I agree, conversations should be able to run their course. But I come to the Boss section to hear what people are saying about the Boss, not driving impressions about a Dodge. It's not like he was comparing it to the Boss either, wasn't even mentioned.

 

if I had to choose between the boss 302 and challenger, gotta admit I'd chose the mopar...sorry but still hung up on looks- and that challenger looks great coming AND going...went to the auto show this year sat in the mustang/camaro/challenger, where the camaro interior sucked, the mustang was perfect, and the challenger was very nice...lookswise hated the camaro front and rear- side profile looks ok till you get close, the windows are too short/beltline toohigh, the challenger looks great, but it is freakin huge, the mustang looks good, but the rearend just dont work for me...

I drove a buddies gt500 a while back was actually kinda let down...until it gets loud its not pinning you to the seat- was really expecting the torque off idle of a old bigblock, just not there...to me off idle torque would be better than a bizillion hp I cant legally feel daily, miss the bigblocks.
havent driven a challenger yet(nor a 5.0- but have read bottom end torque on the 5.0 was even down a bit from the 4.6, price you pay for cams that will take it to 7500 I guess) but guessing a srt8 would feel pretty good off the track...two strikes against the challenger are mopars notariety for quality issues and priced too high...car-wise I'd love it except for those two reasons

will be curious to see if the ecoboost comes to the 5.0...the little EB3.5 has more torque off idle than anything else non-diesel Ford offers...like 370 ft-lb at 1500...makes the 4.6's 320 @ 4500 pretty pathetic...too bad it dont sound like a V8 (yet). hoping MAYBE a EB5.0 will show up with 500 ft-lb @ 1500- wouldnt THAT be a kick in the pants Boss dont get it, but maybe a mach1 or something will eventually...till then though, sorry- kinda ashamed to say no interest in the boss 302 here...p

 

Well there is NOTHING to say about the Boss. Ford has done a poor job with getting out any info. Do they expect people to order one without having any knowledge about the car?
What about the mythical "red key"??? Isn't it about time they revealed this big secret? We are closing in on nearly 2 months since they announced they were bringing back the Boss and they haven't released any more info. This forum has almost died due to the lack of new info. The internet provides free product promotion and Ford isn't taking full advantage of it.

 

I understand your other points. But in reference to the quote, yes. Just like some of us bought our own SE's without even test driving. The car was perfect and right for us. I'm sure there will be more than enough Boss buyers - even with the bizarro color schemes.

 

Ford should have just waited and NOT released any information at all on the Boss until November. What were they thinking?

 

I have to agree on pretty much all of that. LOL

 

So like, are you confessing your SMQ blasphemy?

 

Wow, pretty much sums up what I have been thinking for last two years...

 

Not sure why this is considered a poor job, especially since this is quite similar to every major Mustang feature car that has been released in the last 10 years.

The '01 Bullitt had wee little information about it, and people bought them with limited test drive impressions in the car enthusiast magazines.

Since you have driven an '11 GT500, you probably have more of a feel of what the Boss might perform like than those who haven't done that. Of course, I believe the driving dynamics would be different because of the weight balance front-to-rear, the shock tuning (changing settings on the Boss will be fun), and electronic steering tuning.

In your other post, you mentioned

"I'd like to see some real driving footage,. Some in car stuff, some driver reviews."

Yeah, that would be cool. I assume that would not happen until cars are near their production configurations, which I surmise would be within the next 1-2 months, given what people have posted here about the 2012 ordering times.

"Basically anyone who orders one of these is going in almost completely cold. We will not be getting to test drive it."

That seems to be the way on many feature car Mustangs. I drove the '03 Mach 1 off the lot from the dealer when it first came out, and that was my test drive! These days, there is a 412hp 5.0 Mustang on the entry-level end and a 550hp 5.4 Mustang on the top end to at least compare. The '01 Cobra of the time wasn't quite as comparable to the Mach, and there wasn't really anything for the '01 Bullitt to be compared to then.

"I'd like to know if there are any options or if this car is really stripped down. Manual seats??? Really???"

Well, according to all the press release materials, the options are limited on the standard and LS Boss. The interior pictures let people see there is no Sync, no heated seats, no navigation. The exterior pretty clearly shows there is no glass roof. So, other than the manual seats (if they were to be that), what other content information is relevant in your comparison to a Challenger?

By the way, if I was doing any cross-shopping of a Boss Mustang, it would be with a GT500. The Challenger and Camaro, while in a similar class to the Mustang, seem much different to me in terms of styling and handling dynamics, especially since the Boss is supposed to be a "tighter tuned" handling vehicle with a higher redline.

 

This is where I stopped reading. To each his own...

 

Boss 302 > Challenger R/T ALL DAY LONG.

Guy at work has one (ordered a 2011 GT and got hosed by the dealer), and he's kicking himself that he didn't wait. They're nice, but not on the same level as the GT, and not anywhere close to the Boss.

 

think he was talking about the srt8

 

The reason there are no videos/driver reviews is because they are still fine tuning the car. Would it be better to put an unfinished product into the hands of some journalist who may already be biased?

 

And you know this how? What fine tuning are they doing?

 

I absolutely love the looks of the Challenger SRT-8. I think I could give up the opportunity for bench-racing bragging rights and just enjoy the thing. It appears to be as close to "old-school" muscle as you can get. I'm sure I'd miss the GT's handling in the twisties, but around town the Chally would be about perfect.

But the price...

 

If you've had an opportunity to talk to Ford engineers, you would likely hear them describe that they work on various elements of the special parts until several weeks before the final configuration is set. With the Boss, if I had to guess, there might be work going on in the engine calibration area. There could be other small details we don't know about because along with this car, the 2012 Mustangs will be around the corner too. There might be detail changes to address what 2011 Mustang owners are seeing going into the 2012s.

In terms of road impressions and test drives, that, as you most likely know, is timed to when magazine print cycles occur, which is also influenced by when the most production-ready versions of these cars have been built.

While it's seemingly "no news" to enthusiastic potential buyers like us, I expect there are LOTS of things going on to produce this automobile in a fashion that will lead to salivation before, during, and after a purchase.


PS - My understanding comes from attending Mustang Alley at the Woodward Dream Cruise, along with people who have worked on past Mustangs and other Ford vehicle programs that I know from IMBOC and the Mach 1 Registry.

 

Either way, the 302 > SRT-8/R/T

You've gotta look at the big picture. Totally different purposes. With the SRT8 barely having a power advantage on paper to the GT, why spend the extra money on it? The Boss will be priced competitively, and won't be Shelby money (at sticker). Seems like the performance aspect of it goes back to the 302.

 

I'm still with the guys that are of the same idea that the Challenger is much more "Muscle Car" than pony. It's big, heavy and has a great big block(SRT8) push-rod engine. It has a pretty minimal interior, comfy seats, good cruising manners and when you flog the throttle it has that burst of energy you'd expect from a "Muscle Car." The BOSS is still certianly a pony. Smaller, more agile, tight interior, overall performance in all categories except possibly that massive low end torque and interior space. To me there has been only one real pony car from the 60's and that was the Mustang. The Camaro has always tried to be pony sized but it's more muscle car than pony. The Challenger is another example of more muscle than pony. I still think this today even. It's obvious that the Challenger wanted to retain that muscle car legacy, the Camaro wanted to maintain that "please everyone" appeal and the Mustang remained a Mustang, only a better one.
The Challenger did pull off the daily driver appeal and incredible design fluidity. There shouldn't be any argument that the Challenger doesn't bring the sex. Though possibly more mullet like sex at times but none the less the overall vehicle came off a super success. And when has Dodge/Chrylser known how to do an interior justice?? Never in my eyes. But they hit on the proper cues.
Anyway, after seeing a Boss, I want one badly, but I still hate that grille. I can't wait to see how they drive if I ever get the chance to drive one. The Boss certainly isn't for everyone buy design and looks. So to me a Boss is for the truly loyal Mustang enthusiast. One that will judge it only to other Mustangs and how greatly it will stack up in the grand scheme of Mustang history.





Aaaand I lost my train of thought...

 

I thought I read somewhere that the Challenge would be offered with the V-10, if it is, then that would definitely be a Muscle Car.

LQQK

 

The drag-pak Challenger has the Viper V10. It also costs $80k+