RE: Brit Mustang buyers favour V8s...
Discussion
"conversion from left- to right-hand drive has robbed the V8 of 5hp after a new, more constrictive exhaust manifold had to be designed to clear the steering gear. Yes, you'd have thought someone might have considered that sooner in the development process but seemingly not."
This appears to have been written by a half-wit. I challenge him to tell us how it changes the feel of the car to be a whopping 1% down on power.
This appears to have been written by a half-wit. I challenge him to tell us how it changes the feel of the car to be a whopping 1% down on power.
Ozzie Osmond said:
"conversion from left- to right-hand drive has robbed the V8 of 5hp after a new, more constrictive exhaust manifold had to be designed to clear the steering gear. Yes, you'd have thought someone might have considered that sooner in the development process but seemingly not."
This appears to have been written by a half-wit. I challenge him to tell us how it changes the feel of the car to be a whopping 1% down on power.
Given that it's such a smaller difference, I'm surprised they didn't fit the RHD manifold to both cars, really. This appears to have been written by a half-wit. I challenge him to tell us how it changes the feel of the car to be a whopping 1% down on power.
kambites said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
"conversion from left- to right-hand drive has robbed the V8 of 5hp after a new, more constrictive exhaust manifold had to be designed to clear the steering gear. Yes, you'd have thought someone might have considered that sooner in the development process but seemingly not."
This appears to have been written by a half-wit. I challenge him to tell us how it changes the feel of the car to be a whopping 1% down on power.
Given that it's such a smaller difference, I'm surprised they didn't fit the RHD manifold to both cars, really. This appears to have been written by a half-wit. I challenge him to tell us how it changes the feel of the car to be a whopping 1% down on power.
300bhp/ton said:
While I think it's great that Ford are selling the Stang here. I can't help think these cars will be a potential nightmare for the used buyer in 8-10 years time.
Reason being, chances of this being a success here are low. V8 anything doesn't really sell well in the UK these days. So there is a high chance Ford will can the RHD model, or at least for the UK. When they do this, they'll no longer care about parts support either.
So buying these RHD manifolds will likely become impossible or stupidly expensive in years to come. Along with all the E-marked items the Euro models have that their US cousins don't.
And obviously you can forget about some nice long tube headers from the States for your Euro model too. And likely many of the bolt on mods, which frankly is part of the appeal of such cars.
Just get a local company to make some tubular headers up Reason being, chances of this being a success here are low. V8 anything doesn't really sell well in the UK these days. So there is a high chance Ford will can the RHD model, or at least for the UK. When they do this, they'll no longer care about parts support either.
So buying these RHD manifolds will likely become impossible or stupidly expensive in years to come. Along with all the E-marked items the Euro models have that their US cousins don't.
And obviously you can forget about some nice long tube headers from the States for your Euro model too. And likely many of the bolt on mods, which frankly is part of the appeal of such cars.
I'm sure loads of UK companies will start producing parts for these, Monkfish performance being a likely candidate.
I think the price alone will make these quite popular cars.
NinjaPower said:
300bhp/ton said:
But when Nissan struggle to shift the 370z in the UK and the Monaro/VXR8 managed to sell just enough to not keep people interested, things don't exactly look promising.
The thing is, the 370Z and the Monaro do absolutely nothing for me whatsoever, yet the prosoect of a UK spec Mustang has me soiling myself with excitement, and it would appear from early sales figures that many others feel exactly the same.I think the Mustang actually looks quite practical to a lot of people as well. Four decent seats and a usable boot.
By all accounts there is still at least a year-long queue for them if you order today, so it seems Ford are doing OK with orders so far. Interesting to see the stats, they match pretty well with what's in the order thread in the Mustang forum here - most of us going for V8 manuals
Drove a 4-cyl one in the US in April, and enjoyed it a lot - just need Ford to get on with making the RHD ones 
Im surprised at the pretty much 50/50 split for manuals and autos. I would have thought rhd configuration would have helped to shift a lot more manuals than previously over here (i know some people worry about sticks being in the wrong place etc when lhd).
Is the auto with paddles much quicker than the manual? Can't remember the figures...
Is the auto with paddles much quicker than the manual? Can't remember the figures...
j_s14a said:
I think the price alone will make these quite popular cars.
Well it was certainly a deciding factor for me.. folk have mentioned the Nissan 350, and the Monaro as alternatives
I have no idea how they can be compared... The Nissan is a V6 and only has 2 seats....and the Monaro is a lot more expensive...
Personally I'm chuffed to bits to be getting something a bit different, that if I so choose I can modify to my hearts content..
I'm hoping mine will be a keeper, with an annual mileage of around 5k....it'll take a good few years before its worn out
Ruffy94 said:
Im surprised at the pretty much 50/50 split for manuals and autos. I would have thought rhd configuration would have helped to shift a lot more manuals than previously over here (i know some people worry about sticks being in the wrong place etc when lhd).
Is the auto with paddles much quicker than the manual? Can't remember the figures...
Plus American auto gearboxes are horrendous. Unless they've suddenly jumped from the 70s in the two years since I was last in America.Is the auto with paddles much quicker than the manual? Can't remember the figures...
Based on the new road tax rules being introduced soon the Ford Mustang V8 GT is a great car to buy!
It produces more than 0 CO2 so instantly means £140 per year but is less than 40K, even if you add on all the extras so does not attract the additional £320 per year for the first 5 years and has over 400 bhp and 8 cylinders that are sure to make a lovely noise!
If I were to buy my Mini Cooper D again (currently £0 tax and 99 CO2) it would also cost £140 per year... ok purchase price, running costs etc. are more but currently a car like that would be £500!
It produces more than 0 CO2 so instantly means £140 per year but is less than 40K, even if you add on all the extras so does not attract the additional £320 per year for the first 5 years and has over 400 bhp and 8 cylinders that are sure to make a lovely noise!
If I were to buy my Mini Cooper D again (currently £0 tax and 99 CO2) it would also cost £140 per year... ok purchase price, running costs etc. are more but currently a car like that would be £500!
frisbee said:
Ruffy94 said:
Im surprised at the pretty much 50/50 split for manuals and autos. I would have thought rhd configuration would have helped to shift a lot more manuals than previously over here (i know some people worry about sticks being in the wrong place etc when lhd).
Is the auto with paddles much quicker than the manual? Can't remember the figures...
Plus American auto gearboxes are horrendous. Unless they've suddenly jumped from the 70s in the two years since I was last in America.Is the auto with paddles much quicker than the manual? Can't remember the figures...
QuattroDave said:
Well I may live to regret it but I did go for the last shape C6 V10 which reliability wise is miles ahead of the C5 V8 RS6 which I've only ever heard horror stories about! Plus I paid a damn sight less than market rate so even if I do decide to switch in a year I won't have lost anything depreciation wise! Fuel on the other hand.... 
Oh and this one has 700bhp so it's got enough to keep me interested for a while!
Really horror stories about the RS6 C5? That's based on fact and FSH is it? Did you speak to any actual owners, or people who never even sat in one? In any case I ran a 2005 RS6 Avant, paid the service bills and had no problems in 20,000 miles. It's a complex but well engineered machine. The problem with all RS6's is that despite accelerating like Saturn V on wheels, mega looks and soundtrack, they are soulless and offer little driver involvement. If that doesn't bother you then you'll doubtless be pleased. Just don't miss out the fairly frequent £6000 cam belt changes, or you will be relaying unjustified 'horror stories' yourself......Oh and this one has 700bhp so it's got enough to keep me interested for a while!
QuattroDave said:
Well I may live to regret it but I did go for the last shape C6 V10 which reliability wise is miles ahead of the C5 V8 RS6 which I've only ever heard horror stories about! Plus I paid a damn sight less than market rate so even if I do decide to switch in a year I won't have lost anything depreciation wise! Fuel on the other hand....
Oh and this one has 700bhp so it's got enough to keep me interested for a while!
Really horror stories about the RS6 C5? That's based on fact and FSH is it? Did you speak to any actual owners, or people who never even sat in one? In any case I ran a 2005 RS6 Avant, paid the service bills and had no problems in 20,000 miles. It's a complex but well engineered machine. The problem with all RS6's is that despite accelerating like Saturn V on wheels, mega looks and soundtrack, they are soulless and offer little driver involvement. If that doesn't bother you then you'll doubtless be pleased. Just don't miss out the fairly frequent £6000 cam belt changes, or you will be relaying unjustified 'horror stories' yourself......Oh and this one has 700bhp so it's got enough to keep me interested for a while!
I drove a drop-top V6 last month. I thoroughly enjoyed the overall experience of having the Mustang for 10 days, but on the whole I wasn't particularly enthralled by the car, nor was I too disappointed. The steering was pretty numb across the settings but the ride was very good for the somewhat dodgy Californian roads, and the type of driving one tends to do on a relaxed holiday.
But it didn't feel even that brisk, despite the usual claim about rented cars being faster than Bloodhound. With 300hp I'd have expected the 0-60 to be better than the 8.8 seconds I recorded on an empty car park/parking lot. (They have acceleration timers on the dash - you can record braking times, 1/4 miles and G-Forces too). Someone managed an 8.1 previous to me hiring it, I doubt it could be improved that much.
I think the gearbox held it back a tad. It was hesitant to kick down and manual shifts seemed needlessly sluggish. My father's 10 year old 535d is far better in this regard (the only benchmark I really have). It would just about go sideways briefly under power+bitofaflick, as I think mine had an open diff, although I'm happy to be corrected on that one as I didn't want to spend too much time completely wrecking a hire car!
I got chance to hoon on some deserted canyon roads just before I left, which was absolutely epic at midnight (and a Kavinsky/Portishead soundtrack helped). I got some inevitable brake fade so stopped to snap this and let it cool:
This road (Decker Canyon) was superb. The hairpins, camber changes and moonlit scenery is definitely due a dream drives spot!
A quick note on the interior - very well equipped, and I could spend a lot of time in there (x2 USB, aux input, reversing camera, keyless entry/ignition, remote start). Not as nicely appointed as the competitors over here, especially switchgear wise, but probably because it is far more expensive in the UK than in the states. A camaro's interior is worse (more bland) for example. So I wouldn't particularly mark it down on that front. I couldn't get the seat to recline enough strangely (and I don't drive with a gangster lean!).
The 'trunk' opening is annoyingly small. The boot lid is the full width between the tail lights but the opening for some reason extends inwards far more. It's quite shallow too.
Disclaimer - I imagine the V8 coupe is significantly different in most regards, so the above could be completely irrelevant! At £33k I would be quite tempted if I was in a position to buy one, I have to say.
But it didn't feel even that brisk, despite the usual claim about rented cars being faster than Bloodhound. With 300hp I'd have expected the 0-60 to be better than the 8.8 seconds I recorded on an empty car park/parking lot. (They have acceleration timers on the dash - you can record braking times, 1/4 miles and G-Forces too). Someone managed an 8.1 previous to me hiring it, I doubt it could be improved that much.
I think the gearbox held it back a tad. It was hesitant to kick down and manual shifts seemed needlessly sluggish. My father's 10 year old 535d is far better in this regard (the only benchmark I really have). It would just about go sideways briefly under power+bitofaflick, as I think mine had an open diff, although I'm happy to be corrected on that one as I didn't want to spend too much time completely wrecking a hire car!
I got chance to hoon on some deserted canyon roads just before I left, which was absolutely epic at midnight (and a Kavinsky/Portishead soundtrack helped). I got some inevitable brake fade so stopped to snap this and let it cool:
This road (Decker Canyon) was superb. The hairpins, camber changes and moonlit scenery is definitely due a dream drives spot!
A quick note on the interior - very well equipped, and I could spend a lot of time in there (x2 USB, aux input, reversing camera, keyless entry/ignition, remote start). Not as nicely appointed as the competitors over here, especially switchgear wise, but probably because it is far more expensive in the UK than in the states. A camaro's interior is worse (more bland) for example. So I wouldn't particularly mark it down on that front. I couldn't get the seat to recline enough strangely (and I don't drive with a gangster lean!).
The 'trunk' opening is annoyingly small. The boot lid is the full width between the tail lights but the opening for some reason extends inwards far more. It's quite shallow too.
Disclaimer - I imagine the V8 coupe is significantly different in most regards, so the above could be completely irrelevant! At £33k I would be quite tempted if I was in a position to buy one, I have to say.
This is brilliant news, bring on the V8 'Stangs!!
QuattroDave said:
If Ford had even acknowledged my email query I would have remained interested but seeing as they couldn't be bothered to get back to me (nearly 3 months now) I figured they must have sold out completely and therefore not needed my business.
I dare say that is rather pathetic on your part. Have you ever tried picking up the phone or making your way to one of the dealers?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff