Tony Alonso's 2019 Mustang Bullitt Journal

[Tony Alonso]

In the long line of Ford Mustangs I have owned going back to 1995, I've now ordered 3 times. The first time was for a 2007 GT that I got in calendar year 2006 - a spoiler delete car. That car was customized with appearance items so that I made it mine (rear decklid spoiler, front grill trim piece, lower front grille spoiler). Then I ordered a Magnetic 2015 GT in the summer of 2014 which arrived in November. I have thread that details my daily driver experiences here.

I own a 2001 Bullitt (black) and a 2009 Bullitt (green), so when the '19 was announced (even before it was announced), I had been planning on getting the trifecta. I struggled about keeping the '15 or not, but with the prices, it was more affordable to trade (note I only had 2 payments left on my '15 when the '19 Bullitt came in - silly me).

I wanted a no option model for 2 reasons - 1) I wanted less cost with less complexity in trying to keep with a more minimalist machine, and 2) I am guessing not a lot of these will be a popular ordering combination. That said, this car really isn't a stripped vehicle because of it being based on a Mustang GT Premium with the 401a interior array, active exhaust, and performance package 1 handling option.

This car (chassis number K1254) will be my daily driver (except for snow conditions) so I have an appointment tomorrow to swap out the summer Michelins with the all-season version. This is so I don't lose traction when it's 40 deg F and wet out. I didn't garage my '15 GT since I only have a single car garage but I think I will be moving my other 2 Bullitt Mustangs into storage and putting this one in it.

Other than the tires, and accessorizing with Weathertech floormats and a Craig's Custom Mustang Bracket for the front license plate, there are no planned modifications. I will miss a CD player since I have the base stereo, but the USB stick works just fine.

I had not driven an '18 GT since I had my '15, so a whole new world has opened up to me, even as I've read other owner impressions. The thing that really makes this Bullitt ownership experience, for me, is the exhaust sound. Just like the '01 and '08/'09 before it, the tone and burbling noises up the enjoyment factor. Go view Matt Maran's videos if you haven't experienced this sound.

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[Tony Alonso]

I can't say enough positive things about my sales interactions with Art and Keith from Russ Milne Ford in Macomb, MI. The car was washed and fueled only, and the window sticker and interior plastic was left intact. Both of these gentlemen are Mustang enthusiasts so they know the crazy OCD mindset that goes on regarding a specialty car delivery. Everything was good inside and out when I looked it over.

 

[Tony Alonso]

Here are a few details I hadn't see before.

The plastic pieces attached to the edges of the hood, the resonator box on the intake tube, and the hood blanket seal. Of course, these might not be new to GT350 owners or '18 Mustang owners, but I had not noticed them other times I looked at the Bullitt when the hood went up.

 

[Tony Alonso]

The "special order" window sticker (and there was no "market adjustment" sticker next to it)...

 

[Tony Alonso]

Some quick impressions what I noticed different from my '15, which was produced within the first 2 weeks of production back in 2014 as opposed to this car which has been produced 2 months after the '19s started -

1) no dash rattling (the '15 had a very minor one that periodically showed up); this might change in the winter, of course, when parts contract
2) the MT-82 gearing changes in the '19 vs '15 were noticeable under 3000 RPM but there's plenty of pull for around town driving in Normal mode (I haven't tried Sport+ in the new car and I sure liked the way it felt in the '15)
3) Sync3 is a solid update (of course, there have been people enjoying this for 3 model years already )
4) standard seats are still a good supportive option (my '15's driver seat had some collapsing of the side bolstering from daily usage; I would have had it redone or replaced had I kept the '15)
5) the Bullitt exhaust note sounds phenomenal inside (again, probably something that '18 GT owners have already experienced and appreciated); the tone and burbling make it great for me

Yes, I drove it with the interior plastic on and it's still on at the time of this post because it's been non-stop raining since Friday evening in my part of OH.

 

[Tony Alonso]

Forum member DABKO and I met up before I left the Detroit area. He's an excellent photographer, and you can see some of his work in this thread. I got a few also. By the way, this is a mill that was owned by Henry Ford in the early days. It's up for sale right now.

 

[RSPEC-015]

Thanks for the photos.

I just wish we could get the Explorer here in Australia. It's been a couple of years since Ford Australia stopped local manufacturing but one vehicle they produced was the Ford Territory. It's a large SUV (by our standards) but slightly smaller than the Explorer. It can seat 7 and mine is the 2.7L V6 turbo-diesel version. I've had it 4 years now but nothing that Ford is bringing to Australia can replace it.

Apologies for the off-topic post but I saw the Explorer in a couple of your photos and started to dream!!

 

[Bullitt]

I'm glad your car came off the truck unscathed! That seems to be fairly rare unfortunately!

 

[Twin Turbo]

Congrats Tony, she's a real beauty!

 

[Bullitt]

How are you liking it now after nearly 2 weeks with it Tony?

 

[Tony Alonso]

How are you liking it now after nearly 2 weeks with it Tony?

I've put 1000 miles on it in 2 weeks, with 330 of them from the trip between the dealership in MI and home here in OH on delivery day. I will have a bunch of comments to make this weekend. I still can't wipe the smile off my face! Oh, that exhaust!!

 

[Tony Alonso]

I've been out driving A LOT lately! One of the first things I started watching was the fuel economy since this car is my daily driver. Here is what I got from both hand calculating and from the computer -

fill-up 1: 24 mpg (calc), 25.2 mpg (computer)
fill-up 2: 18 mpg (calc), 19.4 mpg (computer)
fill-up 3: 18.7 mpg (calc), 19.8 mpg (computer)

I use ethanol-free 93 octane, so when I compare this to what I got in my '15 GT, it seems comparable, if not a little better, which is great for having the power increase. Granted my daily driver habits are a mix of 45/55 split between around town and highway, but I am liking what I've seen so far. To clarify, no burnouts, no hard accelerations, etc. I expect to see differently if do more around town driving. In conclude that the gearing changes in the MT-82, along with the direct injection, make a difference. Good job, Ford!

 

[Bullitt]

I've noticed that even with strictly around town driving with some accelerations it doesn't get too bad. Usually right around 18, but my last tank read 19.5 mpg (by the computer).

 

[Tony Alonso]

Been having so much fun I haven't updated here in awhile. I put new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 all-season tires at around 500 miles on 9/10/2018 for driving when the temperature dips below 45 deg. I don't plan to winter drive the car on salty, wet or icy roads but I do expect to drive it in all other conditions. I kept the original tires for later use.

 

[Tony Alonso]

On 9/14/2018, I washed it for the first time, paying attention to the water flows on the hood, just like I did on my '15 GT. Since the '18+ hood vents are at the bottom of two channels, I wanted to avoid getting water dumping right into the vents and then getting into underneath the hood blanket. Similar to my '15, I just lightly spray on the hood and avoid spraying directly into the channels or the vents themselves then hand wash on the surface lightly. Later that evening, I went to my local cruise-in, and a decent number of folks asked about it.

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