Thinking of switching from my BMW F30 to the mustang GT

[chaudhrysn]

First time poster here. Just a little about where I'm coming from before here, this is my first time in a mustang and my previous (and current) car is a BMW F30 335i. While I have really enjoyed the Beamer, I've been wanting something more exciting and fun.

I took a test drive yesterday of the Mustang GT and I was pleasantly surprised by It. The performance was amazing and although the interior could be better, I found it to be way better than I have heard from others. Coming from the luxury of a BMW, i found the mustang to meet all my expectations and much more. The new model looks amazing, has great power of course, and while my test drive was short, it seems to be a great daily for me.

A couple things that I did note and would like some forum members to help me out here, is that I noticed this particular car had varying gaps in some of the panels, and there was even a part of a panel that was popping out. I'm assuming this is just a rare occasion. Second thing, the 6 speed feels so slow compared to the 8 speed in the Beamer. That's one of the things bothering me the most actually. The third and final, is that I expected the exhaust to be louder. I have an aftermarket one on my Beamer and it was louder than the mustang. I've heard of some brands such as roush for the mustang that sound amazing. Any other brands that y'all would recommend?

I'm looking at some CPO '15s. I'm looking for a 6 speed auto, with the 401 equipment group, maybe the 50th appearance package, nav, and backup camera. Are there any options that y'all wish that you had gotten but didn't? Is there a significant difference with the 3.55 dif vs the stock?

I'm wanting to pull the trigger pretty soon actually

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[ssyellow]

The gaps is an issue for certain cars, my 2015 doesn't have any gaps and is aligned perfectly. Just get the 6 speed manual and have more fun! Exhaust is definitely lacking on this car OEM. I went with the MRT catback with an H-pipe, get compliments all the time on it but really the sound is down to personal preference.

Only BMW car I can relate to is my 1995 M3, miss that thing sometimes.

 

[madweazl]

The panel fitment is an issue with pretty much all of the cars; these are pushed out to the masses with little regard to perfection in this area. The trans is slower but the feel can be improved with a tune (I cant imagine driving a bimmer or Mustang with an auto though). The exhaust is very quiet out of the box but that is easily rectified for relatively little money (many choices out there). The 50th is a bit too much for me with the chrome accents on the tail lights and grill pieces (out of place on this car but that is personal preference). The butt dyno will notice the 3.55s and they're a pretty good compromise.

When it comes to the auto trans, I think you give up so much of the driving experience. Feeling, hearing, and experiencing the car is so much more rewarding with a manual but everyone has their reasons when it comes to trans selection.

 

[NWs550]

First off...Welcome!


I don't think you can go wrong with this no matter the trim level. I sometimes have buyers remorse with my base, but a quick drive and all is forgotten. I don't DD mine so its easy to let most of it go. I do wish at times for the Performance Package. But really, the way I drive most of the time it's overkill. The car does everything I need.

I have heard a lot of good things about the 3.55's and the auto tho. Good luck with your decision and post up pic's asap! :cheers:

 

[Flak]

Don't do it, you'll miss the $3,000 dealer trips in your BMW.

But if you can stomach the lighter repair bills, the GT is still ever so slightly faster than the 335i 0-60 (and overall). Butt feel from FI is difficult to lose. I still 'feel' like my WRX was faster, even though it was slower by 1s because of the abrupt torque curve vs. the NA engine.

 

[3450]

Don't do it, you'll miss the $3,000 dealer trips in your BMW.

But if you can stomach the lighter repair bills, the GT is still ever so slightly faster than the 335i 0-60 (and overall). Butt feel from FI is difficult to lose. I still 'feel' like my WRX was faster, even though it was slower by 1s because of the abrupt torque curve vs. the NA engine.

Haha, funny! I like OP switched from an F30, but I spent $0 on maintenance on my F30. BMW includes 4 years of maintenance in the cost of the car. It was the only money I spent on the car was gas in the 2 years of my ownership. Two very different cars, and there are definitely features I miss from my F30 that I can't even get on the GT.

@OP, I switched from a F30 335i, to a '15 GT. My car has panel gaps, but they're not too terrible. The ZF8 in the F30 is leaps and bounds better than the 6AT you get in the Mustang. It still bothers me, but the power increase and smile factor help offset this. I have a GT Premium without any extras, and I don't miss anything from the options list.

 

[chaudhrysn]

Don't do it, you'll miss the $3,000 dealer trips in your BMW.

But if you can stomach the lighter repair bills, the GT is still ever so slightly faster than the 335i 0-60 (and overall). Butt feel from FI is difficult to lose. I still 'feel' like my WRX was faster, even though it was slower by 1s because of the abrupt torque curve vs. the NA engine.

Funny enough, I've had my current F30 for over a year now and have had no problems (knock on wood). Only stuff I had to pay for were new tires, oil changes, and of course the itch to mod

I've seen articles state the 0-60 is like 4.5 or so? While the F30 has quite a bit of low end torque, I can really feel the power of the mustang right away!

 

[chaudhrysn]

Haha, funny! I like OP switched from an F30, but I spent $0 on maintenance on my F30. BMW includes 4 years of maintenance in the cost of the car. It was the only money I spent on the car was gas in the 2 years of my ownership. Two very different cars, and there are definitely features I miss from my F30 that I can't even get on the GT.

@OP, I switched from a F30 335i, to a '15 GT. My car has panel gaps, but they're not too terrible. The ZF8 in the F30 is leaps and bounds better than the 6AT you get in the Mustang. It still bothers me, but the power increase and smile factor help offset this. I have a GT Premium without any extras, and I don't miss anything from the options list.

I'm so glad I could get your opinion! I was hoping someone went through the same dilemma as me haha. I have the surround view camera, with HUD, and I know I'll miss that along with the trans. The smile factor is what's making me want it so bad!!

 

[paul123]

I view the Mustang as an M3/M4 on a shoe-string budget. I am not all that concerned about cosmetic QC issues. Mainly I just want a car that I can run hard and its reasonably reliable. And even if its not all that reliable down the line, at least parts are relatively cheap.

I was shopping used cars at first of various makes, and I would look them up on repairpal, things like a new alternator. Bolting a new alternator on a Ford will set you back $500. Similar repair to a German car is $1500+. I am fairly sure that a German alternator isn't THAT much better than a Ford alternator.

It could be that parts for German cars are cheap in Germany / Europe, but they are expensive here in the U.S. and I didn't want to baby my car for fear of wearing out parts prematurely. Nor did I want feel any pressure to trade it after running through the warranty.

In any case, consider a manual transmission for your next car. It may not be better, but its definitely more fun.

 

[3450]

I'm so glad I could get your opinion! I was hoping someone went through the same dilemma as me haha. I have the surround view camera, with HUD, and I know I'll miss that along with the trans. The smile factor is what's making me want it so bad!!

Yep my F30 was also loaded. I didn't have the parking assistant or adaptive cruise. The HUD is the one feature I miss the most. It is so well integrated with iDrive. You won't have this problem, since you're getting a '16, but Sync with MyFordTouch is no iDrive. Sync 3 is much better I hear. I just want the iDrive controller... I HATE touch screens!

Anyways, I do miss very specific features like heated steering wheel, rear heated seats (not really a problem, since I can only have one passenger in the GT), technology/cameras, moonroof, power folding mirrors (tight garage spot). Feature wise, I'm glad Ford decided to bring the s550 a bit upscale. As much as I loved the F30, I very much love the GT!

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[legendary mustang]

First time poster here. Just a little about where I'm coming from before here, this is my first time in a mustang and my previous (and current) car is a BMW F30 335i. While I have really enjoyed the Beamer, I've been wanting something more exciting and fun.

I took a test drive yesterday of the Mustang GT and I was pleasantly surprised by It. The performance was amazing and although the interior could be better, I found it to be way better than I have heard from others. Coming from the luxury of a BMW, i found the mustang to meet all my expectations and much more. The new model looks amazing, has great power of course, and while my test drive was short, it seems to be a great daily for me.

A couple things that I did note and would like some forum members to help me out here, is that I noticed this particular car had varying gaps in some of the panels, and there was even a part of a panel that was popping out. I'm assuming this is just a rare occasion. Second thing, the 6 speed feels so slow compared to the 8 speed in the Beamer. That's one of the things bothering me the most actually. The third and final, is that I expected the exhaust to be louder. I have an aftermarket one on my Beamer and it was louder than the mustang. I've heard of some brands such as roush for the mustang that sound amazing. Any other brands that y'all would recommend?

I'm looking at some CPO '15s. I'm looking for a 6 speed auto, with the 401 equipment group, maybe the 50th appearance package, nav, and backup camera. Are there any options that y'all wish that you had gotten but didn't? Is there a significant difference with the 3.55 dif vs the stock?

I'm wanting to pull the trigger pretty soon actually

that sounds good,get away from that Big Money Wasted,and join the mustang family.:cheers::ford:

 

[Chad11491]

i have a premium performance pack GT manual. I'm one that thinks if you're not getting a manual in a fun to drive car you're missing the point, but most here probably disagree. I didn't spring for the nav because i've always found OEM nav to be terrible in every car i've had and my phone does it better. I didn't get the adaptive cruise or blind spot monitoring because I don't think this car really has blind spots if you set your mirrors right, and adaptive cruise i think is kind of pointless when you have the little speed adjustment buttons, haha. I would save the money from those options for mods ;)

whichever way you go you will be happy I think. I've had German before and they're not as bad as people think if you do the maintenance yourself. I still think German cars have the best quality feel. Something about them just feels more solid and put together.

 

[ForTehNguyen]

just check the panel gaps before you take delivery, mine was fine. Exhaust is quiet due to euro noise regs where the stang is starting to be sold. Solved it with a $500 MBRP Street exhaust. Best sounding exhaust IMO is American Racing Header H pipe cat back but its more expensive

 

[Moddiction]

The 6 speed auto does feel terrible imo. You gotta go stick if wanting this for a fun car. Infinitely more fun to drive! By going with stick you can also get a performance pack model which is 100% worth it!

 

[MaskedRacerX]

You touched on an interesting point, and it was part of my motivation to buy, and that's the "feel" of the car, the overall experience when driving it, and that's not just a matter of mechanical specifications. For me, there's something hypnotic about V8 domestics - it's some mix of heritage, sound, performance - it's something that's missing from BMW. Even the interior of a BMW tends to mirror the whole experience if that makes any sense. We've had 3 BMWs, I've driven in dozens of 135, 335, various M cars (3/5/X), on the street and on track, stock and modded, and at least in terms of street driving, none give me quite the same smile as the my GT (or my previous Z06 for that matter).

Anyway, enough of that ...

If you want something closer to an M-sport/M, and you don't intend to start tossing money at aftermarket suspension, then I'd highly suggest getting the GT Performance Package - for the money ($2495 MSRP), the upgrades are a steal:

• Strut-tower brace
• Larger radiator
• Unique chassis tuning
• Upsized rear sway bar
• Heavy-duty front springs
• Interior gauge pack (oil pressure and vacuum)
• K brace
• Brembo™ six-piston front brake calipers with larger rotors
• Unique 19” x 9”(F) 19” x 9.5” (R) Ebony Black-Painted Aluminum Wheels
• Optional 19”x 9”(F) 19” x 9.5” (R) Luster Nickel Aluminum Wheels
• 255/40R19 (F) 275/40R19(R) summer-only tires*
• Unique EPAS, ABS and stability control tuning
• 3.73 TORSEN® rear axle

However, it is only available with a manual.

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