Local,dealer had one there for sales training so I stopped by to check out the car

So Ill start with the generic... the car does look better in person, low and wide, great proportions, front end design fits perfect in real world. I did a bit of an exercise where i would take a pic then look at the pic and then back at the car without moving and its kinda crazy how seeing it in 3D with my eyes vs a screen makes it all fit together better...

BTW good job Ford hiring this particular trainer, was VERY friendly and entertained my questions while i played with the car, MFT, etc Car was Race Red 201A with 68B ebony interior

So my thoughts on various things that were important to me so i focused on them based on what I wanted to learn beyond what I already know.

Shaker Pro... contrary to some of the audiophiles i thought the system sounded great, I played with it with some country music, rap, pop and it sounded great no matter what. It was definitely the equivalent of the H&K system in my audi (which was the upgrade) I think 99% of 401A (and 201A) buyers will think its awesome

68B interior, top door panels were soft touch as expected. however it was very soft material, softer than the doors in my audi. I would say the soft touch is on par with the material around the stack. the audi doors are a bit harder than that without being "hard plastic". very nicely done Ford. one thing to add, I thought the rest of the door material wasn't full on laptop case type of hard plastic so those not getting 68B might not be that disappointed. (if soft touch only comes 68B)

The seats were great, soft and supportive. I am disappointed in the seatback range of motion when folding it forward to get someone out. it did have the "return" feature to your last spot. Also cant for the life of me understand why ford didn't put in power seat backs considering the general level of class in the interior (and the memory function) makes no sense

This car like all the other trainers had the 18s. I felt they fit the car just fine, gaps didn't look excessive and they were more flush with the fenders than any S197 wheel except the brembo package. the rep did mention that they don't want all the wheels pushed all the way out like the optional 20s because it disrupts the airflow across the side of the car for fuel mileage purposes... interesting tidbit.

MFT: haven't used a car with it for more than a minute until today, was just as responsive and fast as Idrive, audi MMI. Not to deny there weren't any real issues in the past but the newest version works fine.

Body fit and finish was also very good, this was confirmed to be a preproduction car. I'm sure if I got out a measuring tape down the decimeter i could find gaps that weren't perfect. Hood alignment from 2 ft away looked very good from 10 ft away looked perfect. And i was purposely looking for misaligned angles and gaps. Hood gaps were a bit wider than my audi but the alignment was similar. Body panel gaps were similar to the audi

I heard the ecoboost rev.. sounds good for a 4cyl turbo, its deep for a 4cyl turbo, but its unmistakably a 4cyl turbo. I would say on par with the BMW 428i stock...

All in all it was great to be able to sit in one, play with the switch gear etc prior to the cars hitting lots

Tried adding a few photos but the app wants no part of that.....

EDIT: added them on PC, app still sucks

 

Great review! I too have seen the car in person although it was at the NY International Auto show so I couldn't sit in it but I think you're spot on with your review of the car visually. It's very odd that this car looks intense in person yet loses something in photographs. The front end doesn't look like a "Fusion coupe" as I have a 2013 Fusion so I would know. It's far more Aston esque, which is a good thing but I also see a more modern interpretation of the 68 Grill.. So yes the DNA is there. The car does sit lower and wider, with a really aggressive stance and the overall appearance is that of a much more expensive car. I think haters will at least soften their criticism when they see the car and anyone on the fence will love it. My Dad, who wanted a more modern Mustang, loved it but had said he would've liked to see Ford go even further but I think it strikes the right balance of modern tech meets classic themes. Looking forward to my test drive on Oct 4th where I'll post a review and my driving impressions.

 

Great review! I can't wait to check one out in person! I'd love to see some shots if the app will cooperate!

 

By "top door panels" being soft touch you mean from armrest up? What about the center console, is it soft touch too? The pre-production models were made of the same cheap plastic material as the S197 according to the press.

 

yes from the door armrest up was very soft material, if you want a comparison i would say like a gel shoe insert or mousepad. There is an obvious seperation line from the very soft material to the harder material on the rest of the door. I know there is some speculation whether this is exclusive to 68b or all premiums will have it. The center console around the shifter seemed to be a harder material but my body never made contact with it (maybe you could bang your wrist taking a coffee cup in or out), the material around the center stack was very soft where knees and thighs would impact and the center armrest was wrapped in soft leather (ish) material with nice contrasting stitching.

overall i didnt find hard material anywhere that a BMW 3 series or audi A4/S4 didnt have it and found soft materials in all the same places. the hardest material was on the face plate around the nav and dials, i would say the console and lower doors were more of a grained material and while "harder" didnt have a "cheap" feel to them.

Some of the early cars the press sat in at the original events were all pilot cars. according to the trainer this car was built sometime in july and is very close if not fully factory spec

 

I liked it when the first pictures came out and I really liked it when I saw the car in person. I'm really interested to see how the turbo performs and sounds when the reviews start to get posted.

 

GREAT review! Thank you!
! have had no problem loving the looks from day one! This helps me go from feeling really, really good about my order and selections, to feeling great about them!
Nice job!

 

What did you order...

it was nice having the car to myself more or less for 20 min... unfortunately it didnt help much with my choice, I am 100% sold on ruby red with ebony 68b, but i cant decide between the GT performance package and getting 20s with the 3.55

 

Great review as well thanks for posting! I liked it from day one and can't wait to read some reviews about them! :-)

 

Does anyone know when the magazines will have road tests on the 2015 Mustang? Since I want a 2015 I also want to get all the magazines and literature so I have it saved.

 

If you're relying on paper publications, the November issues (on shelves in October) will likely be where you'll find articles.

If you're an internet user (and I'm going out on a limb here and assuming you MIGHT be ) "mid September" is when journalists will supposedly have a crack at them....so next weekish?

 

I went with the performance package for one reason, resale value!

 

LOL...Ok. that's a reason but probably the weakest reason to get the performance goodies by my estimation.

You'll be glad you have it.

 

Waiting for the aftermarket goodies )))

 

I do not disagree with you, I didn't want to spend the extra $2500 on stuff I didn't think I'd use, my buddy talked me into it based on resale. Of course once I start driving it I expect that I will be glad I got the package for other more satisfying reasons :-)

 

You will not regret getting the performance package. I am willing to bet you would have had regrets if you did not get the performance package and then drove a Mustang with the performance package.

 

That looks like Jack Madden Ford in Norwood, MA.

 

Gold star for you lol

 

Looks like I will never know because I gots me da package!