S550 - manual or auto...
Discussion
Having dragged my better half to a dealership today I was more than pleased when she reported that the Mustang was beautiful and one needs to find a home with us.
We've decided on orange, with black wheels and black stripes but the big questions is transmission... Personally for me it's a manual but she does like an auto as her current drive (scirocco gt) has one.
An order is being made in the next 72 hours so the questions is simple:
Manual or automatic?
Is the auto like her vw? Will it change as it approaches the limiter thus robbing me of feeling like I'm in control?
We've figured ticking all the options is best, I want black wheels so won't be going custom pack and I don't want the chrome surrounds on the spec.
Told a 9 month wait is the current timeline, not sure I can contain my excitement that long!
Tack.
We've decided on orange, with black wheels and black stripes but the big questions is transmission... Personally for me it's a manual but she does like an auto as her current drive (scirocco gt) has one.
An order is being made in the next 72 hours so the questions is simple:
Manual or automatic?
Is the auto like her vw? Will it change as it approaches the limiter thus robbing me of feeling like I'm in control?
We've figured ticking all the options is best, I want black wheels so won't be going custom pack and I don't want the chrome surrounds on the spec.
Told a 9 month wait is the current timeline, not sure I can contain my excitement that long!
Tack.
bridgdav said:
The Shirt says it all..
Seriously.. Test drive both if you intend on giving her the keys...
The Manual is a little clunky as standard, but soon rectified with a couple of bushing mods.
I've read the manual requires some aptitude to drive and that makes me want it more...Seriously.. Test drive both if you intend on giving her the keys...
The Manual is a little clunky as standard, but soon rectified with a couple of bushing mods.
She's a capable driver but I fear she'll find it more of an annoyance than an idiosyncrasy...
tting me?Actual said:
…back on topic, manual or auto?
Assuming your preference is for the V8…
When you pull away in a manual you can compensate for too much power by slipping the clutch. Getting onto a busy roundabout with traffic bearing down in an auto can be tricky because you have to give just the right amount of power to get moving from nothing which can easily result in side slip if the roads are wet.
With the shifter in D and doing some spirited acceleration then you need to be a bit careful not to give too much gas as the transmission will rapidly shift down and even redline and you will just take off. In a manual if you are then accelerating but lift off to lose some speed then you get engine braking but in the auto you lift off and the transmission will immediately shift up to 6th gear and you will actually speed up.
For steady acceleration just using power and without shifting down you can put the shifter into S but you must use the paddles to select a gear or the shifting becomes even more aggressive. Now you can give lots of gas in 6th gear and the car will say in gear while accelerating. This works really well on the motorway and if you want a bit more zip then flick down to 5th until you get to the desired speed and then slip back into 6th.
Having the shifter in S is not so useful at low speed. In a manual the gear selector is always in the same place but the paddles in the auto can be difficult to find if you are steering at the same time.
For sedate driving the auto will be up to 6th gear before you get to 30 mph. On the other hand being able to creep forward in traffic without having to go through the lower gears is great.
Apparently the Mustang brake lights are blinding to the car behind so you can be a bit self-conscious holding on the foot brake at traffic lights.
The main downside to the auto is you can’t rev the engine at the traffic lights ready for a burn up (unless you select P or N).
Just what I have found.
Cheers, as i figured the manual is just better, i'll get headquarters to read this thread and in particular this post!Assuming your preference is for the V8…
When you pull away in a manual you can compensate for too much power by slipping the clutch. Getting onto a busy roundabout with traffic bearing down in an auto can be tricky because you have to give just the right amount of power to get moving from nothing which can easily result in side slip if the roads are wet.
With the shifter in D and doing some spirited acceleration then you need to be a bit careful not to give too much gas as the transmission will rapidly shift down and even redline and you will just take off. In a manual if you are then accelerating but lift off to lose some speed then you get engine braking but in the auto you lift off and the transmission will immediately shift up to 6th gear and you will actually speed up.
For steady acceleration just using power and without shifting down you can put the shifter into S but you must use the paddles to select a gear or the shifting becomes even more aggressive. Now you can give lots of gas in 6th gear and the car will say in gear while accelerating. This works really well on the motorway and if you want a bit more zip then flick down to 5th until you get to the desired speed and then slip back into 6th.
Having the shifter in S is not so useful at low speed. In a manual the gear selector is always in the same place but the paddles in the auto can be difficult to find if you are steering at the same time.
For sedate driving the auto will be up to 6th gear before you get to 30 mph. On the other hand being able to creep forward in traffic without having to go through the lower gears is great.
Apparently the Mustang brake lights are blinding to the car behind so you can be a bit self-conscious holding on the foot brake at traffic lights.
The main downside to the auto is you can’t rev the engine at the traffic lights ready for a burn up (unless you select P or N).
Just what I have found.
Edited by Actual on Monday 8th February 21:02
I'm not too worried about the wait, it works in our favor due to circumstances that i won't go into here. I also see the MY17 has upgraded apple support so that works for me to.
As for how often i'll be in the top revs.... All the time. Seriously, i agree the auto will be good for 90% of the time but that 10% when i want to knock it down and be in control is my issue...
Will keep you updated how the test drive in the manual goes tomorrow.
Actual you were right. The manual was great and I think the auto would make it a very interesting drive.
I found the rears would let go easily at low revs on the slippery roads we have today. I'd imagine an auto would be dangerous if I'm honest. If the Tc was invasive it wouldn't be so bad but I managed a decent sized slide powering onto the M3 and it didn't catch it until it was well out of shape, the auto, I'd imagine would be crazy.
Loved the drive, much better than I thought, the clutch was no problem and i only had one change where rev matching wasn't up to scratch. I found the brakes more of an issue, the slightest touch and they would bite hard. I think the vw we have has a longer travel as the rear pads are approaching their end whereas the Stangs were brand new. Nothing that worried me but will require a recalibration of the left foot.
Managed to see 28.2 mpg at 75 on the motorway and it was still climbing. Saw 13 when giving it beans around the town, I suspect 20-22 is reasonable but of course that will drop when it's dry.
Impressed and as a result I've made the deposit and now have a 9 month wait for delivery.
Preliminary spec is:
Fastback
Magnetic
V8 (of course)
Manual
All options bar custom as we want the black wheels.
Not sure on stripes yet, need to think about colour.
The dealership had the Ruby Red, Black, Green and orange. Still,love the orange but was also taken but the black.
Will spend some time looking at pictures with Mrs Tack before settling on final specs.
Roll on Ocotber/November.
I found the rears would let go easily at low revs on the slippery roads we have today. I'd imagine an auto would be dangerous if I'm honest. If the Tc was invasive it wouldn't be so bad but I managed a decent sized slide powering onto the M3 and it didn't catch it until it was well out of shape, the auto, I'd imagine would be crazy.
Loved the drive, much better than I thought, the clutch was no problem and i only had one change where rev matching wasn't up to scratch. I found the brakes more of an issue, the slightest touch and they would bite hard. I think the vw we have has a longer travel as the rear pads are approaching their end whereas the Stangs were brand new. Nothing that worried me but will require a recalibration of the left foot.
Managed to see 28.2 mpg at 75 on the motorway and it was still climbing. Saw 13 when giving it beans around the town, I suspect 20-22 is reasonable but of course that will drop when it's dry.
Impressed and as a result I've made the deposit and now have a 9 month wait for delivery.
Preliminary spec is:
Fastback
Magnetic
V8 (of course)
Manual
All options bar custom as we want the black wheels.
Not sure on stripes yet, need to think about colour.
The dealership had the Ruby Red, Black, Green and orange. Still,love the orange but was also taken but the black.
Will spend some time looking at pictures with Mrs Tack before settling on final specs.
Roll on Ocotber/November.
Sorry, I got my wires crossed.
I found the manual had very low amounts of engine braking, I also remembered what you said about 30min sixth and was shocked to see 800 rpm.
For me the auto seems to much of an unknown with the TC being as liberal as it is, personally I'd rather be manual and not risk to auto fireing in power when I don't want it.
I'll look around for a auto v8 and see if I can get a test drive in one.
I found the manual had very low amounts of engine braking, I also remembered what you said about 30min sixth and was shocked to see 800 rpm.
For me the auto seems to much of an unknown with the TC being as liberal as it is, personally I'd rather be manual and not risk to auto fireing in power when I don't want it.
I'll look around for a auto v8 and see if I can get a test drive in one.
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