More detailed Review of 2015/2016 S550 Mustang GT PP
First of all I don't want to go into crazy detail and write so much I bore you guys to death (though I probably will), but the popularity of this car seems to be way more than I ever expected, with Ford now saying 3000 cars sold in the UK market alone with a good 50/50 mix of both V8 and Ecoboost. I believe at present around 500-1000 cars have being delivered to customers and I did spot my first other one today, but kind of cheating as a customer was picking up there race red V8 GT PP from the dealership, another stunning colour from Ford by the way. I believe as the car becomes more easily available the sales will shift from enthusiast to more general public at which point we shall see more going for the Ecoboost version, which delivers much better mpg figures, better handling and still has good performance, it just sounds rubbish and is no V8.
Collection
I was worried to be frank, I thought my dealership might decide to have their own test drives, dohnuts in the car park, line lock testing, paint full of swirls, number plates drilled on and attached. But in fairness they were fantastic (Bristol Street Ford Stoke-on-Trent). They hired a professional valet for the car to wash it, the paint is swirl/mark free, so happy and no need to pay the expense for paint correction. They followed my instructions to the letter and did their best to keep me informed, handover took around 45 minutes and I found no issues with the car. They informed me the recall work was not done but as they knew I wanted the car they had their own service centre move the wiring loom to a safer location until correct parts arrived and they also found a scratch on the window and ordered a new one, something I did not spot. They have also ordered me the latest F5 version of UK/European maps SD card free of charge, normally a £79 item. Today I asked about fitment of decals/stripes by their bodyshop and to repair a chip, they said £50 for the decals as its a 1hr job and the chip they shall repair for free and give me a touch up pen for free. When I turned up today all the staff come to look at the car to see what changes I made and listen to the exhaust. They also informed me how a customer of theirs who has ordered a V8 GT has also ordered the Shelby Whipple 750 kit and they are going to fit it for him. I have to say the service is great and their enthusiasm about Mustang and willingness to learn more is superb. So a great handover!
NOW ONTO THE CAR!
THE NEGATIVES
OK lets get them out the way, anyone expecting high quality to BMW, Audi, Mercedes levels, come on, show me a car from any other manufacturer that gives you this level of equipment, engine, performance, heritage, its an icon for this kind of money. There is none, to the point magazines are comparing this car to F-types, BMW M cars, Lexus RCF's at which point reviewers realise oh, wait those cost nearly twice the money, so they then look at hot hatches or hyper hatches whatever you want to call them, simply because the Mustang sits in its own category, it is why its the worlds no.1 best selling car and lets remember its a 35k American Muscle car!!
- Clutch feel: Woeful, lifeless, to light, not nice. But fixed for free, remove the clutch assist spring and you have a normal clutch.
- No front parking sensors, come on its a Mondeo/5 series sized car, its large, parking sensors all round please. Ford now offer as an option but they look a bit tacky as not done at factory but at dealership.
- Not really a negative, but Pirelli Pzero is not the best tyre, could be worse.
- Some cheap/harder plastics in the cabin, thankfully mostly OK or pulls it off, but the plastic around the electric window/mirror controls not so nice.
- Passenger side mirror, range of adjustment is poor, could do with being angled in more towards car.
- Panel allignment from factory, could be better, bonnets, boots and rear glass can be wonky on some cars, mine had wonky bonnet, thankfully adjusting catch and stops fixes it, but again should be done at factory or by dealership before customer takes delivery.
- Rev hang, change up a gear and instead of dropping to idle, the rpm drops to where the next gear will engage for smoother shifting, I at first found it annoying, but got used to it.
As you can see I am really nit picking, the fact is the car has exceeded my expectations and I totally love driving it.
ENGINE / PERFORMANCE
This is the centre piece of the car, well if you buy the V8 version anyway. The Coyote is a great engine from Ford, they have managed to combine power, torque and high rpm in one package. You can be in 5th doing 25mph at 1000rpm, floor the car and it just goes, the torque is there. Or you can be in 3rd at 3000rpm and floor it and the car will pin you in the seat and rev to the 7000rpm limiter in no time, the intake manifold on the car is purposely designed to make peak power at 6500rpm, whereas this same engine in the outgoing BOSS 302 Mustang made peak power at 7800rpm due to running a different intake manifold. Of course we now know why Ford did this, they were saving the high rpm action for the Shelby GT350 which uses a different intake manifold that shifts peak power to 7500rpm. Does the car feel like 420BHP, yes and more so, to me it feels more like 450BHP the car absolutely flies and is getting quicker every day it feels as the engine breaks in more. It now feels quicker than the 911 was and not far off my M3. Bear in mind my M3 makes other M3's look like 330's and even has the legs on the V8 E9x DCT M3, so my E46 is no slow car.
So the engine and performance is great, it sounds awesome too and now the tyres are working as should the car puts power down pretty well because of the LSD, if this car was open diff like the S197 it would struggle massively with the rear IRS for putting down power but thankfully it has exceeded expectation and puts power down remarkably well in full wet conditions and in the dry you can give it full power in 1st with only slight spin. The engine is superb in every way, except for economy, I am getting 15-16mpg city driving, not had it on a run yet but people report if you try hard 28-30mpg is possible but realistically expect 25ish on a run.
On the stock exhaust car sounds nice, it has a sound tube which helps bring natural engine noise into cabin which I quite like and the exhaust has a nice note, but is too subdued and quiet standard. I fixed this within days of ownership by fitting a Corsa sport catback which is music to my ears and it only gets positive comments, even from the neighbors.
For those who want figures, Ford claim 0-62mph of 4.8s, 155mph top speed. Reviews show a different story with 0-60 being as low as 4.3s and with a tune that disable 155mph limiter, well they will go a lot faster.
Do I want more performance? Of course the whole idea was to turn this car into a monster, so to begin with I shall go the cheaper route to see if it satisfies me, Shelby 350 intake manifold, 350 throttle body and 350 CAI, this will take power from 415/390 to around 475/430. The cost of this will be around £1000 and I can no doubt easily sell it on for close to what I paid if I decide to go with plan Whipple. I shall also add manifolds, no doubt from Milltek who are working on RHD manifold and high-flow 200 cel cats, this will take the car to around 510/450 NA which is an incredible result for a 5.0l V8. At this point I shall upgrade the Oil pump gears and pump, 100's if not 1000's of US guys are not upgrading them and running upto 850WHP and 8000rpm, but rather safer than sorry.
Then if, no when I bore of 500 horses, plan Whipple can begin, as I shall have manifolds already, the supercharger will take the car to around 750-800 horsepower and the kit cost £5000-£6000 depending on exchange rate. But nearly anyone would kill if they could add 300-500BHP for just £6000!
Transmission
Clutch had its issues, but with the assist spring removed I am happy with it, there is finally feel and weighting is good. Now the gear change, absolutely stunning, good short throw, feels very positive with just the right amount of notch to give it a gated feel and a rifle bolt change. On higher rpm shifts if you rushed, 2nd-3rd could be particular hard, but with a £60 uprated transmission mount it eliminates the already slim chance of this to none existent with no added NVH. But the gear change is brilliant, its better than the 911, far better than an E46 M3 and as good as I remember my S2000 being but without the buzz/NVH, Ford really excelled with the engine and gearbox, it is an absolute joy to use and makes me glad I chose manual over an automatic even if the manual is slower off the mark.
Handling / Feedback & Brakes
This is where it gets tough for the Mustang coming from a finely tuned and built lightweight E46 M3 and a Porsche 911 (997.1 C2S) with quite a lot of GT3 suspension parts. So lets start with where the Mustang gets its backside handed to it, steering feel, it simply cannot compete with the hydraulic systems from the 911 and M3, plus the fact my M3's steering is solid bushed for extra feel. So here it loses! Where it wins is if we compare the steering to a BMW or Mercedes its no worse, I'd say a tad better in comfort/normal for feedback and the same in sport which adds more weight. I am finding comfort great for wet driving as there is certainly some feel/feedback here and normal for dry driving. Sport really numbs the feedback due to adding artificial weighting. So in comparison to other electric systems it is actually not bad and really only beaten by the electric systems from Porsche, Aston and Jaguar. But this is where lack of feedback stops!
The car communicates very well through your backside, enter a corner to quick and you can feel the front starting to get light so you get warning, push on more the understeer comes, add a bit more lock and the front-end bites some more magically. In fact the front-end grip on this car is incredible, it really does hand it to the 911 and M3 in the wet, in warmer dryer conditions to early to tell but wet front-end grip is way above expectations and better than my other cars. When it does eventually understeer the car remains composed and controllable, just ease off or apply a little brake pressure to pull it back in, or go big on the loud pedal and be ready to catch it.
Changing direction is good, the car somehow manages to lose a couple of hundred kilos as it changes direction well, but could be better, this is no doubt because UK cars lost the strut brace, so the front-end feels like it could need some bracing. So I braced it, using a Steeda G-trac brace on the underside of the car and it worked, turns in even better, direction changes feel a lot more positive and confident inspiring, a very worthwhile addition for £100, it also marginally helped with steering feedback. So the front-end is very good, yes its not as agile or dynamic as the 911 or M3, but a lot of it seems down to dampening, they just seem a bit slow to react to when you really go to chuck the car around, it almost reacts slowly in some cases and not instantly, even though it turns instantly, it is almost like body control then tries to catch up, if that makes sense. Something I am putting down to dampers not controlling body movement quick enough and the anti-roll bars simply not being firm enough to control roll better. But on a whole the front-end is good, it just feels like it needs mostly bracing than anything else and I'd rate it very good, certainly sports car credentials from the front-end.
The rear-end is the issue, it feels bouncy, jiggly and rubberized. You turn, car turns beautiful, the rear catches up. You go over a section of bumps, cambers, cresses and the rear sometimes still feels almost live axle like, it struggles to settle down and gets bouncy, definetely an issue with rear dampers, don't get me wrong they are not spoiling the car, not in the slightest I love driving it, but they are letting the cars ability down. It also feels like the IRS/Diff has a lot of movement, though the car is incredibly progressive it could be even better. Those who have owned E46 M3's will no the difference it made adding a bush limiter kit to the rear arms to stop the un-nerving rear-end movement they all suffered from, well the Mustang is the same, the rear-end needs firmer bushes or bushing limiters to stop excess movement. I think new dampers all round with better body control, bigger roll bars front and rear will help control the body a lot. The rear-end excess movement needs bushes/inserts and some other work. But I feel it is the rear end lacking most that loses the car the dynamics of an M car, it just to floaty and laid back. Use the approach of smooth, slow in, fast out and in stock form you can really make the car hustle, even in the wet, but if you want to throw it around and expect it to hold the road, it will not, it will slide all day long or just become a bouncy mess or put you in a ditch. Are these a game changer? NO WAY, the car is a sheer joy to drive even with these issues, I make them sound like a big deal, the reality is they are not, the car is awesome and totally fun to drive, it could simply be better especially for those who enjoy driving at 9/10 and 10/10 whilst still remaining confident and know the car can keep itself in check and do as commanded.
I intend to try and actually find solutions to these minor issues starting from next week I shall fit new suspension parts to see what effect they have so next week I shall fit new dampers with linear lowering springs to see if the body control and bounce at higher speeds is fixed.
Now lets get back more positive, the LSD, absolutely superb, putting power down in the wet of a roundabout or corner is again above expectation, where in the M3 you'd be going yeeehaaaaa and sideways, the Mustang goes to spin up an inside wheel, goes to slide and then magic happens, it torque splits the power as necessary catapulting you out the corner whilst keeping things in check or just a marginal tiny little slide, this works very well and feels mechanical adding to the enjoyment of driving, loads of feedback from both front and rear wheels as to where grip levels are and when exceeding. Of course adding more throttle and you can hold some nice angles, ease of the throttle and car steps back in, it slides really rather nice and controlled, though I have not tried anything too wild yet.
Brakes, WOW, WOW and more WOW! Think E46 M3 with AP 6-pot brakes and thats where you at with the Mustang. At first they feel to grabby as they are so powerful with little pedal travel, just like AP Performance brakes, but once your used to it they are so confident inspiring, tonnes of feel and insanely powerful, this car stops as good as the 911 and M3, which is very high praise as my 911 had ceramics and the M3 is running CSL cup alcon brakes. The brakes on this car need zero work, they are totally epic!!!
Traction control system on this car is brilliant. Put it in wet/snow mode and the throttle is lazy and the traction system is very similar to DSC ON in an M3, it is quick to react and won't let you slide as it will trigger stability control to keep you from sliding or having fun and at last resort will limit torque to the wheels, it works very well and is truly a great wet mode. Switch to Normal mode, throttle is more sensitive and you can pull some slides, this is very close to m-track mode or a 911 not in sport mode, so great and not so intrusive, but in the wet the car can still get away from you if your not smooth. Sport+ lets you get some quite big slip angles, certainly allows more slip than m-track mode and is similar to sport mode on 911. Race mode disables traction control completely and extends the limits of stability control to the point I'd imagine you need to be more or less spinning for it to activate, it is a superb mode. Of course you can fully disable ECS/TCS buy pressing brake pedal and hold the traction button. The car also has launch control and line lock function also!
So differential, brakes and turn-in are superb, class leaders! Body control and roll control need improving which is of course possible and does not cost a lot, a full suspension kit (dampers, springs) and anti-roll bars cost less than 1k, I will report back soon to tell you have they improve things or make things worse.
Interior / Equipment etc
The interior I like it, the car has style and some nice retro touches whilst also being modern and European. It is a mix of nice quality leathers, OK plastics and a couple of cheap plastics in places but overall it is better than any Vauxhall, Ford, Seat or older American car interior I ever witnessed. Its more in line with VW, Skoda or pre-facelift (2008 and earlier) Mercedes interiors, the quality is OK, not Audi/BMW/Merc but it does have style. Toys wise things get better, good stereo (sub in boot) with 9 speakers, USB, CD player, auto lights, auto wipers, keyless entry, Xenon's, 8" colour touchscreen powered by Microsoft Sync 2, SATNAV, Heated mirrors, rear anti-dazzle mirror, heated seats, AC seats, climate control, phone pairing, emergency assist, back seats for hobbits, AFR gauge, intake temp, cylinder head temp, oil temp, oil pressure, water temp, vacuum pressure, TPMS monitoring, parking sensors, rear view camera, there is a lot of toys.
It is just a nice place to be, the car in incredibly comfy to Mercedes level, you could commute for hours and sitting in traffic jams is not a bad thing in this car, because there are so many toys to play with if your not moving and the car gets so much attention. Ride comfort is superb, it glides over bumps, it is never crashy, sometimes a tad firm but never so its an issue, the bounce can occur at higher speeds on un-even roads not particular uncomfy just a bit bouncy.
Then stuff like the RGB LED's which you can customize along with the puddle pony lights are real nice touches to the car that you simply do not expect on a car that cost so little for what you get.
Conclusion!
Lets forget statistics for one moment! I look forward to waking up in a morning just to drive the car, I go out in the evening just for random drives. I find myself going to check on the car or outside just to sit in it. Every time I start the car I grin like a Cheshire cat. I loved my old Mustang to the point I owned it twice, guess what, this car does everything better, way better, do I love it more? HELL YES!
Character, heritage, charm, soul, this car has it in absolute bag full's, not many other cars can come even close without spending a fortune on some serious metal like Ferrari, Mercedes AMG Black or something truly exotic. The excitement and build up I had for this car was huge, the potential for a disaster, epic let down was real, but my expectations, well the car has delivered and then some!
You only have to look at it, this car looks absolutely amazing, stunning lines, looks and design cues where you can really see hints of classic Mustang, but they somehow pulled it off whilst also giving the car a modern European edge, it has somehow combined American muscle Mustang with European style and it has worked. The car is a raging success, Ford sales are exploding world wide, for the first time instead of matching Camaro sales in the USA, they are selling three times the amount of Mustangs compared to Camaro's in the USA, which is Fords Mustang biggest direct competing car/model.
To summarize based on the £35,000 cost for this American muscle icon:
Performance: 8/10
Handling: 7/10
Brakes: 9/10
Sound: 7/10 (Now 10/10 with Corsa Sport exhaust)
Looks: 9/10
Interior: 7/10
Equipment: 9/10
Comfort: 10/10
Value: 10/10
To help compare this is how I'd rank the 911 and M3 based on what I did to them and all my figures are based on daily road usage, not track, so same as Mustang.
911 / M3:
Performance: 7/10 / 8/10
Handling: 10/10 / 8/10
Brakes: 10/10 / 8/10
Sound: 8/10 / 5/10 (8/10 at full chat for CSL air box)
Interior: 6/10 / 5/10
Equipment: 7/10 / 1/10 (6/10 for regular M3)
Comfort: 7/10 / 6/10 (8/10 for regular M3)
Value: 5/10 / 7/10
Handling as a road car, I've driven so many cars on the road but in short nothing could hold a candle to the 911. I was lucky to own a 997.1 C2S aerokit with ceramics and GT3 parts. As a road handling car you cannot do better, except for maybe a 997.2 GTS, don't come saying GT3 to me, I am talking road handling, not track. The Carrera S had huge confidence, huge grip but most of all incredible feedback, that is why I say its the pinnacle of road handling with a 10/10. By handling I mean everything handling associated, grip, feedback, how progressive when grips runs out and how much confidence it inspired. So as a road handling car the Mustang has some way to go, the suspension upgrades might get it upto an 8/10 and fitment of some Michelin tyres might just get it a 9, but I am not deluded it will never be a 911 for road handling in the dry or wet, ESPECIALLY THE WET!
Any regrets? None, do I miss the 911, a little, do I prefer the Mustang? YES! I think some of it is me getting older, hence why I was on the fence a little about even optioning an auto for the Mustang, glad I did not though due to how great the gear box is. Of course I have moved from the 911 which is a true out and out sports car, that is more sports car than GT. I have now moved to a more GT car rather than out and out sports car, again maybe I am getting old and wanted more comfort, whilst still being capable and hence why I like the Mustang so much.
But just like the last Mustang, no matter where you go, people stop to take photos, they try to make conversation and other road users go out of there way to have a good look or give you a thumbs up. Its an icon, it makes people smile and in turn every time I get in this car it feels special, the sense of occasion is of the limits.
Previous Mustangs, like the S197 from the factory were poor or just OK at best with a lot of downfalls, Ford kind of do it on purpose due to the after market being so huge where a poor/OK car can literally be turned into something actually pretty damn good, I proved this with my Saleen S197, the stock car was nothing special, yet the Saleen with its adjustable suspension, big brake kit, super charger was a real eye opener, even with a live axle it could really handle and had huge grip reserves, taking passengers out was so funny, Gibbo, corner coming, GIBBO GIBBO Brake its American it won't corner, oh what the hell, OMG its on rails.
The S550 Mustang obviously because it is now a global car is a different ball game, the standard car, well UK standard cars are PP cars (Performance Pack) so lets just talk about those and well the standard car is very good, to the point it is being compared to other GT, Sport coupes of upto twice the price. The standard S500 PP Mustang does everything better out the box than my old Mustang, but hey Ford claimed this car laps faster than the outgoing BOSS 302, which it does.
The simple fact according to owners and the press, the S550 can go from a very good car to an totally mind blowing incredible car, Ford proved it themselves with the Shelby GT350 a car that has gone 991 GT3 chasing and Ferrari chasing and succeeding with rave reviews and owners absolutely loving them.
But let me see for myself, I have all my suspension kit ready and the Shelby engine tuning modifications will be done in coming months, but I am happy with the car, I just want to make it look how I want it to look and make improvements but of course the big one, MORE POWAH!
Any questions, just ask and I shall be reporting back in this thread how modifications effect car good or bad as I have already being doing so.
