petraman
Now with more MPGs!
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2014
- Threads
- 17
- Messages
- 539
- Reaction score
- 41
- Location
- Columbus, OH
- First Name
- Peter
- Vehicle(s)
- 2018 VW Golf
- Thread starter
- #1
Yeah, I know there are tons of these, but I'm mainly comparing it to my current car... The Focus ST.
Today I got to drive a EB PP. My phone died (after 39 hours... love my new Xperia Z3!) so no pictures, but I suck at taking pictures anyways and there's really nothing that hasn't been documented.
So, onto the review... this is partially amending my last non-driving review and driving impressions.
Exterior
One thing I didn't see before was how TINY the side mirrors are. They look cool but functionality seems to be pretty limited by their size. I'm not sure I could ever trust BLIS, either... i think that might be a deal-killer for the 201A package. I love my spotter mirrors and definitely prefer them to a little light in the mirror. Oh, and Competition Orange looks MUCH better in sunlight. They also had one in Guard and it was absolutely stunning... Definitely my color. The EB PP wheels are much shinier in person and after seeing them in person I'm not really a fan anymore.
Interior
Damn are those Premier seats attractive and super comfy... Got to use the cooled seats and I'm not sure they're for me... it was like sitting down in cold, wet swim trunks. I wish the center gauges were at an angle because they're out of my line of sight and not too visible.
Driving Impressions
Alright, here's the thing... The ST is more fun than the Mustang, but the Mustang is more capable. Having said that, getting the rear out after a hairpin turn was a ton of fun. The Mustang is much more neutral and I felt a lot more confident driving enthusiastically. Steering feel is also much better; there's a lot more coming through the wheel. On-center feel and effort, however, goes easily to the ST. Even in Sport+, the assist was too light for me. I think (hope) better tires will help.
It drove like a much more substantial car. Not heavier, but it just seemed much more solid driving over imperfections. It's a very comfortable car and I could tell it would be a much better DD than the ST. It's a real cruiser when driving normally.
The powertrain... welp, here's the disappointment for me. It felt not only slower than the ST, but it had nowhere near the low-end torque and 5th/6th gear passing was not an option. Turbo lag was much more pronounced as well. It was smoother, sure, but it just wasn't exciting. I'm confident COBB and others can work their magic on it, but I'm just not impressed with stock power. I'm not knocking the overall power, because the dealer admitted that they filled it with 87. Low octane doesn't affect turbo lag, though.
The shifter was notchy but very solid... never missed a shift and I was pretty confident downshifting. Throws were much shorter than the ST and I liked the clutch a lot more too. It required a lot less effort and was easier to modulate. I highly doubt I'd do any shifter mods because it's pretty much perfect IMO.
Conclusion
If I had to rate the Mustang on a scale from 1-10, I'd probably say it's an 8.5, but probably a 9-9.5 when you consider the aftermarket possibilities. The power is disappointing but not a deal-breaker. I could tell the car has a ton of potential and believe me I'll take full advantage of it. I'd say a Mustang EB is definitely in my future, however I'm not sure if I'd get the PP or not... Honestly I'd probably end up changing the majority of the parts in the package so I'm not sure it's worth it. Those gauges and that dash sure are cool, though.
Window Sticker: http://www.cotus.ford.com/services/inventory/WindowSticker?vin=1FA6P8TH6F5305400
Today I got to drive a EB PP. My phone died (after 39 hours... love my new Xperia Z3!) so no pictures, but I suck at taking pictures anyways and there's really nothing that hasn't been documented.
So, onto the review... this is partially amending my last non-driving review and driving impressions.
Exterior
One thing I didn't see before was how TINY the side mirrors are. They look cool but functionality seems to be pretty limited by their size. I'm not sure I could ever trust BLIS, either... i think that might be a deal-killer for the 201A package. I love my spotter mirrors and definitely prefer them to a little light in the mirror. Oh, and Competition Orange looks MUCH better in sunlight. They also had one in Guard and it was absolutely stunning... Definitely my color. The EB PP wheels are much shinier in person and after seeing them in person I'm not really a fan anymore.
Interior
Damn are those Premier seats attractive and super comfy... Got to use the cooled seats and I'm not sure they're for me... it was like sitting down in cold, wet swim trunks. I wish the center gauges were at an angle because they're out of my line of sight and not too visible.
Driving Impressions
Alright, here's the thing... The ST is more fun than the Mustang, but the Mustang is more capable. Having said that, getting the rear out after a hairpin turn was a ton of fun. The Mustang is much more neutral and I felt a lot more confident driving enthusiastically. Steering feel is also much better; there's a lot more coming through the wheel. On-center feel and effort, however, goes easily to the ST. Even in Sport+, the assist was too light for me. I think (hope) better tires will help.
It drove like a much more substantial car. Not heavier, but it just seemed much more solid driving over imperfections. It's a very comfortable car and I could tell it would be a much better DD than the ST. It's a real cruiser when driving normally.
The powertrain... welp, here's the disappointment for me. It felt not only slower than the ST, but it had nowhere near the low-end torque and 5th/6th gear passing was not an option. Turbo lag was much more pronounced as well. It was smoother, sure, but it just wasn't exciting. I'm confident COBB and others can work their magic on it, but I'm just not impressed with stock power. I'm not knocking the overall power, because the dealer admitted that they filled it with 87. Low octane doesn't affect turbo lag, though.
The shifter was notchy but very solid... never missed a shift and I was pretty confident downshifting. Throws were much shorter than the ST and I liked the clutch a lot more too. It required a lot less effort and was easier to modulate. I highly doubt I'd do any shifter mods because it's pretty much perfect IMO.
Conclusion
If I had to rate the Mustang on a scale from 1-10, I'd probably say it's an 8.5, but probably a 9-9.5 when you consider the aftermarket possibilities. The power is disappointing but not a deal-breaker. I could tell the car has a ton of potential and believe me I'll take full advantage of it. I'd say a Mustang EB is definitely in my future, however I'm not sure if I'd get the PP or not... Honestly I'd probably end up changing the majority of the parts in the package so I'm not sure it's worth it. Those gauges and that dash sure are cool, though.
Window Sticker: http://www.cotus.ford.com/services/inventory/WindowSticker?vin=1FA6P8TH6F5305400
Sponsored
. I wanna drive an Ecoboost with the PP next. I didn't feel like sport and sport plus had any turbo lag though. Normal mode definitely did though. It's funny cause normal mode on the BMW 328i is actually so good that when I drive it (my dad has one), i just leave it in that. I was surprised as to how lame the normal mode was on the Mustang..
