S550 underwelming...

[15pgnatsum]

I think the cars of today have just gotten too luxurious- and heavy. People want luxury and some want luxury and performance. It's not too easy to buy a "base" car anymore. My GT is "base" but to me it's loaded- power windows, power door locks, cruise, etc. I wish so much Ford would do what Mazda did with the latest ND Miata. The Miata started out in the first Gen "NA" as a very light weight and raw sports car, roadster. It got bigger, bigger and heavier and more luxurious- just like the Mustang and Camaro. The current gen Miata went on a diet and back to the Miata's roots- light weight. It has only 160 HP but it's a blast to drive- I know I had one.

I can't help but wonder if the Mustang lost 1000 LBS and kept the current 460 HP Coyote engine what it would be like........even if it lost 500 or 700 LBS.....WOW.

I'll take performance over luxury- roll down windows, lighter seats, less refinement, etc.

I mean you can just coyote swap a pre-04 Mustang and this will basically meet all your needs if this is what you're going for. May even be cheaper these days than buying a new S550.

No car manufacturer is going to make a roll-down window, solid axle, stripped 400+ HP car for like .00001% of buyers.

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[NoVaGT]

I mean you can just coyote swap a pre-04 Mustang and this will basically meet all your needs if this is what you're going for. May even be cheaper these days than buying a new S550.

No car manufacturer is going to make a roll-down window, solid axle, stripped 400+ HP car for like .00001% of buyers.

Hell, he could get an S197 Coyote and be there by removing interior bits and bobs. With SLA rear suspension, and front suspension by Mattel, those things have the road-grace of a retarded walrus.

 

[BmacIL]

Hell, he could get an S197 Coyote and be there by removing interior bits and bobs. With SLA rear suspension, and front suspension by Mattel, those things have the road-grace of a retarded walrus.

Made my morning!

 

[Ebm]

The reason you feel like this is because all of the modern technology in the S550 isolates you from the car. The closer we get to self-driving vehicles, the more disconnected we feel. It's the way of the world. If you want raw again, buy an older vehicle, not much else you can do.

Hell, he could get an S197 Coyote and be there by removing interior bits and bobs. With SLA rear suspension, and front suspension by Mattel, those things have the road-grace of a retarded walrus.

Yet, the S197 Coyote is still faster than the pre-18 S550 Coyote. Both cars are pigs, but the S550 is the pot belly

 

[BmacIL]

The reason you feel like this is because all of the modern technology in the S550 isolates you from the car. The closer we get to self-driving vehicles, the more disconnected we feel. It's the way of the world. If you want raw again, buy an older vehicle, not much else you can do.




Yet, the S197 Coyote is still faster than the pre-18 S550 Coyote

Marginally, and in one direction. Literally everything else about the 15-17 S550 is better objectively, except maybe rear seat headroom.

 

[Ebm]

Marginally, and in one direction. Literally everything else about the 15-17 S550 is better objectively, except maybe rear seat headroom.

Looks are subjective, some think the S197(2013-2014) looks better, some say the S550 looks better. Definitely more rear headroom in the S197 along with headrests.

Marginally? Tell that to someone who lost in a drag race.

I like both cars, this isn't a bash post, but let's be real... Nothing this heavy is like riding on rails. Definitely an improvement with the IRS and 2018+ is even more of an improvement.

 

[NoVaGT]

Yet, the S197 Coyote is still faster than the pre-18 S550 Coyote.

Is it? Strictly speaking straight-line, of course. I'm not so sure about that.

 

[NoVaGT]

Marginally? Tell that to someone who lost in a drag race.

We really need to move past this drag-racing thing. There's much more to driving than straight-line acceleration.....a lot more.

 

[Bluelightning]

So I have now owned two S550 mustangs, a 2015 gtpp base and now a 2018 gt 10r80. After driving these cars every day for the past 3 years now I must say they are great cars with a lot of power and performance and great handling compared to other gen mustangs but I find myself having more fun/better time driving in other mustangs I have owned. I have had a 1990 lx hatch 5.0, a 1996 mystic cobra and a 2004 mach 1 in comp orange. Althoug all three of those stangs are no where close performance wise to the S550 platform, in my opinion they were just more of a blast to drive. They had more of a muscle car/ raw feeling that the S550 lacks and they actually felt like a proper mustang. Dont get me wrong, I love my S550 but the other gen mustangs I have owned are just more fun and exciting to drive and they actually feel like proper muscle cars. Anyone else feel this way or am I crazy? Lol. Maybe I just need a whipple.

You just need a whipple. That will fix your problem. Trust me.

 

[Ebm]

Is it? Strictly speaking straight-line, of course. I'm not so sure about that.

Yes, it is faster. When Ford has commercials on TV, they don't say the track time of the car, they say the 0-60. Generally when people say that a car is faster, they are referring to straight line speed.

We really need to move past this drag-racing thing. There's much more to driving than straight-line acceleration.....a lot more.

I live in the south, home of Nascar and lining your car up on an empty street to see who's car is faster. Drag racing and straight line speed is very much a thing down here. You are a fellow southerner, I'm sure you can relate.

Of course, there's more to driving than going straight. But going straight is a crucial part of any race, even on a track.

 

[BmacIL]

Looks are subjective, some think the S197(2013-2014) looks better, some say the S550 looks better. Definitely more rear headroom in the S197 along with headrests.

Marginally? Tell that to someone who lost in a drag race.

I like both cars, this isn't a bash post, but let's be real... Nothing this heavy is like riding on rails. Definitely an improvement with the IRS and 2018+ is even more of an improvement.

I said objectively (which means I'm not talking about styling). Handling, grip, ride, laptimes, interior quality/features...all better.

Don't go full Vin Diesel on me with the drag race man. If you lost by half a car or even a car, that's marginal. The S197 is not that much quicker.

 

[NoVaGT]

Don't go full Vin Diesel on me with the drag race man.....

 

[Hack]

Some chassis and suspension mods to remove a lot of the isolation and a tune will wake the car up dramatically. Stock, even with the PP, the car is kinda numb and far too isolating to continue to be enjoyable if you DD it. Taking away the stick just makes that worse.

You can just break all the traffic laws and a new Mustang will be plenty exciting - until you go to jail.

Or one simple mod is either put skinnies on all four corners or over inflate your tires significantly. Then you can have difficulty controlling the car even at the speed limit.

Complaining about a car that is fast, controllable and comfortable all at the same time.

 

[Ebm]

I said objectively (which means I'm not talking about styling). Handling, grip, ride, laptimes, interior quality/features...all better.

Don't go full Vin Diesel on me with the drag race man. If you lost by half a car or even a car, that's marginal. The S197 is not that much quicker.

You did say objectively, but some people on here consider looks as objective. I'm glad you are more open minded.

You beat me to it... I was gonna post the YouTube Fast and the Furious clip!

I'm not saying the S197 is better in (insert category here), I'm saying the S550 has flaws just like every other car. One of those flaws is how heavy the darn thing is. Nova was talking about a Walrus, he was right. It's definitely an improvement in the areas that you mentioned, but that's no thanks to the heaviness. How can they improve this car further without some type of weight reduction. Upping the horsepower eventually will be a game of diminishing returns.

 

[BmacIL]

You can just break all the traffic laws and a new Mustang will be plenty exciting - until you go to jail.

Or one simple mod is either put skinnies on all four corners or over inflate your tires significantly. Then you can have difficulty controlling the car even at the speed limit.

Complaining about a car that is fast, controllable and comfortable all at the same time.

Not sure if directed at me, but my point was there are things that can be done to make it more fun and engaging to drive without breaking the law, not including making it unsafe (skinnies).

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