Loaded Eco boost or BASE GT?!

[Norm Peterson]

The coyote is pretty powerful out the gate, but is not that great for low end torque. It only comes alive above 3200 rpm. The useful power band for the stock EB is around 2000 to 5300 rpm.

Turbo engines aren't very responsive at revs below the point where boost starts building, either. And unless you downshift all the way to 2nd, you will be running well below 2000 rpm as you make the turn from a 50 mph road onto a 25 mph neighborhood street.

Hopefully, an EB Mustang is at least a little stronger down below 2000 than my wife's 2.5L turbo Subie is, but only a little stronger still wouldn't be anything you'd write home about. For sure, test an EB in 3rd gear and off boost.


Norm

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[15wile]

So here is the exception. If your DD is long highway miles, and if you appreciate the extra luxury of Premium, then a EB PP automatic 3.55 is a good choice.

I have a long-ass highway commute (some of it stop and go traffic) and put boatloads of miles on the car. I have a base GT, manual transmission. But for me, the car is the only thing that makes the hell commute tolerable. It's something to do, you know? Bang some gears instead of road rage out on some bag of sh*t in the lane next to me, texting and drinking (and also driving -- this IS Florida, it's full of f*ckheads).

I mean sometimes I'm sitting in a patch of stopped traffic and see some nit on her cell phone next to me. My GT.. she's in neutral, so rev the motor to 6.5k with this loud exhaust, watch her flail and the phone go flying. So worth it.

Also, the downshift and run her from a roll part is fun. I had both an EB and this GT, and I can tell you that whatever stories you tell of an EB's low-end torque (and they are true), from a roll, the Coyote eats almost everything. It's a rev-happy motor that makes highway passing a breeze, even if the driver getting passed is an uncooperative bucket of dicks and tries to make a race out of it. With the EB, it had to think for a moment and decide if it wanted to give you that turbo power. Not so with the Coyote, downshift and go. No problems.

From a stoplight is where the EB hangs with the Coyote a bit. You load up the torque converter on an automatic EB (especially if you have her tuned), get her close to where the boost hits, and you fly from the line. You'll get a lurch ahead of a GT for a moment and think "wow, loser V8 bro can't hang, dude paid $7k more and he's dust." But the EB runs out of steam, and the Coyote keeps going, and by 60 it's all over. Taillight city, my man.

The EB isn't a bad car though. It's just that she'll always play second fiddle to the GT unless you have the scratch to upgrade her enough. Or unless you're like this chick who goes to the local dragstrip with a tuned EB... and she weighs like 90 lbs. Short. Skinny. Has a 100lb weight advantage in *DRIVER WEIGHT* on even the smallest dude who comes in with a GT. She embarrasses fatass GT drivers on occasion. But it's only an 1/8 mile strip, and I figure if it were a full 1/4 mile, she'd lose there too, driver weight be damned.

Point being, buy the most powerful motor you can afford.

 

[CommyO]

Turbo engines aren't very responsive at revs below the point where boost starts building, either. And unless you downshift all the way to 2nd, you will be running well below 2000 rpm as you make the turn from a 50 mph road onto a 25 mph neighborhood street.

Hopefully, an EB Mustang is at least a little stronger down below 2000 than my wife's 2.5L turbo Subie is, but only a little stronger still wouldn't be anything you'd write home about. For sure, test an EB in 3rd gear and off boost.


Norm

Depends on the size of the turbo. The EB is very responsive down low

 

[15wile]

Depends on the size of the turbo. The EB is very responsive down low

She ain't bad. But having owned both... GT is where it's at, my man. Nothing wrong with a turbo-4, mind you (don't let anyone tell you different, either, 'cause they'll try). But once I went V8... well, don't think I'm ever going back to 4s.

 

[Stangman21]

What [MENTION=25433]agrump[/MENTION] said. I have the Ecoboost as my daily driver and enjoy every minute I'm driving it. Mine is the Premium model. I would disagree with some who say the base is ok. Nope. Design is good but there is a difference when driving a base and premium.

Another thing I hear are people who wish they went premium on their GT's. So if your on the fence with a base and non base. Go with premium or don't. If your concerned with interior you'll wish you had done it from the get go.

Disagree with value too. These cars aren't collectibles. Their prices drop quickly no matter. Don't buy into because it's a GT then it'll be worth more. Cars aren't bought to be worth something. You drive it and enjoy it. Cars depreciate. They aren't investments like what you keep hearing. They are made to be enjoyed.

 

[Tb8983]

YES YES I have. I had a base eco and was thinking the same thing. I went with the fully loaded eco( now a very modded eco) and IT WAS THE WRONG DECISION!!!!!!! Go with the GTT I'm looking to get into a gt by the end of the year.

 

[bluebeastsrt]

Let's beat this dead horse one more time because it's not dead enough... It is personal preference. Go drive them both. The EB handles noticeably better and is lighter in the front. It is a better balanced car. I drove both the GT and EB side by side and chose the EB. If I could get a GT that had the same handling and steering feel of the EB I would pick that. The GT is faster but not OMG faster. The EB feels better on the low end since the turbo makes really nice torque down low and the car is lighter. It runs out of steam up top where the 5.0 comes on. But it also makes the EB a better DD. Plus real life 30mpg on the hwy. If you drive a lot of miles, it makes a difference. The thing that will probably push you toward the GT is the exhaust note. The EB is just bland and nothing fixes it.
My choice would be an EB with PP since it has the 3:55 axle. Most any automatic you find will have 3:15 gears which are not well suited to the EB or the GT but especially the EB. The 3:55 changes the feel of the car significantly.
Finally, all the Mustangs suffer from some amount of driveline vibration. Some cars are quite bad. Drive the car you are looking at extensively between 50-70 on as smooth a road as you can find. The Ford FSE told me that they all have it to some degree but a lot of people just don't notice it unless it is really bad. If you feel it at all, I'd skip that car. Not a road you want to go down, believe me. 119 page thread on this...

There is a big difference in steering feel and actual handling. The GT will out handle the EB any day.

 

[Redcruzer]

Base GT, if you get an EB people gonna laugh at you for having a 4-cyl Mustang, then you may regret not having went GT.

WTF? Maybe it's time to be your own man.

 

[Schism]

WTF? Maybe it's time to be your own man.

This ^
Don't make any decisions based on what anyone else thinks; unless you have bad driving history and loved ones are concerned.

I know some pretty tough dudes that drive absolute turds because they have no reason to worry about what others think and I also know some insecure turds that drive badazz hot-rods because all they worry about is what everyone else thinks.

 

[Jdenkevitz]

WTF? Maybe it's time to be your own man.

All male ecoboost owners get window tints for this reason. They are too embarrassed to be seen and recognized driving in such an emasculating vehicle. People point and laugh constantly. :shrug::doh:

In all seriousness, I hope people aren't making such costly decisions based upon their perception of what other people think of them based on not just the brand/model car they drive, but the specific trim.

If people are really bothered, tell them they are welcome to buy you a vehicle out of their pocket which meets their standards.

I guess it depends on your friends. I'm more likely to get crap from people I know for driving my gas guzzler. But I don't dare.

 

[Redcruzer]

I bought a EB, fully loaded because the wife and I wanted a cool comfortable car with all the safety gizmos, that is fun to drive and has superior range. My car fits the bill perfectly for our long cruises.

If some goof ball laughs I could care less. For every joker who laughs that I don't drive a V8, there's another laughing at your poor base. They can all go pound sand far as I'm concerned. Life's to short to be bothered by those clowns.

 

[Stormtrooper5.0]

This ^
Don't make any decisions based on what anyone else thinks; unless you have bad driving history and loved ones are concerned.

I know some pretty tough dudes that drive absolute turds because they have no reason to worry about what others think and I also know some insecure turds that drive badazz hot-rods because all they worry about is what everyone else thinks.

Yes that is true that you shouldnt make decisions based on anyones opinion.....but then again he is asking on the forums for that.

The truth is EB and V6 mustangs are the laughing stock for many people. I know because its happened to me a few times IRL and its worse on the internet. It does hit the ego pretty bad because honestly we all bought a mustang to show off just a little bit. Im pretty contempt with my purchase now but only after a long bout of regret.

At the end of the day they are all great cars, just test drive both cars before making your decision.

 

[Jdenkevitz]

I bought a EB, fully loaded because the wife ....

If some goof ball laughs I could care less. For every joker who laughs that I don't drive a V8, there's another laughing at your poor base.

There are really people out there who laugh at people for having the base trim? interesting.

Let me reiterate, I think its rather silly to laugh at anyone because of their car. Well, unless it looks like this:

 

[Redcruzer]

There are really people out there who laugh at people for having the base trim? interesting.

Let me reiterate, I think its rather silly to laugh at anyone because of their car. Well, unless it looks like this:

LOL, maybe it's because I'm older or where I live, in the land of Tesla, Audi's, BMW's, Mercedes, ect. But yeah, there are those who snub anything perceived to be inferior. Just as on this forum or the street, cars that are seen as slower might be snubbed or laughed at.

It's perspective. That's why only the OP can really decide what's right for him, regardless if some other clueless person laughs at his choice. Weigh the pros and cons, pay your money and be happy, at least for now because our perspective is always changing.

 

[EcoVert]

I bought a EB, fully loaded because the wife and I wanted a cool comfortable car with all the safety gizmos, that is fun to drive and has superior range. My car fits the bill perfectly for our long cruises.

I agree completely that's why I bought my EB premium convertible last May. I actually special ordered her with 50 appearance package a6 trans nav and in Competition Orange. I get nothing but positive comments everywhere I go.

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