ATLalien
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
BEWARE: LONG READ.
-----------------------------
In case there's anyone considering trading up from an S197 to the S550 like I did, I thought I'd share this write up. I traded in a 2012 GT on mine, and what follows are just my own thoughts, opinions, and observations. Take it for what it's worth:
2012 S197:
· Options: Premium Interior, black âleatherâ, Nav, Manual, 3.73 rear. No brembo (or track pack) on this car, 18â wheels, PZero AS tires, with std brakes & suspension. Regretted that, so opted for the PP on the â15.
· Mods: Bone Stock.
· Exterior
o Still like this body style from the front and side, but the rear was too narrow.
o Color: Kona Blue. Loved this color, except in some low light, where it would look a little purple.
· Interior:
o A little plain, but business-like, and comfy enough. Really nice âfor a mustangâ. Updated take on the 1967 interior.
o Seats: Comfy enough needed more lateral support. Material was thicker than the S550, giving the impression of durability, but the grain and feel were a bit on the cheap side. Keys always banging my knees: annoying.
o Console:
§ Cup holder situation: Awful in the manual car. Forget sporty driving with a beverage there. Whose design idea was that??
§ Console: kind of an ugly plastic
o Stereo/Entertainment:
§ MFT & Navigation: Infuriating on occasion just trying to set up a route. Some voice commands not understood and it would often indicate addresses were invalid when Google maps or even the iPhone maps would find it.
§ Sound quality: Shaker variant, without the rear sub. Sounded pretty close to the premium shaker with a sub in my S550. Probably the system in the â12 had better high frequency response, though both are a little muddy sounding to my ear.
§ Built in Hard Drive: Most now have all their music on phones or some separate device, but I miss the Hard drive myself. Scanned/recorded CDâs sounded much better than what I get from plugging in a phone or iPod.
· Performance:
o Straight Line: Not sure if my car was an anomaly or not, but it was really fast if you could nail the 1rst-2nd shift.
o Handling: Best handling solid axle mustang, but still an SRA. Fun to drive in the twisties, but youâd better be on your game. AS tires would break loose early but predictably. Typical SRA issue with bumps mid-corner.
o Tranny/Shifter:
§ 1rst-2nd shift difficult to get right, but paid off big if you did.
§ Much maligned gearbox gave me no trouble apart from above.
o Exterior Exhaust sound: Too quiet. Never upgraded it because I liked being somewhat âunder the radarâ.
o Sound Interior: S197 wins here, like âBullittâ at WOT.
· Issues:
o Annoying rattles from the rear of the car, popped up in the first week of ownership. Annoying, took 3 trips to the dealer to resolve.
o This car had only 14K miles when I traded it in on the S550, incredibly both lower control arms had to be replaced at about 10K miles. Warrantied, no cost to me. Just painful back and forth to the dealer. Disappointing engineering.
â15 S550:
· Options: Premium, Saddle âleatherâ, Nav, Manual, 3.73 rear, PP. Back up sensors. Factory tint isnât nearly enough in GA.
· Mods: Bone stock.
· Exterior
o Not impressed by early magazine pics, but seeing the car in person was a game changer. Loved the design, and the rear has a nice, wide stance. Front grill looks like a Fusion, but doesnât detract.
o Color: Magnetic. This color with the saddle interior was a little hard to find, but my dealer came through. Love it and like that itâs nearly invisible in cloudy weather.
· Interior:
o Very nice improvement over the previous gen overall. Enough design cues to let you know itâs a mustang, but thoroughly modern.
o Front Seats: Comfort and support are much improved over the S197. Material feels nicer, even if itâs thinner. Love the cooling function. Many have complained about how well the cooling works, but mine does fairly well.
o Rear Seats: No Biggy for me, but rear seat space is significantly smaller in the S550 and the S197 didnât have a lot to start with. Works fine for my 4yr old and booster seat.
o Console:
§ Cup holder situation: Resolved! Almost worth the trade alone.
§ Still more hard plastic than Iâd like, but much improved.
o Stereo/Entertainment:
§ MFT & Navigation: Only used the Nav a few times, but I see some improvement in MFT. Bluetooth paring at least seems to work better.
§ Sound quality: A bit disappointing considering the shaker is supposed to be the next step up from the one in the â12. Similar to previous gen.
· Performance:
o Straight Line: Fast for sure, but I would give the previous car a slight edge, at least 0-80 or so. Not a huge difference, but considering the increase in power output, I was a little disappointed. To be fair, I only have 1900 miles on this motor and expect it will get a little quicker by 6K miles or so (the previous one did). Top speed is higher on the new model, but I never got close to the 146 mph max of the old car anyway.
o Handling: The IRS really makes this car more of a âpoint & shootâ affair. Chicanes, switchbacks, uneven surfaces mid-corner, this car just does it with little drama, and fast. Eye-popping grip, even on stock tires. Biggest performance difference between the two and the S550 delivers big time. Previous Gen might be quicker in a straight line by a hair, but the new car should win by a larger margin on a road course.
o Tranny/Shifter:
§ 1rst-2nd much easier to get right!
§ âNotchyâ shift into 3rd usually. Not bothersome, but different.
o Exhaust sound exterior: Maybe itâs just me, but I think the â15 sounds just a little better stock, from the outside.
o Engine sound interior: Slightly more subdued. Prefer the S197 sound with the windows rolled up, but difference is minimal.
· Issues:
o Seat leather, front passenger seat wrinkly & loose. Resolved by dealer, no cost.
o Rear Quarter panel alignment: Panels dipped inwards at the seams. Resolved, no cost.
o Rear Window distortion: About a 2â bar of distortion going laterally across the window, blurred view. Weirdest issue ever. Dealer replaced window at no cost.
o Rear Window alignment: pretty good initially, compared to others Iâve seen. A bit worse after new window installed, but Iâll live with it.
Verdict: In the end, Iâm glad I upgraded. In my opinion, the S550 is a better looking, more refined, better handling, and comfortable car. The IRA and improved interior mitigate the two biggest criticisms mustangs have always had, allowing it to compete on a different level.
Highs/S550:
· Coyote V8, may be the best motor of the decade
· IRA & overall handling performance
· Revised interior & new features (love the remote window roll down)
· Sharp looks
· Still good bang/$
Lows/S550:
· QC is still an issue, at least on some minor things.
· Wish Power increase translated into quicker numbers than the previous Gen.
Highs/S197:
§ Coyote V8
§ Still competitive and maybe even quicker stoplight-stoplight (SRA may actually help here).
§ Drag racers who already own an S197 may want to keep it.
§ Great value as a used car
Lows/S197:
§ Tricky 1rst-2nd shift
§ Ultimately slower thru corners (SRA)
§ Now dated interior with more âPlastickyâ parts
-----------------------------
In case there's anyone considering trading up from an S197 to the S550 like I did, I thought I'd share this write up. I traded in a 2012 GT on mine, and what follows are just my own thoughts, opinions, and observations. Take it for what it's worth:
2012 S197:
· Options: Premium Interior, black âleatherâ, Nav, Manual, 3.73 rear. No brembo (or track pack) on this car, 18â wheels, PZero AS tires, with std brakes & suspension. Regretted that, so opted for the PP on the â15.
· Mods: Bone Stock.
· Exterior
o Still like this body style from the front and side, but the rear was too narrow.
o Color: Kona Blue. Loved this color, except in some low light, where it would look a little purple.
· Interior:
o A little plain, but business-like, and comfy enough. Really nice âfor a mustangâ. Updated take on the 1967 interior.
o Seats: Comfy enough needed more lateral support. Material was thicker than the S550, giving the impression of durability, but the grain and feel were a bit on the cheap side. Keys always banging my knees: annoying.
o Console:
§ Cup holder situation: Awful in the manual car. Forget sporty driving with a beverage there. Whose design idea was that??
§ Console: kind of an ugly plastic
o Stereo/Entertainment:
§ MFT & Navigation: Infuriating on occasion just trying to set up a route. Some voice commands not understood and it would often indicate addresses were invalid when Google maps or even the iPhone maps would find it.
§ Sound quality: Shaker variant, without the rear sub. Sounded pretty close to the premium shaker with a sub in my S550. Probably the system in the â12 had better high frequency response, though both are a little muddy sounding to my ear.
§ Built in Hard Drive: Most now have all their music on phones or some separate device, but I miss the Hard drive myself. Scanned/recorded CDâs sounded much better than what I get from plugging in a phone or iPod.
· Performance:
o Straight Line: Not sure if my car was an anomaly or not, but it was really fast if you could nail the 1rst-2nd shift.
o Handling: Best handling solid axle mustang, but still an SRA. Fun to drive in the twisties, but youâd better be on your game. AS tires would break loose early but predictably. Typical SRA issue with bumps mid-corner.
o Tranny/Shifter:
§ 1rst-2nd shift difficult to get right, but paid off big if you did.
§ Much maligned gearbox gave me no trouble apart from above.
o Exterior Exhaust sound: Too quiet. Never upgraded it because I liked being somewhat âunder the radarâ.
o Sound Interior: S197 wins here, like âBullittâ at WOT.
· Issues:
o Annoying rattles from the rear of the car, popped up in the first week of ownership. Annoying, took 3 trips to the dealer to resolve.
o This car had only 14K miles when I traded it in on the S550, incredibly both lower control arms had to be replaced at about 10K miles. Warrantied, no cost to me. Just painful back and forth to the dealer. Disappointing engineering.
â15 S550:
· Options: Premium, Saddle âleatherâ, Nav, Manual, 3.73 rear, PP. Back up sensors. Factory tint isnât nearly enough in GA.
· Mods: Bone stock.
· Exterior
o Not impressed by early magazine pics, but seeing the car in person was a game changer. Loved the design, and the rear has a nice, wide stance. Front grill looks like a Fusion, but doesnât detract.
o Color: Magnetic. This color with the saddle interior was a little hard to find, but my dealer came through. Love it and like that itâs nearly invisible in cloudy weather.
· Interior:
o Very nice improvement over the previous gen overall. Enough design cues to let you know itâs a mustang, but thoroughly modern.
o Front Seats: Comfort and support are much improved over the S197. Material feels nicer, even if itâs thinner. Love the cooling function. Many have complained about how well the cooling works, but mine does fairly well.
o Rear Seats: No Biggy for me, but rear seat space is significantly smaller in the S550 and the S197 didnât have a lot to start with. Works fine for my 4yr old and booster seat.
o Console:
§ Cup holder situation: Resolved! Almost worth the trade alone.
§ Still more hard plastic than Iâd like, but much improved.
o Stereo/Entertainment:
§ MFT & Navigation: Only used the Nav a few times, but I see some improvement in MFT. Bluetooth paring at least seems to work better.
§ Sound quality: A bit disappointing considering the shaker is supposed to be the next step up from the one in the â12. Similar to previous gen.
· Performance:
o Straight Line: Fast for sure, but I would give the previous car a slight edge, at least 0-80 or so. Not a huge difference, but considering the increase in power output, I was a little disappointed. To be fair, I only have 1900 miles on this motor and expect it will get a little quicker by 6K miles or so (the previous one did). Top speed is higher on the new model, but I never got close to the 146 mph max of the old car anyway.
o Handling: The IRS really makes this car more of a âpoint & shootâ affair. Chicanes, switchbacks, uneven surfaces mid-corner, this car just does it with little drama, and fast. Eye-popping grip, even on stock tires. Biggest performance difference between the two and the S550 delivers big time. Previous Gen might be quicker in a straight line by a hair, but the new car should win by a larger margin on a road course.
o Tranny/Shifter:
§ 1rst-2nd much easier to get right!
§ âNotchyâ shift into 3rd usually. Not bothersome, but different.
o Exhaust sound exterior: Maybe itâs just me, but I think the â15 sounds just a little better stock, from the outside.
o Engine sound interior: Slightly more subdued. Prefer the S197 sound with the windows rolled up, but difference is minimal.
· Issues:
o Seat leather, front passenger seat wrinkly & loose. Resolved by dealer, no cost.
o Rear Quarter panel alignment: Panels dipped inwards at the seams. Resolved, no cost.
o Rear Window distortion: About a 2â bar of distortion going laterally across the window, blurred view. Weirdest issue ever. Dealer replaced window at no cost.
o Rear Window alignment: pretty good initially, compared to others Iâve seen. A bit worse after new window installed, but Iâll live with it.
Verdict: In the end, Iâm glad I upgraded. In my opinion, the S550 is a better looking, more refined, better handling, and comfortable car. The IRA and improved interior mitigate the two biggest criticisms mustangs have always had, allowing it to compete on a different level.
Highs/S550:
· Coyote V8, may be the best motor of the decade
· IRA & overall handling performance
· Revised interior & new features (love the remote window roll down)
· Sharp looks
· Still good bang/$
Lows/S550:
· QC is still an issue, at least on some minor things.
· Wish Power increase translated into quicker numbers than the previous Gen.
Highs/S197:
§ Coyote V8
§ Still competitive and maybe even quicker stoplight-stoplight (SRA may actually help here).
§ Drag racers who already own an S197 may want to keep it.
§ Great value as a used car
Lows/S197:
§ Tricky 1rst-2nd shift
§ Ultimately slower thru corners (SRA)
§ Now dated interior with more âPlastickyâ parts
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