What is your benchmark?

[Todd15Fastback]

I have not had a Mustang since I sold my 01 Cobra convertible and my 03 10th Anniversary Cobra. These were sold in 2008.

My 2015 GT PP will be compared against these 2 Cobra's as they both had IRS. One was NA and about 320RWHP (2001) and the other was 470RWHP/486RWTQ (2003).

Very curious to compare how they felt handling wise and what wheel-hop, if any the '15 has.

Of course there is no comparing the interiors .

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[petraman]

My benchmark is my Focus ST...

Yep, totally different car (besides the engine) but this is the best car I've ever driven so it's the standard to meet/beat. I'm just hoping for better steering feel and ease of "rotation" if you catch my "drift," lol.

 

[MadMoose]

Boss 302 is my benchmark for the overall driving experience. I know the interior is much better than the Boss so not worried about that part.

 

[Reds197]

2013 BOSS is very capable. Factory tires are the limiting factor.

I think if 0-60 times, skid pad, lap times, and quarter mile time surpass the Boss Ford will have a winner. If you remember correctly Randy Pobst beat a M3 with a boss on the road course. 0-60 and quarter mile was almost even with the edge to the boss.

[ame]

 

[TampaBear67]

As a couple of others have said, The. GT Guys might laugh at My "Benchmarks" even though I really dont think of them as that, but Here's My Reasoning for the S-550 that I want. Firstly, Anyone that knows Me here knows that I want an Eco-Boost Premium Fastback. I was a Die Hard Ford Fan All of My Life. I've owned 9 Thunderbirds, from a few 64's a 65, a 66 Town Landau, an 84 Fila Limited Edition an 89 Supercoupe, a 97 LX 4.6 liter V-8, and My Favorite and alao Most Fun to Drive Car I've Ever Owned, My 87 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe 2.3 Turbo- 5 Speed. I also learned to drive in a 73 Mustang Mach-1 and Owned My Own 73 Mach-1 at one point. I've also owned a 5.0 Liter 92 Lincoln Mark VII LSC, and My Only Non Ford car, besides My Current Accord EX-L V-6 coupe, My Favorite Car that I've Ever Owned was My 83 Avanti II.

So here's my reasons for wanting an Eco-Boost Fastback. The first is My Love for My 87 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. I Loved that car and as I said it was the Most Fun to Drive Car out of All of My Cars. The Only thing about it I didn't like about it after a few years was that it was Black. Probably the 2nd most fun to drive car was My 89 Thunderbird Supercoupe. Out of All of the cars I've owned the Only ones that had anywhere near 300 Horsepower were My 64-66 Thunderbirds, and My Accord has the second most Horsepower at 240 Horsepower. Combine the fact that the Eco-Boost Mustang with 310 Horsepower has More Power than any of rhe Cars I've Owned, has the Most Advanced Suspension and Weighs Less than All of them except My Accord, Add to it the fact that it's got More Horsepower than My Mom's 05 Mustang GT and it's a No Brainer.

Comfort wise the 2015 Mustang also Bests Anything I've Owned. It's Roomier and the Seats are Much More Comfortable than even the Recaros I had in My Avanti. So if "Benchmarking" it against All the Cars I've Owned, the S-550 Will Out Perform and Out Handle them All. It has More than Enough Power for Me, is going to be More Comfortable, and In My Opinion It's Drop Dead Gorgeous! Other than My Avanti, it's the Closest thing I'll ever get to an Aston Martin, which to Me are the Most Beautiful Cars in the World. So that's why I have picked the Eco-Boost Mustang. It will be All I Need in a Car and the Best Performing Car I will have owned and One of the Most Beautiful too.

 

[zen25]

S550 EB to beat out BMW 435i, that would be the benchmark I suppose for outright performance.

On the side note, 6MT should be as close as possible to slick Honda gearboxes.
Ride and Handling on par with German cars. Interior feel, quality, material wear - hope it is close to Audi. Reliable and deliver 25MPG in city.

Long list.
S550 does not need to exceed all of it, but if it comes close to some it will be great.

 

[Seabee1973]

My benchmark is definitely with my 2001 Audi TT Quattro... As far as comfort and handling is concerned and shifting the manual... I did test drive the 2014 Mustang GT manual and the shifter was really smooth... not notchy like in the earlier years. Clutch felt pretty solid and similar to the Audi so hopefully it is the same or better. Build quality and material quality is also on the list being that I do like the real metal accents versus plastichrome parts which are pretty cheesy for my taste. The handling part, hoping it is much like the slot car feeeling I get in my Audi... point and go with super responsive steering though I know it isnt an AWD.. I can be forgiving in it.... As far as the technological advances... Already, my Audi is dated so the mustang already wins in that department. I like alot of elbow room... I may be a smaller person at 5'6" but in no way do I want to feel cramped. To a certain degree the center stack accent bar hit my knees often... no wonder Audi put the leather wrap at that section....

 

[JustCreepin']

The quiet comfort and "feel" of my old E46 330i ZHP combined with the Kick-Ass'ness of my '93 Cobra.

However, since life currently has me commuting 100+ miles daily in a 2010 Prius, I'm sure I'll be drooling over the new Stang no matter what, memories be damned.

 

[HanShadow]

My bench mark would be the E93 M3 souly as a performance bench mark from what I ordered you guys can probably tell my focus on this car is not about amenties or creature comforts I'm talking from a pure performance aspect. I personally think that BMW are very good cars and I know Ford has benchmarked a few of these vehicles in development. I'm hoping for a very strong platform that will respond well to handling mods and allow me to turn this car into a vehicle that will grow with me on the track as my driving skills progress.

^^ This. I honestly think the 2015 is going to pace or beat the M3 on the track. The improvements to suspension and the IRS are what this car needed to compete. It's going to be close (and half the price).

 

[Old 5 Oh]

And TampaBear thinks his benchmarks are strange, LOL.

I have owned several Fox Mustangs, a 94 Cobra coupe and a 99 Cobra 'vert.I enjoyed them all, modded most of them, and drove them a couple of hundred thousand miles all in. I love driving Mustangs, I love the idea of driving a Mustang every day.

But I am no longer 30, as I was when I ordered my first 89 LX 5.0. Loud and rough no longer have the charm they once did, especially in a daily driver. (That 89 had 2-chamber Flows and a full Maximum Motorsport/ Kenny Brown suspension. It was a little intense.) My wife has had two back surgeries and really doesn't think steel or poly bushings are all that much fun.

When I sold the 99 Cobra I bought an 04 Infiniti G35 coupe. It was my first automatic, and it taught me that not rowing my own gears was not a bad way to go for urban driving, and a manually-shifted slushbox still works pretty well on the back roads. Hold that thought.

On top of that, I have put nearly 100K miles on my Lincoln MKZ in the past four years. You know what? It's been one of the very best cars I've owned. Reasonably fast (3.5L version of our favorite 3.7L V6), stable handling, quiet and really comfortable, completely reliable. I want another Mustang, but I don't want a hair shirt.

I thought a lot about getting a 300A PP with Recaros, but all of the above finally sank in for me, and I went almost totally the other direction. I want a Gentleman's Express, like the G35 but with more comfort, more room and a lot more power. I want a Mustang that has seats like a Lincoln. And amazingly, I want a paddle-shifted automatic transmission. It took me from the time the Order Guide was leaked in April until mid-July to figure all that out, but I am really happy with my decisions. Especially since I added the 68B Redline interior to the order a couple of weeks ago. The production delays do have certain advantages. I am SO ready to drive this car!

 

[Devon]

Upcoming BMW M2 for handling, agility, road feel...

 

[e30og]

Being that I ordered a loaded EB premium with the PP, benchmark is the performance and manners/refinement of the 435i, S5, Q50 coupe/G37, and every one of their predecessors. I came close to buying the last gen mustang, but the solid axle dynamics and utilitarian interior pushed me out. Even the S550 interior still isnt luxury car league, however what it lacks in interior artistic design it more than makes up for in heritage and nostalgia. Redline with the PP dash is just out of this world...makes me feel like a starry eyed kid again haha.

Gentleman's GT car, bright color, knockout interior, can run with the luxury equivalents on smaller displacement yet best mileage for the performance, superb handling, comfort features, driver tailored, well mannered and quiet behind the wheel, manual trans. Just the whole 9 yards IMO

 

[Aipaloovik]

And TampaBear thinks his benchmarks are strange, LOL.

I have owned several Fox Mustangs, a 94 Cobra coupe and a 99 Cobra 'vert.I enjoyed them all, modded most of them, and drove them a couple of hundred thousand miles all in. I love driving Mustangs, I love the idea of driving a Mustang every day.

But I am no longer 30, as I was when I ordered my first 89 LX 5.0. Loud and rough no longer have the charm they once did, especially in a daily driver. (That 89 had 2-chamber Flows and a full Maximum Motorsport/ Kenny Brown suspension. It was a little intense.) My wife has had two back surgeries and really doesn't think steel or poly bushings are all that much fun.

When I sold the 99 Cobra I bought an 04 Infiniti G35 coupe. It was my first automatic, and it taught me that not rowing my own gears was not a bad way to go for urban driving, and a manually-shifted slushbox still works pretty well on the back roads. Hold that thought.

On top of that, I have put nearly 100K miles on my Lincoln MKZ in the past four years. You know what? It's been one of the very best cars I've owned. Reasonably fast (3.5L version of our favorite 3.7L V6), stable handling, quiet and really comfortable, completely reliable. I want another Mustang, but I don't want a hair shirt.

I thought a lot about getting a 300A PP with Recaros, but all of the above finally sank in for me, and I went almost totally the other direction. I want a Gentleman's Express, like the G35 but with more comfort, more room and a lot more power. I want a Mustang that has seats like a Lincoln. And amazingly, I want a paddle-shifted automatic transmission. It took me from the time the Order Guide was leaked in April until mid-July to figure all that out, but I am really happy with my decisions. Especially since I added the 68B Redline interior to the order a couple of weeks ago. The production delays do have certain advantages. I am SO ready to drive this car!

And this is it. This is the post that made me cancel my order. I hope you're proud of yourself!!!!! ;)

Now it comes down to if I replace the order with a EB Convertible Automatic or GT Convertible Automatic. I have long believed, and even argued here, that a convertible is a cruiser and the EB is the way to go. I just want to test drive it to make sure I won't regret leaving the V8 behind.

So, at the moment, I have no mustang on order.

Can't wait for the convertibles to arrive at local dealers. Looks like my purchase is going to be pushed back well into 2015.

Oh, and thank you. That post made me realize exactly where I was in life and why I wasn't feeling quite right about the order.

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