Ford Mustang GT, a Muscle Car or Luxury Car?
The driving attributes of that 68′ Mustang were just so-so, perhaps even a little scary. By the time I took ownership, it was already a classic and while it was better preserved than most, time and manhandle had taken its toll. The interior however, was ideal. When I closed the door and fired up the V8, I was, in my opinion among the luckiest sixteen year old’s in the country.
My 68′ car is long since gone, yet I have followed the progression of the Ford Mustang through the years from the fox figure cars to the S197 and ultimately now, to the S550. When I had means and could have bought a 90’s fox figure car, I chose not to, as it just didn’t make me love it. When the S197 came along, Ford upped their game, bringing back the dual cockpit dash, the classic speedometer and tach, and it felt like a Mustang again. My own car at the time, however, had a plush interior with leather seats and reminded me of why I bought it every time I opened the door after turning in a rental. Yes, the Mustang was back from my point of view, but this time I dreamed less of a tribute to the 60’s and more of modern interpretation.
Come in the S550. I shied away from them when they very first came out. Ford had at least hinted if not promised that this model would be lighter than the previous generation; given the dynamo’s of very first generation Five.0, exposed it truly produced closer to four hundred thirty HP, the four hundred thirty five in the S550 just didn’t seem all that significant. From some reason those details mattered to me. Yes the fresh assets was attractive, and yes it eventually had IRS, but a Mustang is supposed to get better with each generation, and from afar it seemed to fall brief.
By chance, I came across a premium Mustang GT through a generous friend that suggested to let me borrow the car for a long weekend with no strings attached… crazy, right? After two long years of not having the chance to take him up on his suggest, I ultimately took that two thousand fifteen GT Premium manual for a weekend-long spin.
When I eased myself into the driver’s seat of that bright orange Mustang GT premium, I was instantly worried with the height of the spandex hood but then my eyes wandered down. I noticed the illustrious dash and all its bells and whistles. My friend rattled off a quick briefing of their uses, but I only gave him half my attention. After all, I was sitting behind the wheel of a Five.0 Mustang and my only thought was of the engine that and was waiting to engage. I hit the thrust button embark and the engine fired up. The sound was satisfying, tho’ not on par with the short-track prepped Five.0 hi-po that my brother used to at times let me drive, still I put it in switch roles with excellent expectations.
As I ventured out on my very first drive in a S550 Ford Mustang GT Premium, I was focused on the engine and the treating. I was struck by the availability of power. Very first gear almost seemed unnecessary as there was more than enough torque to lightly launch the car in 2nd. I attempted to break the rear end liberate while executing a u-turn, instead, the car slung itself around the lane divider without detectable lean swifter than I even thought possible. I made a mental note not to do that again and proceeded to open highway. Yes, that Mustang was prompt – as swift as I desired to go – and the manual was satisfying…mission accomplished. As I made my way back to the house of the Mustang’s rightful proprietor, driving in 2nd to hear the coyote burble, I commenced to become aware of how convenient I was in interior of the GT Premium interior.
Rapid forward to December of last year and my next escapade in a triple yellow premium ’16 Mustang. I came to value the S550 Mustang for reasons I never expected; convenience and luxury. The destination this time was a well-known island accessible by one hundred twenty miles of vapid, mostly two-lane highway that suggested little or no chance to make use of the Five.0 under the fetish mask, other than to listen to its acoustics.
During this excursion, I learned about the Mustang’s alter ego; its technological luxury. The air-conditioned seats were superb and aided in keeping me alert, fresh and comfy on the long drive with outside temperatures reaching well into the 80’s and 90’s with accompanying humidity. The entertainment system integrated lightly with my iPhone and the sound system was lightly directed sound to my choice of location within the car.. The track-pack apps on the dashboard displayed absolutely every statistic I could imagine wanting to know. For example, the cylinder goes maintained a stable one hundred eighty three degrees while cruising. And the standard premium buttery leather seats were lightly among the most convenient I have ever encountered. The V8 returned admirable mpg’s, not indeed that much worse than an EB-equipped Mustang that I had on a later, similar excursion. Even without making laps around a track and not having the chance to drop the hammer and blow-by the masses, my companion and I absolutely loved every aspect of that shiny, eye-catching Mustang GT.
From this author’s point of view, with the premium grade S550 Mustang, Ford seems to have thought through every practical and “over the top” detail and has delivered an impressively designed solution for a modern, yet instantly recognizable Mustang.