If you are not going to track the car my advice would be to get the tech package. More comfortable seats, better stereo, same handling and power. Will be more comfortable for road trips and your wife will most likely enjoy it more.
I finally drove mine back to back and man, its really quite a stark difference. And what the graph doesnt show is how quickly the GT350 climbs through the rev range. Much much faster under load and blipping on downshifts. The coyote felt borderline anemic with its throttle response
Its definitely nice, but I can't see mine for shit. Screen is really to small and too far away to be useful without leaning forward and putting your face to it IMO
Maybe time for a trip to the eye doctor? lol jk But I do agree that the screen could stand to be bigger. They should've put the Sync 3 in this car from the get go, but that's really a non issue to me.
I own a GTPP and had the chance to drive a GT350R on the full course at Sebring and the GT350 TP on the club course. After I drove the R on the full course I went home that Sunday and tried to figure out the best way to get one. I went back Monday and purposely chose the TP to see if I felt a difference. I left that experience underwhelmed. Disappointed even. I'm not sure why. The only thing I can think is that Sunday at the track I was in my BRZ. Monday I drove the GTPP (wife's daily driver) to Sebring for the track tour and the chance to drive the TP. I was comparing the GTPP directly with the TP on the same day.
Not really what I want to hear since I have an FRS. If my 1000lb lighter FRS had 90 more normally aspirated horsepower (200HP stock), I might not look at a GT350. Alas, it does not and the track I instruct at is mostly about power and braking, which is marginal with an FRS nee-BRZ.
Thanks for the time you took to write this! I've seen that dyno comparison before on this forum, saved it to my tablet and studied it. Agreed, for 90% or more of my driving the Coyote might even feel better. But that other 10%... Gotta be awesome! And trust me, I will find red line in at least the first three gears with my desolate roads where I live.I test drove a GTPP and Ecoboost, and spent several days in a C7 Vette at a driving school, but other than that have not spent time in a V8 (and haven't spent time in a base version GT350 either), so with that, here are my thoughts:
1. I thought the GTPP felt too soft and under-damped. The rear especially seemed unsettled compared to my 350Z. The shifter was very good, and the engine felt strong, but overall the car didn't quite do it for me (I figured that I would need to do shock work if I were to get one). I had planned on getting the GT350 though, so I was mostly interested in the interior (room for kids, driving position, steering feel, etc). I thought the Mustang felt great in those respects. I bought the GT350 on faith, since I also never had a chance to sit in it, but after watching (and hearing) the development videos on the nurburgring, I felt it was a safe bet to order one over a C7.
2. I do track, so I wanted the cooling. I've also heard great things about mag ride in other cars, and wanted that as well. I was hoping that the adjustability would mean that Ford could make it very stiff in track mode, while softening it up for the street. I was concerned that the base version would be softer than I wanted in track mode due to compromising it for street use. Not sure if that's the case, but I will say that the adjustability of the mag shocks is pretty awesome. It is a little too soft in normal mode for me, but great for cruising or when you are forced to go over choppy roads. I was very surprised with how comfortable the car was when cruising. Not sure exactly how it compares to a GTPP though. I suspect it may be a bit stiffer, but more well damped, which may mask the stiffness since the ride isn't bouncy. Sport mode is just about perfect for street driving IMO. The car feels sharper and much more sporty. Track mode is stiffer still, although may a bit frenetic for the street at times. In the GM world, the mag shocks are a $2000 option, so I don't know if they are worth $6500 for that feature alone. Personally, I would get the track pack even if I weren't tracking the car, because I believe that every car with this much power should have the coolers necessary to support high duty-cycle use of that power. Also, for me, the mag shocks work so well that I wouldn't want to do without them. If I had a chance to test drive multiple versions and really compare the base suspension tuning to the track pack tuning, I might change my mind, but without the chance to test drive, I'd go for the gold and get the mag shocks.
3. The engine is a little soft below 3500 RPM. It isn't a huge issue if you are willing to shift to get above that, but the car won't have that stump pulling torque in low gear like most American V8's are known for. Once you wind it out though, the feel is pretty amazing. And that doesn't mean the car is slow at lower RPMs either, just that it feels soft compared to how it pulls in higher RPMs. If you compare the torque curves to a Coyote V8, it is making similar power up to ~5000 RPM, and then it just keeps pulling and pulling.
Here is my engine dyno compared to a stock coyote:
You can see that the torque isn't terribly different, but the car just sustains that torque up to a much higher RPM. So, first gear acceleration won't feel much different than the Coyote, until the Coyote's owner shifts at 35 MPH (or whatever) and the Voodoo owner keeps going to 50+. So it's a bit of a different feel due to having essentially the same gearing and torque as the GTPP but with more RPM. Also different than an FI Coyote with way more torque, but lower RPM. My car is making ~460 RWHP, while an FI Coyote is more like 600+. It will definitely not feel as fast as the FI experience, but even so I think the engine sounds and feels awesome, and I typically drive it leisurely around 2000 RPM or spiritedly at ~ 2500-5000.
Overall the car is pretty amazing IMO.
-T
I think Ford should definitely do this when they do a mid cycle refresh. If nothing else, I think it would really make the car more competitive with the Camaro from a handling standpoint.
Actually it is time. I do wear glasses and prescription sunglasses and even with them on its tough. Hoping to get corrective surgery done in the next 16 months. Also im spoiled with the size of the backup camera on my raptor lol. Honestly the full screen for a back up cam was a bit of a reason I wanted sync 3 along with a cleaner appearance, but track pack won in the end for cooling functions