GT Performance Pack + Recaros - 2015 Ford Mustang GT Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

GT Performance Pack + Recaros - 2015 Ford Mustang GT Long-Term Road Test

The Ford Mustang provides customers with a lot of options that not only change the look and horsepower, but the fundamental driving character and feel of the car.

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ebeaudoin

Great write up. I agree with you on everything, actually. Though I might like to try the EcoBoost 6MT.

texases

Thanks you, another vote against black wheels. I also don't get them, aside from the 'it's in fashion, so it's neat' angle. Wheels are one of a car's key styling elements. Paint them black, could just as well be $50 rims from Walmart...

reminder

Chevy decided to offer the Z28 for those that spend a lot of time on the track. Street legal, but not meant to be a great daily driver & track car. I'm sure it's no picnic for engineers to try and find that perfect combo. Maybe electronically controlled suspension bits could bring better flexibility?

brenro

I agree with everything in the article. If you want a sharper focused track day tool, get the GT350.

grijon

I am another in the school of thought that black wheels are just poor taste.

Great post, especially the second paragraph.

adamb1

I might be ok with the black wheels with a different color car. I have had black wheels with a red car and thought they looked nice. You must keep them clean though of they look really bad. I am a fan of the 19" Rado Gray wheels that are on my Fusion. They are a darker shade of silver.

bankerdanny

James, the fact that you (and I) would get the V8 for your personal car is the very reason Edmunds should not have gotten one to test. You already know its a great engine and nothing over the next 20k miles will have any impact on that. Nobody knows how well the EB engine works in the Mustang and the faulty logic you all used when getting the V8 means that we still won't.

As far as the rest goes, I am with you 100%. I don't like black wheels on pretty much any car, including the departed 911. It is infuriating that Ford forces them on you if you want the performance package.

Ditto with the seats. $42k for a damn Mustang and it has neither power nor heated seats? After market seat heaters are under $100 a seat retail, I find it hard to believe that Recaro couldn't have supplied Ford with a heated version of that seat for a nominal upcharge.

The Recaros are an affectation. Unless you track/race your car regularly there is no real reason for them. And if you do race now and then, buy a Sparco seat and swap it for the regular seat for track days.

boff

I'm not which is more harsh...the Performance Package ride or Riswick saying that the Mustang isn't appropriate for canyon carving.

subatomic

I noticed on the Ford website when looking at the build & price menu for the Mustang that the optional cloth-covered Recaro seats cost the same as the optional leather-covered Recaro seats. I thought this was interesting. I would have assumed that the cloth-covered seats would cost less than their leather counterparts.

fordson1

Agree with him on the black wheels. Agree on the seats not being heated, cooled, power, etc. Don't agree that this is not a canyon-carving car - it's a new Mustang with the performance pack, and it's not a Ferrari, it's certainly not a Camry either.

bankerdanny

Part of the issue with the color is the complete lack of any adornment other than the 5.0 badges. A bright color needs striping or other accents.

grijon

bankerdanny said:

James, the fact that you (and I) would get the V8 for your personal car is the very reason Edmunds should not have gotten one to test. You already know its a great engine and nothing over the next 20k miles will have any impact on that. Nobody knows how well the EB engine works in the Mustang and the faulty logic you all used when getting the V8 means that we still won't.

100% with this (and well said, @bankerdanny) - and only saying so again because James brought it up first, LOL

nedmundo

I agree the Performance Pack is too harsh for daily use. I rode with my dad while he drove one, and on anything but very smooth roads I suspect it would get tiring fairly quickly. I tested a regular GT, which I thought would be fine as a daily driver, even in Philly. It's firm, but nowhere near harsh IMO. If I bought a regular GT, I'd want to add the PP's upper front strut tower brace for sharper turn-in.

desmolicious

Yeah I wish they got the eco boost engine. We already know what a Stang is like with the V8. These LT reviews are meant to be informative, not going over the same thing again.
The rest of the post I agree with.

Edmunds could still get an ecoboost Stang. They ran multiple versions of the Mistsubishi EVO and Toybarus at the same time. So why not this one and find out which one really is better fot the long haul? James already mentions the V8 is not great as a canyon car, maybe the lighter, better handling ecoboost would be a revelation?

herrstreet

I think when you buy this car as a sports car to keep as a 3rd car for a long time and just enjoy it for blasting around in the summer months it's kinda dumb to go so trendy. Pick a color that will age well and not scream IROC Z for milenials. 10 years from now people will look at the paint and styling and be like, yeah that is about as stylish as the clothes you were wearing when you bought that thing! I agree about black wheels, although I do think gray wheels look really sharp on a lot of cars - Especially on lighter colors. If the car is going to be a daily driver, then absolutely the author is right that kidney-punching options for seating and suspension are going to make the car tiresome after a while.

sxty8stang

Having rented a '15 EcoBoost for the past three days, I'm in complete agreement that the stock seats are fantastic for day-to-day driving. Far more supportive than the previous gen's stock seats.

As for the EcoBoost, it is a really, really impressive motor. So much torque at low revs, plenty of power for fun and an addicting turbo whistle to soften the blow of not having a V8. Agree that it would have been better for Edmunds to get one of those.

losperros

The black wheels are fine. It's the orange color that ruins everything. Try the black wheels with a black, dark blue, or red Mustang and the car looks great, especially with tinted windows. I'm with those that think one can definitely carve up canyon roads with the new Mustang.