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bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
4/26/16 2:34 p.m.

I'm wondering how it does? I assume it has paddle shifters like the last gen? I wasn't too thrilled with that setup, and wondering if the new Stangs are better. I have to admit that some days when I'm stuck in traffic, that stick in my 330 starts to become a real pain.

espz28
espz28 New Reader
4/26/16 3:44 p.m.

Auto transmission = not a real man, not true car enthusiasts, you're lazy, I hate them, I could never drive one. Just wanted to eliminate a few of those helpful posts that show up when an automatic tranmission is mentioned.

I'm curious also, hope someone has a real response.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
4/26/16 4:40 p.m.

Last summer we had an automatic Mustang, but it was the turbo four: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/new-cars/2015-ford-mustang-convertible/

This

Still, nice automatic.

Klayfish
Klayfish UberDork
4/26/16 6:06 p.m.

Funny you posted this. I have the same thoughts frequently. Much of my commute is in Atlanta rush hour. My FoST is a blast to drive and I LOVE having a manual. But I'd be lying if I said I don't get annoyed with the clutch sometimes. If I got an automatic, it would have to be fast as E36 M3 and fun. 2011-2014 Mustang GT comes to mind repeatedly. Just don't know I could give up a 3rd pedal every day, no matter how good the auto is.

codrus
codrus GRM+ Memberand Dork
4/26/16 6:15 p.m.
Klayfish wrote: If I got an automatic, it would have to be fast as E36 M3 and fun. 2011-2014 Mustang GT comes to mind repeatedly.

I'm pretty sure a 2011-2014 Mustang GT is way faster than an E36 M3 in a straight line. :)

(sometimes I find the word substituter amusing)

Ranger50
Ranger50 UltimaDork
4/26/16 6:41 p.m.

I have seen "bone stock" 6r80 automatics run 9's with a converter change.... I'm only fan if they are broken.

Klayfish
Klayfish UberDork
4/26/16 6:53 p.m.
codrus wrote:
Klayfish wrote: If I got an automatic, it would have to be fast as E36 M3 and fun. 2011-2014 Mustang GT comes to mind repeatedly.
I'm pretty sure a 2011-2014 Mustang GT is way faster than an E36 M3 in a straight line. :) (sometimes I find the word substituter amusing)

Give me a few greasy cheeseburgers and I'll bet the E36 M3 wins in a straight line.

Tom_Spangler
Tom_Spangler GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
4/26/16 8:26 p.m.

I drove one with an Ecoboost, and it was really nice. Flappy paddles, sport mode, quick shifts, etc. If I were to buy a new Mustang (and I've seriously considered it), it would for sure be an automatic. Call me less of a man if you want, I'm 45 and I have a bad hip, so driving a manual in traffic is no fun.

Klayfish
Klayfish UberDork
4/27/16 6:07 a.m.
Tom_Spangler wrote: I drove one with an Ecoboost, and it was really nice. Flappy paddles, sport mode, quick shifts, etc. If I were to buy a new Mustang (and I've seriously considered it), it would for sure be an automatic. Call me less of a man if you want, I'm 45 and I have a bad hip, so driving a manual in traffic is no fun.

Tom, you're very much like me. I'm 44, with a bad hip (and two bad knees). As I said before, I repeatedly look at Mustang GT autos (preferably 'verts) because logically it would make sense. Once a week, I take my wife's minivan to work and she takes my FoST, just so I can have a day in traffic w/out hitting the clutch 473 times per mile. It's nice, I enjoy it. I just don't know I'd be ready to give the clutch up each and every day. I enjoy stick shift too much. If I got an auto, I'd have to find some kind of cheap beater with a stick, just to have.

bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
4/27/16 9:22 a.m.
Tom_Spangler wrote: I drove one with an Ecoboost, and it was really nice. Flappy paddles, sport mode, quick shifts, etc. If I were to buy a new Mustang (and I've seriously considered it), it would for sure be an automatic. Call me less of a man if you want, I'm 45 and I have a bad hip, so driving a manual in traffic is no fun.

Can you go into a little more detail? For me, the closer the flappy paddles are to doing exactly what I tell them, the better. So where do they fall short?

Tom_Spangler
Tom_Spangler GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
4/27/16 9:53 a.m.
bravenrace wrote:
Tom_Spangler wrote: I drove one with an Ecoboost, and it was really nice. Flappy paddles, sport mode, quick shifts, etc. If I were to buy a new Mustang (and I've seriously considered it), it would for sure be an automatic. Call me less of a man if you want, I'm 45 and I have a bad hip, so driving a manual in traffic is no fun.
Can you go into a little more detail? For me, the closer the flappy paddles are to doing exactly what I tell them, the better. So where do they fall short?

I didn't really get a chance to play with it too much, I only drove it for a couple of miles and it was my co-workers' so I didn't want to beat on it too hard. The paddles seem pretty responsive to me, much better than the "rocker switch on the shifter" BS that my Expedition has.

Why not go drive one at a local Ford dealer?

bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
4/27/16 10:01 a.m.

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

Well I loath dealers, so I wanted to get an idea of how well it works before deciding if it's worth going or not.

Ranger50
Ranger50 UltimaDork
4/27/16 10:15 a.m.

In reply to bravenrace:

I believe outside a few, everyone here loathes going to the sales side of a dealership. Unfortunately, dealers have what you want. Find the right car at the least slimeballiest dealer and go for a ride.

Driven5
Driven5 Dork
4/27/16 10:16 a.m.
Tom_Spangler wrote: I drove one with an Ecoboost, and it was really nice. Flappy paddles, sport mode, quick shifts, etc.

The big questions I have is, does it lock the torque converter, and keep it locked regardless of throttle position or rpm (above a low minimum threshold), when using the flappy paddles on the street? I find it absolutely infuriating when cars have a 'manual' mode that will still kick down a pseudo-gear (unlock the torque converter) whenever it wants to rather than only when I tell it to actually change gears, and will end up at essentially the same rpm anyways in any of the 3 gears it will let me select from when accelerating from a given speed. Not giving complete control to the driver in 'manual' mode, provided it's not being told to do anything that would be damaging, would leave it as just another mostly useless marketing gimmick...In my humble opinion.

bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
4/27/16 10:44 a.m.
Ranger50 wrote: In reply to bravenrace: I believe outside a few, everyone here loathes going to the sales side of a dealership. Unfortunately, dealers have what you want. Find the right car at the least slimeballiest dealer and go for a ride.

Well I will. Right after I do my homework on the subject, part of which is this thread.

bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
4/27/16 10:46 a.m.
Driven5 wrote:
Tom_Spangler wrote: I drove one with an Ecoboost, and it was really nice. Flappy paddles, sport mode, quick shifts, etc.
The big questions I have is, does it lock the torque converter, and keep it locked regardless of throttle position or rpm (above a low minimum threshold), when using the flappy paddles on the street? I find it absolutely infuriating when cars have a 'manual' mode that will still kick down a pseudo-gear (unlock the torque converter) whenever it wants to rather than only when I tell it to actually change gears, and will end up at essentially the same rpm anyways in any of the 3 gears it will let me select from when accelerating from a given speed. Not giving complete control to the driver in 'manual' mode, provided it's not being tole to do anything that would be damaging, would leave it as just another mostly useless marketing gimmick...In my humble opinion.

Oh, I feel exactly the same way. So what cars have a manual-auto that best replicates a manual? Sounds like a good magazine comparison test to me....

Trackmouse
Trackmouse Dork
4/27/16 10:46 a.m.

"Bro you didn't hear? Anyone that's driven one of those hasn't lived to tell about it. They get hauled off in cuffs after killing people in crowds. Some real conspiracy stuff man."

bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
4/27/16 10:56 a.m.
Trackmouse wrote: "Bro you didn't hear? Anyone that's driven one of those hasn't lived to tell about it. They get hauled off in cuffs after killing people in crowds. Some real conspiracy stuff man."

Yeah, I know. That's why I thought it sounded like fun!

petegossett
petegossett GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
4/28/16 6:21 a.m.

This thread has piqued my interest - do the flappy-paddle Stangs give up any time in autox compared to their manual counterparts?

bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
4/28/16 8:25 a.m.

In reply to petegossett:

That's another thing I don't know, but would like to.

Tom_Spangler
Tom_Spangler GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
4/28/16 8:40 a.m.

Data point: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-ford-mustang-gt-automatic-test-review

Whatever the company is doing, it’s working. Left alone in D, the transmission snaps new ratios into place with a lubricated, seamless efficiency. Take control with the paddles and the engine pleasingly matches revs on the downshift. Neither the roar nor the shove of the four-cam, 435-hp V-8 seems dimmed by its marriage to a torque converter. Even on the automatic’s loose set of Pirelli P Zero Nero all-season tires, the GT is able to get out of the hole as quick as the stick running the optional summer rubber. We saw 60 mph pass in 4.5 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.0 seconds at 113 mph, identical to the manual’s times. Still, the low-grip rubber prevented recording anything better than a 0.83-g skidpad run, far less than the 0.95 posted by the last stick-shift car we tested on the summer Pirelli P Zeros.
Klayfish
Klayfish UberDork
4/28/16 9:05 a.m.

Makes sense. Modern automatics can bang out shifts faster than most humans can bang out a shift in a true manual. Long gone are the days of a super slow and mushy auto trans (at least in sports cars). I've been amazed how fast the modern autos I've driven shift gears.

petegossett
petegossett GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
4/28/16 9:10 a.m.

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

Awesome - that's one more cool/competitive car to add to the list that SWMBO could also drive.

So I presume the GT is the one to have for F-Street, or do either the Ecoboost or V6 stand a chance?

mapper
mapper Reader
4/28/16 11:07 a.m.

In reply to petegossett:

The Ecoboost might actually do better if equipped correctly. Less weight, especially over the front wheels. I have no evidence to support this, just my opinion. I think the GT and Ecoboost have more power than can really be used at an autocross so it comes down to weight and handling.

Regarding the auto trans: From everything have read, it seems to be better/faster on the street and at the drag strip. The only place the manual is better is on an open track where the auto overheats (like a lot of autos in performance cars). I think it would probably shine for autocross too. The only reason I bought a manual is because of (hopefully) many track days and time trials in the future.

mazdeuce
mazdeuce UltimaDork
4/28/16 11:19 a.m.

I think the GT has wider wheels available, and since FS limits you to available wheel width, I think the weight penalty of the V8 will more than be made up for by the extra rubber. Please correct me if I'm wrong, that's just what was going on when I played with the configurators the last time.

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