Finally got to sit in it, start it up, etc. They only had 1 (Gilboy Ford). It was silver with the red interior which i was not digging, but at least i got a chance to check it out. They only had 1, so no test drives. The salesman was being a real jerk too, "we arent budging from MSRP", I told him I had A-Plan, and that I obviously wasnt interested in paying a penny more, and would wait. Anyway, what i noticed (just my opinion):

HOT:
1) Engine Sound, just plain mean. From start up, to some light revving, it sounded GREAT!.
2) Plenty of room in the engine compartment for work, mods, etc.
3) Window Dance
4) Shifter feel, distance in relation to your hand, etc.
5) fold down flat rear seats.
6) Fit and Finish, mostly.
7) Trip computer. Seems to do quite a bit, including "shut off". For when you just dont care.
8) Great seating position. Finally, A mustang you sit IN and not ON.

NOT:
:notnice: 1) Guages...With those giant fake chrome bezels, i just feel they are a little tacky. Either use real chrome, or skip it.
:notnice: 2) MyColor...While the ability to have the first Ford ever built to not have 70's era green guages is intriguing, this system seemed like a project to get past the 4 or 5 base options. And the fact that anything other than "Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber Green", doesn't match the rest of the interior lights, is kinda a downer. I feel like I'd just end up setting it for Green to match.
:notnice: 3) No interior trunk release? Maybe that is a little picky of me, but ive simply never seen a car without some kind of quick interior release hatch for the trunk.
:notnice: 4) Some fit and finish aspects...The plastic "container" around the shifter moved around, and didnt seem firmly attached to the floor. The "aluminum trim" pieces just didnt sell me on being "real" alluminum at all. They felt like plastic to the touch. Are they heavily clear coated? I personally prefer the feel of real metal...if ford was going to have to clear coat it this heavily, maybe they just should have used plastic afterall. I think someone mentioned the shifter numbers rubbing off. I thing that the numbers are on the metal, and then clear coated over. So they can not rub off, but at the same time, you lose the "metal" feel of the shifter. Again this is just my personal taste, but if you are going to make metal feel like plastic, why not just use plastic?
:notnice: 5) Not an overwhelming pass of the "door slam test". I saw the saleman, who wouldnt leave a 2 ft bubble around me, noticed that i opened and then slammed the passenger door. He quickly said "they built this one solid". True, vastly more solid than it predessesor, or any of my Fords, but not "BMW" solid. There was still a hint of rattle.


Anyway, As I am not in the market for a new car until next year, I feel like I was able to be as inpartial as I could be. Obviously the lack of a test drive, allows me to only rate the car based on sitting in it. Overall, I was impressed. But the car didnt sell me. Lack of HID's, and a Sunroof as options, are things I personally can not overlook. Navigation can be had in the aftermarket, and in fact most of those systems are much better anyway. But those other 2 would make the final decision tougher than i think it needs to be. I guess the driving will have to be the deciding factor.

 

Hmmm...interesting perspective.

Other posters here have stated that the gauge pods are REAL CHROME. You appear to intimate that they're plastic.

How bright are the gauges? Bright like the LEDs in other cars?

Not good about the center console around the shift boot moving around. Maybe it's an early model, one-of-a-kind glitch.

Again, it's been stated that the aluminum dash trim is REAL aluminum. You're probably right, it's probably clear coated to make it more scratch resistant, and easier to wipe down when cleaning.

Door slam test not as solid as Bimmer? But is it as solid as other Japanese cars, particularly the Mazda 6 - both use the same build techniques and come out of the same factory.

Again, some of these things are highly subjective, and it depends upon what standards one is used to. Some come on these boards and complain about interior fit & finish issues, others say: "forget what you've heard, fit & finish is amazing."

I guess everyone perceives reality differently.

 

They seemed like plastic to me. Maybe also clear-coated? I just wonder what the point of using real metal is, if you are just going to make it feel like cheap plastic?

The guages were nice and bright, that i will say. I had trouble figuring out (since it was daytime) if they were the newer style LED ones found in more expensive cars, or the standard backlit ones.

 

what part of pa is whitehall in east west or midle?

 

east

 

Was this a V6 or V8.

I got excited because there is an area called Whitehall around Pittsburgh too.

 

Me too kluski, I was like where in whitehall is there a dealer lol.