Mustang, I'm not a poser and I'd rather have an NA V8 than a TT I6 to build off of, plus while asinine, MyColor over the now white lit speedometer
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I daily mine in mountain country 8 months of the year with little issue. The traction control systems on the newer cars + modern tires do quite well in all conditions as long as you don't drive like a fool. V8 rumble is always fun, even when you can't use the full performance of the car. Cars that don't sound good are kind of a deal breaker for me personally given that electric noiseless cars are already around the corner.Driving impressions and possibly a question...
Thanks to the upside down car market, I have been tempted to let go of my 1.5 year old, 15K miles Mini Countryman S with JCW pack (mild JCW not the full on works!!). And that has given me the opportunity to find a new set of wheels. Having owned a Mustang V6 in the past, I always had this soft corner so amongst others Mustang GT Premium has been the "standard bearer" of sorts. I have done multiple Test Drives of GT Premium, HPP, Mach 1 and the other contestants in the space, including Audi RS3 and S5, BMW M440i and M340i, M3, MB AMG 43, Kia Stinger GT2, Lexus IS 350F, RCF V8, Camaro 2SS, Challenger Hemi and maybe a couple of more forgettable ones. If I were to take a very objective view and am honest with myself, I think Mustng GT is right about in the middle or so...here is a mixed bag of impressions -
1. GT and the rest of the American Muscle lacks the practicailty of car...while it has 4 seats, practically you cannot fit more than 3 and definitely not for a 300 mile+ ride. So definitely not a touring car unless its just two people.
2. Lack of AWD means that all this power is useless anywhere between 1-4 months a year depending on where you live...in fact even in DFW, we do see our fair share of sub 40F evenings and mornings, so that means you have to rotate out your shoes twice a year. And if you ever wanted to drive up to CO, WY, Dakotas, MT et al you are potentially taking chances unless the country is under a heat advisory.
3. Where a GT shines is definitely the rumble..however in balance that feels like buying a Lamborghini for HD Radio
4. And finally the price. In an upside down market like current, I have offers for GT Premium loaded vs AWD M340i, with comparable features and just 7K apart. And I am sure if I were to wait till BMW's model year change that starts in 4 months that difference will shrink to nearly half that.
Having said all this, it makes absolute sense to not entertain the idea of a GT Premium. But. There is always a But. Why is it that even with all this, every time I want to pull the trigger on M340i, it feels like I am going to miss the V8 rumble...why? Any one here who would like to share their perspective and help me make a decision
They are definitely beautiful, but it's interesting just how similar it drives to an A10 GT. Obviously it has a much nicer interior and luxury features, but people will mostly ignore you on the road. GT has a much better road presence for normal people.I say GT... but... I kinda dig the M4 in the light blue go figure right? but I dont trust bmw reliability/repair/maitenance cost. I just googled it, the laguna seca blue m4 is fuking beautiful.
id drive it. but I cannot afford it. no way in hell could I ever.
In what exactly? Straight line peformance is a wash which is what most people care about. Obviously it's better quality, but I'd hope so for that price tag. Handling wise it's really not that much better. It's still heavy. If you value handling at that price you'd be much better off with a Cayman GTS.
The M4 responds much better to bolt ons, interior is vastly better, build quality in general is better. The DCT destroys the 10 speed in every area. I think the M4 looks better too but that's subjective
