New member, looking for advice

[RalphyBMW]

Hi there,
Newbie here, looking into getting a V8, probably manual.
Looks like the 2019/2020 cars have some upsides, so probably looking at those rather than earlier cars.
Coming from a 2016 F80 M3, wanting something a bit different for a few years.
Doesn’t seem to be much variation in spec;
Magneride - how big of a deal is this? I was unimpressed with the BMW EDC
Recaros - nice, but seemingly rare. Seems that both heating AND cooling are lost
Shaker Stereo - I’m guessing this is a must have
Bullitt has a nice spec, and PP3? as standard, but expensive and only green/black. Does the Bullit have any chassis differences or only rear ARB?

Is there anything else of significance?
Do they all have the digital dash?
Where can I find more about what I need to know?

Thanks in advance!

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[Symone]

Hi there,
Newbie here, looking into getting a V8, probably manual.
Looks like the 2019/2020 cars have some upsides, so probably looking at those rather than earlier cars.
Coming from a 2016 F80 M3, wanting something a bit different for a few years.
Doesn’t seem to be much variation in spec;
Magneride - how big of a deal is this? I was unimpressed with the BMW EDC
Recaros - nice, but seemingly rare. Seems that both heating AND cooling are lost
Shaker Stereo - I’m guessing this is a must have
Bullitt has a nice spec, and PP3? as standard, but expensive and only green/black. Does the Bullit have any chassis differences or only rear ARB?

Is there anything else of significance?
Do they all have the digital dash?
Where can I find more about what I need to know?

Thanks in advance!

Hi all U.K. 2018-2020 facelift models have a digital dash and V8’s have active exhaust with 6pot brembo brakes , you get a 6speedmanual or a 10 speed auto and Michelin tyres , most specs info should be on the ford website to download

 

[Entai]

Hi there,
Newbie here, looking into getting a V8, probably manual.
Looks like the 2019/2020 cars have some upsides, so probably looking at those rather than earlier cars.
Coming from a 2016 F80 M3, wanting something a bit different for a few years.
Doesn’t seem to be much variation in spec;
Magneride - how big of a deal is this? I was unimpressed with the BMW EDC
Recaros - nice, but seemingly rare. Seems that both heating AND cooling are lost
Shaker Stereo - I’m guessing this is a must have
Bullitt has a nice spec, and PP3? as standard, but expensive and only green/black. Does the Bullit have any chassis differences or only rear ARB?

Is there anything else of significance?
Do they all have the digital dash?
Where can I find more about what I need to know?

Thanks in advance!

Personally when I was in almost the exact same position as you, I went to numerous dealers and test drove models with various specs to narrow down my wish list.

Again personally my wish list (after various test drives) was that magneride was a must have, it does make a huge difference in my view, but it is personal taste so I would highly recommend test driving cars with and without, and also test drives cars with manual and auto gearboxes.

The ten speed auto is amazing in my view, again personally it was a must have, to have the ease of a full auto, and yet also the driving involvement of a paddle shift manual box at the flick of a switch was a no-brainer.

Recaros do hold you better, but as you say you loose the heated and cooled functions, to many that is not a issue, to me it was a deal breaker so went for standard seats, which in my view hold me plenty well enough to never have had the thought "wish i had chosen the recaros"

The old shaker stereo system has been replaced by a 1000w Bang and Olufson system in the 2018+ cars, it's nice and does the job very well. It came as part of the custom pack I chose, as it was cheaper to spec the whole custom pack, than spec the wheels and trim i wanted sperately, but to be fair the sound from the engine and exhaust is what I listen to mostly, so don't have the stereo on much.

 

[wenklaw]

Hi there,
Newbie here, looking into getting a V8, probably manual.
Looks like the 2019/2020 cars have some upsides, so probably looking at those rather than earlier cars.
Coming from a 2016 F80 M3, wanting something a bit different for a few years.
Doesn’t seem to be much variation in spec;
Magneride - how big of a deal is this? I was unimpressed with the BMW EDC
Recaros - nice, but seemingly rare. Seems that both heating AND cooling are lost
Shaker Stereo - I’m guessing this is a must have
Bullitt has a nice spec, and PP3? as standard, but expensive and only green/black. Does the Bullit have any chassis differences or only rear ARB?

Is there anything else of significance?
Do they all have the digital dash?
Where can I find more about what I need to know?

Thanks in advance!

Most Mustangs tend to have CP2 and don't particularly need anything more in my view.

Pre face lifted Mustangs don't have the quad tips, active exhaust or a digital dash. The difference in how they sound is pretty large.

Recaro's are nice and look good, very supportive, standard seats are comfy but if you are tracking it i imagine the recaros are the better option but they dont have heating/cooling. Also they are massive and eat into what is already not much rear legroom. I was lent a GT for a week with them and my other half who is fairly short found them really uncomfortable,

Shaker Stereo/B&O is a must and again i havent seen one 2019 car without it

Magnaride, again the loaner i had, had it. For me i didnt think it was worth the extra, a bit like adaptive suspension in my old M135i, i always had it in sport suspension which basically felt like a non-adaptive car always felt. Think Magnaride is a bit more complex than that though and if buying used if it was on the right car i would pay that little bit more for it.

Bullits, wouldnt know about the differences set-up wise. Pretty much a fully loaded GT with Bullit motifs, AS much as i like them I personally prefer the GT.

Auto, coming from an M135i with the ZF and an M2 DCT i didn't rate the AT in the Mustang, it was okay but nowhere near as good as the ZF or DCT.

I have the old MY 2019 brochure in PDF format if you want me to email it you?

 

[RalphyBMW]

Cheers guys
I’ve had the ZF 8HP (330dx, awesome gearbox, too many for me to change manually, LOL), and the 7 speed M-DCT (not great as an auto, and still too many gears), so fancy the involvement of a manual. I fancied an M2C manual, but too similar to the M3, and that engine & tech are end of life.
I’d not considered the impact Recaros would have on the rear seat; that could be a big deal for the sprog.
Test drive on Thursday, will see what that tells me!

 

[RalphyBMW]

@wenklaw how did you feel coming from an M2? They are a brilliant car

 

[wenklaw]

@wenklaw how did you feel coming from an M2? They are a brilliant car

Totally different cars but in another way the M2/M2C and Mustang are really the only big engine RWD coupes sub £50k so competitors in a way but cant imagine there are many like me who made the switch.

M2 like you said is brilliant, really good fun, such an angry car, ready to kill you if you don't give it full respect. I don't find the Mustang as killy, or in fact killy whatsoever, its pretty stable and its power delivery is so much smoother than the N55/S55 powered M cars but in being so 'feels' slower off the mark and accelerating from low speeds in gear. Higher end the Mustang i think would take an M2, not so sure about an M2C though.

Noise the original M2 sounded pretty darn good even without the M performance exhaust, add that and it IMO was one of the best sounding cars in that price bracket, something that played a big part when i purchased it. The Mustang however eclipses the M2 in that department though, its frankly insane.

Interior, even thought the M2 is near end of life its interior without doubt felt more premium, Pro Nav iDrive much better than Sync 3 which is pretty low rent IMO, B&O sound system far better than H&K in 2 series (3 series H&K is different).

Now, if i hadnt owned an M2 would I have purchased a GT Mustang over an M2C? That is a question i cant answer but i don't like how the M2C 's sound, i dont think BMW did enough of a facelift to the cabin when the M2C came out, i don't like the rear ball bag back box that hangs down AND i dont particularly like the negative attention and stereotyping that goes along with owning an M car although i can live with it, the Mustang receives nothing but positive remarks and a smile from most people.

Cheaper to run as in servicing but MPG will probably mitigate any savings as I average at the moment 18mpg. However on a long motorway run have averaged 33mpg.

Oh and the manual box in the Mustang is fantastic, far far far better than manuals found in the M2/M2C.

 

[wenklaw]

Buy a cheap moisture meter from eBay for a few pounds. Test each carpet. You don't want to buy my old GT. It spent nearly 3 months having a leak fixed. It was not fixed, so I sold it.

Oh dear. My Mustang has had more faults in 9 months than my previous two BMWs over several years. However they have been minor ones that to be honest haven't worried me too much. Luck of the draw as they say. Our other car a 66 plate focus from new and many many other Fords i have owned have all been trouble free except one Focus ST mk2 back in 2007 which Ford in the end purchased back from me due to engine mount issues.

 

[RalphyBMW]

The earlier cars are conspicuously better value; can you still upgrade with the GT350 inlet & TB?
Facelift engine sounds like it’s stronger (liners, injection), plus loosing electric exhaust valves, digital dash, potential for Magnaride. Is there anything else that you loose by going early?
Only want a manual, so 6/10 sp auto isn’t an issue

 

[marks]

Yes, road tax. Some 17 models (pre facelift) only pay £140 a year.
Basically the newer models gave you a bit more bhp, digital dash, adaptive exhaust, better Mich tyres and option of magneride and option of reacaro seats. But they cost circa £8k more, you have to put up with that contraversial front end and had issues with engine tick.
You're right to stick with the manual.
As for faults ive not had any, touch wood.

 

[damnfinecoffee]

Hi Ralphy,

Without wanting to hijack this thread I thought it would be an appropriate place to ask a few questions too as I'm in a similiar position (and coincidentally also in Yorkshire) but I'm coming from an Audi S3(8V) auto.
I absolutely love my S3, I can safely say it's the best car I've ever had but.. in all honesty I'm just starting to get a little bored. I'm really starting to miss shifting manually and that element of RWD danger, I think I just need something a little more engaging and the Mustang has always been on my list ever since they introduced RHD.

A couple of question I'd like to add for you 2018+ V8 manual owners is what are you paying for road tax and approx. how much are a full set of tyres setting you back? I noticed the rear's are 275/40 19 so I'm guessing it's not a cheap affar when the time comes to replace them?

Thanks in advance

 

[Kristian87]

Hi Ralphy,

Without wanting to hijack this thread I thought it would be an appropriate place to ask a few questions too as I'm in a similiar position (and coincidentally also in Yorkshire) but I'm coming from an Audi S3(8V) auto.
I absolutely love my S3, I can safely say it's the best car I've ever had but.. in all honesty I'm just starting to get a little bored. I'm really starting to miss shifting manually and that element of RWD danger, I think I just need something a little more engaging and the Mustang has always been on my list ever since they introduced RHD.

A couple of question I'd like to add for you 2018+ V8 manual owners is what are you paying for road tax and approx. how much are a full set of tyres setting you back? I noticed the rear's are 275/40 19 so I'm guessing it's not a cheap affar when the time comes to replace them?

Thanks in advance

Welcome to the forum!

I can answer the tires question...you should be able to get a set in the standard stock wheel sizes for less than £800, that's for arguably the best tire out there - the MIchelin PS4S. I got mine a year ago when MIchelin were doing a £100 cashback offer for 4 tires. Ended up being £750 fitted at Formula 1 Autocentres. £400-450 should get you a set of rears easily enough.

If you'd consider the pre face lift model, you could enjoy £140 a year road tax as I do

 

[RalphyBMW]

Hijack away!
Lookers on York Road in Leeds had V8 auto a demo, Trust Ford Barnsley were unable to facilitate a test drive.
I'm sorry to say that despite being extremely excited about the test drive, and being ready to buy a car, even having my wife onside, it was perhaps the most disappointing automotive experience I've had.
Within less than a mile I knew the car was not for me. Great the noise and styling, but the driving experience did not deliver anything I was hoping for.
It's a big car, so isn't fair to compare to say an M2C, but whereas within a similar distance everything about the M2C felt "just right", the Mustang was the opposite. Felt like a very big car, and didn't really give much idea of what was going on at any of the 4 corners.
Coming out of an F80 M3, the Mustang is only about 100mm longer, but also 100mm wider and 200kg heavier, and it does not mask its mass or bulk.
The autobox would probably be fine in an SUV, but in something with sporting pretentions, with a lack of feedback or feeling of control from the steering, that 10 speed auto was another big negative for me.
Coming from an Audi, you'll probably find the interior very low rent - nice rear view mirror though.
Access to the back seat is another weak point; you need to manually motor the seat forward each time access is required, and then back again into position to get into the car.

 

[damnfinecoffee]

Hijack away!
Lookers on York Road in Leeds had V8 auto a demo, Trust Ford Barnsley were unable to facilitate a test drive...
I'm sorry to say that despite being extremely excited about the test drive, and being ready to buy a car, even having my wife onside, it was perhaps the most disappointing automotive experience I've had.
Within less than a mile I knew the car was not for me. Great the noise and styling, but the driving experience did not deliver anything I was hoping for.
It's a big car, so isn't fair to compare to say an M2C, but whereas within a similar distance everything about the M2C felt "just right", the Mustang was the opposite. Felt like a very big car, and didn't really give much idea of what was going on at any of the 4 corners.
Coming out of an F80 M3, the Mustang is only about 100mm longer, but also 100mm wider and 200kg heavier, and it does not mask its mass or bulk.
The autobox would probably be fine in an SUV, but in something with sporting pretentions, with a lack of feedback or feeling of control from the steering, that 10 speed auto was another big negative for me.
Coming from an Audi, you'll probably find the interior very low rent - nice rear view mirror though.
Access to the back seat is another weak point; you need to manually motor the seat forward each time access is required, and then back again into position to get into the car.

Oh man, I'm sorry that's a real bummer, but appreciate the honest review.

What year V8 did you test drive just out of curiosity? Also do you think the manual would potentially win you over at all?

I must admit I did sit in a 2017 V8 after stepping out of my S3 and my immediate reaction was PLASTIC! but I'd be prepared to live with that if the driving experience more than made up for it, but after reading this it sounds like that might not be the case. I've also always had fairly small cars, I think the biggest I've owned was probably a 2002 318i coupe, so my next question was going to be does this thing feel as big as it looks..
What's worse is the M2C is what I was originally considering jumping to, so this really hasnt helped now haha.

Are you going to give it another chance with a manual perhaps?

 

[damnfinecoffee]

Welcome to the forum!

I can answer the tires question...you should be able to get a set in the standard stock wheel sizes for less than £800, that's for arguably the best tire out there - the MIchelin PS4S. I got mine a year ago when MIchelin were doing a £100 cashback offer for 4 tires. Ended up being £750 fitted at Formula 1 Autocentres. £400-450 should get you a set of rears easily enough.

If you'd consider the pre face lift model, you could enjoy £140 a year road tax as I do

Thanks!

Oof, yeah definitely something to be aware of then, that's basically double the cost of replacing my current tyres, granted they are only 18's though.

That's pretty good, why so much lower for the pre-face lift? I'm guessing the 2018+ is double that/more?

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