved spot by the front door :hail:

Lovely photo!!!

I averaged about 22.3 from Longview WA to the Bay Area via I-5. Still have to head home to San Diego today (at this moment I am on a yacht! ) but I don't think that'll change much. Granted I forgot to reset the little mileage gauge after driving through downtown Seattle, etc. :doh:

Maybe let your girlfriend drive part of the way and she won't complain?

Dang, holler when you're in downtown Seattle next time. I often pick up my wife after work from there in the beast.

That's exactly how much I used to average in my '13 5.0 premium manual with 3:31s, sometimes 23 or 24 but it was difficult. She does drive manual so she better help, she's paying for half the gas that's why she's gonna whine lol, she thinks 26 city is "meh gas mileage" because she gets 34, she's those eco lame people.

My wife's senses of what is economical has been recalibrated after nearly 7yrs w me. 17 mpg avg is the most efficient car we've got and it ain't my Stang, which at 12.4 avg (650 miles, mostly city) is 15% better than my last car.

I bet her 34mpg car is a meh companion on the road unlike your Stang. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed!!!

Gas mileage wasn't bad IMO. hovered around 23-24 mpg the entire time, and I was primarily in sport+ mode and driving in a "spirited" fashion at times

As for the seats, there was a noticeable difference with the S197. It could be due to the added legroom and the console being moved, but overall it was a more comfortable 10 hours in the car. And keep in mind that I wasn't blown away with the leather seats when i first got the car. I didn't see or feel much of a difference compared to the base cloth seats I had in the S197, aside from the heating/cooling. And btw, the heating feature definitely came in handy as well during the trip.

I use the heated seats everyday. One reason I didn't get the Recaros.

 

[klumpikat]

Took the wife on a road trip from PHX to Flagstaff via Sedona. About 3 hours one way, but we took 89A which is a fun twisty turny type of road up the mountain. That was fun! I mentioned this in a dif. thread, but it was a neat thrill - we counted 13 different S550 between Sedona and Flagstaff (about 20 miles). Crazy amount, since down in PHX I've seen less than 10 in 5 months.

Wow! :eyebulge: I saw fewer than five (5) S550s during my entire trip (17 hours one-way).:shrug: One was black here in San Diego, and that was it until I saw a black or blue GT with gray stripes just between OR and WA on the way up! I was VERY surprised I didn't encounter any others out and about all over SoCal at the time I was traveling (I left San Diego at 11:30am Monday)! Then I saw one Race Red in the opposite direction in maybe NorCal on the way home. Of course, I was traveling solo and had to keep my eyes on the road so who knows, there may have been more coming from the opposite direction on the other side of the highway. :headbonk: Someone on another thread posted interesting sales statistics by region and these stangs sell WAY better (3x?) in SoCal than the PNW for obvious reasons - and it was way up north where I saw my second one.

 

[FireCaptain]

It was a tough decision to get the Recaros, to me the stock seats were the most comfortable I've seen. But I don't have many long trips planned so had to get them. The Recaros have exceeded my expectations so far. Also I have a 7 y/o daughter, I bought a new booster seat for the back and she loves sitting back there. It's got a nice reclining angled that she just puts her head back and can fall right asleep. Getting the seatbelt on her is a separate issue.

 

[Papaya]

Planing on driving to Las Vegas/NV from Edmonton to get married in the summer after 10 years common-law. No cellphones with us. Will see how that goes. One time I like to drive South in a car and not in a semi truck to enjoy and relax.

 

[klumpikat]

Updated comments from me:

I've done a few 5 hour drives down to Northern VA so far, but I just took a 10 hour road trip from NYC to Toronto - a little over 500 miles. I made this drive many, many times with my S197 so I was curious to see how the S550 would compare. A few general observations:

1. Very smooth ride throughout (whether in normal or sport+ mode);
2. The leather seats are better than I initially thought;
3. I was pleased with the climate control;
4. The different placement of the console makes a world of a difference;
5. The extra tech that comes with the premium package is nice to have for a long drive (my S197 was a base GT);
6. I really don't like the Pirellis that come on the car;
7. This car pulls HARD at 65 mph and up. I always thought my '12 GT had a strong motor and never really bought into the idea of the S550 being noticeably faster. But this road trip certainly changed my mind. At one point I dropped the hammer while cruising at just under 70 mph (had to get out of a sticky situation) and literally 2 seconds later I was close to triple digits. And the butt dyno felt every bit of it too, forget this "refined" nonsense.

On a side note - in the 48 hours since I left NYC, I've received more compliments on my car than I did in the 4 months since taking delivery in November. Whether it was NJ, PA, upstate NY, or in Canada... everyone loves this car.

Yeah, this thing sure does get a lot of looks (I see many passengers going by me craning their necks, at least) and comments at the gas station. During my trip I was filling up at one station and a black Corvette roared up to the pump behind me. Two young guys popped out. One said, "Nice car, I have one like it. Same color, but I have the black interior" and proceeded to swish around in his iphone to show me pictures. .

I tend to be one who stays in the slower lane on those long, lonely parts of the highway, averaging around 6-7mph above the "limit". (I know, I know, but it's nice to just turn on the cruise and not have to freak out when I see a state patrolman sitting just off the road.;) ) On your road trip, did you experience what I call "the hover"...when someone is passing you but while doing so, paces you for several seconds before zipping off? In a less pleasant fashion this has also occurred after someone has zoomed up to tailgate me first.

Speaking of tailgating, I get much less of that in this car. :clap2: This was especially noticeable in the usual horrid LA traffic last night. Also noticeable: I now tend to leave a little more space in front of me, and fewer drivers are inclined to fill it.

 

[Farmundeh]

On your road trip, did you experience what I call "the hover"...when someone is passing you but while doing so, paces you for several seconds before zipping off? In a less pleasant fashion this has also occurred after someone has zoomed up to tailgate me first.

Funny you ask, I forgot to mention a little run in that took place during my drive. There's a 130 mile stretch in upstate NY that goes from Syracuse to Buffalo on I-90 that I take as part of my route to Toronto. It's a very straight and flat stretch of highway that would be perfect for pushing the car if it weren't for the heavy police presence. About halfway through that stretch I had some dude in a WRX literally BEGGING me to race. He was hovering around me for a good 30 minutes, trying to lure me into it. At one point I gave the pedal a little pump for him to hear my H-pipe pop and crack a bit and boy did that get him all hot and bothered :lol:

Needless to say, I didn't play along and he finally gave up and kept going. With both this car and my S197, there's never any shortage of other cars (of all types) that want to test their chances:ford:

 

[klumpikat]

Funny you ask, I forgot to mention a little run in that took place during my drive. There's a 130 mile stretch in upstate NY that goes from Syracuse to Buffalo on I-90 that I take as part of my route to Toronto. It's a very straight and flat stretch of highway that would be perfect for pushing the car if it weren't for the heavy police presence. About halfway through that stretch I had some dude in a WRX literally BEGGING me to race. He was hovering around me for a good 30 minutes, trying to lure me into it. At one point I gave the pedal a little pump for him to hear my H-pipe pop and crack a bit and boy did that get him all hot and bothered :lol:

Needless to say, I didn't play along and he finally gave up and kept going. With both this car and my S197, there's never any shortage of other cars (of all types) that want to test their chances:ford:

Luckily this didn't happen to me. I would go mad if I had to endure this for 30 minutes. I would handle it maturely like you did (nice job! ) or get the hell off the road for a 5-minute breather.

No, my "hoverers" and admirers were pretty much made up of pickups, SUV/minivans, hybrids (:lol and basically any vehicle stuffed with people - because you know at least one passenger wants to take a good look (and it ain't at me 'cause I am past my prime). ;)

 

[klumpikat]

Planing on driving to Las Vegas/NV from Edmonton to get married in the summer after 10 years common-law. No cellphones with us. Will see how that goes. One time I like to drive South in a car and not in a semi truck to enjoy and relax.

Congrats! :cheers:
A very memorable road trip indeed.

 

[Farmundeh]

Luckily this didn't happen to me. I would go mad if I had to endure this for 30 minutes. I would handle it maturely like you did (nice job! ) or get the hell off the road for a 5-minute breather.



No, my "hoverers" and admirers were pretty much made up of pickups, SUV/minivans, hybrids (:lol and basically any vehicle stuffed with people - because you know at least one passenger wants to take a good look (and it ain't at me 'cause I am past my prime). ;)

Hahaha don't sell yourself short my friend!!

 

[cbrookre]

Funny you ask, I forgot to mention a little run in that took place during my drive. There's a 130 mile stretch in upstate NY that goes from Syracuse to Buffalo on I-90 that I take as part of my route to Toronto. It's a very straight and flat stretch of highway that would be perfect for pushing the car if it weren't for the heavy police presence. About halfway through that stretch I had some dude in a WRX literally BEGGING me to race. He was hovering around me for a good 30 minutes, trying to lure me into it. At one point I gave the pedal a little pump for him to hear my H-pipe pop and crack a bit and boy did that get him all hot and bothered :lol:

Needless to say, I didn't play along and he finally gave up and kept going. With both this car and my S197, there's never any shortage of other cars (of all types) that want to test their chances:ford:

This is my biggest fear with buying this car, that someone is going to constantly be challenging me to race... thumbs up and cool car comments are alright, but someone challenging to race has got to get old after the first time...

 

[Farmundeh]

This is my biggest fear with buying this car, that someone is going to constantly be challenging me to race... thumbs up and cool car comments are alright, but someone challenging to race has got to get old after the first time...

Yea I hear you. If I had a nickel for every time a fiat (of all cars) has tried to race me...:headbonk: Unbelievable how much my S197 would attract them.

 

[Varekai]

In a few weeks I'll be driving from Spring hill to Gatlinburg, TN then from there to Asheville, NC. Just ordered a Mobius for the car ride, got yelled at by the fiance that I ruined my easter surprise from her, which is a Gopro 4. So guess I'll be selling the Mobius. Really looking forward to the trip. I did have a nearly 4 hour ride to the dealer and another back, so that's the longest trip I've done so far.

 

[valentinoamoro]

Yeah, this thing sure does get a lot of looks (I see many passengers going by me craning their necks, at least) and comments at the gas station. During my trip I was filling up at one station and a black Corvette roared up to the pump behind me. Two young guys popped out. One said, "Nice car, I have one like it. Same color, but I have the black interior" and proceeded to swish around in his iphone to show me pictures. .

I tend to be one who stays in the slower lane on those long, lonely parts of the highway, averaging around 6-7mph above the "limit". (I know, I know, but it's nice to just turn on the cruise and not have to freak out when I see a state patrolman sitting just off the road.;) ) On your road trip, did you experience what I call "the hover"...when someone is passing you but while doing so, paces you for several seconds before zipping off? In a less pleasant fashion this has also occurred after someone has zoomed up to tailgate me first.

Speaking of tailgating, I get much less of that in this car. :clap2: This was especially noticeable in the usual horrid LA traffic last night. Also noticeable: I now tend to leave a little more space in front of me, and fewer drivers are inclined to fill it.

I've noticed some of the younger folks pull up behind, hover around there for a few minutes, then speed up and zoom past. :-).

Wow! :eyebulge: I saw fewer than five (5) S550s during my entire trip (17 hours one-way).:shrug: One was black here in San Diego, and that was it until I saw a black or blue GT with gray stripes just between OR and WA on the way up! I was VERY surprised I didn't encounter any others out and about all over SoCal at the time I was traveling (I left San Diego at 11:30am Monday)! Then I saw one Race Red in the opposite direction in maybe NorCal on the way home. Of course, I was traveling solo and had to keep my eyes on the road so who knows, there may have been more coming from the opposite direction on the other side of the highway. :headbonk: Someone on another thread posted interesting sales statistics by region and these stangs sell WAY better (3x?) in SoCal than the PNW for obvious reasons - and it was way up north where I saw my second one.

Honestly, I've seen 3 S550's (all ecoboosts) out of which I swear one 2 of them may have been the same car (so 2 cars in total) to date. My driving since these came out in Nov has been restricted to Seattle and Bellevue and the 6 miles stretch of highway in-between, I'm sure I'll see more S550's over the next few months as the dealers get more (PCNW dealers get Mustangs the last in the country I believe due to demand) and as I get to drive further out. It's interesting you've seen 'em out here. Mustangs overall are rarer, my office parking garage has easily over 150 BMW's (3-4 M3's at least) and a ton of Audi's and Porsches and 3 Mustangs - all V6's (2005, 2013's). 4 Camaro's, all V6's as well.

:headbonk: All Mustangs and Camaro's have the appearance packages. The appearance pack Camaros in particular look mean - and then you take a look at the brakes....

 

[Slade]

In the next month or so I'll be driving from Mn to Ft Myers, Fl. Really looking forward to the trip. Will post long stretch MPG and comfort updates.

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