High Performance Ecoboost vs Performance Pack GT

[Stangomydreams]

I equate this to buying a 2wd truck in an area that has winter. Fine while you own it if you value what it offers and are ok with any perceived compromise -but harder to sell when it comes time. Especially the hpp as it gets very close to gt premium pricing. Saw one on the weekend and very good looking car but knowing what it cost - nope. Not everyone is concerned about resale, sound or muscle car rep but for the same money? Base EB makes more sense to me.

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[JonSolo]

I'm honestly at a cross roads here, gang, and I need some help. Title says it all so I'll give a little color.
Yes, we know a PP GT will be faster than a EB HPP car. What I'm worried about is something you can't measure... FUN.

S550 Cars I've tested
BASE GT 6spd
Bullitt (so a loaded GT with performance pack)
Ecoboost HPP with the handling pack (unfortunately it wasn't a 6spd)

first things first, the hpp EB car with the handling pack looks amazing.

It shockingly sounds good, looks awesome, is way less expensive, and is lighter. the EB is supposed to be like 150+ lbs off the nose.
Its supposed to feel more nimble, but I had a fat salesman and my son with me when i drove this autotragic version so I don't think it was a fair shake.

So here's my question to anyone with experience with both:

does the 2018+ GT with the performance pack really suffer from the extra weight on the nose or is this given too much attention?



Obviously money matters but it isn't a driving force in this situation. I LOVED the bullitt but it had magneride and if i get a GT with PP it won't so I'm not sure how much that affects things.... I'm really annoyed with the lack of cars to test drive right now.

I drive the Eco HPP with handling package and I absolutely love the car, I had the same conundrum you are currently facing, and I drove the Bullet, and the GT with the performance pack. I did get to drive all of the cars solo since I happened to know the general manager aththe ford dealer I purchased my car from, the front end dip still exist in the GT per pack and the Bullet, but not as bad as the non Magna ride cars, the ECo HPP feels like a different animal handling wise and I felt it was much more nimble in the curves than the others. The only regret I have is that the ECO HPP doesn't have the V8 growl that you would expect from a performance Mustang , but I think I would make the same choice if I were to do it again.

 

[mustang5o]

A turbo 2.3l in a 1979 Fox Mustang is fun.
Heavy S550 chassis pretty much requires V8.
Miata is way more fun 4 cyl vs Mustang on track simple due to the weight of the S550 chassis.
Miata 2350lbs 180hp.
Mustang ECO 3500lbs 310hp.
GR Corolla 3250 300hp AWD. (425hp builds below +15k)
GR Yaris 2850 300hp. (google Nürburgring Yaris M2)
GR86 2850 228hp.
GR86 (rumored turbo) 2920 331hp.
CTR 3100 306hp.
718 3250 414hp.

Horsepower cannot make up for excess weight when it comes to corner speed.
Context: w2w race a 93 miata, 79 mustang, B5 A4s, and track 18 mustang, prior Whippled 15 mustang, X5M dd

The new GR corolla, GR Yaris, track optioned GR 86, GR cup are significant moves into supporting grassroots motorsports. Wish we had some Ford options...

I know the original poster doesn't seem to care about track worthiness but I don't know if I would say the Miata is way more fun. In my experience the Mustang is load of fun and some of that is V8 power/sound based as has been mentioned. However, I agree that bang for the buck especially with gas prices I would strongly consider the 86, Miata or others. The Ecoboost is still pretty heavy when comparing power to weight of the 86 and others.

I've actually been thinking about buying an older FRS/BRZ to build a semi-dedicated track car. Besides being better on gas it's better on other consumables as well. Brake pads, rotors, tires...plus these things also cost less they do for the Mustang to start with.

 

[Dinokill3.7]

If you have the money, get the GT.
The GT is a better car than the eco in every aspect. You can change the wheels and make the GT looks like the eco in your post.
The weight difference is not that much.

 

[320guy]

Heres my take from an EB owner…

I bough my car 4 yrs ago. I absolutely love my EB with PP. Most people stare at it because of the color and the slight changes I’ve made. When people ask why it doesn’t sound loud I always say “it’s a 4 cyl turbo”, then they ask about how much power it makes. When I respond 310Hp 350 Tq, most people don’t believe the numbers.

It’s quick, it’s quiet and I can enjoy music and my wife absolutely love driving it. The EB with HPP definitely will be a blast, but do not get confused by the fuel economy. If you have fun with it, you will be around 15-19mpg AVG.

Now I’m upgrading to a Mach 1, but it’s just because I really really want a V8 before they cease to exist. I test drove one and I was blasted away about how different it feels. I test drove a GT with PP1 and decided to keep my EB at that moment.

Have fun with whatever car you choose, you’ll have blast!

 

[Bikeman315]

In my opinion, the Mustang was built as an American muscle car V8, an icon.

Actually this is not true. The original Mustang was a nice little personal sports coupe. My wife had one with the inline 6 and it was a nice car but certainly no muscle car. My best friend had a 65' with the 289 and, it too was no speedster. It wasn't until the real muscle cars (GTO, 442, Chevelle SS, Fairlane GT, Road Runner, etc.) became a major hit did the big three start stuffing big V8's into their Pony cars.

Don't get me wrong. I love my GT/CS and the Coyote. I'm old school, as in FE, old. But to believe that all Mustangs just have a V8 to be considered a "true" Mustang is just wrong.

 

[Bikeman315]

Heres my take from an EB owner…

I bough my car 4 yrs ago. I absolutely love my EB with PP. Most people stare at it because of the color and the slight changes I’ve made. When people ask why it doesn’t sound loud I always say “it’s a 4 cyl turbo”, then they ask about how much power it makes. When I respond 310Hp 350 Tq, most people don’t believe the numbers.

It’s quick, it’s quiet and I can enjoy music and my wife absolutely love driving it. The EB with HPP definitely will be a blast, but do not get confused by the fuel economy. If you have fun with it, you will be around 15-19mpg AVG.

Now I’m upgrading to a Mach 1, but it’s just because I really really want a V8 before they cease to exist. I test drove one and I was blasted away about how different it feels. I test drove a GT with PP1 and decided to keep my EB at that moment.

Have fun with whatever car you choose, you’ll have blast!

Agree totally. I loved my 15' EB. One of the best cars I ever owned. It was a daily that I racked up 51K miles on before trading it in. There were a lot of naysayers back in 15' when I got it but once they drove it most realized it was still a damn potent package. Fast forward to 2019 when I got my GT/CS. Wanted one last V8 and it had to be a Coyote. It's a great car as well but except for the sound the EB is an awesome car.

 

[TundraOnKings]

Actually this is not true. The original Mustang was a nice little personal sports coupe. My wife had one with the inline 6 and it was a nice car but certainly no muscle car. My best friend had a 65' with the 289 and, it too was no speedster. It wasn't until the real muscle cars (GTO, 442, Chevelle SS, Fairlane GT, Road Runner, etc.) became a major hit did the big three start stuffing big V8's into their Pony cars.

Don't get me wrong. I love my GT/CS and the Coyote. I'm old school, as in FE, old. But to believe that all Mustangs have to have a V8 to be considered a "true" Mustang is just wrong.

Yeah, I’m not too informed on the history of the Mustang overall, so the first few years it wasn’t intentionally designed as a V8 muscle car. They did stuff a 300+HP 428 in them as a drag pack back in the late 60’s. I wasn’t around back then, and I didn’t notice them until I was of age to drive back in the late 90’s - and the 5.0 in the Fox body was the shit.
From what I’ve found (my daughters soccer team of 13 year old girls) kids these days think of the Mustang as a V8 muscle car as well. In my opinion, it’s what makes them somewhat special. It’s one of the main reasons I purchased one over the Supra.

 

[NightmareMoon]

The front end weight advantage on the Ecoboost is a bit overblown (pun intended). Less weight on the nose helps (on paper), but only in some very specific situations, and the 'help' is actually pretty small.

We have a couple of very nice and extensively modified ecoboosts in my local autox community. One is brand new and based on the HPP package and he's doing every big and small thing possible to make the car better or faster. Both are pretty cool builds, but neither of them really do it for me personally (no offense to those owners). To me they don't drive noticeably better for their lighter weight powerplants, and they sound kinda bad. Its hard to compare any engine note to a good V8.

The first hurdle with the Ecoboost is modifying it to get close to the power level the GT starts with. That takes a fair amount of effort. The power delivery is probably ok, but honestly it doesn't feel as intangibly fun as the V8.

With the GT your first mods are towards improving the handling with big sticky front tires and springs/sways/shocks to control that big body.

I swore a long time ago I'd never buy a car with the lesser of the available engine options. I've already broken that promise once or twice, but I do feel that the engine is the heart and soul of the vehicle, and its worth a few bucks to get the right one.

 

[dmcg940]

It's very disappointing that Ford doesn't offer Magnaride without the PP1. I would have ordered MR but I didn't want PP1 so I had to do without. As it stands I am very happy with my car. Best of the 8 Mustangs I have had. 401a 6M with 20s, active exhaust, Bose stereo. If I were OP, my decision would be influenced heavily by the sound of the Coyote and the active exhaust, controlled by the 6M. For me, that's a great part of the fun for a car that gets used to just ride me around. I run it up and down through the gears. It rumbles going up, it burbles and pops going down. Just marvelous. So much better than any other Ford factory exhaust, ever.

 

[320guy]

It's very disappointing that Ford doesn't offer Magnaride without the PP1. I would have ordered MR but I didn't want PP1 so I had to do without. As it stands I am very happy with my car. Best of the 8 Mustangs I have had. 401a 6M with 20s, active exhaust, Bose stereo. If I were OP, my decision would be influenced heavily by the sound of the Coyote and the active exhaust, controlled by the 6M. For me, that's a great part of the fun for a car that gets used to just ride me around. I run it up and down through the gears. It rumbles going up, it burbles and pops going down. Just marvelous. So much better than any other Ford factory exhaust, ever.

B&O is not Bose.

 

[tnk_2]

yeah that isn't a factor. I'm genuinely torn between more hp than i'll ever want and glorious sound or save 10K still go fast and it doesn't sound as good. at this rate i'll end up getting the GT because I know i wouldn't kick myself going down that road... but turbos are cool. blargyarg

BTW, you can put turbos in the gt too and it will surely gaps most cars you see on the road.

 

[AvalancheSVT]

BTW, you can put turbos in the gt too and it will surely gaps most cars you see on the road.

if i wanted to deal with shit like that i wouldn't be selling my cobra in favor of something ready built

 

[Gold 4]

I recently got a 10spd 2022 Eb hpp with the handling package and it's loads of fun. Ran a 13.8 at the drag strip my first day and am going to autox it soon. In my opinion the EB is a more value option because it is fully trackable out of the box without worrying about overheating, or handling limitations. The magneride is definitely a noticeable improvement in both performance and ride comfort. I opted against the premium package to save some cash and weight and its still a very livable nice interior that does everything you would ever need it to. I cant personally speak to a gt performance but unless you are a v8 die hard, I dont think you'll ever find the eb hpp lacking.

 

[DopamineQuest]

Me personally I'm takin the one that doesn't have to worry about a Camry or Accord in the next lane

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