I Ran into (And SAT IN) a 2015 Guard EcoBoost Fastback Today
 

Out for a run with my running group this morning, I unbelievably came upon a 2015 EcoBoost Mustang fastback in Guard. There is a local concours show tomorrow in Cincinnati which will feature a "50 Years of Mustang" block of cars.

I could not have planned this in anyway. I literally was running on the side of the street and as I approached where this car was displayed, my jaw dropped.

I abandoned my running group for awhile to get some photos. Amazingly, I was permitted to sit IN the car for a brief 5 minutes, so here are some impressions as compared to my 2010 GT.

INTERIOR MATERIAL QUALITY
The dash, center console, and seats are definitely a step up from my 2010. In addition to the soft touch surfaces, the interior grab handle provided a nice heft when closing the door. The center console lid was covered in soft touch leather feeling material. The leather on the steering wheel felt soft. The leather on the seats definitely felt softer than the leather in my 2010. The door panel plastics felt similar to the current car, which might disappoint some. However, this is a prototype car. The door leather panel with stitching felt soft.

Overall, I'd rate this interior as an 8.5/10 as compared to my 2010.


INTERIOR DRIVING POSITION/ERGONOMICS
The seats are a noticeable improvement over the current standard seats in terms of side and bottom bolstering. For a daily driver, I am very pleased with the way these feel. I am 6'2", 230lbs, and have a 34 inseam. This front seat room immediately felt roomier over my 2010, especially in the area of the hips and shoulders, even with the added side bolstering.

I immediately noticed the feel of sitting lower than my 2010. It felt "racier". Also contributing to that feel was the smaller steering wheel. That change is a welcome one for me, as I think the wheel of the current car is a bit less sporting because of the width. The sight lines to the gauges were good for me. I did not adjust the steering wheel or the seats.

With redesigned dash, the front leg room and the feel of more interior front space is a big change up from my 2010. Someone posted a video that included comments about the interior space, and I could definitely see why the 6'6" man would put the seat forward.

Overall, I'd rate this a 9/10 over my current car.


TOGGLE SWITCH FEEL
I flipped the switches to see how the buttons felt. They only push down and not up as seen in the recent EcoBoost drive video. The click-click action is solid. The "heft" of the switch itself felt a bit lighter than I thought they would, however, again, this is a prototype vehicle. You'll get to play with at least one of those switches a lot to operate the hazard lights, of course.

Cool factor is definitely there!


TRUNK SPACE
The increased rear width results in a wider opening. I actually can take the front wheel off my road bike and put it in my 2010. I think it will be easier with the wider opening. The depth appears similar to the current car. I think I again will be able to get my bike in the trunk (no bike racks on this car).

Overall, I'd rate this an 8.5/10 over the current car.


VISUAL IMPRESSION OF GUARD IN THE SUN VS SHADE
When I first came upon the car, I thought it was Magnetic. It took a bit to see the green "flecks" in the paint. In the shade, it looked like a dark grey, but in the sun, the metal flake and the green came out. It has a bit of the "color change" effect. It's an interesting color that will result in people talking about it. I heard 3 people who were not Mustang owners talk about the beauty of the color. My photos make it look like grey unfortunately because my cameraphone is limited. I will say this - if it is Magnetic and I am wrong, then chalk it up to color blindness!


I didn't want to overstay my welcome too much, otherwise I would have tried to hear the engine, take a few more photos underneath and gotten a few other interior shots.

Below is what I got using my Samsung Galaxy S camera phone.


Final comment - this made it easier for me to prepare for letting go of my 2010 GT, which I have enjoyed very much the past 4 1/2 years.

A few more...

Car looks great. How was the backseat space?

Why does the 5.0 look sorta shoehorned into that engine compartment?

Is anyone else seeing that, or is it just me?

Its an ecoboost

Yeah the EcoBoost and 5.0 do look tight in there.

Very similar to today's car, although I think there will be some more hiproom because of the extra width.

Oh, right, ecoboost. My bad. I assumed, and I don't really know why. Looked like the left side intake runnners... But that explains the snorkel going downwards from the airbox.

Still... dang. Big. o.0

Nice!!! :)

very nice makes me want a 15. To many dammmm buttons on that steering wheel tho.

do buttons confuse you? How do you do around keyboards?

No need for insults.


Hey nice find Tony! Thanks for the info and the pix!

Is it me or does that steering wheel closely resemble the camaro steering wheel

Steering wheel looks like like the one in the Fusion Ecoboost I just had as a rental last week. Very cool that you got to check it out in person. Can't wait to test drive one!

Thanks for sharing...

Nice job Tony.


Now you have me thinking Guard. hehe

I wish those were the rims that came with the performance pack.

You're telling me....
I'm not a fan of the black PP wheels.
These look great though.

Tony-

You should have stayed around and heard Jack Telnack speak. It was a good program and it was nice to see the '15 up close . . . although I didn't get to sit in it! :( :jester:

nice info...wonder if the few shortfalls you point out will be fixed in the production models.