mephim
Well-Known Member
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- #1
This turned into a much longer review than anticipated. Here are my thoughts, jalopnik style, after 1300 miles of living in my GT350 track pack.
Exterior (8/10)
The styling is not as polarizing as many other cars. Is it drop dead gorgeous? No. Is it handsome? Yes. Everything on the car looks so functional. The hood aero duct (does not exhaust the engine) is perfectly integrated. The side curtain vents with brake vents that direct air over the wheel wells are just plain cool. The cartoonishly high attack angle track pack spoiler obviously does more than block a precious few inches of the rear view.
I enjoy the former for what it is, a mustang with aero bits. It's not trying to be anything else and I'm actually glad for that. The car isn't screaming at you when you look at it, it's just the S550 presence +25%. The smirking face also makes it look like it's keeping a secret (or maybe just drooling), and it is. This is so much more car than the looks might advise.
The panel gaps are as bad as everyone says. I had to align the hood. The front bumper isn't quite square... In addition I am yet to see a GT350/R with <2mm gap between the rear quarter and the rear bumper.
I just wish that the exterior building line could take some cues from the interior group...
Interior (9/10)
Wow! Talk about under promise and over deliver. The design and fitment of the track pack interior (read base) is spot on. There is no frivolity and the few touches, like the bronzed aluminum trim, are tasteful. The alcantara makes the touch points feel special.
Oh, but the seats. They are worth whatever you are giving up in the tech package. The bolstering just keeps you gorilla-glued, so much so that I'm yet to use my knees for bracing in. They are also comfortable. In the Focus ST, which has similar levels of seat aggression, my back is hammering after an hour. I spent back to back 8 hr days in the 350 and didn't need a small Asian woman, well not for that. Moving on.
Your money was not spent on materials. Sure, a lot of dead dinos had to give their lives to provide such a broad expanse of hard plastics. At least it isn't that scratchy shit texture that GM used in the 5th gen Camaro, that was an abrasion hazard.
The visibility is ok, in that I can see out of it. Not sedan/hatchback levels, but it doesn't feel scary in parking lots. Do be careful of the front, I can see how the blind spot over the hood could cause some tears.
Acceleration (8/10)
Midbrain: What the hell, this doesn't have 400+ lb ft...
(Hits 3800 rpm)
Cerebrum: Holy shit!... Holy shit!make it stop!
Midbrain: I can't, its too much fun. I think my erection just pushed the steering wheel.
Cerebrum: Please make it stop! My sphincter can't handle this!
(Next gear)
That is your virgin experience with the GT350 loud pedal. There is a lot of snooze below 3.5k and then the engine dials up Stephen Hawking and you are creating a singularity. The way it builds speed is unique, bizarre and magical.
It's definitely not the fastest car point to point in it's class (pick a class) and you definitely need to rev the life out of the engine to get real performance. The throttle response and linearity of the Voodoo engine are worth what you might lose in a drag race.
This is not a numbers car and I have an inkling that many buyers that just like stupid fast will find remorse if they are expecting easy speed. For me it just works but my brain needs calibrating when switching from another car.
Braking (9/10)
The braking package might be the finest engineering achievement in the GT350 program. The stopping distance is yada yada. Even better is the control/ABS tuning. When you go near the brakes, they are right now. Sure they have an occasional squeak but there is no slop or surprises and you again need to recalibrate your brain for the initial bite. They don't let up either, after over two hours on 60 mph high curve roads they were as dependable as when I started. If these brakes were stronger I wouldn't feel comfortable on the road.
Take note about bedding the brakes: do it correctly. I had to do about 10 60-5 mph stops before the pads felt fully engaged.
The tires have quite a lot of longitudinal grip as well. Some squirm on dry surfaces but there was likely a tread compound tuning to keep the super wides drivable in the wet.
Ride (9/10)
The ride is actually surprisingly supple in normal mode. Sport mode is a little sharper, a little less body roll. As bossing stated, there is not as much delineation between modes as the C7 Corvette. I suspect the spring rate is just too high to ever let the damping overcome transmission of force to the chassis.
I did find it surprising this morning when my FoST was more uncomfortable for joint slap.
Handling (9/10)
Hopefully you buy this car for handling, because this is what it do best. Tire grip is progressive and chassis control is... controlled. Body roll is negligible, especially with the dampers working at their best.
The car can perform quick transitions and maneuver low speed corners in a manner that will make you forget the prodigious weight. The overall tendency at adhesion limit is understeer. It is slight though and comes slowly. With practice it can be fixed with the linear power and sometimes requires a good heel-toe. The rear end will even do a nice small drift if you get it right, making you feel like a hero. I'm not a hero though, the traction control just has the computing power of a Cray tower (are those still made?)
Part of the penalty for that control is the huge front tires. The tramlining nearly killed me a few times as I was getting exhausted. You need to be awake on the highway as the steering wheel is lifeless and rumble strips will generally tell you before the tiller does.
Gearbox (8/10)
When warmed up, this gearbox is my favorite manual I have ever used. When it's cold, depression/anger set in.
The shifter throws are short and the gates give such positive feedback that you never miss a gear. Some would call this notchy, I would call it direct.
The clutch has a good bite point and matches the shifter in precision. It's rare that the two are in such perfect harmony. This is good because you need to shift a lot to get max aggression from the engine.
The transmission oil takes a long time to heat up and once the heat is in the fluid it has to be worked to maintain it. The track pack trans cooler might be too good for normal use. It will cool the gearbox oil to ~30 deg above ambient on the highway. For me, this was below the bottom of the gauge as I was driving in 40-60 weather. It's not fun to be exiting at 75 and trying to rapidly downshift with an underheated tranny.
Audio (10/10)
The radio works. The speakers are rental grade but who cares. The exhaust is all the music you will ever need.
The tonal character of the engine is truly unique. I was expecting E90 M3 creaminess with added throatiness. The Voodoo is far more violent in person. Above 6000 on the tach, the entire car is shaking. Think dueling chainsaws with a backdrop of operetta, a very faint backdrop. My mastery of the English language falls short to do the engine/exhaust justice. It's a truly unique sound.
Side note: my exhaust actually stopped actuating on the passages after 600 miles. It was fixed at 1300, but those 700 In between had me hallucinating.
Toys (9/10)
The car is a toy. Aside from that, the amount of customization in the IDC is bordering on BMW iDrive obsession.
The drive modes are distinct and enjoyable to experience individually. Weather mode works surprisingly well in standing water and heavy rain. Normal is comfortable-ish. Sport dials out a fair amount of yaw control, track does some more. Drag strip allows line-lock mode. This last one was necessary when showing the dealership my appreciation for fixing the exhaust valve.
The lap timers and g-meter are sure to bring another layer to my track abilities. I'm not a straight line guy but there are timers to help you improve your launches.
Value (9/10)
The value of this car is so difficult to assess due to market value. The thing is, I paid $59,170 for this car due to 2k in markup. At that price, the C7 is in direct firing line. Is the GT350 more fun than the corvette? It will never make the numbers the corvette does, it's too heavy.
On the other hand, these types of cars are emotional purchases. No one needs a sports car, and don't be fooled, this is a sports car. But if you're making an emotional purchase, this is one of the most emotional car I've ever been in and that includes some heavy hitting Italians.
I can only imagine the R. Thanks for your time.
Exterior (8/10)
The styling is not as polarizing as many other cars. Is it drop dead gorgeous? No. Is it handsome? Yes. Everything on the car looks so functional. The hood aero duct (does not exhaust the engine) is perfectly integrated. The side curtain vents with brake vents that direct air over the wheel wells are just plain cool. The cartoonishly high attack angle track pack spoiler obviously does more than block a precious few inches of the rear view.
I enjoy the former for what it is, a mustang with aero bits. It's not trying to be anything else and I'm actually glad for that. The car isn't screaming at you when you look at it, it's just the S550 presence +25%. The smirking face also makes it look like it's keeping a secret (or maybe just drooling), and it is. This is so much more car than the looks might advise.
The panel gaps are as bad as everyone says. I had to align the hood. The front bumper isn't quite square... In addition I am yet to see a GT350/R with <2mm gap between the rear quarter and the rear bumper.
I just wish that the exterior building line could take some cues from the interior group...
Interior (9/10)
Wow! Talk about under promise and over deliver. The design and fitment of the track pack interior (read base) is spot on. There is no frivolity and the few touches, like the bronzed aluminum trim, are tasteful. The alcantara makes the touch points feel special.
Oh, but the seats. They are worth whatever you are giving up in the tech package. The bolstering just keeps you gorilla-glued, so much so that I'm yet to use my knees for bracing in. They are also comfortable. In the Focus ST, which has similar levels of seat aggression, my back is hammering after an hour. I spent back to back 8 hr days in the 350 and didn't need a small Asian woman, well not for that. Moving on.
Your money was not spent on materials. Sure, a lot of dead dinos had to give their lives to provide such a broad expanse of hard plastics. At least it isn't that scratchy shit texture that GM used in the 5th gen Camaro, that was an abrasion hazard.
The visibility is ok, in that I can see out of it. Not sedan/hatchback levels, but it doesn't feel scary in parking lots. Do be careful of the front, I can see how the blind spot over the hood could cause some tears.
Acceleration (8/10)
Midbrain: What the hell, this doesn't have 400+ lb ft...
(Hits 3800 rpm)
Cerebrum: Holy shit!... Holy shit!make it stop!
Midbrain: I can't, its too much fun. I think my erection just pushed the steering wheel.
Cerebrum: Please make it stop! My sphincter can't handle this!
(Next gear)
That is your virgin experience with the GT350 loud pedal. There is a lot of snooze below 3.5k and then the engine dials up Stephen Hawking and you are creating a singularity. The way it builds speed is unique, bizarre and magical.
It's definitely not the fastest car point to point in it's class (pick a class) and you definitely need to rev the life out of the engine to get real performance. The throttle response and linearity of the Voodoo engine are worth what you might lose in a drag race.
This is not a numbers car and I have an inkling that many buyers that just like stupid fast will find remorse if they are expecting easy speed. For me it just works but my brain needs calibrating when switching from another car.
Braking (9/10)
The braking package might be the finest engineering achievement in the GT350 program. The stopping distance is yada yada. Even better is the control/ABS tuning. When you go near the brakes, they are right now. Sure they have an occasional squeak but there is no slop or surprises and you again need to recalibrate your brain for the initial bite. They don't let up either, after over two hours on 60 mph high curve roads they were as dependable as when I started. If these brakes were stronger I wouldn't feel comfortable on the road.
Take note about bedding the brakes: do it correctly. I had to do about 10 60-5 mph stops before the pads felt fully engaged.
The tires have quite a lot of longitudinal grip as well. Some squirm on dry surfaces but there was likely a tread compound tuning to keep the super wides drivable in the wet.
Ride (9/10)
The ride is actually surprisingly supple in normal mode. Sport mode is a little sharper, a little less body roll. As bossing stated, there is not as much delineation between modes as the C7 Corvette. I suspect the spring rate is just too high to ever let the damping overcome transmission of force to the chassis.
I did find it surprising this morning when my FoST was more uncomfortable for joint slap.
Handling (9/10)
Hopefully you buy this car for handling, because this is what it do best. Tire grip is progressive and chassis control is... controlled. Body roll is negligible, especially with the dampers working at their best.
The car can perform quick transitions and maneuver low speed corners in a manner that will make you forget the prodigious weight. The overall tendency at adhesion limit is understeer. It is slight though and comes slowly. With practice it can be fixed with the linear power and sometimes requires a good heel-toe. The rear end will even do a nice small drift if you get it right, making you feel like a hero. I'm not a hero though, the traction control just has the computing power of a Cray tower (are those still made?)
Part of the penalty for that control is the huge front tires. The tramlining nearly killed me a few times as I was getting exhausted. You need to be awake on the highway as the steering wheel is lifeless and rumble strips will generally tell you before the tiller does.
Gearbox (8/10)
When warmed up, this gearbox is my favorite manual I have ever used. When it's cold, depression/anger set in.
The shifter throws are short and the gates give such positive feedback that you never miss a gear. Some would call this notchy, I would call it direct.
The clutch has a good bite point and matches the shifter in precision. It's rare that the two are in such perfect harmony. This is good because you need to shift a lot to get max aggression from the engine.
The transmission oil takes a long time to heat up and once the heat is in the fluid it has to be worked to maintain it. The track pack trans cooler might be too good for normal use. It will cool the gearbox oil to ~30 deg above ambient on the highway. For me, this was below the bottom of the gauge as I was driving in 40-60 weather. It's not fun to be exiting at 75 and trying to rapidly downshift with an underheated tranny.
Audio (10/10)
The radio works. The speakers are rental grade but who cares. The exhaust is all the music you will ever need.
The tonal character of the engine is truly unique. I was expecting E90 M3 creaminess with added throatiness. The Voodoo is far more violent in person. Above 6000 on the tach, the entire car is shaking. Think dueling chainsaws with a backdrop of operetta, a very faint backdrop. My mastery of the English language falls short to do the engine/exhaust justice. It's a truly unique sound.
Side note: my exhaust actually stopped actuating on the passages after 600 miles. It was fixed at 1300, but those 700 In between had me hallucinating.
Toys (9/10)
The car is a toy. Aside from that, the amount of customization in the IDC is bordering on BMW iDrive obsession.
The drive modes are distinct and enjoyable to experience individually. Weather mode works surprisingly well in standing water and heavy rain. Normal is comfortable-ish. Sport dials out a fair amount of yaw control, track does some more. Drag strip allows line-lock mode. This last one was necessary when showing the dealership my appreciation for fixing the exhaust valve.
The lap timers and g-meter are sure to bring another layer to my track abilities. I'm not a straight line guy but there are timers to help you improve your launches.
Value (9/10)
The value of this car is so difficult to assess due to market value. The thing is, I paid $59,170 for this car due to 2k in markup. At that price, the C7 is in direct firing line. Is the GT350 more fun than the corvette? It will never make the numbers the corvette does, it's too heavy.
On the other hand, these types of cars are emotional purchases. No one needs a sports car, and don't be fooled, this is a sports car. But if you're making an emotional purchase, this is one of the most emotional car I've ever been in and that includes some heavy hitting Italians.
I can only imagine the R. Thanks for your time.
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