Reasons I ordered s550 vs waiting on s650

[ajsfirehawk]

You nailed it with your screen name.

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[rhexis]

So, after all that, if you want a car you won't be able to significantly modify and you like the styling and you dig the incremental improvements, maybe paying $10k more for a base GT and $20k more for a "Darkhorse" with the cheezy badging is a smart move.

For most everyone else who's actually an "enthusiast" and wants the freedom of upgrading their car (either now or down the road) with way less limitations, the S550 seems to be the best platform for modifying your pony car.

its not the first time a manufacturer has encrypted the ecu. i remember when first getting my S4, the Bosch ECU was encrypted and it took about a year and half before we could flash it from home. i see the mustang going down the same path. if man can encrypt it, man can break that encryption, it will just take some time. that being said i am happy with my S550 and not going to replace it.

 

[MAGS1]

4) Tuning. This is a big deal. Yes, Ford will eventually offer canned packages from Whipple and possibly others. But it'll be very limited to what you see now from Roush (warrantable). Furthermore, until someone cracks the PCM, there will be no significant performance upgrades outside of what Ford allows (and charges you handsomely for). Lastly, EVEN IF they crack it, with all the mother ship, nanny state, remote updating and diagnostics, it remains to be seen whether an aftermarket tune would work without wonking the car out (or informing Ford). Basically, even if they crack it (which has YET to be accomplished for the DCT) it may still not be an option because of all the remote tentacles incorporated. It needs to communicate, to what extent remains to be seen.

You nailed it. IF the PCM is able to be cracked by someone other than a Ford approved vendor (Whipple, I’m sure Roush, Saleen and Shelby will have packages at some point too), you better believe Ford will know when it tries to communicate with the car. That’s one of the biggest issues I have with EV (besides the fact it’s being forced on the market when the infrastructure isn’t even ready for it, but that’s a whole other discussion). The manufacturers are connected to those cars 24/7/365 and know (or have the ability to know) what’s going on anytime they want.

Power numbers remain to be seen. I tend to think based on everything that’s floating out there that the GT will probably be in the neighborhood of the current Mach 1 and the DH will probably be in the 500-525hp range. I have zero inside info to confirm any of that but I don’t think Ford will generate any kind of enthusiasm if they don’t give a bit of a power upgrade. Half-assed interior updates and slight exterior tweaks aren’t enough, at least not for me. And I do like the new exterior except for the extra black plastic on the bumpers, especially on the DH.

 

[Gregs24]

I have a Mach 1 on order and am torn between it and a '24 dark horse.

I like the modernized infotainment in the S650, but really wish they had managed to preserve the character of the mustang interior.

I think the biggest things the S650 has going for it are improved steering and handling, 4th gen coyote improvements, brembos all around, and updated technology.

As an aside - Not many Fuegos left!

21 in the UK of which 6 are turbos

 

[LSchicago]

I was the opposite. Having seen the S650 I thought the S550 looks old all of a sudden, which of course it is! I think the new shape is quite colour sensitive, the interior more modern. Hopefully the finish and quality of the interior moves up to at least current Ford European standards. It's a very different market over here where the Mustang is a large GT car, not a sports car, so is fighting against high quality opposition.

Here in the US the Mustang was never considered a "Large car" Quite small to me.

 

[LSchicago]

As an aside - Not many Fuegos left!

21 in the UK of which 6 are turbos

I remember around 1986 a Fuego pulling up next to my brother on the highway and laughing at us. We were in a Mazda Rotary pickup, and the exhaust was a little loud. He then accelerated away. My brother wasn't going to take it and wound the Little Rotary up to 8,500 rpm in 4th gear hitting 125mph. The Little Fuego could only do about 90-95. We got the last laugh.

 

[Angrey]

its not the first time a manufacturer has encrypted the ecu. i remember when first getting my S4, the Bosch ECU was encrypted and it took about a year and half before we could flash it from home. i see the mustang going down the same path. if man can encrypt it, man can break that encryption, it will just take some time. that being said i am happy with my S550 and not going to replace it.

Seen this idea a couple of times.

Just because somewhere in the world exists a person or many persons who are capable of cracking/hacking something, doesn't mean they're going to stop what they're doing (holding corporations for ransom of $M's, attempting to infiltrate state systems around the world, etc). I'm pretty sure hacking a ford ECU for a bunch of mustang enthusiasts is pretty low on their to do lists.

The DCT is still uncracked. Dodge has been dealing with this since 2015 and guess what, after nearly 8 years, no one has cracked theirs (and if you don't think there's a zillion dodges on the road you haven't been paying attention).

Like I said, even IF it ever is cracked, that's no guarantee that there still won't be problems given all the remote stuff.

 

[MAGS1]

Here you go, official HP numbers for 2024. GT =486; DH = 500

 

[MISFITGT]

Personally glad I ordered a s550 when I did. Not saying that the bump in horsepower isn't great, it just isn't worth the bump in price even if its $1k (to me)

 

[MAGS1]

Personally glad I ordered a s550 when I did. Not saying that the bump in horsepower isn't great, it just isn't worth the bump in price even if its $1k (to me)

Nice bump for the GT (it’s 480hp for the standard dual exhaust, 486hp for the quad active exhaust). Depending on pricing, the DH seems a little underwhelming. It’s a 20-30hp increase over the Mach 1 but I was expecting closer to 515-525hp. I guess I shouldn’t complain too much since it’s still a V8 but DH was a bit underwhelming.

 

[Kachøw]

Nice bump for the GT (it’s 480hp for the standard dual exhaust, 486hp for the quad active exhaust). Depending on pricing, the DH seems a little underwhelming. It’s a 20-30hp increase over the Mach 1 but I was expecting closer to 515-525hp. I guess I shouldn’t complain too much since it’s still a V8 but DH was a bit underwhelming.

Seeing these numbers and all other things considered, I'm happy with the Mach 1. The only thing that would get me to trade in is if they brought in some actual new features for the eventual refresh + facelift (like having a HUD, front parking camera, better interior materials overall, etc). Oh, and making that interior less of an eyesore.

 

[Bullittproof]

I agree with the majority of the posts above reasoning in favor of the S550...what about insurance? the S550 has less horsepower, the body panels are 'mature', don't insurance companies factor these into setting rates? Shouldn't it be more economical to insure an S550 over an S650 [comparable models and options]??

 

[mustang810]

I didn't want to wait like someone else said. Life is too short. I don't think the S650 looks any better. Looks are subjective anyway. I have no problem with the interior of my non premium car even. The new interior does not excite me. I didn't buy a Mustang for the interior anyway. The only thing that would make me want the new S650 is the added power. I can always trade in someday if I drive one and it feels that much faster.

 

[spedy7]

Ordered an S550 mainly incase the S650 is going to be more expensive with some options - since Ford is just now pushing some great options with the S650 (black accent pack with PP? Finally!), how much are those options going to be on top of base price? Also no physical HVAC controls is a complete dunce - had a loaner Dodge Journey once with that...I hated it. Electronic parking brakes (EPBs) do not belong on manuals either, or a 2 door sports car for that matter (the "drift brake" idea is kina cool though). Also...Eruption Green is dope and I missed out on Grabber Lime.

BUT I wouldn't mind going with an S650, I can overlook the dash situation (no pun intended) and other less than desirable stuff. I just want to know how much it'll cost me dammit.

 

[Rapid Red]

I didn't want to wait like someone else said. Life is too short. I don't think the S650 looks any better. Looks are subjective anyway. I have no problem with the interior of my non premium car even. The new interior does not excite me. I didn't buy a Mustang for the interior anyway. The only thing that would make me want the new S650 is the added power. I can always trade in someday if I drive one and it feels that much faster.

I agree, BuT if the interior sucks, as that future design has shown, makes me look elsewhere.

More power, I got a car that will run past the S650. If it could not, there are easy ways around that. The interior, you're just stuck with that and it will make you hate the car.

How, compare the amount of time you would use/enjoy big HP as it should be?

And the amount of time you would be sitting in an interior that gives you no love. That dash looks like a message board, it's pathetic.

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