15wile
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Here's the story of my Ecoboost. It's a bit humorous, kind of screwy, and pulls no punches. You'll get the good and the bad from me, no bullsh*t.
I bought my Ecoboost a little over a month ago. She's a base model with no options except the automatic transmission and some stupid reverse parking sensor, which seems kind of pointless when you have a backup camera. But whatever, all of them around here seem to have that.
I guess people in Florida must back into things a lot.
Buying Experience & Price
Her sticker was $27,615. After rebates and haggling every dealer within 200 miles, I got the price down to $23,000. The buying experience was probably the worst I've ever had. I had been test driving 05-10GTs, 11-14V6s, 11-14GTs, and of course the new GTs and Ecoboosts. Dealers didn't want to budge on 5.0 prices. They kept trying to foist V6s on me. You hear "shoulda bought a V8" a lot, but there's a reason some people don't. Even getting a used 11/12 GT was a difficult proposition at the money around here. The ones I found in that price range were thoroughly abused. F*cking teenagers and rich parents making a mess of things. After well over a month of haggling and test-driving, I finally got my Ecoboost.
In the low $20k price range, your options on limited. The Ecoboost seemed like a decent compromise. It felt faster than the six, and pretty comparable to the 4.6L GTs. The 5.0 blew its doors off, but that motor blew the doors off anything I test drove. Still, the Ecoboost sounded like ass.
If you hooked up Rosie O'Donut's ass to a tailpipe, it would sound something like my car does. Oh well. I was saving something like $10,000 over a new GT, and getting something I knew for a fact wasn't destroyed by a teenager looking to prove his penile metal.
You get a good value for that money. The cloth has thick stitching, you get the push-button remote start, the track apps computer in the center stack, dimming mirrors, power seats, blah blah... the stock audio is even pretty decent. For 6 cheap-ass Chinese speakers, it thumps pretty well. They'll still get tossed into the garbage at the first opportunity, but some folks might be able to live with them. $23,000 still buys a good bargain. It's a beautiful interior. The exterior was less impressive to me, but it's growing on me. I do love the side profile, however. It's like a strange hybrid of an Aston Martin, a Mustang and a Porsche, rolled into one.
The Hell Commute: Driving the Ecoboost in the Wild
My commute sucks. It's a 50 mile there, 50 mile back cruise through the very threshold of Hell. Tampa's major freeways have been under construction constantly in the 10 years since I've moved here. My previous ride picked up 3 flat tires in a month going through those zones. One from a f*cking screwdriver embedded solidly in the tire that some dumbsh*t construction worker lobbed into the freeway right in front of me. Yeah, because that's where you're supposed to put away your tools, apparently.
And central Florida is about 50% old people who drive 45 on the interstate and 50% jackwagon teenagers driving econobox fartmobiles at ridiculously unsafe speeds while probably texting dick pics on Tinder. At least, that's how it seems.
Anyway, the Ecoboost does a great job of keeping those f*cks at bay. They want to race, mind you, even on the single-lane exit ramps at the buttcrack of dawn, but their Integras and fart-muffler equipped Civics don't have the balls to hang. Even stock, the Ecoboost made sure they could not ruin my day with well-timed cutoffs or excessive tailgating.
Even in base model trim the Ecoboost handles like a dream. I loved the look of the S197s, but they didn't have this "lob the car between two Crown Vics going 35, at high speed" kind of nimbleness. And believe me, going through Sun City, you need that maneuverability unless you want to spend the whole time pounding the dash in frustration. The stock 17x7.5 wheels suck, though. Brake boost past 1800RPM and you'll roast the tires. Drop the pedal to the floor and they chirp like a canary. Well... that could actually be good for some folks. But I'm not Hoonigan. I bought this motor because I'm cheap and think letting the bank hold the pink slip to your car is a dumb idea. So burning through tires on the freeway is not pleasant to the pocketbook.
Fuel Economy
Okay. This isn't a Prius. But people want to know if the Ecoboost lives up to the fuel-sipping hype. The answer is both yes, and no. No bullshit, first-hand experience, even with the dealer's crap 87 octane in the tank, this car is *well* north of 35mpg highway. I had one hour-long road trip that was 39.1mpg. Put this thing in cruise control and you'll save money like you're driving a Honda. But you'll get laid more.
In the city, if you're anything like me (and I suspect many of you are worse), you'll hoon this car at every stoplight you can. Expect city mileage to suck as bad as any V8. If you hear the turbo whine, this is also the sound of money siphoning into the netherworld. My observed city mileage is somewhere between gallons-per-mile and utter crap. Or, more accurately... about 16 or 17.
Ford says this car gets 22/31 with an average of 25. I say it's really 16/39... but does average around 25. As they say, your mileage may vary.
Buy the Performance Package
Yeah, I'm an idiot. My cheapness got the better of me. If I had it to do over again, I'd buy the PP and ditch the automatic (and order it without that dumb reverse sensor). Brakes + Tires + Rims. Get that shit. Ignore my previous comment where I said cheap out and go base. I want that stuff now. The base brakes are decent, until you decide that the twisty roads (for NO reason - Florida is flat, wtf) need to be dealt with faster than 20mph. The things overheat quick. Or something. I don't know -- I'm not a full-on gearhead. All I know is that they don't work as good as I think they ought to when I'm beating the car up.
Speaking of which, while I liked the automatic and its paddle shifters for awhile... they are starting to annoy me. There's too much delay in the paddles. I find myself just giving up, dropping it into sport mode, and forgetting that I can shift this car. I don't care if the manual is slower. Buy it over the auto for sheer driving satisfaction.
Only when I'm trying to mess with 0-60 and 1/8 mile times do I bother anymore. Well, that and when I see a Camaro SS on the line next to me. Irritatingly, they still win by a hair. More mods...
Tune It Immediately
Screw the warranty. Tune this car. It needs it like a fish needs water. Before the tune, it felt kind of like the 4.6L motor. Fast, but not very fast. Good torque, but a little soft in places (north of 5500RPM you might as well be driving a PowerWheels car).
Holy sh*tballs did the tune wake this motor up. It roasts tires, it tosses my poor wife (who is dumb enough to ride with me sometimes) around like a ragdoll. Against GTs, even, it hangs and even lurches ahead momentarily at lower speeds. It's stupid-ridiculous-balls-to-the-wall-mega-torque. Put a set of drag radials on this thing and it's gotta be well into the 12s (a theory I intend to test sooner rather than later). 5.0 seconds 0-60 with sh*t tires, 3.15 gears, cheap-ass suspension and a slush box. Not bad.
The Bama guys said it was like 350RWTQ. No. It's not. It's more. Sorry, but my butt dyno does NOT lie. This is more like 400. Your top-end horsepower still stinks, but you stop caring after awhile.
It still feels like a muscle car. It doesn't sound like one, of course, but it looks like one and feels like one. 2 out of 3 for going cheap isn't bad.
Somebody said the V6 is almost as fast. Yeah, they are probably right, but the V6 was so soft at low RPM. No mojo. The Ecoboost is a cheap upgrade over the six and worth every penny. Just don't eat Taco Bell before taking a spin in the car...
Buy the GT... if You've Got the Scratch
I love this car. I do. I come from driving base model econoboxes, oversized (and underpowered) pickups and old, used luxury car boats that nobody likes. To say this is a step up is to say that Kate Upton is a slight upgrade over Nancy Pelosi in the looks department.
The Ecoboost is a fine automobile, and if it's a muscle car pretender, it's at least a competent one. Eating ricers and rat rods all day long, and giving the irritating Camaro SS's a run for their money (tuned, anyway. GET THE TUNE).
But the GT exists.
It does.
I'm happy with my choice, because the 15s work so much better for me than the S197s, because of the hellish environment in which I drive. It's suited to a nimble car, one that's almost Germanic in handling and feel. And the Ecoboost Mustang is all that and more.
It's moddable and fun. It's a good bargain.
But if I had $35,000 in the bank... GT would be where I would have landed. Manual, of course. Performance Pack. That being said, I don't. And many of us don't. The Ecoboost is an amazing mid-range offering and opened up the world of Mustangs to me.
I was at a Mustang meet the other day, and was surprised at how many people were curious about this little motor. They welcome me and my bizarro-Mustang with open arms. So have all of you here. I'll drive this car around -- the best handling, fastest thing I've ever owned -- until the day comes I can afford to join the GT guys in the promised land of V8 sound (no Rosie O'Donuts).
Until then, this is the most fun I've had in years. Ford made a great car and I'm so pleased I finally bought something decent and nice instead of another piece of crap land yacht belching smoke or an oversize pickup with an ass bigger than Queen Latifah.
Conclusion? The Ecoboost Mustang is the budget-buyer's dream.
I bought my Ecoboost a little over a month ago. She's a base model with no options except the automatic transmission and some stupid reverse parking sensor, which seems kind of pointless when you have a backup camera. But whatever, all of them around here seem to have that.
I guess people in Florida must back into things a lot.
Buying Experience & Price
Her sticker was $27,615. After rebates and haggling every dealer within 200 miles, I got the price down to $23,000. The buying experience was probably the worst I've ever had. I had been test driving 05-10GTs, 11-14V6s, 11-14GTs, and of course the new GTs and Ecoboosts. Dealers didn't want to budge on 5.0 prices. They kept trying to foist V6s on me. You hear "shoulda bought a V8" a lot, but there's a reason some people don't. Even getting a used 11/12 GT was a difficult proposition at the money around here. The ones I found in that price range were thoroughly abused. F*cking teenagers and rich parents making a mess of things. After well over a month of haggling and test-driving, I finally got my Ecoboost.
In the low $20k price range, your options on limited. The Ecoboost seemed like a decent compromise. It felt faster than the six, and pretty comparable to the 4.6L GTs. The 5.0 blew its doors off, but that motor blew the doors off anything I test drove. Still, the Ecoboost sounded like ass.
If you hooked up Rosie O'Donut's ass to a tailpipe, it would sound something like my car does. Oh well. I was saving something like $10,000 over a new GT, and getting something I knew for a fact wasn't destroyed by a teenager looking to prove his penile metal.
You get a good value for that money. The cloth has thick stitching, you get the push-button remote start, the track apps computer in the center stack, dimming mirrors, power seats, blah blah... the stock audio is even pretty decent. For 6 cheap-ass Chinese speakers, it thumps pretty well. They'll still get tossed into the garbage at the first opportunity, but some folks might be able to live with them. $23,000 still buys a good bargain. It's a beautiful interior. The exterior was less impressive to me, but it's growing on me. I do love the side profile, however. It's like a strange hybrid of an Aston Martin, a Mustang and a Porsche, rolled into one.
The Hell Commute: Driving the Ecoboost in the Wild
My commute sucks. It's a 50 mile there, 50 mile back cruise through the very threshold of Hell. Tampa's major freeways have been under construction constantly in the 10 years since I've moved here. My previous ride picked up 3 flat tires in a month going through those zones. One from a f*cking screwdriver embedded solidly in the tire that some dumbsh*t construction worker lobbed into the freeway right in front of me. Yeah, because that's where you're supposed to put away your tools, apparently.
And central Florida is about 50% old people who drive 45 on the interstate and 50% jackwagon teenagers driving econobox fartmobiles at ridiculously unsafe speeds while probably texting dick pics on Tinder. At least, that's how it seems.
Anyway, the Ecoboost does a great job of keeping those f*cks at bay. They want to race, mind you, even on the single-lane exit ramps at the buttcrack of dawn, but their Integras and fart-muffler equipped Civics don't have the balls to hang. Even stock, the Ecoboost made sure they could not ruin my day with well-timed cutoffs or excessive tailgating.
Even in base model trim the Ecoboost handles like a dream. I loved the look of the S197s, but they didn't have this "lob the car between two Crown Vics going 35, at high speed" kind of nimbleness. And believe me, going through Sun City, you need that maneuverability unless you want to spend the whole time pounding the dash in frustration. The stock 17x7.5 wheels suck, though. Brake boost past 1800RPM and you'll roast the tires. Drop the pedal to the floor and they chirp like a canary. Well... that could actually be good for some folks. But I'm not Hoonigan. I bought this motor because I'm cheap and think letting the bank hold the pink slip to your car is a dumb idea. So burning through tires on the freeway is not pleasant to the pocketbook.
Fuel Economy
Okay. This isn't a Prius. But people want to know if the Ecoboost lives up to the fuel-sipping hype. The answer is both yes, and no. No bullshit, first-hand experience, even with the dealer's crap 87 octane in the tank, this car is *well* north of 35mpg highway. I had one hour-long road trip that was 39.1mpg. Put this thing in cruise control and you'll save money like you're driving a Honda. But you'll get laid more.
In the city, if you're anything like me (and I suspect many of you are worse), you'll hoon this car at every stoplight you can. Expect city mileage to suck as bad as any V8. If you hear the turbo whine, this is also the sound of money siphoning into the netherworld. My observed city mileage is somewhere between gallons-per-mile and utter crap. Or, more accurately... about 16 or 17.
Ford says this car gets 22/31 with an average of 25. I say it's really 16/39... but does average around 25. As they say, your mileage may vary.
Buy the Performance Package
Yeah, I'm an idiot. My cheapness got the better of me. If I had it to do over again, I'd buy the PP and ditch the automatic (and order it without that dumb reverse sensor). Brakes + Tires + Rims. Get that shit. Ignore my previous comment where I said cheap out and go base. I want that stuff now. The base brakes are decent, until you decide that the twisty roads (for NO reason - Florida is flat, wtf) need to be dealt with faster than 20mph. The things overheat quick. Or something. I don't know -- I'm not a full-on gearhead. All I know is that they don't work as good as I think they ought to when I'm beating the car up.
Speaking of which, while I liked the automatic and its paddle shifters for awhile... they are starting to annoy me. There's too much delay in the paddles. I find myself just giving up, dropping it into sport mode, and forgetting that I can shift this car. I don't care if the manual is slower. Buy it over the auto for sheer driving satisfaction.
Only when I'm trying to mess with 0-60 and 1/8 mile times do I bother anymore. Well, that and when I see a Camaro SS on the line next to me. Irritatingly, they still win by a hair. More mods...
Tune It Immediately
Screw the warranty. Tune this car. It needs it like a fish needs water. Before the tune, it felt kind of like the 4.6L motor. Fast, but not very fast. Good torque, but a little soft in places (north of 5500RPM you might as well be driving a PowerWheels car).
Holy sh*tballs did the tune wake this motor up. It roasts tires, it tosses my poor wife (who is dumb enough to ride with me sometimes) around like a ragdoll. Against GTs, even, it hangs and even lurches ahead momentarily at lower speeds. It's stupid-ridiculous-balls-to-the-wall-mega-torque. Put a set of drag radials on this thing and it's gotta be well into the 12s (a theory I intend to test sooner rather than later). 5.0 seconds 0-60 with sh*t tires, 3.15 gears, cheap-ass suspension and a slush box. Not bad.
The Bama guys said it was like 350RWTQ. No. It's not. It's more. Sorry, but my butt dyno does NOT lie. This is more like 400. Your top-end horsepower still stinks, but you stop caring after awhile.
It still feels like a muscle car. It doesn't sound like one, of course, but it looks like one and feels like one. 2 out of 3 for going cheap isn't bad.
Somebody said the V6 is almost as fast. Yeah, they are probably right, but the V6 was so soft at low RPM. No mojo. The Ecoboost is a cheap upgrade over the six and worth every penny. Just don't eat Taco Bell before taking a spin in the car...
Buy the GT... if You've Got the Scratch
I love this car. I do. I come from driving base model econoboxes, oversized (and underpowered) pickups and old, used luxury car boats that nobody likes. To say this is a step up is to say that Kate Upton is a slight upgrade over Nancy Pelosi in the looks department.
The Ecoboost is a fine automobile, and if it's a muscle car pretender, it's at least a competent one. Eating ricers and rat rods all day long, and giving the irritating Camaro SS's a run for their money (tuned, anyway. GET THE TUNE).
But the GT exists.
It does.
I'm happy with my choice, because the 15s work so much better for me than the S197s, because of the hellish environment in which I drive. It's suited to a nimble car, one that's almost Germanic in handling and feel. And the Ecoboost Mustang is all that and more.
It's moddable and fun. It's a good bargain.
But if I had $35,000 in the bank... GT would be where I would have landed. Manual, of course. Performance Pack. That being said, I don't. And many of us don't. The Ecoboost is an amazing mid-range offering and opened up the world of Mustangs to me.
I was at a Mustang meet the other day, and was surprised at how many people were curious about this little motor. They welcome me and my bizarro-Mustang with open arms. So have all of you here. I'll drive this car around -- the best handling, fastest thing I've ever owned -- until the day comes I can afford to join the GT guys in the promised land of V8 sound (no Rosie O'Donuts).
Until then, this is the most fun I've had in years. Ford made a great car and I'm so pleased I finally bought something decent and nice instead of another piece of crap land yacht belching smoke or an oversize pickup with an ass bigger than Queen Latifah.
Conclusion? The Ecoboost Mustang is the budget-buyer's dream.
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