A menacing stance, a monster V8 and horsepower figures halfway to 1000? Yes, Ford has a Mustang for that, the Dark Horse.
[Ford Mustang Dark Horse: How does it gallop on track?]
The Mustang we’ve been given the keys to for a week, however, is not that.
Instead, this 2024 Mustang EcoBoos…
At $50K, I'm not sure I totally get the value considering a V8-powered GT starts at $42K.
That being said, I always thought the EcoBoost with the Performance Package would be a neat spec to have.
Pretty impressive that Ford has maintained retro looks for the Mustang for now more than 20 years–longer than the production span of the original.
Despite those old-school design cues, my latest taste also reminds me just how far the Mustang has come since Ford reset the clock, so to speak, with the 2005 debut of the S197. The newest Mustang features totally contemporary interior details like digital gauges and the now-obligatory center stack.
Under the hood of our tester? A 2.3-liter Ecoboost backed by a 10-speed automatic.
Plenty of power, but it’s that transmission that I did not love. When done properly, a modern automatic can be a joy to drive. Witness the one in our BMW 435i project car.
Despite a number of gears suitable for an over-the-road truck, here it’s saddled with programming that’s just too conservative: very quick to upshift and very slow to downshift.
End result? The blahs that simply suck the fun out of the experience. The programming seems hell bent on keeping the revs–and the fun–near the floor.
Yes, you can keep the revs up if you keep your foot in it, but then you’re being antisocial–and in a bright yellow Mustang convertible, asking for a blue light special.
It was actually cheaper than the V8 convertible when I bought mine a few years ago. You do pay a premium for the drop top.
My other complaint, and you can maybe file this under Old Man Yells at Cloud, but I’d love knobs for heat/cool and fan speed. Please don’t make me work a touchscreen to get comfortable while moving with I-4 traffic. The knob for radio volume is very much appreciated, by the way.
Wow, that dashboard design is rough. Bummer, since the last generation interior I thought was a pretty good example of screen integration done right.
Ugh. That screen-dash thing is awful. Is 'contemporary' just another way of saying 'lazy poorly integrated design'?
That same transmission in my F150 on the 'sport' setting is a surprising giggle, but the expectations and dynamics are also quite different in a Mustang... Apparently they didn't bother to change the tune enough. That's unfortunate to hear.
How about the exhaust? Have they figured out how to make the 2.3EB to sound half-way decent yet?
Exhaust note is okay. It’s not a V8. You can change its tune via buttons on the screen.
Colin Wood said:At $50K, I'm not sure I totally get the value considering a V8-powered GT starts at $42K.
That being said, I always thought the EcoBoost with the Performance Package would be a neat spec to have.
The $50K price point for an EcoBoost convertible seems like a bit much. Then again, the average price of a car is $48K. So ...
Did you rent it?
In reply to David S. Wallens : I rented one similarly configured to this for a week drive through Vermont in 2023. I totally agree with the thumbs down programming of the 20-speed auto...just horrible whether in regular drive or sport. Otherwise a comfortable and economical ride.
You can put the shifter in L but, yeah, that’s too aggressive. I guess I’m looking for shift action that’s Just Right.
Also, the Race exhaust note sounds good and throaty. You do get a warning, though: Track use only.
I never drove this car but apparently it's obsessed with me.
Oh yeah, this car loves JG.
How’s that?
I was driving it to Orlando the other day. As I approached the City Beautiful (or whatever they call it) I noticed that CarPlay still had me 30-something miles from my destination. Um, that’s not great, especially since I didn’t exactly know where I was going.
So I tried to cancel the route guidance.
No change on the screen, but CarPlay started to place an outgoing call.
I grabbed my phone and canceled the call.
I must have somehow pressed the wrong button, right?
Let’s try that again.
Ring, ring.
No, no.
Again, cancel route guidance.
Ring, ring.
Fine, I’ll leave CarPlay locked up.
A few minutes later, JG calls. Hey, just got off the plane and I see that you called me three times....
David S. Wallens said:Oh yeah, this car loves JG.
How’s that?
I was driving it to Orlando the other day. As I approached the City Beautiful (or whatever they call it) I noticed that CarPlay still had me 30-something miles from my destination. Um, that’s not great, especially since I didn’t exactly know where I was going.
So I tried to cancel the route guidance.
No change on the screen, but CarPlay started to place an outgoing call.
I grabbed my phone and canceled the call.
I must have somehow pressed the wrong button, right?
Let’s try that again.
Ring, ring.
No, no.
Again, cancel route guidance.
Ring, ring.
Fine, I’ll leave CarPlay locked up.
A few minutes later, JG calls. Hey, just got off the plane and I see that you called me three times....
Yeah as soon as I turn my phone back on after we land I see three calls from David in rapid succession with no messages. I panic thinking he's trapped under a collapsed oil derrick or something.
Nope, just a glitchy Mustang.
Now I'm wondering who this week's driver is mistakenly calling, since apparently the Mustang has moved on from its infatuation with me.
Oh yeah, the PS: No issues on the way home, with CarPlay navigating around a wreck on or near the St. Johns River bridge.
Side benefit: I learned there’s an F-15 Eagle on display in DeBary. It was raining and after midnight, so I didn’t stop to check it out. I’ll have to head back.
Sure glad I read this, if a stick, probably still interested, but having had hands on, on a Lex with umpteen speed transmission, think I understand 5-7 is a good number. To consider, 10 is way more than u need.
"a thought" many miles in a Mo Ho with a 6 speed, Allison, 400 hp Cummins with less than 2000 rpm spread curve, close to 40,000#. 6 was enough leaving it to shift itself up hill & down.
manual down or up a gear was ok as long as it knew u were not over or under reving it. Which it did, -- oops down hill, gotta get on the wheel brakes before shifting down while on the exhaust brake. Kept me from blowing the Cummins which has a bad attitude toward over reviving.
Alison transmission, way smarter than people. Copy them. Would be a note to any transmission programmer's .
Add me to the chorus of "I hate the dashboard". For god's sake, use a little imagination.
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the manual is no longer an option with the Ecoboost. Reason #17 that the S650 is a worse Mustang than the S550. Other reasons include that big stupid screen and the Cramit-esque front end.
I wonder how many of these are purchased privately and how many go into rental fleets? Not mustangs in general, but the four cylinder convertibles.
It could be argued that this is closer to the original Mustang "secretary car" than any of the others in the lineup today.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Not the premium EB convertibles, like this one, but I'm pretty sure rental fleets are the sole reason the base EB convertibles are offered. Note that the base GT is not offered in convertible, only the premium GT.
Put me down as another who hates the IP. I lament the trend of making the entire IP one screen with digital gauges. Some IP designs pull it off ok but this one in the S650 Mustang is horrible. It's just a rectangular tablet stuck on the dash. Gross.
Yikes, the rental spec Mustang is $50k now!? That's like $15k more than an Elantra N. It's also $15k+ more than a Miata if you really want the roof to go down. I'm not seeing the value here.
I do love the color and would be happy to get this as a rental car. Even though every rental Mustang I've had has been a little disappointing relative to it's quoted horsepower (I assume its the automatic, tall gearing, and rental car tires that holds the cars back) they're still way more fun than a Corolla.
In reply to CrashDummy :
This is not rental spec. The rental spec convertible is $40k. The rental spec coupe is slightly less than the Elantra N at $32k.
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