Rogue
Well-known member
Just wanted to share this confession with the Corvette enthusiasts in this board. About a month ago, I bought a Mustang GT. I know, I know….it’s a Ford! The model is an S197, which is the model BEFORE the current cosmetic redesign. The current Mustang is really just a mid-life makeover of the S197, kind of like going from the 1990 to 1991 C4—the body and interior got a make over, power train carries over.
The Mustang is my current daily driver. It has the 300 bhp 4.6L V8 w/3-valves per, 5-speed automatic gearbox, GT suspension, etc. It is completely stock. By all means it is a very nice, refined muscle car. When driven by a sane person, it acts almost like a garden variety sport scar. It is quiet on the highway and rolls along smoothly around town. But at any moment, the car becomes a tiger depending on the position of your left foot! It is capable of 0-60 times of 5 seconds and a top speed of 145+ mph. The motor is a gem. If you are like me who is used to the low revving L98, the 4.6L 3-Valve V8 will feel almost like a race engine. This motor has variable valve timing and when it gets on the cam it just spins to redline with alarming speed and catapults the Mustang forward. The 5-speed auto box is also a willing partner as it bangs off shifts like it was a manual being driven by an expert driver. It shifts like a *****cat while cruising yet shifts hard at WOT! The 5-speeds also keeps the high revving motor on the boil in every gear! All this time the 4.6L sings a beautiful song not unlike that from the 1968 movie Bullitt! With all its Fast and Furious action, the Mustang is also quite comfortable inside—it has nice, wide seats, a roomy foot well, and plenty of headroom. All its controls fall easily to hand while driving, and all of the switchgear and buttons operate with a smoothness that belies its price point. In comparison, the C4’s interior bits are simply cheap!
Having said all that, after a month of driving I am finding kinks in the Mustang GT’s armor. First thing that absolutely annoys me is the delay in the throttle response off idle. The current GT’s have a throttle by wire. Now I have had two other vehicles with throttle-by-wire and all of them have been smooth operators. The Mustang however, has an algorithm in the computer that delays the throttle slightly when taking off from a standing start. The result is that the first inch of travel in the throttle pedal results in a weak response from the engine, then it almost jumps off the line as the TBW catches up. It makes driving it around town a little jerky at times unless you try real hard to be smooth. In my opinion, this is contrary to what TBW control is suppose to do! WTF Ford? Another kink I have noticed is the suspension and handling. The Mustang GT is stiffly sprung to give it sporty handling. Although it handles well enough, at times it feels bouncy, and when compared to the C4 it feels almost tippy going around corners. The Corvette feels a lot more responsive, yet it has a smoother ride. Oh yeah. If there are medium to big bumps or potholes on the pavement of the corner the rear of the Mustang skips a bit (live axle—I know).
So this week, my wife has been driving the Mustang GT. Meanwhile I have been driving my 1991 C4. One would think that the Mustang is going to be way better, more fun, etc., after all, it is newer by 16+ years, has less miles, etc. For sure the Mustang’s power train wins out over the L98 C4 right? Well I hate to admit this but what appears on paper is not necessarily true in actual driving. My C4 is actually MORE fun to drive! It’s not really because of one or two things, but it is due to a whole variety of things. The biggest thing is that ride and handling. It is superior in every way. Also, the L98, while many will say it is antiquated, slow, etc., has some real nice virtues. That low end torque is a nice thing to have. The Mustang is quick off the line but it feels more frenetic while going fast. The 4.6L also has a nice top end rush that the L98 can never match. On the contrary, the L98 has that easygoing feel to it as it catapults the C4 down the road that few cars today can replicate. It feels relaxed yet you are accelerating hard! Coming out of corners in 2nd gear, the L98 has plenty of twist to move the C4 quickly down that straight to the next corner without needing to rev above 3,000 RPM. The C4’s 4L60E auto box also does not bang shifts at WOT the way the Mustangs 5-speed does. Finally, the C4’s throttle is a lot smoother to modulate around town. The overall experience of driving the Mustang GT versus the older ’91 C4 is that the C4 is MORE refined, smoother, and more relaxed while still moving at the same speed. Go figure! Just don’t tell my wife I spent all this money on the Mustang GT while the C4 is actually still more fun!
The Mustang is my current daily driver. It has the 300 bhp 4.6L V8 w/3-valves per, 5-speed automatic gearbox, GT suspension, etc. It is completely stock. By all means it is a very nice, refined muscle car. When driven by a sane person, it acts almost like a garden variety sport scar. It is quiet on the highway and rolls along smoothly around town. But at any moment, the car becomes a tiger depending on the position of your left foot! It is capable of 0-60 times of 5 seconds and a top speed of 145+ mph. The motor is a gem. If you are like me who is used to the low revving L98, the 4.6L 3-Valve V8 will feel almost like a race engine. This motor has variable valve timing and when it gets on the cam it just spins to redline with alarming speed and catapults the Mustang forward. The 5-speed auto box is also a willing partner as it bangs off shifts like it was a manual being driven by an expert driver. It shifts like a *****cat while cruising yet shifts hard at WOT! The 5-speeds also keeps the high revving motor on the boil in every gear! All this time the 4.6L sings a beautiful song not unlike that from the 1968 movie Bullitt! With all its Fast and Furious action, the Mustang is also quite comfortable inside—it has nice, wide seats, a roomy foot well, and plenty of headroom. All its controls fall easily to hand while driving, and all of the switchgear and buttons operate with a smoothness that belies its price point. In comparison, the C4’s interior bits are simply cheap!
Having said all that, after a month of driving I am finding kinks in the Mustang GT’s armor. First thing that absolutely annoys me is the delay in the throttle response off idle. The current GT’s have a throttle by wire. Now I have had two other vehicles with throttle-by-wire and all of them have been smooth operators. The Mustang however, has an algorithm in the computer that delays the throttle slightly when taking off from a standing start. The result is that the first inch of travel in the throttle pedal results in a weak response from the engine, then it almost jumps off the line as the TBW catches up. It makes driving it around town a little jerky at times unless you try real hard to be smooth. In my opinion, this is contrary to what TBW control is suppose to do! WTF Ford? Another kink I have noticed is the suspension and handling. The Mustang GT is stiffly sprung to give it sporty handling. Although it handles well enough, at times it feels bouncy, and when compared to the C4 it feels almost tippy going around corners. The Corvette feels a lot more responsive, yet it has a smoother ride. Oh yeah. If there are medium to big bumps or potholes on the pavement of the corner the rear of the Mustang skips a bit (live axle—I know).
So this week, my wife has been driving the Mustang GT. Meanwhile I have been driving my 1991 C4. One would think that the Mustang is going to be way better, more fun, etc., after all, it is newer by 16+ years, has less miles, etc. For sure the Mustang’s power train wins out over the L98 C4 right? Well I hate to admit this but what appears on paper is not necessarily true in actual driving. My C4 is actually MORE fun to drive! It’s not really because of one or two things, but it is due to a whole variety of things. The biggest thing is that ride and handling. It is superior in every way. Also, the L98, while many will say it is antiquated, slow, etc., has some real nice virtues. That low end torque is a nice thing to have. The Mustang is quick off the line but it feels more frenetic while going fast. The 4.6L also has a nice top end rush that the L98 can never match. On the contrary, the L98 has that easygoing feel to it as it catapults the C4 down the road that few cars today can replicate. It feels relaxed yet you are accelerating hard! Coming out of corners in 2nd gear, the L98 has plenty of twist to move the C4 quickly down that straight to the next corner without needing to rev above 3,000 RPM. The C4’s 4L60E auto box also does not bang shifts at WOT the way the Mustangs 5-speed does. Finally, the C4’s throttle is a lot smoother to modulate around town. The overall experience of driving the Mustang GT versus the older ’91 C4 is that the C4 is MORE refined, smoother, and more relaxed while still moving at the same speed. Go figure! Just don’t tell my wife I spent all this money on the Mustang GT while the C4 is actually still more fun!
Anyway, I switched to plan B: buy a Certified Pre-Owned S197, mod it and play with it for a few years, then in 2013, give that car to my daughter then get the 2013 GT with the 5.0 after Ford has had a few years of producing it and figuring out all the bugs. 
otfl
Seriously, look sometime is amazing. Not that it is ALL a bad thing mind you. :cool
