MartinM

Sorry in advance if this topic has been covered before.


I was wondering if anyone had any inside information on whether Ford is planning to offer the Performance Package on the 2016 Mustang GT with automatic transmission?


I want this PP option, but also want an easier drive in commuting traffic and the ability of my wife and daughter to be able to enjoy this vehicle (they refuse to drive a stick).


After market performance parts seem mostly unavailable...

Enfynet

Give it time. The aftermarket companies will have plenty of performance enhancing tidbits for the automatic.

karrnutt

I generally find the 2016 mustang offerings to be disappointing ! Although I will always prefer the mustang to the new Camaro; I think GM is more in tune to a broader scope of buyers than the blue oval . They have their new line up ordered more correctly with the turbo 4 as their base and the V6 as the mid model and the V8 as the top line model. They have not given up on the V6 and relegated it to low line status. Many of us still consider this a real mistake. Gm's colour palate is by far more exciting and the inclusion of an 8 speed auto is great for those of us would like an improved auto in our cars .If Ford had followed suite or led the way I think there would be even more enthusiasts with orders on the books.

bob

Possibly karnutt but the S550 has been incredibly successful given the crowded market it is in. When the F5 debuted it sold a bit over 10k units and I believe the S550 had almost or over 13k units when the order banks opened.


I like that GM treats the Sixxer Camaro better than the unwanted stepchild in the Mustang stable in an effort to railroad people into bumping the EcoBoost 4's take rate.


I guess they have to quickly amortize the cost somehow?


The next Camaro has some great things going for it with the LT1 and Alpha chassis with the possible exception of the exterior which looks more like a mid-cycle refresh rather than a new car. I'm not going to say sales will be tepid but I'd be really surprised if the new Camaro took off like the new Mustang.


If it were me in charge of the S550 debut I think I would have done things a bit different.


A) I would have base and premium trim levels for all engines
B) I'd have a performance pack for all trim levels
C) I'd have an honest track pack available that would take the performance pack items and give the car more aggressive tires and suspension tuning plus I would have snuck in some early GT350 stuff by equipping the track pack cars with 4 pot rear calipers as an additional upgrade over the Performance Pack's GT500 based binders with maybe even more aggressive pads.
D) I would have pushed for the S550 to have Sync 3 right out the door.

karrnutt

I concur that the Camaro does look more like a mid cycle refresh than a totally new vehicle. Never have been a fan of the 10-15 design. To me it has always looked rather bulky like the Challenger. However they do offer quite a bit of technology compared to Mustang. Ford seems to want to put all its good stuff into the GT 350 which will be a low volume vehicle that most mainstream buyers will never be able to afford.

bob

Yep, that's Ford. They have played that card since at least 1993 when SVT rolled out.


GM has always offered better base level equipment in comparison which is nice but seems to bite them in the rear when it comes to SE cars unless they really make a spectacular effort (ZL1, F5 Z/28, et al). The 4th gen SS Camaro didn't seem all that spectacular when it debuted against Ford's Cobra (despite being a very good car, the F4 SS was faster around GM's Milford test track than its Corvette contemporary).

StangMan04

PP is not available to autos on the 2016s. Only change to the PP was that it is available to manual transmission convertibles now along with fastbacks.

Music man in Pcola

I also had to purchase an auto in my new S550 due to non-driving issues with my wife. I solved the problem a bit by ordering the 20" wheel/tire package with 20x9 rims and Pirelli 265/35x20 tires and ordered a new set of Steeda fully adjustable F/R sway bars (which are both stiffer than the PP bars) and a Ford Racing upper strut brace. My car handles very well and the 3.55 option is also very helpful too.

RunNgun

Could you just put in a factory build request with your dealer for the PP 3.73 rear end with auto tranny?

bob

Nope, something like GM's COPO program and whatever Ford's equivalent was don't really exist anymore. To much regulatory hassle as the manufacturer would have to test every permutation that would be available so what we end up with is a limited set of options based on what Ford thinks is going to be an acceptable take rate.

The only real way to get an auto PP car would be to buy whatever PP stuff is available and get as close as possible ( some things like the unique stability and traction control settings just aren't available )

If a body can wait it will probably be pretty cheap down the road as people go for somethung more aggressive. I have a PP equipped car and I know the dampers, springs, and bars are going to be replaced when Ford introduces the FR3 stuff for the 15+ cars. The factory PP suspension is nice but a real track pack it aint.

Iceman1947

We bought a '15 Mustang GT DIB last Saturday. Just before, we drove a '15 Camaro 2LT. There was no comparison. The Mustang had it hands down in all categories IMHO. Interior was much cheaper looking than the 'stang. Engine was a V6 so the Mustang had it no question. Exterior was close but we prefer the Mustang look. There was no question to us on which one to buy.

sixstrings

To be fair, it wasn't an apples to apples comparison. I would probably take a 2015 Camaro 1LE over a 2015 Mustang V6.

That said, congrats on the GT. Looking forward to picking one up myself.

Phillip123

Any news on this?