Picked up my new GT 6M Sterling Gray last night... pics to follow (for drooling purposes )

Plan a trip from Vegas to San Jose for Easter - a good "shakedown".. More after that trip...

The good -

• EXCELLENT power and acceleration - smooth and quick and seems endless.
• Easy to drive both "normal" and fast
• Good ride
• Good cornering
• LOTSA toys to play with
• GREAT feature suite with the NAV package
• Really love the Rear Vid Cam.
• ABSOLUTELY gorgeous styling, and I LOVE the color. (Still not crazy about the GT fog lamps - prefer the clean grille of the V6 - getting quotes to change it)
• Good handling overall, but a bit squirrely when the rear end breaks loose on a turn I could easily negotiate in my Prelude. More practice will likely fix that.

The OK

• Been driving stick shifts for 40+ years.. The shift action is marginal compared to my most recent rides (Acura CL-S and Prelude SI - 8 and 10 years respectively). Mustang shifts OK but definitely NOT butter smooth, and is 'notchy'... Seems like the linkage was designed by a graduate student on summer break. IMO, this is a major failure on Ford's part for a performance car.
• Build quality (fit and finish) is OK, but on the lower end of good. "Tinny" compared to my Acura and Prelude. A tradeoff for the features installed, I reckon. Knew that going in.
• The stereo is dropping out the front speakers occasionally on all sources... will reset the system, but this is NOT a good omen.

Bottom line: While I am enjoying the car and learning the myriad of features, the jury is still out on the overall score... I am pleased I bought the car, but so far it is falling slightly short of my expectations.

 

Congrats! Love that colour!


I wouldn't exactly compare apples to oranges.
The drivelines of those cars compared to the Mustang are built for way different specs/purposes.

Not saying its not notchy or couldn't be improved...but way different transmissions built for way different power tolerances.

 

please take this car back and get your female cars back.

 

I don't care who you are. Now that's funny.

 

I concur. When your are dealing with that much power and torque it's going to be a little different shifting feel than your old "sports" cars. Embrace it and don't look back.

 

Exactly. It used to be that when you were reading a review of a sports car, the effort involved in shifting and working the clutch pedal was directly proportional to the amount of power the engine could provide. You had to practically be an athlete to drive a Lamborghini Countach or a Shelby Cobra. We've come a long way, but I don't know if any of the 400 hp sports/pony cars (at least in this price category) shift as buttery smooth as the best 200 hp cars from Japan.

 

congrats jimmbbo for your new car. For the front grill, that's one of the reasons why I choose the California Special package. Unfortunately by choosing this package, I cant get the brembo package and the backup camera as well.....just too bad ! Also I could not choose the 3.73 rear differential with the convertible....another bad thing !

You know for the interior design and finish, I really undertsand what you means. I had few Honda and Acura through the years, and now owns 2 recent Volkswagen, and I'm now use to the fit and finning + the smooth and very precise shifter of german cars.

But the 5.0 is all about performance and engine power. Have you see the comparison on the track, between the 5.0 and the M3 ? They both offers the same times on the track, but the 5.0 is less refined.....for 27 000$ less than the M3 !

 

Congrats on the car. Kinda sounds like you need to enjoy it & stop comparing to other cars. It's a Mustang. It will never be your Acura.

 

Thanks for sharing your 1st impressions, with which I mostly agree. In the end, the Mustang is really one of a kind for the price and is civilized yet badazz at the same time, with a heritage nothing from Honda can match. Are the negatives worth it? That's up to each person to decide.

I take care of my cars, but after it's all said and done this thing is just a conveyance - an extremely fun and sensory-intensive way to get from A to B. And it looks great! But once you let yourself be defined by a car, i.e. let it become part of your ego (as I did in my youth), then I think you begin to think irrationally about the car and lose perspective about its imperfections. Life's too short to get too attached to a car, and these things are not perfect on their best day.

Sorry about the soapbox, I was just trying to say that I respected your candid review.

PS - SO now get a set of SVT/GT500 mufflers ("Axle Back" exhaust) from Ford Racing Perf Parts. Do it now. You'll be glad you did.

 

Sterling Gray is the fastest color! Enjoy your new ride.

 

Let the Mustang CONSUME you!!




Sorry, that's just what I thought of when I read this.
OP, enjoy the new Mustang. You might need an open mind though. I agree with many of your statements but on the same token, I'd easily trade an Acura for a Mustang if it were possible. There are many short comings of the Mustang, that will more than likely get fixed in a few years. As for now, they are very livable and are only surface details that can be fixed easily. As for the performance of the car, it can't be beat. Hands down, cannot be beat for it's price point and in many others minds can't be beat for a lot more price point.
Owning a Honda, I know that you are saying about many of the features. Though the Mustang has become a persona and not an every man's car. You have to grow to love the uniqueness. Where anyone can enjoy an Acura RL. Shifting, well, I wish my Si shifted as solidly as the Mustang's I've driven. My Si is sloppy and light weight. It's not bad at all, but in my opinion, it's too loose.

Anyway, SG is a great color, just relax and enjoy!

 

LOL

I hear ya about the Honda shifting lately not being perfect. I once drove a 15-yr-old 1991 Civic Si to test drive a 2005 Accord V6 6MT. I was dismayed by how crappy the Accord shifting felt in direct comparison to my tattered old Si that still felt direct and snick-ey. Noticed same issue with the 4-Cyl 5-speed Accord too. I checked into it and found out that, contrary to the rod linkage in my old Civic Si, the newer FWD Hondas were being built with CABLE-OPERATED shifters, same as in a 1982 Pontiac 2000 P.O.S. I once owned. Made it easy on the engineers, but took away driving joy from their customers.

So not even Honda is as good as Honda used to be.

 

You should trade your Mustang for a Camaro and then you could whine about it.

 

I can relate to the OP. My last car was a Lexus but the MSRP was almost exactly the same as my new GT, so it seems natural to make some comparisons even though the comparisons are apples to oranges.

You have to slam the doors and trunk of the Mustang compared to the Lexus. The trunk release sounds like a cannon going off. The trunk upholstery feels unfinished compared to the Lexus. Etc, etc. But to get performance equal to the GT in a Lexus you have to spend $60k +. So what would you rather have?

I chose the performance. My GT puts a smile on my face every time I start it up. No regrets.

 

You know guys, I choose the 2012 Mustang for many reasons.

I always like the Mustang, oldest and newest ones but was not impressed by the handling.....They always been good straight line cars. Now since 2011, it's a different story: they improve the Stang by giving her a wonderfull engine, very technologic and up-to-date with a very good handling improvement. So it's the best of both world: you have the handling of a great sport car, and you still have the spirit and the sound of a Muscle Car....

Of course the Stang is not perfect, but it's nice to drive fast, and to have the feeling to drive fast.....not like a boring Lexus !

 

This.

 

Agree 100%! My old Toyota wasn't "notchy" either. For me, the "notchiness" became less and less of an issue once I got more familiar with the car. Now it feels precise while the Toyota feels sloppy.

On handling I find it hard to believe a Honda Prelude could handle better, except for maybe an extremely tight road.

 

I have a little girl V-6 automatic (bad back and left leg). I'm old. These are the cars i have driven when they were 'new'. 67 Olds 442, 68 Chevelle 396, 69 Z28, 69 Fairlane GT 390 and my Dad's 428 Galaxie 500 (i bought it when it was 15 years old from him but someone stole it . All these cars had a 'notch and slight grind' when going from 1st gear to second gear. All of the listed cars were 4 speed manuals. All of my past Mustangs (3) with manual transmissions had a 1st gear to 2nd gear, notch and grind. My Audi coupe GT even had it.

I think alot of people are freaking out about something that is normal

 

Synchros are what help the new transmissions. The old ones were bound to grind.

 

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha