The interior improvement is a good point. When Ford put the new interior in the 2010 to 2014 car it was a dramatic improvement over the 2005 to 2009 car. I actually really like the interior in my 2014. Having said that, the 2015 interior is an improvement yet again for the most part.

 

As I still have my 2006 GT, in which the only real complaint I have is the interior quality, mostly the hard plastic in the door panels and the dash itself, but other than that.. I'm still just as happy and attached as I was since purchasing my first S-197 Mustang back in February of 2005..

Perhaps down the road, I'll be able to add a new Stang to my stable once my wife's 2013 Escape is paid off

In the meantime, I can always look into retrofitting my interior panels from a 2010-14 Mustang

 

I had an 06 GT in Vista Blue myself so I know exactly what you mean. The interior was my only real complaint about that car. Over the next few years from then, Ford got enough complaints that they made the interior upgrade a priority for the 2010 refresh. But you're right, there is plenty enough aftermarket out there to really improve the stock interior and it won't cost you a fortune unless you really want it to lol.

 

You're exactly 100% right on the money

 

We'll see, the 3600 lbs weight for the ATS-V as I understand it is rather optimistic. It also has a fine chassis but team Mustang has yet to really dive into the S550.


Anyways not really bothered by the LT1 as it seems GM is having trouble keeping the LT1 and LT4 together so for the .000000000000000005 seconds that the F6 jumps ahead the engine will immediately grenade and give Mustang the win by DNF.

 

Then you have completely missed the point of the Hellcat.

It is a factory built and supported car that comes with 707hp and drag times that are hard for anything to beat.

It has more power than all but 6 or 7 factory cars in the world, for 60k, that is darn impressive.

Yes, it is big and heavy compared to a Ferrari or a Lambo, yes it won't corner the way a Corvette will, but it also is a LOT easier to live with every day, it has a real back seat, a real trunk, and is MUCH more civilized than most of the other high powered cars.

 

^ This...

The 2.3l EcoBoost engine will work well in Europe where cars are taxed based on engine displacement and fuel economy.

They should sell a ton of those there. Lots of power, cheap to drive. The tax on the V8 was just too high for Europe.

While we are car enthusiasts, at the end of the day, Ford is a business that needs to sell 10 million+ cars each year. Think for a minute about the business decisions that a company has to make that sells a car every 3 seconds, 24 hours a day, all year long.

 

The cars today are heavy and have to meet a ton of requirements the old ones didn't.

Check out what comes out of the tail pipe of that '64 Ford vs. a 2015 Hellcat in terms of pollution. Check to see which one is still running well after 5 years.

Also, which one is also a nice daily driver, in addition to being a track car? The video you posted shows the '64 Ford jumping its nose in the air and moving around the track quite a bit, a Hellcat stays firmly on the ground and goes straight as an arrow.

Finally, I'll take my Hellcat that has X number of airbags, antilock brakes, traction control, air conditioned seats, sat radio and nav, over a '64 anything any day of the week. Worst case, if I should crash, I'm far more likely to live in the '15 Hellcat than the '64 Ford.

 

I'm not really concerned to be honest with you, as Ford will have that issue resolved with the next GT500

 

And on top of that, it is a FAR better built, FAR safer car...

The fact that we're getting this performance out of cars with good emissions controls, good safety features, and that are far more likely to be reliable long term, is amazing.

I've driven the new Challenger, it is a nice car, lots of power, big roomy backseat. They'll sell plenty of them. The weight difference of the Mustang is huge, it handles far more like a little roadster than the Challenger does, which is much more of a "beast".

I plan to get a ragtop version of the Mustang in a few months when they are easier to find. I wish the back seat was bigger, but otherwise, it is a very nice handling car and it has all the power I'll ever use. I couldn't care less if it is slightly faster or slightly slower than last year's model or the other cars, it is faster than I'm going to drive it.

 

Everything except the real back seat and the large trunk.

What the Hellcat REALLY needs is 4 wheel drive. The Lamborghini Aventador has 700HP but it also has 4WD, and it needs it, you just can't put that much power down using 2 wheels.

I read somewhere that if you do a burnout in a Hellcat and let it go, the wheels won't stop spinning and catch up to the car until you're in 4th doing 95mph. I don't know if that is true, but that is what I've read.

It needs 4WD.

Heck, I can tell the difference in my truck. My SUV is a 2015 Yukon XL Denali with the big 6.2l V8 in it making 420hp and 460ft/lb of torque. It also is 4WD, not because I drive it crazy off road (who does that in such expensive trucks?), but because the wheels will either spin if you step on it, or the traction control just retards the throttle. If you don't get the 4WD version of it, you can't really use all the power there either.

The GT500 that is coming would be nice if it could be had in 4WD.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini_Aventador

 

There is more to the way a car drives than raw power and straight line numbers in a book.

I recently drove the 15 GT, I've also driven the last generation GT.

The new one drives SO much nicer with the new IRS and other changes. It handles better, it is more comfortable (I'm not in my 20's anymore) and it just is more refined all over.

So what if the book says it is a tenth slower than the last GT, it is a far better car for normal drivers who can't get book numbers anyway. (which is me)

 

I couldn't agree more, as what good is all that HP and Torque going to do for you on the street, if you can't keep your wheels from spinning the moment you step into it ? It's just as you said, what good is having 707 HP if you can't really use it anyhow..

But from my understanding ! The purpose of the Hellcat is really designed for the track and not so much for street use to begin with

So until Ford/Shelby decides to come out with the next GT500 ? The current Mustang is good enough for now, plus we have the GT350 to look forward to this upcoming fall as well

 

It makes sense though. The solid axle has always been the better for launch. Even though I don't like them, the last model stang was probably the best mustang ever built. Truly everything you want a mustang to be. Completely stays true to the nameplates heritage and exceeds every other stang built. The new car may be a better all around vehicle but not a better mustang. It does not represent the badge or the history of the car.

 

You guys have lost your *****. "What good is 707hp?" If you have to ask that question, you are too lame to drive a mustang. No points will be awarded to either one of you and may god have mercy on your soul.
Go drive a 700hp car or even a 500hp car and then tell me what good is it. Wether it's controllable or not, it's an instant adrenalin rush. Being in command of so much power, I can only envy what a fighter pilot feels. Like shooting a full auto assault rifle.(No it's not necessary, but dammit it's something you don't want to live without). Lactos, gluten, red meat, pig fat, and the desire for ***** is why you need 700hp in your life.

Sorry in advance for the insulting rant but I'm tired of people downing beast cars. With all due respect.

 

Al ! I'm a bit confused by your post.. Did I read what you said accurately when you mentioned the solid rear axle has always been the better for launch, even though you don't like them ?

What I don't understand is, how can the last Mustang be the best that was ever built, if you didn't like the solid rear axle

I also don't quite understand what you mean by the new Mustang not representing the badge or history of the car either, so perhaps you wouldn't mind clarifying this a bit more as well

 

I don't like the 05-up mustang body. Too big but a much better car. Just doesn't feel like a mustang. Can only imagine the the 15 is even less mustang and more European. My first car was a 68 stang, then a 96, then a 92, then a 03 cobra. All felt like I was in a mustang. The 05-up not so much and it was disappointing.

 

First of all, I wasn't downing beast cars Al ! I was just expressing a concern in my last post.. So if you would care to bring me up to speed by addressing those concerns ? I'm all ears

 

I quoted both posts that I was responding to. It's a direct response to the conversation.

Last year I drove a Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Wow what a wonderful experience. Never drove anything that perfectly built. And my immediate thoughts were I need more power and my cobra would be a lot more fun on this track. It's not about the refinement or engineering, it's about a really fun car.

 

I am NOT the same way. My dad used to have a 1968 Camaro, with a 502 BBC in it. PLENTY of power (and especially torque), but it just wasn't fun to drive. It was literally only good in a straight line, turning with any sort of speed made it feel like it was going to capsize.

I like my V6 Mustang SOOO much more, even though it has 150 less horsepower. It's just a much better ride and I can appreciate the power more.

You can only have so much fun mashing the go pedal until you hit triple digits, especially in a straight line.

FWIW, shooting a full auto is also pretty overrated. Yeah, it's nice the first few times. Then you just realize you're wasting money on ammo and not even actually hitting anything.