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Rented a V6 for the week - my impressions...

Malikona

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I rented a V6 Mustang for Thanksgiving holiday week, and did a good bit of back roads driving around beautiful Bluegrass country in central KY. I did my best to put it through its paces without getting in trouble. ;) It was black with the V6 upgrade package which gave it fog lights and the foundry 18" wheels. I've not seen much in-depth look at the V6 on here yet so I thought I'd give a write up (sorry I do not have pictures, but it's just like every other V6 out there!).

EXTERIOR: Black was stunning when I picked it up at the airport, even at night, although the lines definitely get lost in the dark compared to some of the lighter colors. Black looks best when totally clean and in full sun IMO. Roads were wet, and after the drive home there was a ton of dirt and salt spray all over the car, and frankly it looked like crap. I have a black car now (Honda Fit), and for whatever reason the dirt showed up way worse on the Mustang than it does on my car. I actually took the car to the car wash (yes I washed a rental car lol) and tried to clean it up without using any of the nasty brushes or auto wash things that could scratch up the clearcoat, but the power sprayer alone really did nothing to get the salt spray off of the car. If you live in a wet or cold climate and want a good looking Mustang pretty much year round, I would advise against black. I didn't think it would be that bad but I was wrong.

Other little exterior things, I didn't go over it with a fine toothed comb, but I didn't notice any panel gaps or hood alignment issues to speak of. If they existed, black hid them from me completely. One thing I did notice is that part of the hood by the windshield at the base of one of the ridges looked to be a little wavy/bent/misshapen somehow as if it was not perfectly stamped. That would've bugged me if I owned it but only because it was where you'd see it all the time.

Otherwise the exterior looked great, and the unicolor rear bumper/diffuser assembly is not notably different on a black car, which is nice. The front of the car did seem a little high to me in profile or front 3/4 view, which takes away from the sleekness of the profile IMO. If I could find a way to lower just the front by like an inch or so without sacrificing ride quality, I would consider it. The foundry wheels looked really nice, and struck me that they would be easy to clean due to their wide, smooth surfaces (unlike most of the other wheel options).

INTERIOR: The all-black look of the V6 interior looks really nice, especially paired with the black exterior (though it would look great with yellow, red, or orange too I think). The V6 interior has all black seats (different in design from the EB and GT base seats) that struck me as very handsome, if a LITTLE cheap feeling to the touch. Still they are extremely comfortable as all have commented, with great adjustability. The dash panel is solid black with faux carbon fiber molded plastic, which looks...nice...but definitely feels a little cheap. I will say from a slight distance it does look enough like carbon fiber to be convincing, but if it were my car I might keep my eyes out for aftermarket replacement options. Also the plastic under the 'eyebrow' on the passenger's side of the dash, where the 'Since 1964' badge is located, did not align perfectly along the top edge where it meets the top of the dash. You could see a small gap and could tell that the piece was not cut precisely, with some roughness such that the gap was uneven across the top. Very minor issue but something they should work out at the factory IMO.

The base center stack and stereo (major considerations for me as I consider a Premium EB vs a base GT) were both adequate IMO. The wall of buttons is a little low-rent looking, but the system is effective, and I don't know if you sacrifice any real functionality by giving up MFT (except Sirius which I don't care about). I easily paired my iPhone over Bluetooth, though the only way I could figure out to play my music was by actually starting it on the phone app and then switching through the media inputs on the center stack until it started playing. If MFT would enable you to browse through your phone music library without taking your phone out of your pocket, that would be a plus.

After the music did start to play and I adjusted the EQ, etc. to my liking, I found the sound quality of the 6-speaker system to be very good. I am sort of a 'low-fi' audio guy, in that I like vinyl, etc., so I am willing to forgive not having the absolute best clarity of sound, which this system doesn't have. But it was much clearer, richer, and louder than I expected from the base stereo, even streaming music over 3G/LTE and Bluetooth (I did not try a CD, which by all accounts should be even better). From what I can tell there simply aren't any rear speakers in the 6-speaker system, which may be the only real difference between it and the 9-speaker setup. I've heard people complain that the 12-speaker system wasn't loud enough or didn't have enough bass, even with the subwoofer, but IMO I can't really imagine needing more bass or volume than this base system provides unless you either have hearing loss or you're trying to be audible outside of your car. ;)

The rest of the center stack was nicely laid out and easy to use, quality feeling, etc. My only real complaints are that the control knobs for the climate were a little too small (couldn't easily glance and tell where the temp knob was set), and the airflow knob was counterintuitive in that the little lights next to it that indicate the airflow volume move in the opposite direction that you turn the knob. Also the controls were just a little bit too far away from me in my seating position to be reached without leaning slightly forward, which is annoying while driving. This was mostly the case for the controls on the bottom (climate).

The gauges are nice and clear, and the little TFT display between them is a nice touch. Strangely the vacuum/boost gague still had boost on it, while I was under the impression it would be vacuum only on the naturally aspirated engines. I found the instantaneous fuel economy gague to be a little confusing, since it only shows you a visual bar relative to your average MPG instead of telling you the actual instantaneous MPG. Also the speedometer was a little too small to see your exact speed at a glance, which is exacerbated by the fact that the car is fast. You can be going 85 or 95 before you know it and the analog gague was just a little too far away and low resolution (for lack of better term) for my taste. A digital speedo option would be nice.

Rear seat room was suprisingly good IMO. Headroom is awful, true, but I let my mother and father sit up front (they are 'American size', so the seats were definitely not all the way forward) while I sat in the back for a short drive (couple of miles). They had plenty of room up front while I also had more than adequate leg room in the back (I'm 6', 200 lbs), although I had to lean forward the whole time - not a chance I could have sat back/upright. Still I was buckled in and not at all uncomfortable for a short trip, which is all I would use the backseats in this car for. I was shocked we could all three fit in the car at all, let alone 'comfortably'. Anyone under 5'8" or so should actually be pretty comfortable in the back IMO unless you have someone well over 6' in front of them. Also it's obvious the roof is sloped too steeply for a retractable moonroof in this car, so I would not expect that. In terms of front seat headroom, I had my seat all the way down and that's how I would keep it - if I raised it up I could easily smash my head into the headliner. The car is definitely low to the ground.

PERFORMANCE: This was an automatic, obviously, since it was a rental car. I am 90% sure I'll get the manual on my Mustang, but the AT was suprisingly good. Going from normal D to S mode and letting the car do the shifting made a huge difference, surprisingly - S holds gears much longer than D, and having the two options was nice. Paddle shifting in S mode gives you full control over shift points, and the rev-matched downshifts do a very good job unless you are going into 1st at any kind of speed, in which case the car will still lurch quite a bit. There is too much delay in the paddle shifts to call it a performance transmission by any means, but for 'sporty' driving as your highest ambition, it was pretty satisfying. If I had to get an AT Mustang for some reason, I would not be too upset about it, and the remote start is a great feature that I would miss on the manual. One nice touch is that the + and - symbols on the paddles are actually illuminated at night along with the rest of the buttons and steering wheel controls, which I have never seen before and thought was pretty classy.

Regarding the engine: I know the V6 gets ragged on a lot in light of the EB, which I have not yet driven (and is still my likely engine choice for this car), but I was pretty amazed by how well the V6 performed all in all. It's definitely a high-RPM motor; you really need to hold it above 3K to have much torque 'on tap' IMO. As such I almost always used S mode or the paddles, and after a while you feel a bit like a tool driving around in the middle of the RPM band all the time. You don't have to do that of course, and regular D mode is fine for most situations, but I like to accelerate unnecessarily quickly more often than most probably, so it would be nice to have more power on tap at lower RPM as in the EB and V8. That said, the V6 felt very punchy when you were in the right gear, and it pulls strong all the way to redline (almost). Highway passing is a total breeze, and you can very easily achieve felonious speeds without realizing it. In fact the car is so quiet and smooth, it really feels almost slow at speed, and I had to basically train myself to go 75 mph on the highway because 100 in this car feels like 70 in my current car. Overall I feel like having GT levels of power in this car would be a little more fun, but mostly would just be likely to get me in trouble. The EB seems like a good compromise because it's got potential to have as much torque as the GT, but without the ability to just go way too effing fast. I tried a couple of 0-60 runs and was pretty reliably under 6 seconds.

Handling and ride quality were both excellent. The car tends to understeer into corners a little bit, exacerbated by the weight of the car and the slightly floaty suspension. Handling is pretty flat and balanced, and steering is very linear and responsive, but the non-PP suspension is not exactly confidence inspiring when you try to push it hard, and you kind of have to learn to trust the car. I felt the back end kind of whip around on me a couple of times when I wasn't expecting it, but I am not that familiar with RWD cars in the first place, and I blame cold weather and AS tires for some grip issues. Altogether it feels like a much lighter car than it is, and with better tires under ideal conditions I think it would be very confidence inspiring to drivers new to this type of car. I worry that the PP would stiffen up the ride too much, but the additional handling precision would be appreciated, so I will try to test drive a PP car before I buy. Also the brakes, while the base version on 2015s, felt VERY strong, and almost too bitey for daily driving until you get used to them. Still, I would prefer the largest brakes I can get on a car like this, since when you really need them you want them to be there, even if they're a little overkill 95% of the time.
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phil1336

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Guess that Rental Company bought that 2015 Base V6 Mustang from Dealer Stock, (not) a Fleet purchase. No way in hell they would special order a Rental with the upgraded optional 051 Package at an additional cost of $995. They would have spent the extra monies towards a Base V6 Convertible! Regardless, nice review!
 

IndustryLeech

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The V6 only gets ragged on by Ford. People that have owned and driven Cyclone engines generally praise them.
 

e30og

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Cyclone is a stout motor, never had any complaints about it at all. Lots of power, always ready to rev, great fuel economy, sounds okay too

The PP makes the car stiffer but the ride is definitely still compliant enough as a DD and I speak to that driving through nasty inner-city roads and traffic; just dont go bombing it over potholes or speedbumps.

As for power compared to the EB i would say they are mighty close, even the EB doesn't build power until 3k+ RPMs. I think the difference is the EB has a swell of it in the midrange where the 6 makes most of it higher up. The EB's rear will easily break loose in second gear going straight with full throttle at 3k.

Get the premium trim. Since the manuals do not have a 'sport mode', the only way to get better throttle response is with the selectable drive modes. They not only make a difference for spirited driving, but I am very impressed with the weather mode. it has kept the car in line so far in this cold crappy weather on summer tires
 

PJE

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Guess that Rental Company bought that 2015 Base V6 Mustang from Dealer Stock, (not) a Fleet purchase. No way in hell they would special order a Rental with the upgraded optional 051 Package at an additional cost of $995. They would have spent the extra monies towards a Base V6 Convertible! Regardless, nice review!
I would think it would be quite common. They're more interested in increasing the resale value, and also the up sell at the lot...

I nearly went for the 51A package V6 over my base Ecoboost with the same wheels, it was a very hard choice!
 

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e30og

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yea they want people to rent the car they def would get a nicer model. I rented one that was premium trim ('13 model)
 
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Malikona

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yea they want people to rent the car they def would get a nicer model. I rented one that was premium trim ('13 model)
I would've rented the nicest car they had and paid extra for it - another $100 for the week to drive a premium GT? Sure! :) It's more of an extended test drive for me. Honestly I would love to find an EB premium and rent it for the week. And I think the 17" wheels on the base V6 are just too small, and even the rental agency buyer would've thought, "Let's upgrade those" IMO.

To comment on a couple of things people have said regarding the engines - the V6 definitely sounds great, and combined with the fact that it likes to rev out, it sounds even better and encourages you to keep the revs up. An exhaust would be great on it.

And I don't see the peaky powerband as a negative of the V6 necessarily, since revving out is fun and you don't get much out of it in the EB by all accounts, but the V6 is definitely a little soft down low. I think the EB is probably a narrower powerband overall, but the peak torque at least comes on REALLY low (like 1500 RPM if I'm not mistaken), and blowing the tires off occasionally (frequently) is more of what I enjoy than achieving high speed, so the EB just suits my driving style better. Plus you can get like 30 HP and 75 FT-LB from just a tune on the EB, so who knows what kind of power it's capable of. The V6 is totally a fun engine though and I would be more than happy with it. The V8 is the best of both worlds, I just honestly worry that I would get incarcerated if I had that much power all the time. Still might fall for it in the end though if the price is right.
 
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Malikona

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Also I will add that the placement of the paddle shifters was a little troublesome to me. They are well placed for when you are using them certainly, but when you don't want to be using them I found them to be in the way. It was difficult if not impossible for me to grip the steering wheel without touching them, so i found myself just resting my fingers on them all the time, which is kind of annoying. Anyone else noticing this? I have paddle shifters in my Honda Fit too and I have never noticed them to be in the way.
 

JimmyTwoTimes

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I would've rented the nicest car they had and paid extra for it - another $100 for the week to drive a premium GT? Sure! :) It's more of an extended test drive for me. Honestly I would love to find an EB premium and rent it for the week. And I think the 17" wheels on the base V6 are just too small, and even the rental agency buyer would've thought, "Let's upgrade those" IMO.

To comment on a couple of things people have said regarding the engines - the V6 definitely sounds great, and combined with the fact that it likes to rev out, it sounds even better and encourages you to keep the revs up. An exhaust would be great on it.

And I don't see the peaky powerband as a negative of the V6 necessarily, since revving out is fun and you don't get much out of it in the EB by all accounts, but the V6 is definitely a little soft down low. I think the EB is probably a narrower powerband overall, but the peak torque at least comes on REALLY low (like 1500 RPM if I'm not mistaken), and blowing the tires off occasionally (frequently) is more of what I enjoy than achieving high speed, so the EB just suits my driving style better. Plus you can get like 30 HP and 75 FT-LB from just a tune on the EB, so who knows what kind of power it's capable of. The V6 is totally a fun engine though and I would be more than happy with it. The V8 is the best of both worlds, I just honestly worry that I would get incarcerated if I had that much power all the time. Still might fall for it in the end though if the price is right.
I have the V6 in my 2011 Mustang, and it's definitely a nice, reliable engine, but it doesn't have power unless you floor it -- for somebody like me, who hasn't gotten the tach on the high side of 3,000 in years, there's not a lot of kick.
 

JimmyTwoTimes

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Also I will add that the placement of the paddle shifters was a little troublesome to me. They are well placed for when you are using them certainly, but when you don't want to be using them I found them to be in the way. It was difficult if not impossible for me to grip the steering wheel without touching them, so i found myself just resting my fingers on them all the time, which is kind of annoying. Anyone else noticing this? I have paddle shifters in my Honda Fit too and I have never noticed them to be in the way.
Depnds on how you rest your hands when you're driving. I steer with one hand, usually dead-center at the top of the wheel or else resting on a spoke inside the wheel, so that wouldn't be an issue for me.
 

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The V6 only gets ragged on by Ford. People that have owned and driven Cyclone engines generally praise them.
Yah, it still annoys the F out of me that we don't have a choice of the V6 in premium. It's just BS. Camaro even if they come out with a 4 is going to offer their V6 with leather. So crappy Ford did this to V6 people. If anything since it's the 50th, if you are going to phase it out, give us one last hurrah with the V6 in premium.
 

EuroBoy

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ya I agree. everyone else seems to use their V6 as their premium choice. Other companies use a turbo 4 to downscale their cars, like the kia optima and hyundai sonata turbos. Their upscale cars like cadenza, genesis use the venerable v6.

but noooo, ford has done it the other way around.

Yah, it still annoys the F out of me that we don't have a choice of the V6 in premium. It's just BS. Camaro even if they come out with a 4 is going to offer their V6 with leather. So crappy Ford did this to V6 people. If anything since it's the 50th, if you are going to phase it out, give us one last hurrah with the V6 in premium.
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