CJ4life
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
So I've owned my Race Red Base GT with the manual transmission for about two and half weeks now, and I'm loving it. Going from a 2012 v6 to this was an enormous jump, in so many ways.
Things I LOVE:
1.) The v8 is everything it ought to be. Pulls, and pulls, and pulls. Its awesome, and also quite dangerous, how much this motor wants you to keep pushing it. I like the way the cars front end lifts a bit when you're really flooring it, adds a bit of drama to a car that already has a lot of personality. So far, I'm quite happy with the gas mileage too. Its about 2 mpg less than my old v6, but what you get in return is so worth it. Hates to idle more than most engines though it seems like, although that might just be a characteristic of v8s (this is my first, and hopefully not my last).
2.) The chassis for this car is amazing. Its so solid, and communicates so much to the driver. Coming from my v6, this thing feels so much more planted. It takes corners way faster, and has way less body roll. It also seems to communicate a lot more about the road to the driver, which is a huge plus.
3.) The steering feel, for me, is also spectacular. I'm 22 so I've only driven two cars for any stretch of time: a 2004 Nissan Murano, and my 2012 v6 Mustang. The steering feel and responsiveness on this compared to both of those cars is pretty astounding. At first, I actually thought something was almost wrong with my car because of the way you can "read" the road. You can feel every imperfection, every road anomaly that could potentially throw you off. Its quite eye opening.
4.) The styling is a real head turner: I've got more compliments in the last two and a half weeks than in the last year driving my v6. Sometimes I come out and see my car and still can't believe its actually mine.
5.) The interior is so good: mines just the base, but coming from the 2012 v6, it makes it feel like my old car was made of tape and plastic. So much better put together, and the ride is also far more forgiving without being disconnecting. An excellent grand touring car. Ergonomics are better too: the base seats are awesome, and the seating position in general is much better. I feel like I have much more space as a driver.
6.) The lights on this thing are laser beams: you can see practically two city blocks clearly for almost 180-degrees with them, and you turn the high beams on and you can see as far as the eye can see. Huge plus for the occasional country driving with deer and whacky drivers.
7.) The brakes are WORLDS better than the ones on my old stang. I feel a lot safer, and a lot more confident knowing what kind of brakes I'm packing.
8.) All the tech packed in the car makes for an awesome DD: from the gas mileage monitoring system, to SYNC, to the gentle lighting on all the dials and whatnot. It all at least tried to be well thought out, and the keyless features are a great convenience too.
Things I don't love:
1.) The base sound system is pretty "meh". I mean, you get what you pay for, but I almost feel like the standard shaker system in my old v6 was better. It's not terrible, just isn't great.
2.) The MT-82 is still one of my least favorite transmissions. Going from 1st to 2nd is always a pain in the ass, just like it was in my old car. Granted the shifter is way better, and the gates for the various gears are worlds better, but its clunky and almost "brutish" compared to some of the manual transmissions I've driven. As a side note, the clutch with the spring is very vague: I know where the engagement point is based on muscle memory at this point, but there's really no feel there otherwise.
3.) Rattles 600 miles in at the gauge pods. Was a problem area on my old v6, seems it still is for this car too. Its not bad at all at this point, just a smidge disappointing.
In short:
Overall, I'm extremely impressed by the car. It fixed an enormous amount of the issues I had with my old Mustang: the ride is better, the transmission (although still crappy) is better, and the interior is such a large improvement, even for being the base model. It's so planted, and cornering and steering is so good. I feel like I'm sitting in an inviting place when I set off and drive my car. And, its a huge head turner: makes you feel like you're driving a little bit of an exotic, which is pretty nice.
Things I LOVE:
1.) The v8 is everything it ought to be. Pulls, and pulls, and pulls. Its awesome, and also quite dangerous, how much this motor wants you to keep pushing it. I like the way the cars front end lifts a bit when you're really flooring it, adds a bit of drama to a car that already has a lot of personality. So far, I'm quite happy with the gas mileage too. Its about 2 mpg less than my old v6, but what you get in return is so worth it. Hates to idle more than most engines though it seems like, although that might just be a characteristic of v8s (this is my first, and hopefully not my last).
2.) The chassis for this car is amazing. Its so solid, and communicates so much to the driver. Coming from my v6, this thing feels so much more planted. It takes corners way faster, and has way less body roll. It also seems to communicate a lot more about the road to the driver, which is a huge plus.
3.) The steering feel, for me, is also spectacular. I'm 22 so I've only driven two cars for any stretch of time: a 2004 Nissan Murano, and my 2012 v6 Mustang. The steering feel and responsiveness on this compared to both of those cars is pretty astounding. At first, I actually thought something was almost wrong with my car because of the way you can "read" the road. You can feel every imperfection, every road anomaly that could potentially throw you off. Its quite eye opening.
4.) The styling is a real head turner: I've got more compliments in the last two and a half weeks than in the last year driving my v6. Sometimes I come out and see my car and still can't believe its actually mine.
5.) The interior is so good: mines just the base, but coming from the 2012 v6, it makes it feel like my old car was made of tape and plastic. So much better put together, and the ride is also far more forgiving without being disconnecting. An excellent grand touring car. Ergonomics are better too: the base seats are awesome, and the seating position in general is much better. I feel like I have much more space as a driver.
6.) The lights on this thing are laser beams: you can see practically two city blocks clearly for almost 180-degrees with them, and you turn the high beams on and you can see as far as the eye can see. Huge plus for the occasional country driving with deer and whacky drivers.
7.) The brakes are WORLDS better than the ones on my old stang. I feel a lot safer, and a lot more confident knowing what kind of brakes I'm packing.
8.) All the tech packed in the car makes for an awesome DD: from the gas mileage monitoring system, to SYNC, to the gentle lighting on all the dials and whatnot. It all at least tried to be well thought out, and the keyless features are a great convenience too.
Things I don't love:
1.) The base sound system is pretty "meh". I mean, you get what you pay for, but I almost feel like the standard shaker system in my old v6 was better. It's not terrible, just isn't great.
2.) The MT-82 is still one of my least favorite transmissions. Going from 1st to 2nd is always a pain in the ass, just like it was in my old car. Granted the shifter is way better, and the gates for the various gears are worlds better, but its clunky and almost "brutish" compared to some of the manual transmissions I've driven. As a side note, the clutch with the spring is very vague: I know where the engagement point is based on muscle memory at this point, but there's really no feel there otherwise.
3.) Rattles 600 miles in at the gauge pods. Was a problem area on my old v6, seems it still is for this car too. Its not bad at all at this point, just a smidge disappointing.
In short:
Overall, I'm extremely impressed by the car. It fixed an enormous amount of the issues I had with my old Mustang: the ride is better, the transmission (although still crappy) is better, and the interior is such a large improvement, even for being the base model. It's so planted, and cornering and steering is so good. I feel like I'm sitting in an inviting place when I set off and drive my car. And, its a huge head turner: makes you feel like you're driving a little bit of an exotic, which is pretty nice.
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I agree it's a nice ride!
