Mustang GT roadtrip
 

My parents have decided to retire from retirement, and asked me and my 12 yo daughter to ferry one of their cars up from Charleston to DC.

Our ride was a 2017 Mustang GT convertible. There are so many packages with the Mustang that it’s taken me a few min of research to unpack its specs, but it looks like 435 hp from the 5.0 liter V8 in this tune, with a 6 speed manual. The Performance package adds 3.73 gears with a Torsen diff, stiffer shocks, bigger brakes, a variety of other stuff, and summer tires.

Forecast temp for the trip? 40 degrees and falling. At least it didn’t look like snow.

In the end, it was a smooth and uneventful drive, split into two days. Total travel time was around 8 hours, with a couple of fuel stops and a short detour into South of the Border, because my daughter was fascinated by the idea of such overly racist kitsch. That is a gross and dirty place, fwiw, and I do not recommend the coffee there.

The Mustang in this configuration isn’t really made for highway driving. With 3.73s, it struggles to get 21 mpg on the highway, and even in sixth at, um, more than 80 it’s pulling 2600 rpm, which is a lot for a big V8. The range is a little less than my Model 3, at just over 300 miles.

But the seats are comfortable (a first for a Mustang), and you don’t have any trouble passing when the need arises.

What this Mustang is good for is lurid tail slides. Especially when it’s cold. Even if you don’t mean to. The traction control gives you a long leash, and you can find yourself auditioning for Formula D on the way to Outback Steakhouse with little provocation. Maybe it’s just been too long since I’ve driven a powerful RWD car.

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I think that modern traction control is just way better than it was when we all got angry about it in the E46es.

TC is also really good in the E90 M3 if you tell it that you’re in Europe. BMWNA’s settings are barely better than the E46 was.

Ford rims?

They go very nice with the car color and roof color

And everyone needs to experience South of the Border once. . . going there twice is just wrong

Yeah, those are the stock wheels with the Performance Package — or at least they were.

Wow! Are they moving to the DC area?

Mustang GT roadtrip
 

Yep. They’re still pretty active but the stress of maintaining a fair percentage of their wealth in a house on one of the barrier islands has gotten a little old. It’ll be nice to have them local, though we are going to miss Charleston a whole lot.

Edit: light is a little better here

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Candy Apple red. Your parents made a wise choice. Climate change is going to overtake those islands.

You and my father would get along. He’s convinced it’s a matter of (not much) time.

Looks like a fun drive and a cool car. I look forward to the idea of road trips with my daughter once she's older. Charleston is a very cool city.

Nicely spec’d car, :cool:

wish my dad would splurge and get something similar. His biggest splurge was a Chrysler Sebring convertible:eeps::lol:

That color is great.

Or at least the color my phone thinks it is is great.

Today is the three year anniversary of my then 13yo daughter and I flying out to San Diego to drive my dad's Jaguar XK8 back east. Saturday, a couple days ago, my now 14yo daughter and I did a nine hour partial lap around the Chesapeake Bay (across the Bay Bridge, down the eastern shore, over/through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, stopping for Krispie Kreme doughnuts in Richmond, and back home) because our plan to go to Detroit and Toronto was called off by snow. We also had the Toronto trip last summer and to see the eclipse in 2017.

The trips are great fun. Highly recommend. Wish I'd started the daddy-daughter trips at earlier ages. We've had plenty of long distance family road trips since they were babies, but there's something different when it's just two of you.

Thanks, yeah—it was a cool trip and a neat experience.

The color is really nice in person, too—much more subtle than the brighter reds, but it goes well with the black top and wheels. And it looks a little more mature than the ones with stripes, at least until you start drifting.

Sounds fun.

Feedback on the car is a good read.

Definitely. The dynamic is so different, compared to when the whole family is in the car. My mom still talks about the times when, as a child, her dad would drive her to go shopping in Duluth, and how special that made her feel because she had his undivided attention. Those are the moments in time that your kids (and you) will always remember.

My youngest has received the lion's share of the 1:1 road trips with me because of her travel lacrosse. I love these trips because we talk, joke, and listen to music in the car. No stress, no reservations, no drama. I hope that my kids feel the same way that my mom did.

Aside from the deep gears, that sounds like a pretty excellent road trip car.

Did you take any mental notes on how the trip would have been different in the hamburger?

:lol:

Our stops would have been slightly more structured. I set off from CHS knowing where we were going to spend the night but other than that I didn't really plan where to stop--I wouldn't have done that in the Tesla. Also, I'm not sure I would have tried to average 85 in the Tesla. It can do it, but the energy consumption goes way up at that speed, so keeping it under 80 is better for overall time management.

But there are enough superchargers on 95 now that it wouldn't have dramatically changed the trip. We'd have needed to stop in Lumberton or Fayetteville for a charge on Day One, which would have increased our time en route, but if we'd been able to charge overnight in Rocky Mount (or supercharge at the supercharger that was coincidentally in the parking lot of where we had dinner) we probably wouldn't have had to stop at all on the second day. That would have deprived me of my gas stop at the Slip In, though, which is a little Americana that I'd be sad to lose.

The Mustang is a good trip car for two people. More than that you'd run out of luggage space, but it was relatively comfortable and not loud by the standards of a convertible. It's better on the highway than my Boxster is.

Wow- very cool. Wish my dad had that kind of taste in cars! I'd love a Mustang GT one day

Yeah, my parents have been Mustang partisans for a while. My mom got a 64 as her first car, and over the years they've had...maybe a dozen? They've had some clunkers, like a Mustang II coupe and an automatic Fox body GT, but they've also had some pretty good ones--one of the first Fox body convertibles (a 1984, I think?), a 1987 GT convertible with a stick, 97, 99, and 05 GT convertibles, a 2011 V6 6M that was...not as good as a V8, but kind of interesting, and now this current one that is kind of a beast.

That’s dedication - even a Mustang II!

This explains while Josh is always flirting with Fords.

Also even among mustang enthusiasts, having owned every generation from the beginning must be pretty rare. Maybe Ford will want to some sort of marketing piece with them in exchange for a free car :)


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It doesn't seem like you'd swap the boxster for it? If you had to pick one, which would it be and why? #askingforafriend.

The Boxster is a nicer car to drive, period full stop. It handles better, has better steering feel, and is just...smooth.

The Mustang is none of that. It's big and feels even bigger. Its suspension is stiff but the chassis is a little flexible, meaning you feel the car shudder over bumps. It has a lot of driveline mass, too, so it requires effort to drive smoothly, without lashing.

But the Mustang is a more dramatic car to drive. It's loud and fast and feels even faster than it is. You have to judicious in your throttle inputs...or don't, and the car gets goofy and sideways. It's fun.

Of course, the Mustang also has four seats, which means you can take the kids with you. And the kids think it's hilarious fun.

Bottom line, as an every day car the Boxster is better. It's also the car I'd pick to take to the track. If I had to have only one car and I could make a 2 seater work, I'd get the Boxster.

The Mustang might be the better choice as a 3rd car, though, particularly if you have kids. It's not as rewarding, in a chassis and handling sense, but it's a fun toy. If you aren't going to the track, and don't have access to canyon roads, and don't need to commute in it, the Mustang might be the right car.

My 12-year-old son doesn't understand at all why we have the Boxster. What's the point, he asks, when my 240 is both fun and practical (and not too attention grabbing.) He understands the utility and comfort of the SUV. He has only contempt for the Boxster.

Of course, all this is because he doesn't drive...

Edit: I think he would approve of the Mustang.

If you said it, I might have missed it. What year is your folks Mustang?

Independent rear?

I have driven a few newer Mustangs (rentals) but have not yet driven one with the independent rear end

Yes, it's a 2017, so it has the IRS. The IRS helps--there's none of the weird axle hop over bumps that older Mustangs had. But it's still unmistakably a Mustang, for good and bad.

I've driven a couple of lower spec rental Mustangs, and the GT is a lot nicer.

Thanks for the thoughts, it aligns well with what I expected.

I've only had experience with a smurf blue rental 4 cyl auto in Florida last year. It was very much as you described... felt huge, made lots of noises and moved around a-lot. I'd be interested to see how much better the GT with a manual could be.

It is a very appealing layout, but I'm not sure I would be happy with the execution.

You are also comparing a 2017 Mustang to a 2006 Boxster. Time takes a toll on power, dynamics, NVH etc...

Every porsche I've had with the exception of the 2001 996 was pretty great on the highway. Tight cabins are my only complaint.

I'd much rather be in my 2 series on the highway than the Boxster--in both top up and top down situations. Primarily, I prefer the more elevated driving position. But also the better visibility all around with top up; and there's much less cabin wind in my car with the top down.

Windy parkways, etc., are another matter.

I thought the Mustang was the nicer highway car. The Porsche is loud inside, partly (mainly?) because of the engine, rather than the wind noise. And even with 3.73s, the V8 Mustang is more relaxed at speed than the Porsche, which spins a lot higher revs on the highway. Of course, the Porsche is a 3.2 six v. a 5.0 V8, and has something like 150 fewer hp.

My 1er (and presumably the 2er as well) really does a great job as a daily driver. Wind noise is minimal for a convertible, seating position and ergonomics are great and the controls are properly weighted without being burdensome. I'm still a huge fan.

Back 'somewhat' on topic, it is also a great car to take the kids on a cruise and enjoy top down scenery, some music and the smells of the outdoors. Some of the best bonding moments with my kids. I enjoy hearing stories from you guys (JST, Clyde, etc) of similar experiences with your kids regardless of what car it is in.

With all of that together, I think I'm with your son. Worst case, IMO, it's a pick you pleasure thing because none of them are bad choices.

:thumbup: