Oppo test drive report: 2015 Mustang GT Premium manual convertible

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 04/24/2015 at 19:35 • Filed to: None

8

39

Today I !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I’ve never been much of a muscle car guy, but the new Mustang is actually pretty nice! I’d say it’s definitely worth looking at if you just like performance cars, and doesn’t really have the old muscle car pitfalls.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Styling

I think it looks damn good. Classic muscle car styling cues with good modern details, and the long hood, short deck rwd proportions. It has bulges and scoops and a front splitter that I was successfully able to avoid scraping on any notoriously steep Wisconsin driveways. The turn signals do that cool sequential light-up trick that still amuses me even though they’ve been doing that for several years now. The little extractor vents on the hood look cool from the driver’s seat, but I don’t know if they actually do anything, or like whistle tips, are just fo decoration .

Drivetrain

This is definitely a quick car. There’s plenty of torque and it’ll rev willingly. Maybe I’m jaded but for 435 hp it didn’t entirely blow me away, probably because in GT Premium convertible form, it weighs 3872 lbs, and has pretty tall gearing. Compared to cars with similar power but lighter weight, more torque, and shorter gearing, like a C5 Z06 or a C6 LS3, it’s not quite so...immediate. There’s an optional slightly-shorter final drive, and an even shorter one included with the Performance Pack, which is only available on the hardtop, not the convertible.

The motor makes nice growly V8 noises, which you can hear plenty because—at least according to the salesman—there’s one of those pipes that runs from the engine bay to the interior for more engine noise inside. Hopefully it’s not that engine noise through the speakers nonsense. The exhaust isn’t overpoweringly loud, and there’s not much drone on the highway.

Mmm...plastic.

The manual transmission is actually pretty nice. The throws are short, the gates are well defined, the shifter is smooth and has a decent weight to it. It’s no Miata or S2000 but I’ve certainly used worse shifters in some supposedly fancier cars like 9_6 and 9_7 Boxsters and 911s. Those cars’ shifters are kinda crap. I got to heel-toeing without much of an adjustment, but to be perfect, the gas pedal needs to be slightly closer to the driver. The brake pedal is a few inches closer to you than the gas. But again, I heel-toed just fine.

Ride & Handling

I was pleasantly surprised by the handling, not because it’s particularly excellent, but it is better than I was maybe expecting. The independent rear end definitely makes the Mustang into a competent handling car. I wouldn’t say great, but it does what’s asked of it without complaint. It turns in ok, takes a good set in turns, and is easy to steer with the throttle.

There are different electric power steering assist modes, and this car had the optional Selectable Drive Modes, which according to Ford’s website, “adjust handling and response characteristics to optimize control.” That’s pretty vague but I suppose that means adaptive dampers, right?

For someone like myself who enjoys crisp handling, the normal and comfort modes of both the steering and drive modes are kinda pointless. Because the steering effort is still too light for a performance car even in the Sport assist mode, and there doesn’t seem to be much of a ride harshness penalty when going into the Sport+ drive mode. Sport steering and Sport+ drive mode is the best combination and makes what is still a pretty big heavy car with a very long hood into something that resembles chuckable.

The base GT brakes are shared with the EcoBoost Performance Package. They’re 14” rotors with 4-piston calipers up front, and 13” rotors with single piston calipers in back. Stopping power was good, with not much dive under braking, and a fairly firm pedal. The GT Performance Pack would bump the front brakes up to 15” rotors with 6-piston Brembo calipers, with the same rears.

Interior

The Mustang is a decent place to spend some time, especially since it’s plenty roomy inside, unlike smaller sports cars. The regular seats are comfy and supportive. I recommend sticking with these and avoiding the Recaros unless you’re particularly skinny.

But...the interior quality really isn’t the greatest. There’s plenty of hard, cheap-looking plastic. I’m really the last person to be all up on some “look at my beautiful soft touch interior plastics,” nonsense, but I have some standards. It’s not terrible but especially in the loaded-up car I drove which stickered at $43k, there’s a lot of room for improvement. There are silly little details that I guess are supposed to invoke nostalgia like the badge over the glove box that says Mustang Since 1964, and the speedometer says Ground Speed on it.

There’s obviously-fake stitching molded along the edges of some of the dashboard pieces, the silver accents generally are cheap looking, and the power seats have manual recline levers. You’ve got a car that, again, costs $43k, and has heated and cooled leather seats with memory, and manual recline levers? I know the interior is shared with the mid-$20ks V6 rental car version but still, Ford really could’ve made more effort. Hell, there are plenty of mid-$20ks cars with much better interior quality.

The main touchscreen has 4 separate quadrants of information on it which are controlled through some unintelligible combination of the buttons below the screen, the buttons on the steering wheel, and the touchscreen. But if you go to use the toggle switches in front of the shifter to change things like steering or drive modes, those changes are only shown on the screen in the gauge cluster.

Car companies need to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Conclusion

The Mustang makes what I assume many muscle car fans would consider a good muscle car. But it’s not without its issues. The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! —you basically get either really basic or fully loaded with nothing in between, and a good chunk of the fully loaded stuff is annoying crap I’d rather skip and just drives the price up. I think it would really be helped by the Performance Pack. It’d still be big but the shorter gearing, firmed up suspension and bigger brakes would be welcome changes.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Would I buy one? Probably not. I’d insist on the Performance Pack, which is only available on the coupe, but you can’t get a sunroof on the coupe, and I really like sunroofs. I also would want more equipment than the basic non-Premium GT, but hate a lot of the crap you get stuck with on the Premium, and the Premium is really too expensive for a Mustang.

So the sweet spot in the lineup is the non-Premium GT with Performance Pack, as long as you can live with no sunroof, and pretty basic equipment level. Just not quite my cup ‘o tea.

Devilishprune > Textured Soy Protein 04/24/2015 at 19:58

1

Solid write-up.

I’d imagine the manual recline lever is to more easily allow people to get in the back seat.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Textured Soy Protein 04/24/2015 at 20:25

0

How did you get them to let you drive it without having any intent to buy it? I got this offer from the auto show; They will (supposedly) give me a $50 mastercard if I test drive a ford and register the drive with the program. I wanna drive a 5 speed Five-Oh Mustang, but Im too chicken to waltz into the dealership, ask for a test drive with no intention of making a car purchase

Pableez > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 04/24/2015 at 20:31

0

You could say you're shopping around and wanted to see if you could test drive it.

RedPir8Roberts > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 04/24/2015 at 20:39

1

Many people go in just to try out a car, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Unless it’s a McLaren or Ferrari or some other exotic, it shouldn’t matter. I was given some nonsense once at a Ford dealer when I asked to drive a Mustang, I think they get a lot of kids who want to joyride—but I was beyond “kid” years and well able to afford a Mustang, but was dressed down. The salesman gave me a “oh we don’t give test drives in GTs unless you’re ready to buy.” I left, but stewed about it and went back, and spoke to a manager who apologized, and actually knew something about performance cars. Most dealers with any sense will let anyone who doesn’t look very sketchy take a car out for a test drive. They have no way of knowing whether you just cashed out in your internet company. But dressing relatively nice probably helps. I’ve taken Jaguar F-Types for rides several times, oddly the higher-end places are even more likely to treat you well, pretty much regardless of how you look. Jag had a ‘your turn’ promotion when the car first came out, and since then I’ve gone to the various “introduction” events they have where they have a factory demo car for you to drive. They turned me loose with my wife the first time, and salesmen went with me the others—but they encouraged me to get my foot into it. At no point did they they try to pressure me, or even ask me to sit down and “talk numbers” or other such painful b.s. An Aston Martin dealer made small talk with me even though I was similarly dressed down. They know potential buyers of luxury cars won’t put up with pressure tactics. Remember, they are there to sell cars, and if they want to do that, they have to accept that you may not buy today or tomorrow, but you’ll be back in a couple of years, but only if they treat you right. That’s the whole point of those promotions (and halo cars, whether some salesman appreciated that or not), to get you in the door. Just be confident, after all, car salesman are among the most distrusted people out there, so any that want to put on airs and give attitude to potential customers should think twice.

RedPir8Roberts > Textured Soy Protein 04/24/2015 at 20:44

1

Very nice, well detailed and well-written. If you throw in a few typos and mess up the grammar a bit, you could be a Jalopnik front page writer!

Textured Soy Protein > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 04/24/2015 at 20:52

1

I found the car on their site, called and talked to a salesman to confirm it was still there, and said I’d stop by during my lunch break. Then I rolled up to the dealership in my BMW and let them try to sell me the car. I think at some point I casually mentioned I also have a Hemi Grand Cherokee for winter. So basically, car dealers will do whatever you want if you look lime you have plenty of money to buy the car you’re looking at.

They actually had me sign a release form and show proof of insurance. I’m assuming just to ward off joyriders.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Textured Soy Protein 04/24/2015 at 21:01

0

A “You break it, you buy it sort of release”? cuz I drive cars that arent mine like a grandma

Textured Soy Protein > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 04/24/2015 at 21:08

0

More like I was responsible for any damage and tickets.

I’m always very conscientious when I test drive cars, but performance cars are meant to be driven enthusiastically so I do test their capabilities some.

For the most part I drive very carefully. I always ask if they’ve got a preferred spot to take it around some turns, and I always make sure to warn the sales person before I do anything even mildly aggressive.

Textured Soy Protein > Devilishprune 04/24/2015 at 21:11

0

My 135is has full power seats plus flip-forward levers on the top corners of the seats. Hell, my first car, a 1990 Acura Legend coupe, had full power seats and flip-forward levers. The manual recline levers on the Mustang are cost cutting, pure and simple.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Textured Soy Protein 04/24/2015 at 21:47

0

I always ask if and where I can “punch it” so to speak. I always drive cars I dont own with the utmost respect. So Essentially I shouldnt have a problem.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Textured Soy Protein 04/25/2015 at 12:55

1

“This is definitely a quick car. There’s plenty of torque and it’ll rev willingly. Maybe I’m jaded but for 435 hp it didn’t entirely blow me away, probably because in GT Premium convertible form, it weighs 3872 lbs, and has pretty tall gearing”

It’s a common thing with many cars these days. The chassis is so solid and is built to handle waaay more power, that while the car is fast on paper, it doesn’t *feel* fast because it’s so planted and controlled.

I recall the same feeling when I test drove a top-of-the-line AWD Acura RL. It didn’t feel fast, but I knew it was fast because I was leaving everyone in the dust.

Whereas the old 1987 Honda Civic or 1990 Festiva I once owned weren't all that fast, but they definitely felt fast when I stepped on it and would wind the engine up.

Textured Soy Protein > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 04/25/2015 at 13:15

1

That might be something to do with it but I’ve driven plenty of modern 400+ hp cars, so I have a decent expectation of what it should feel like. It didn't feel slow, but just other modern cars with similar power felt quicker.

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > Textured Soy Protein 04/25/2015 at 15:09

0

What did you think of the clutch feel? I tested a manual gt premium and the clutch had all the resistance of a dandelion. Is this what people want?

Textured Soy Protein > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 04/25/2015 at 15:59

0

It felt pretty normal to me. The only cars I can even remember driving with heavy clutches are my old ’92 Integra GSR which was from back when Honda still used cable clutches, and an ‘86 911 I checked out last year that I think also had a cable clutch.

Mark > Textured Soy Protein 04/25/2015 at 16:00

0

Couple of things (good article, BTW). I own a 2015 (GT, Perf Pack, 6 sp, hardtop) and owned a similar 2013 just prior. I wouldn't recommend this car to everyone... it still has some raw character compared to BMW and others (the bright side is you can replace the battery in YOUR garage for about $100 and $400 and a trip to dealer (LISTEN UP BMW). I will say it is by far the best mustang ever introduced and they have gone a long way to bringing the interior up-market. It really is an enthusiasts car that can be driven daily. With regard to the acceleration, yep- convertible top weight, stiff gearing will pretty much challenge anything. I can assure you that the lower gearing, lighter weight and Torsen rear axle make a heck of a difference and I would describe the acceleration as stout. Regarding the "happy switches" unfortunately they only control the response rate of the gas pedal and the steering on a manual car. None of the current offerings alter the suspension in any way. Mark

Textured Soy Protein > Mark 04/25/2015 at 16:16

0

Good info. I suppose the handling changed by the drive modes is likely just traction and stability control settings then.

Your car is pretty much exactly how I’d go if I got a Mustang. The Premium is too expensive and you’ve confirmed my guesses about the Performance Pack.

Funny you mention BMW. I drive a 135is and yes the battery registration nonsense is pointlessly complex. Luckily I haven’t needed a battery yet.

 V8 Rustler > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 04/25/2015 at 18:40

1

The Mustang GT has been a 6 speed manuel since 2011.

Justme > Textured Soy Protein 04/25/2015 at 20:24

0

“I think it looks damn good. Classic muscle car styling cues...”

Really? Which ones? The C-scoop near the doors? Gone. How about the foglights in the grille? Oh that’s gone too. Headlights? Barely visible. Ditto for the foglights.

Aside from Mustang emblems scattered over the interior of the car, a steering wheel somewhat reminiscent of the original, and the taillights, very little of this car is reminiscent of the original generation.

The 05-14 models looked WAY better, especially the ‘05 to ‘09 cars.

Aaron > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 04/25/2015 at 20:32

1

I have driven a few, and I had a couple observations. The first one I drove felt pretty slow. Then I drove another, and still wasn’t impressed, but I realized that having such a long hood combined with how much it would squat under accel did nothing to contribute to the sensation of speed. I felt a little detached from what the car was doing. It is quick... 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, but my ‘92 BMW M5 feels much quicker. Also, there are 3 diff options on the GT. A shorter ratio should make quite a difference.

Dragnet > Textured Soy Protein 04/26/2015 at 00:29

1

I found a couple of your requirements to be interesting and somewhat contradictory. You desire performance but having a convertible or sunroof seem very important. Conversely I lament so many cars are only available with a sunroof above base model. I hate sunroofs. They add weight, reduce headroom, and are rarely used.

Textured Soy Protein > Dragnet 04/26/2015 at 00:38

1

The only car I’ve ever had that didn’t have a sunroof was a convertible. I like the feeling of openness, even in the winter with at least being able to open the shade and have some light above me.

The weight and rigidity penalty of a sunroof is minor in the scheme of things. It’s not a convertible where you need additional chassis reinforcements to make up for the lack of a roof.

If I were building a race car it wouldn’t have a sunroof. But for a fun street car, the sunroof’s not going to hurt performance much if at all, and I like it.

As for convertibles, yes if you have convertible and hardtop versions of the same car, the convertible will sacrifice some rigidity and be heavier. But Ford takes it a step further and doesn’t offer the Performance Pack on the convertible.

Textured Soy Protein > Justme 04/26/2015 at 00:42

2

Sure it lacks some Mustang-specific cues but the overall vibe is still muscle car. The grille looks like a Mustang, even if it doesn’t have fog lights in it. The overall shape is definitely still in the muscle car vein. The hood is super long, the contour of the roof and the glass, it’s all in the general ballpark of ‘muscle car.’ The kink in the rear fenders looks like a Mustang. The tail lamps scream Mustang.

The ‘05-’09 was trying to look as much as possible like a modern version of the original fastback. This one is more of a clean-sheet design that still is pretty readily apparent that it’s a Mustang.

You seem angry about this.

Hugh Lokey > Devilishprune 04/26/2015 at 05:25

0

You are spot on as to why it is manual but I own a 2015 EcoBoost Premium and the only “people” that are going to get in the back seat are very, very small ones! I am not looking forward to having to get my 125 lb American Bulldog in the back for a trip to the vet and my daughter who is only 5 ft and around 125 lbs declined to even try and fold up enough to get in the back. The Mustang has a back seat so the insurance companies don’t classify it as a sports car.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s >  V8 Rustler 04/26/2015 at 05:41

1

Hmmmm, did not know that. Well, still manuel isnt that what matters?

CRider > Textured Soy Protein 04/26/2015 at 06:18

2

Hell, there are plenty of mid-$20ks cars with much better interior quality.

I wonder what sort of engine those come with?

Meekster > Mark 04/26/2015 at 09:56

0

I replaced my battery on my BMW 335 in the trunk. I can take it out and replace it just like the dealer can. I actually prefer the battery there. Sorry its above your head doing such.

Meekster > Textured Soy Protein 04/26/2015 at 09:58

0

The battery is included under the maintenance plan, after that I am not sure why you would have to register it.

Meekster > Textured Soy Protein 04/26/2015 at 10:00

0

The GT350 is the only Mustang I have wanted in the past 25 years since my last one. It will be a gem. BTW, taking a convertible out and then talking about its handling without driving the coupe for comparison really means nothing to the rest of us. Of course the vert won’t handle or perform as well. This isn’t a McLaren.

Panoz_Roadster > Textured Soy Protein 04/26/2015 at 10:48

0

I have both a 996 911 and a 2013 Gt with a short throw shifter and the shifter on the Mustang isn't half as good as the one on the 911. Sometimes the 5th and 6th don't even slide into gear and have to be forced in. The 911 is better in almost every way than the Mustang.

Textured Soy Protein > Panoz_Roadster 04/26/2015 at 11:14

0

Well the shifter on the ‘15 Mustang, which is a totally new car from your ‘13, is better than a 996. Overall, I’d still take the 996.

Textured Soy Protein > Meekster 04/26/2015 at 11:20

0

It’s my understanding that you need to register a battery anytime it’s replaced, or disconnected for a while and reconnected with a different charge level. I store my car in the winter, and I considered taking the battery out but I didn’t want to have to register it when I put it back in. Instead I started it up and let it run for a while every few weeks, and when I started it I used my jump start box so as to not strain the battery with a cold start.

Textured Soy Protein > CRider 04/26/2015 at 11:25

0

I see your point. But the base GT starts well north of $30k. There are plenty of $25k cars with similar engines to the V6 and EcoBoost, that also have better interiors.

The problem is the GT Premium, which you’re stuck with if you want even some of the options because there are hardly any options available on the base GT, is a $40k+ car with an interior worse than many cars that are $15k less.

 V8 Rustler > Textured Soy Protein 04/26/2015 at 12:09

0

Manual recline levers

They still do that BS? My 98 Mustang and my 2013 GT Premium are like that.

CRider > Textured Soy Protein 04/26/2015 at 19:08

0

That’s the world we live in. You can get a fully loaded car with a cheap interior, or for the same price you can get a leather wrapped German prison cell. When you buy a Mustang, you’re paying for the hardware underneath the car- engine, transmission, brakes, etc. That hasn’t changed with the 2015. It is M4 performance for around the cost of a base 4 series.

citizennick > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 04/26/2015 at 20:36

0

Remove the spring from the clutch pedal and it’ll feel amazing. Assuming they have one on be GT. Did it to my ST and the clutch feel is soooo much better.

citizennick > Justme 04/26/2015 at 20:41

0

The only people who think the 05-09 Mustangs look better are the people that own them.

Textured Soy Protein > CRider 04/26/2015 at 21:38

0

That’s a silly excuse.

The base car starts in the low 20s. The GT motor, transmission, brakes and suspension don’t cost Ford even close to $15k.

And really, that’s beside the point entirely. It doesn’t matter which Mustang motor option you choose. At every single Mustang price point, there are other cars with nicer interiors, and that only becomes more true the higher up the Mustang lineup you go.

The Premium trims on the EcoBoost and GT are particularly irritating. Basically Ford is saying if you only want a few options, the only way to get the few options you want are to buy a giant pile of other options you don’t want that jack the price up by several thousand dollars. Sure, every car company groups options into packages, but the way Ford does it on the Mustang is excessive.

I’m not saying the Mustang needs to have as nice of an interior as a BMW. Hell, if it had as nice of an interior as a Honda Accord that would be totally fine. It’s just a cheap shit interior that still looks like cheap shit even when it’s loaded up with a bunch of annoying gizmos.

The cheap shit interior and the all-or-nothing options packaging are both blatant cash grabs by Ford. And they’re not even going to make money in the long run on these strategies, because they’re going to end up throwing a bunch of incentives at the car to move units. Hell, there are already like $1200 worth of incentives on the car, and the sales guy was throwing huge discounts at me. It’s been out how long now? A month?

If they had even a halfway decent interior (again, I’m talking just make it at least close to Honda or something similar) and a more a la carte approach to options, they’d have a much easier time getting people to pay closer to full price.

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > citizennick 04/26/2015 at 22:23

0

Thank you for this! I’m thinking of getting a GT350 and was worried Ford was going to numb the clutch on it. Now I’ll know how to fix it if they do.

citizennick > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 04/26/2015 at 22:57

0

You get so much feel in the clutch taking that out. As crazy as it sounds my shifts are so much faster ever since I removed it. Took a whole 10 seconds!