A Mustang By Any Other Name Will Drive As Sweet

"Lets Just Drive" (lets-just-drive) 02/24/2015 at 00:27 • Filed to: None

35

48

He tossed me the keys saying, "I won't tell if you don't."

I won't. I never will. I didn't just.

The new Mustang is a world apart from Mustangs of old. How do I know this? I have a hard-on for the pony logo; !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! My first was a Mustang. My current is also a Mustang. One was a Fox, the other an S197 and while they are decades apart, the new S550 is light years ahead.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

And I have finally been behind the wheel of a 2015 GT. Three pedals, a stick and 5.0 liters of Ford power; I was in for a treat. Oh, and it was red. Did I mention the red?

Like a little lamb to Mary, I am a Mustang follower. The new car, when but a rumor ("It will have IRS!") had me wetting my shorts weekly. Every tidbit Ford released was a hit of heroine, the pure dope. I could not live without it. Waking, I would check Twitter and throughout the day Facebook. The blogs, I followed them all. A turbo, they'd say, is definitely on the way and for the next week I would be feverishly leafing through old mags; it's the SVO two point oh! How could I have known, in those early days, all the good things would come true?

Sitting behind the wheel for the first time I heard the lyrics, "Like a virgin, touched for the very first time," race through my head. I was a slut, a Mustang whore, but here I was with a familiar burning in my loins – it felt like the first time all over again. I was a mess of goose bumps, every hair on my body stood on end as if electrified.

"Take me," I begged wordlessly.

My friend, the owner, stood there awkwardly. He seemed to sense our connection. His intrusion amplified his awkwardness. Understandable, I thought, but I took the man for a swinger.

He asked, pensive, "Would you like a moment together?"

I took it as rhetorical, reminded myself of my place, and pulled my saliva-dripping tongue back into my mouth. Smiled, "Such nice." Speaking in meme's.

Once the moment had passed we, as men are want to do, repressed our shared discomfort at the burble-whoom of the engine turning over. That Coyote, even minus the flat-plane crank of the big brother GT350, sounds a treat. The clutch was easy under my toe and I took a stab at the gas. The car responded with a roar. I responded with a boner.

He started talking, the owner and my new friend, but I wasn't really listening. Blah blah blah horsepower, blah blah blah tire width – the car was stock, a GT with Performance Package. I wasn't learning anything I didn't already know.

I realize, in the writing, that neither are you. Everyone and their dog in the journalist community has gotten a whack at the new pony, has reviewed the car to death. It's this, it's that. You've read the articles, watched the videos. The new Mustang is a leap forward for Mustangs, an excellent car, but it's still a Mustang and, at least in GT trim, it's not the leader in its field. Okay, good… that's out of the way.

The transmission slipped easily into gear. I had rowed through them a few times finding the throws to my liking. I opened the throttle, let off the clutch and away we went. Our drive was short, but spirited and I kept comparing the new Mustang with the (many) older cars I've driven. We would be cutting down a bending back street, rutted like the face of an experienced meth user, and I'd say something like, "It's so planted compared to the old car."

It's uncanny how the spirit of a car can live through generations. Every iteration changes the formula, every new car theoretically better than the last yet for all it has ever changed; the Mustang spirit has always remained the same. Part truck, part muscle car; all motor. Drive a boat, drive a '71 and then drive a comparatively tiny foxbody and there it is the spirit of a Mustang. Equal parts cheap and fun, that's a Mustang. He's the new boss, just like the old boss. In the S550, the spirit lives on. Even grown up, with independent rear suspension and all the modern accouterments, the distinct Mustang feel is obvious. The rear end stays planted and is less inclined to buck, sure, but you sit in the same lazy-Saturday-night position looking out over a long, bulging hood while right footing a big, noisy V8.

At his urging we put the pony through some tight, weight transferring turns. Turn in was remarkable. There was none of the old Mustang tradition of turn, turn some more, brake, turn, pray, bounce, skip, spin, curse. Tail followed nose around pivot. Moments emerged, the Mustang shone. Accustomed to the tendencies of the solid-rear axle cars, I was astonished.

On the open road the Mustang came alive. There is a sensation, fairly unique to Mustangs, which is the hallmark of the franchise and it is not found mid-corner or doing pulls from fifty. The character of a Mustang is judged simply on how it leaves the line and gets away from the lights. Found in the space between stop and go, it is not simply a matter of getting away and getting away fast. It is the gathering storm. Cowboys, horsemen, hobby horse having humans, anyone who has ever spent time with horses, spent time in the saddle knows what I'm talking about. Equine or automobile, in either incarnation, there is a moment that stretches off into infinity while the beast gathers itself, harnesses the Force, and explodes light a shot forward. That moment defines a Mustang.

Stopped, slipped into first, the rev's climb. "Go," commands my passenger. "Go, go, go!" There it is, that Mustang Thang, rising up to greet me as my foot backs out of the clutch. It's quicker now, I can tell you, but it's still there. The Mustang lives on.

Second, third, fourth… Red line, shift, redline. I haven't done this in my own car in what seems like years. "RAH!" a screaming V8 will always touch my tickle spot. I back off before Johnny Law grabs his gun.

Before I know it we are home, back, done. It's over too quickly and I know how my wife must feel. I only want more. He senses this, tells me I can drive it again when we can talk about it, can tell people. It's like an autoerotic, homoerotic sin. It's our little secret, dirty and ours.

In the guise of wanting to talk about his car more, about his car history, we sit and chat for a while. It is a rouse, my clever little ploy to spend more time in the car soaking in the finer details. I notice, 'The top of the door, it's soft touch material.' The stick, the knob, is it milled? Nope but still... The accents are unlike anything Ford has ever done with a production Mustang. Someone didn't just call it good-enough. Yet, so as to retain loyal customers familiar with the feel of recent Mustangs the interior is not radically different. I find myself impressed with gauges evocative of my own, but modern and made of higher grade materials and the story is the same throughout. It's the same, but better.

And I think that was my take-away from my first seat steal in an S550 Mustang; it's the same but better. Looking back, watching the car as I walked away, I kept thinking on it. It's the same but better.

boxrocket > Lets Just Drive 02/24/2015 at 01:10

4

Love it! Should be on the FP.

I've driven every flavor of the new Mustang, and I'm glad it's impractical for me to get one right now, because I'd have to get one each with the EcoBoost and the Coyote. Or wait and get a GT350, or the rumored and allegedly-spy-shot GT500. They're just soooooo good and it makes me sad that the ones I could almost justify just aren't as good.

That, and my wife would steal the keys and use any Mustang I/we were to purchase as HER DD.

Lets Just Drive > boxrocket 02/24/2015 at 01:17

4

Sing it loud, sing it proud. There's no shame in it, in being a Mustang guy.

Okay, there's a little shame.

Garrett Davis > Lets Just Drive 02/24/2015 at 01:18

3

This was an amazing read.

Lets Just Drive > Garrett Davis 02/24/2015 at 01:21

0

Thank you!

Saw your Wheelwell. Wheelwell is tits.

Garrett Davis > Lets Just Drive 02/24/2015 at 01:26

1

Haha nice, are you on there?

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > Lets Just Drive 02/24/2015 at 06:39

6

Beautifully written. Really something special.

I had a 64 1/2 Mustang. I want a 2015. More, now.

DonVanSin > Lets Just Drive 02/24/2015 at 08:22

6

I've had my 2015 GT since November 1. Your article comes closer to describing the joy of driving this machine than any other. Thanks for the lust. Reward yourself now. Go buy one. It only gets better!

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > Lets Just Drive 02/24/2015 at 08:25

1

Very entertainingly written, I agree with boxrocket that it should be FPed.

T5Killer > Lets Just Drive 02/24/2015 at 10:58

4

As a hardcore Mustang guy I approve this posting and loved it!

LoremIpsum010101 > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 14:59

1

"hit of heroine..."

Sorry to be pedantic; this is really beautifully written!

The Devil Drives a Mustang (Rotary Pending) > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 15:02

1

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

You mean like Ford T5?

The Devil Drives a Mustang (Rotary Pending) > The Devil Drives a Mustang (Rotary Pending) 04/14/2015 at 15:04

1

FYI, This is a 1957 Krupp Mustang. The reason Ford couldn't call it the Mustang in Germany:

jacknifetoaswan > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 15:05

1

I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon. I will not stop at the Ford dealership this afternoon.

Seriously, though, waiting for the 2016s to come out to drop my 2006 GT. The next six months are going to be BRUTAL!

Nick > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 04/14/2015 at 15:06

1

I had a '65 and in January picked up my 15. I love my pony. Most cars that can beat it on the track don't seem to matter to me on the streets. I'm no diehard Mustang fan, I was always looking for an early 70's Firebird or hoping to get really lucky and try to find a '71 Challenger, but having the '65 means that I had to get the '15 for my new car. Best. Decision. Ever.

Tokyosmash! > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 15:31

1

I drove from Tennessee to Pennsylvania for All Ford Nationals last spring purely to see an S550 in person, a few days later I was home in Tennessee at the dealer ordering my car.

Waited from June to mid November and still remember the moment I walked in to the dealer and my Guard green GT/PP with Recaros sitting there.

God do I love this car.

Fireblade93 > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 15:44

1

S550 FTW! There existed a time I thought I would never own an American car. Even though I always kinda liked Mustangs, it was this one that truely caught my eye. I'll be driving a '16 GT/PP Premium, and I can't wait. I build&price it online almost every day! I even sold my motorcycle to save up, and that wasn't easy at all.

Junker_CM > DonVanSin 04/14/2015 at 15:57

0

I have the V6 version and it was love at ignition.

ramajastang > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 16:54

0

mines white. It goes fast. Fuck tires and gas, burn em all.

Howie > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 17:16

1

The steering and brakes really grabbed me with the new car as well as the solid feeling of the car at speed ( in this case well over 100 mph) The S550 is as big a change from the S-197 as the S-197 was from the SN95/New Edge cars which could best be described as Fox car but just a little nicer. I've got one on order with the performance pack and can't wait to really get some seat time in the car (barring any dealer shenanigans when I pick it up in the next week or so).

The only thing that really didn't grab me was acceleration but that's not a valid observation since I'm coming out of a modified GT500 as a daily driver (soon to be retired to the garage).

ramajastang > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 17:17

1

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

mines white. It goes fast. Fuck tires and gas, burn em all.

TheDudeAbides_(version 2.0) > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 17:18

2

I absolutely love this new Mustang. I can't place my finger on why, but it really draws me in every time I see one. My wife loves the Challenger almost as much, except she admits she doesn't actually want one, she just want to look at them. I want a new Mustang GT bad enough I'm on the fence about selling a kidney for one (I would need to keep my DD, so I would have nothing to trade in).

carzcarzcarz > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 18:01

1

Nicely written. I had the chance to ride in a new GT at an autocross practice event, and the interior is so much better than the last couple of iterations. I had a 96 GT (worse year I swear), and worked on many 5.0's over the years, but the interiors were always pretty crap. You should buy a new GT, as I'd like to hear more about your thoughts on the overall impressions of the car in comparison to earlier mustangs.

While the handling in the new mustang did feel improved, I still preferred the way the BRZ felt in direct comparison at the autocross.

JSinclair39 > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 18:06

3

I've got a 2015 GT with the Performance Pack for my company car. My first muscle car ever. At first I didn't like how it handled. I thought it was too softly damped and the car was too twitchy around town. After about a month with it and learning the car I'm really seeing how far the upper limits are and it's pretty awesome! The shocks might be soft but the Pirelli P-Zero's are super grippy.

Awesome trick if you drive a stick 5.0, If you're in traffic or frequent stop-and-go switch the driving mode to rain/snow and it dulls the power and makes the car way more manageable in those situations.

Lets Just Drive > LoremIpsum010101 04/14/2015 at 18:37

0

I am genuinely flattered by that.

Lets Just Drive > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready 04/14/2015 at 18:37

0

Thank you!

Lets Just Drive > DonVanSin 04/14/2015 at 18:37

0

It really is a whole new evolution of the pony car.

Ted O > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 18:38

3

I have submitted your article to Penthouse Forum on your behalf.

Lets Just Drive > Fireblade93 04/14/2015 at 18:40

0

I'm trying to make a note to keep up with all my fellow Oppo friends who are buying or have bought a new pony - I'll be really interested to see how much more liveable the S550 platform is as a long term owner.

I know that a pony can DD, with a family and all - I do so with my own. But I don't know that (my daughter is a year and a half now) I'll make the compromise for the next car; I'm pretty set on four doors on my JDM wagon (go Canada!).

Lets Just Drive > JSinclair39 04/14/2015 at 19:21

0

Nice DD!

There was a clear misinterpretation of intention by the internet when it came to the expectations of the S550 versus reality of it. Even with the PP, even in GT trim; the S550 is designed and marketed as a daily - this is a car you will buy and drive all the time.

There were complaints about it being too soft and not as sharp as the Z28 (a comparison that only cropped up due to timing) but the smart journalism (thank you Carlo Lago) stayed grounded and the car was generally well received.

For the customer who wants that Z28 dynamic, Ford is answering with the GT350 and R. These cars will be insanely sharp and will answer the pony performance question but the fact is that anyone who buys a GT, a turbo, whatever and options it with the PP thinking it's going to be a road munching monster is in for a let down because even with the PP, this is a car which has been designed for mass appeal.

That said, the GT I drove was worlds ahead of the old car and, comparatively, seems much sharper and dynamic. Unless you're talking Boss 302, because the suspension on that was absolute perfection.

Lets Just Drive > Ted O 04/14/2015 at 19:27

0

Sweeeeet!

Lets Just Drive > carzcarzcarz 04/14/2015 at 19:37

0

I'll just get this out of the way; I'm a whore for torque and that, coupled with the savings of buying a few years old Pony versus a dealer-premium priced BRZ, is the reason I didn't end up in one of the Twins. I drove both FRS and BRZ in my quest and was about to sign the papers when I spotted my now current car parked on their used lot.

What I can say is that the interiors are completely different and both are terrible for different reasons. In the FRS/BRZ I felt cocooned (I'm 6'4 and 250 lbs) and cramped but not in a comforting I'm-In-The-Womb kind of way. The last Mustang, it's a much more comfortable place to be as long as you don't touch anything - the moment you do you realize that nothing is real, it's all plastic made to look like chrome, or soft touch. It's a push, really.

But the S550? HA! Might as well be going into a German car of a few years back, the difference is so vast. I mean, when the interior of a Mustang is comparatively luxurious place to be you just know that Ford (read; American OEM's) are stepping up their game.

I wish I could afford a new Mustang, I wish I could live with it every day and write about it and make videos and be that guy who is all on about YOU CAN DAILY A MUSTANG EVEN IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY, DON'T TRADE IN FOR THAT MINIVAN NIGHTMARE every day on every interweb but I just can't, this isn't my gig, but if Ford wants to give me the challenge, I'm way up to it. Or Jalopnik. Or Autoblog. Or Hooniverse, TTAC or The Smoking Tire. Basically, I'd whore myself for a S550.

Lets Just Drive > TheDudeAbides_(version 2.0) 04/14/2015 at 19:41

1

It is, in my opinion, shockingly good looking... in everything but yellow. I don't know what it is about that yellow but in that colour it kills it for me.

And truthfully, there's no comparison with the current Challenger (unless you're talking maybe Hellcat) in terms of Reasons To Buy.

Lets Just Drive > ramajastang 04/14/2015 at 19:45

0

My only gripe is that tall sixth gear; on Forza Horizon (the only place a person should really be grabbing sixth in anger) there's just such a power loss - stupid gas gear!

I'm grabbing at straws, I just wanted something to reply with because I verily approve of your automotive choice, sir.

BmacIL > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 19:46

1

Very nice write up! I've had my new GT for a little over 2 weeks and have loved every minute behind the wheel. This is also coming from someone that never wanted a Mustang before the S550. I always liked them, but never wanted to own one. This one is different.

Lets Just Drive > Howie 04/14/2015 at 20:57

0

What shocks me to this day are the number of people who fail to realize that the SN95 was still essentially a fox chassis.

Speaking to acceleration; the current car is a 4.0 Cologne so the difference in sensation is vastly vast. Now, I've driven and spent time with some vastly more powerful ponies, but I was really trying to encapsulate the idea that this impressive leap is best compared in DD friendly ponies, not huge number cars running boost and big rubber.

But yeah. Agree.

Lets Just Drive > Tokyosmash! 04/14/2015 at 20:59

1

In terms of car culture loyalty there isn't much that compares to Mustang loyalty.

Lets Just Drive > jacknifetoaswan 04/14/2015 at 21:01

0

If the early "special" edition cars (such as the GT350 and R) are any indication, the new Mustang is going to have some amazing iterations over its lifetime.

Lets Just Drive > The Devil Drives a Mustang (Rotary Pending) 04/14/2015 at 21:04

0

Huh, and it even has roughly the same engineering.

/ponyburn

Lets Just Drive > The Devil Drives a Mustang (Rotary Pending) 04/14/2015 at 21:04

0

You're barking up the wrong tree - I admit the foolishness of it but I love all the OEM Mustangs.

Lets Just Drive > BmacIL 04/14/2015 at 21:09

0

You touched on something important and it's part of the reason the Mustang has been so successful over its lifetime - every new car is designed to appeal to both loyal pony fans and folks who may never have considered one before.

The thing is, it's never been so true of a pony since the Mustang II.

Ford knows who buys Mustangs. People who already own or have owned a Mustang buy Mustangs. Rental agencies buy Mustangs, they're found in countless fleets. But people who never considered "the old" Mustang buy the new one, too.

Tokyosmash! > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 22:17

1

This was my first Mustang, it won't be my last.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Lets Just Drive 04/14/2015 at 23:27

0

Im a tiny bit ashamed of the things I did to the last Mustang that entered my driveway. Just a bit though. It was already dead.

Ridgerunner21 > Lets Just Drive 04/15/2015 at 01:32

1

I really have to follow up on my neighbor's offer to drive a 2015 GT now...he's the sales manager at the local Ford dealership

Lets Just Drive > Ridgerunner21 04/15/2015 at 13:15

0

do it!

jacknifetoaswan > Lets Just Drive 04/15/2015 at 14:35

1

I agree! I wish they'd have dropped hints about a Boss or Mach 1 sooner. It would kill me to wait ANOTHER year, but I would. I just hope the GT350 is able to beat the snot out of the Z/28, and that the rumored GT500 is faster than a Hellcat!

Lets Just Drive > jacknifetoaswan 04/15/2015 at 14:45

0

You could always pick up a Boss 302; they're holding value well and will likely be a prize pony in the future. It's a hell of a car, but the S550 chassis will go further.

jacknifetoaswan > Lets Just Drive 04/15/2015 at 18:30

0

And that's exactly why I'm waiting!

ramajastang > Lets Just Drive 04/15/2015 at 22:52

1

I can cruise in 6th gear at 45 mph rofl... probably even slower if I tried. I've noticed this one has a lower stall than my 2013 V6 did.. that thing the gearing was funky so I couldn't let it drop below 800 rpm or so or it would start to stall, which means that in stop and go traffic I had to pop clutch if we started rolling at anything less than 5 mph and that was in first gear.. this car I can roll from a dead stop off the line in 2nd and it doesn't even give a hint of stalling out.