The 2018 Ford Mustang's 10-Speed Automatic Makes It a Quicker Pony

[Nomadic]

I am thoroughly bored with Car and Driver's pro-manual crusade. (I'm a long time subscriber.)

There really is no more reason for the crude device known as the manual clutch. Super car makers have long since said goodbye to manuals, and C&D should give it up, too.

I drove manuals exclusively from 1968 to around 1984, as did my wife. We gave up when family friendly cars and (gasp) minivans became unavailable with three pedals. It was painful at first, but today's automatics are a whole 'nother thing. I have a mini SUV that downshifts and holds TC lockout based on its sensing that I'm on a decline. With that sort of smarts, and the idiot proofing against "money shifts" into 2nd instead of 4th ( a real problem when driver fatigue and old age set in), I will never own a manual again.

Completely agree. My last manual was my '15 GT. But I drove a new A10 GT back to back with a new GT PP manual. The manual car felt considerably slower and wasn't nearly as satisfying to me. And as long as a car handles well and has good steering feel, I'm more than happy to mash the pedal and go. The A10 GT definitely qualified. But If you must have a manual, get a manual.

Sponsored

 

[Allentown]

I put 305s on the rear of my A10 and it has so much tq I still haven't found a reason to swap fron the 3.15s to a shorter gear.

I drive in sport in traffic...the diwn shift/engine braking doesn't usually bother me unless I am coming all the way down to a stop and even then it's only mild.

The car pivots about 10 degrees to the right on the 1 to 2 shift in drag mode. I am going to order the steeda IRS subframe and G Trac braces, may eventually have to install the subframe bushing to try and reduce it . It barks the tires w every shift, not sure I would want to fully defeat advance Trac till it's sorted out.

I haven't actually used track mode yet...only had it long enough to get the break in oil change and most of my cosmetic mods done . I won't use anything that indicated traction control is reduced or defeated unless I have hot tires and no sign of issues when running with it on.

Won't go back to a manual mustang probably ever.

 

[marks]

There really is no more reason for the crude device known as the manual clutch. Super car makers have long since said goodbye to manuals, and C&D should give it up, too.

The nonsense being spouted. Just because an article has a different opinion does not make it wrong. Virtually all the reviews ive read have said the stick is the better option. If i was going to get an auto it would be a Porsche, not an A10 which can't work out which gear it needs to be in. Manufacturers like Porsche have realised the customers prefer interaction and excitement than being point second faster to 60, hence the GT3 now coming with stick. Some us prefer being challenged than just sticking our foot down.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/ford/mustang/first-drives/ford-mustang-gt-2018-uk-review

https://www.evo.co.uk/ford/mustang/21291/2018-ford-mustang-review-pony-car-ponies-up-even-more-fun

I quote
"The 10-speed auto isn’t the perfect partner though, as the number of gears available seems to confuse it when asking for kickdown. It’s better changing with the paddles, but still only average here; the chunky six-speed manual, now with revised ratios, still seems like the more satisfying option."

But perhaps it's best summed up by the review of the GT3:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/porsche/911-gt3/first-drives/porsche-911-gt3-manual-2017-review

Quote
"The decision now faced by buyers of the latest 911 GT3is exactly the same one Porsche faced when it set out to develop the thing. For emotional appeal, there’s nothing like the manual version tested here. But in ultimate performance terms, the PDK model is king. The simple solution, of course, would be to get two - that way you’d never be disappointed"

 

[Allentown]

The nonsense being spouted. Just because an article has a different opinion does not make it wrong. Virtually all the reviews ive read have said the stick is the better option. If i was going to get an auto it would be a Porsche, not an A10 which can't work out which gear it needs to be in. Manufacturers like Porsche have realised the customers prefer interaction and excitement than being point second faster to 60, hence the GT3 now coming with stick. Some us prefer being challenged than just sticking our foot down.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/ford/mustang/first-drives/ford-mustang-gt-2018-uk-review

https://www.evo.co.uk/ford/mustang/21291/2018-ford-mustang-review-pony-car-ponies-up-even-more-fun

I quote
"The 10-speed auto isn’t the perfect partner though, as the number of gears available seems to confuse it when asking for kickdown. It’s better changing with the paddles, but still only average here; the chunky six-speed manual, now with revised ratios, still seems like the more satisfying option."

But perhaps it's best summed up by the review of the GT3:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/porsche/911-gt3/first-drives/porsche-911-gt3-manual-2017-review

Quote
"The decision now faced by buyers of the latest 911 GT3is exactly the same one Porsche faced when it set out to develop the thing. For emotional appeal, there’s nothing like the manual version tested here. But in ultimate performance terms, the PDK model is king. The simple solution, of course, would be to get two - that way you’d never be disappointed"

Do you own an A10 or are you just going by the reviews? Anyone who knows me knows I am not gun shy at all of calling out a crappy transmission when I own one (I am looking at you, you piece if ish MT-82 that wouldn't shift when the temps were below 40 and is made in china and has more customer complaints than any transmission I have ever seen in any car community), but I digress.....

I own an A10 and I can tell you that I have not had any issue with it not selecting the correct gear save two issues. 1) If really going full bore, ocassionally I would prefer it go one gear lower, which is honestly not a big issue in every day driving...if I am REALLY pushing it I am using the paddles anyway. 2) Once in a very rare moon.....I will put my foot into it the moment it upshifts forcing it to have to immediately down shift again and that is annoying...but then, all autos have this issue, your Porsche included.

It also is missing one feature I really wish ford had included. In my Stingray if you wanted the lowest possible gear all you had to do was press and hold the down shift paddle and it skipped right to the lowest gear in one move....brilliant and no excuse for not including that feature on every performance oriented muscle and pony car. Is there a way for after market turners to add such a feature I wonder??? One last bit of gripe that is also minor but ever present, that 3/4 second delay between paddle activation and actual down shift (or upshift). Upshifting seems faster than in my stingray to be honest (yay) but the down shifts are still just as slow. This is fixed with a bit of timing as you just have to get used to hitting that paddle just prior to making your move. Once you get the timing worked out in your head though it is perfectly serviceable. Any way you cut it, I would argue it is far superior to most manuals in nearly every way. It can be easily driven just like a manual using the S gear selector, meaning you can hold what ever gear you want for as long as you want in what ever curve you want, and it is faster too boot. It also doesn't have near as many TSB's and customer complaints and law suits as the MT82 which I personally wouldn't think would even function well to hold down my storage building in a wind storm.

Is a manual more fun on something like the tail of the dragon? I would say yes....but if you know how to actually use the A10 (and are someone who actually owns one and therefore, actually qualified to be a critic of it), I would say that "yes" turns into a "yes, but just barely", and the cost of admission for that "just barely" is not a good ROI considering everything else you have to give up to get there. For a dedicated track car I might still pick a manual...as long as it wasn't the MT82 (hence why I bought a GT500 when I dumped my California Special in 11 and kept that for a few years before owning the sting ray).

 

[brucelinc]

I was a gearhead long before I was old enough to drive. As a 12 year old boy, I read C & D and MT religiously and took their words as gospel. After I got a older and wiser, it occurred to me that the only "expert" I trust to tell ME what is best for ME is.....ME. I still read car magazines but it is more for entertainment than for gaining knowledge.

I enjoy driving manuals. I loved my 2016 GT with a manual and found it to be reliable, fun to drive and it felt pretty quick. I had learned to "heel & toe" on prior manuals and enjoyed doing it with the GT. I had no issue powershifting it either. What I didn't like was the fact that in stock form it was slower than SS Camaros. To add insult to injury, it was also slower than my mildly tuned 2017 Lincoln Continental.

The 2018 Mustangs have several advantages over the previous years but probably no advantage more striking than the A10. I have run in the 11.8 range with a completely stock engine and gotten sweet revenge on those pesky SS Camaros that would drive away from my 2016. Maybe the thing I like best is that with the various modes, it is like having multiple transmissions in one. Normal drive is smooth and friendly and totally appropriate for a sporty daily driver. Sport or Sport+ is great fun when I am feeling the urge for something less tame. Using the paddles gives me control when I want it. Drag mode is nothing short of brilliant for the drag strip. I don't use track mode much but it is like Sport+ on steroids.

Like others, I would like for the paddles to change gears more quickly. That is really the only thing I would change.

 

[Arthonon]

It also is missing one feature I really wish ford had included. In my Stingray if you wanted the lowest possible gear all you had to do was press and hold the down shift paddle and it skipped right to the lowest gear in one move....brilliant and no excuse for not including that feature on every performance oriented muscle and pony car. Is there a way for after market turners to add such a feature I wonder???

Have you tried pushing the throttle to the floor and immediately releasing it, then hitting it again? That does something very similar it seems.

 

[LOEzell]

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2018-ford-mustang-automatic-transmission-performance

Summary:

HIGHS
Quicker than the manual in a straight line, two-pedal convenience in traffic, smooth operation in normal use.

LOWS
Less sophisticated in aggressive settings, little fuel-economy benefit, not as satisfying as the stick.

With about 8,700 miles on my GT, PP1, Magneride, A10, I agree with C&D's assessment of the A10. The 10-speed is plenty fast, but its smoothness leaves a lot to be desired. I know this car is a sports car and perhaps it is unrealistic to expect the A10 to shift as smoothly as my wife's 8-speed Highlander (its upshifts and downshifts are practically imperceptible) . However, frequently the 3-1 downshifts (never downshifts through 2nd gear, always skips it) are way too harsh for me. I really believe Ford could do better with better programming, but so far Ford (to my knowledge) has not addressed the rough downshifting issue. Also, my A10 sometimes lugs instead of just downshifting one notch. However, I have learned to get around this issue by using the downshift paddle to prevent an upcoming lug.

Otherwise, I love my Mustang!

 

[brucelinc]

LOEzell, at what speed is your car downshifting from 3rd to 1st? When I am coming to a stop in regular drive, it doesn't shift into 1st until I am nearly stopped. If The gear didn't appear on the instrument panel, I wouldn't even know it. I don't quite understand what you mean about harsh 3-1 downshift. You must be talking about downshifts in the more aggressive modes?

 

[Loki-GT]

Since they gave us the drag mode, they should have automatically disengaged traction control and advance track when drag mode is engaged. I will say, however, that once I hold the toggle up until advance track is disengaged it does not come back on until I shut off the car and restart it.

Agreed 100%, Drag Mode should mean Drag Mode. If I turn AdvTrac off and back up to do a short burn out, when I put it into gear again it automatically turns AdvTrac back on or waits until I stage to turn back on. I tried to explain to the service tech but he would have none of it since racing is not supported. Not supported?!?!? They put drag mode and a damned line lock on the car for cripes sakes and their commercials show a Mustang smoking the living bejesus out of the tires. Good grief they boggle the mind, hey kid, here is a car that will smoke the tires down to the rims, it has drag mode and everything, but if you actually admit to using them forget about it, no soup for you.

 

[brucelinc]

Agreed 100%, Drag Mode should mean Drag Mode. If I turn AdvTrac off and back up to do a short burn out, when I put it into gear again it automatically turns AdvTrac back on or waits until I stage to turn back on. I tried to explain to the service tech but he would have none of it since racing is not supported. Not supported?!?!? They put drag mode and a damned line lock on the car for cripes sakes and their commercials show a Mustang smoking the living bejesus out of the tires. Good grief they boggle the mind, hey kid, here is a car that will smoke the tires down to the rims, it has drag mode and everything, but if you actually admit to using them forget about it, no soup for you.

I don't understand why yours turns Adv Trac back on. The sequence I use at the strip is:

1. While waiting to stage, I select drag mode and leave the car in drive.
2. I then hold the toggle up until both traction and Adv Trac off lights appear in the instrument cluster.
3. I initialize line lock.
4. I drive around the water box and back into it.
5. I firmly hold brake and hit OK to start line lock.
6. Once line lock is engaged, I release brake and do my burn-out.
7. After sufficient burn-out, I hit OK to cancel line lock and pull up to the starting line.
8. Hold brake to appropriate RPM and release/floor throttle on 3rd yellow.

I have never had the nannies come back on until I shut the car off and restart it. I understand your frustration with the dealer. Service writers at my dealer wouldn't know advance track from applesauce and if I explained it to them, they would just roll their eyes. You could always pull the plug near the airbox to kill the nannies. I don't do that since it also kills line lock and I prefer using it since it avoids wear and tear on rear brakes when doing the burn-out.

 

[Loki-GT]

I don't understand why yours turns Adv Trac back on. The sequence I use at the strip is:

1. While waiting to stage, I select drag mode and leave the car in drive.
2. I then hold the toggle up until both traction and Adv Trac off lights appear in the instrument cluster.
3. I initialize line lock.
4. I drive around the water box and back into it.
5. I firmly hold brake and hit OK to start line lock.
6. Once line lock is engaged, I release brake and do my burn-out.
7. After sufficient burn-out, I hit OK to cancel line lock and pull up to the starting line.
8. Hold brake to appropriate RPM and release/floor throttle on 3rd yellow.

I have never had the nannies come back on until I shut the car off and restart it. I understand your frustration with the dealer. Service writers at my dealer wouldn't know advance track from applesauce and if I explained it to them, they would just roll their eyes. You could always pull the plug near the airbox to kill the nannies. I don't do that since it also kills line lock and I prefer using it since it avoids wear and tear on rear brakes when doing the burn-out.

Bruce,

Aside from using the line lock and backing into the water (20" all seasons) I do the same thing, except at any point of that mix after holding the toggle switch up until AdvTrac turns off, mine will randomly turn itself right back on. I think there is a fault causing it, however Ford doesn't give a good crap since they prefer it on any way. I need a shop that is performance friendly and understands these cars. Dealerships don't care after the sale, my dealership claims to care but the car passes diagnostics and they won't recreate staging the car, they state Ford says this is ok and that's that.

So, being a moron last time at the track I completely forgot to unplug the ABS plug which would negate the need to worry about AdvTrac, I don't know why I forgot considering the frustration I was going through. It was cool to have other Mustang owners come over and ask how I was running so fast while I was so pissed to still be running a 12.1 or 12.0.

 

[brucelinc]

Running 12.0 on all season 20s is impressive! I couldn't do it on my stock 19" Pirelli wheel hoppers.

 

[Loki-GT]

Running 12.0 on all season 20s is impressive! I couldn't do it on my stock 19" Pirelli wheel hoppers.

I can't complain but American Muscle got 11.90's out of their stocker, he had better DA though. If I could get a full pull out of it I think she has some more in her but I think for the Spring I'm going to go JLT CAI, E85 and tune to see where she goes.

 

[LOEzell]

LOEzell, at what speed is your car downshifting from 3rd to 1st? When I am coming to a stop in regular drive, it doesn't shift into 1st until I am nearly stopped. If The gear didn't appear on the instrument panel, I wouldn't even know it. I don't quite understand what you mean about harsh 3-1 downshift. You must be talking about downshifts in the more aggressive modes?

The rough downshift from 3 to 1 occurs when I am coming to a complete stop, such as at a stop sign or traffic light. This rough downshift does not occur every time, but about 75% of the time. And it occurs in the normal, sport and sport + (haven't driven much in other modes). I would not complain about it occurring in the sport/sport + modes, however, I would prefer smooth shifting in the normal mode.
By connecting the dots, it appears to me this rough downshifting does not occur in all A10 Mustangs. However, my service advisor said he has received several complaints (very large dealership) about the rough downshifting, mainly from F150 owners (they don't sell many Mustangs A10 GTs compared to F150s). Perhaps I just got one of the rougher shifting vehicles and you got a smoother shifting one as there are variations in any mass produced complex machine. I don't doubt one minute your vehicle downshifts smoothly. However, most of the reviews I have read in the press about the A10 in the Mustang GT mention complaints with the shifting of the A10 including rough downshifts.
I also had the dealership erase the adaptive shift tables and I tried to "teach" the A10 that I was a gentle driver that wanted smooth downshifts, by braking very gently when coming to complete stops. This approach seemed to work a while, but the A10 soon returned to the rough downshifts. If my driving style is the problem, I don't know how to stop more gently and more sudden stops trigger the rough 3-1 downshift almost 100% of the time. BTW, according to the Ford technician, my transmission in not throwing off any fault codes.

 

[Loki-GT]

The rough downshift from 3 to 1 occurs when I am coming to a complete stop, such as at a stop sign or traffic light. This rough downshift does not occur every time, but about 75% of the time. And it occurs in the normal, sport and sport + (haven't driven much in other modes). I would not complain about it occurring in the sport/sport + modes, however, I would prefer smooth shifting in the normal mode.
By connecting the dots, it appears to me this rough downshifting does not occur in all A10 Mustangs. However, my service advisor said he has received several complaints (very large dealership) about the rough downshifting, mainly from F150 owners (they don't sell many Mustangs A10 GTs compared to F150s). Perhaps I just got one of the rougher shifting vehicles and you got a smoother shifting one as there are variations in any mass produced complex machine. I don't doubt one minute your vehicle downshifts smoothly. However, most of the reviews I have read in the press about the A10 in the Mustang GT mention complaints with the shifting of the A10 including rough downshifts.
I also had the dealership erase the adaptive shift tables and I tried to "teach" the A10 that I was a gentle driver that wanted smooth downshifts, by braking very gently when coming to complete stops. This approach seemed to work a while, but the A10 soon returned to the rough downshifts. If my driving style is the problem, I don't know how to stop more gently and more sudden stops trigger the rough 3-1 downshift almost 100% of the time. BTW, according to the Ford technician, my transmission in not throwing off any fault codes.

Mine has a tendency to be a bit rough stopping for a red light, it gives the car a push going down into 1st but I've adjusted to it. You can reset adaptive any time you want by unplugging the positive terminal for a few hours.

Sponsored