I love Mustangs but I have a hard time believing you'd love a Mustang.
I love Mustangs but I have a hard time believing you'd love a Mustang.
I've driven a few at schools. One with mild suspension work (springs/shocks), a Boss 302 with heavy suspension work and big Hoosiers (it was amaaaaazing), and a stock one. And honestly, I found them all fun. They're surprisingly well balanced in corners.
Edit - what do I need to know about '11-12 GTs? Lookin' your way Carlo.
Hey, I'm not going to discourage you at all. I'd love to hear how it works out.
Ford Mustangs, not just for sidewalks anymore
It's gone.
I test drove a '13 FR-S on the street (driven several at autox, but you notice very different things when street driving). Talked to a few owners. I'm getting the impression they are highly variable in terms of how the clutches and shifters feel, and what rattles they have. I was a little surprised a 44k mile FR-S seemed to be less refined than my 117k mile ten year older 350Z. The Z is no less connected in feel, it just feels better made.
Other notes:
- The steering is one of the great things about the FR-S.
- The torque dip is highly exaggerated. It's totally fine for driving around town. It's when you're trying to merge onto the interstate on an uphill onramp that the power (even above 4k) gets disappointing.
- I wish for the shifter to be about 2-3" further back in the transmission tunnel. With the steering wheel all the way towards the dash the steering to shifter relationship is probably fine. With the steering closest to your chest, it's not.
- Plentiful headroom
- Seats seem decent - a 2+ hour journey would tell more. Getting back into the 350Z the seats felt more comfy - better lumbar support, less of a hard bottom cushion, and side bolsters that start closer together for skinny frames like mine.
- In my peripheral vision, the CHMSL in the rearview mirror (which vibrates over bumps... really?) looks like a car behind me. I guess it's better than not being able to see more than 3 car lengths behind me (the 350Z's oddly huge ergonomic flaw).
I drove mine for three years with average headroom, and inadequate headroom when I was wearing my Stilo crash helmet.
Then I was talking to a random guy, who was having a sit in my car to see if it was suitable for somebody of his height, and he just adjusts the height of the seat down as we're talking.
I facepalmed so hard I went into a coma for three days
Ever wonder what that lever was for?
I lowered the seat all the way right when I got in. Still felt like I was sitting a little high, but it was acceptable and I was well below the roofline.
Wanna know what tripped me out the most? Reversing out of a spot with a manual transmission and seeing rear seats behind me.
That is a pretty epic facepalm moment indeed.
More than once I've mistakenly pulled that lever in various modern cars trying to adjust the seatback angle. Their actual seatback adjusting levers are sometimes buried waaay back there. I think the Focestas do this, IIRC.