2024 GT potential buyer having hesitations

[steveo1960]

Tranny adaptive cycle aside, I think part of the difference in perceived speed, power etc, MIGHT be due to the fact that the s650 interior and ride is quite luxurious compared to the s550. So it provides more of a buffer, good or bad, between the driver feedback and experience compared to earlier models. So for example, I used to describe my 2003 GT as a skateboard with a jet engine on back. You feel everything. every pebble, every bump in the road etc. Compared to my s650 Premium, it's far more gritty and organic. For me, the s650 has less feedback from the road conditions, but that is what I like. I'm not interested in the polyurethane bushing thing where I feel every pebble experience and increase the NVH but have a super handling car. I'm suspecting this is what is making the more hardcore racing folks feel that the s650 is not up to snuff. Just some thoughts.

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[MustangMitch69]

Probably not a popular take, but if you want something faster than the prev gen GT, get something other than a mustang. There are several zippy little 2 seaters avilable that cost the same or less, that don't weigh as much, have quicker 0-60 times, and get better gas mileage.

Or, the mustang ecoboost's 0-60 time is only about half a second less than the GT (still 4-5 seconds) and costs $10k less, so with the GT you're only going to really feel a difference when you're going faster than 60 mph, which isn't street legal in most places. For a daily driver, you really don't need any more than 300 hp, which you can get in a fully loaded camry with a V6.

Having said all that, I own a 24 GT convertible, and absolutely love it, but speed isn't the reason. It sounds amazing, and there's actually "adjustability" of the sound with the performance exhaust option. It SOUNDS like you're sitting behind a powerful engine, and you are! You just can't get that with a V6, a turbo 4, or an electric car regardless of how fast they are. Also, the 24's came out with a lot of the latest, greatest technology that the pre-24's don't have. And I like the exterior more "boxy" styling of it a lot more than the previous generation. So to some degree, with the 24's you get what you pay for, and thats why it costs more.

If I only cared about speed and still wanted a "pony car" I would have gotten the latest Dodge hellcat or camaro ZL1 with stock superchargers, but those just like the earlier mustangs still have a lot of older technology. And I'm not talking about the digital gauge cluster and instrument panel, rather mechanical technology such as the suspensions.

With the camaro ZL1 (and any of the newer camaros for that matter) you basically can't see out of the rear windshield with the awful visibility and the back seat might as well not exist. At the ZL1 price, you might as well just get a corvette. And with the hellcat, it's handling is awful and it has more horsepower than the wheels can handle which really limits its actual performance. It's a straight line car, and it's not even that impressive at doing that.

The 24 GT is a great, well-rounded, FUN car, in my opinion, and I love every minute of driving it. Everyone has different priorities and values, although for me, it has more "smiles per mile" than anything else I've driven.

 

[steveo1960]

Probably not a popular take, but if you want something faster than the prev gen GT, get something other than a mustang. There are several zippy little 2 seaters avilable that cost the same or less, that don't weigh as much, have quicker 0-60 times, and get better gas mileage.

Or, the mustang ecoboost's 0-60 time is only about half a second less than the GT (still 4-5 seconds) and costs $10k less, so with the GT you're only going to really feel a difference when you're going faster than 60 mph, which isn't street legal in most places. For a daily driver, you really don't need any more than 300 hp, which you can get in a fully loaded Camry with a V6.

Having said all that, I own a 24 GT convertible, and absolutely love it, but speed isn't the reason. It sounds amazing, and there's actually "adjustability" of the sound with the performance exhaust option. Also, the 24's came out with a lot of the latest, greatest technology that the pre-24's don't have.

If I only cared about speed and still wanted a "pony car" I would have gotten the latest Dodge Hellcat or Camaro ZL1 with stock superchargers, but those just like the earlier mustangs still have a lot of older technology. And I'm not talking about th digital gauge cluster and instrument panel, rather the suspension, etc.

With the camaro you basically can't see out ofthe rear windshield with the awful visibility, and with the hellcat it has more horsepower than the wheels can handle which really limits its performance.

The 24 GT is a great OVERALL car, in my opinion, and I love every minute of driving it. For me, it has more "smiles per mile" than anything else I've driven.

I agree 100%

 

[Alan Applegate]

Admittedly, I've only put about 300 miles on my 2024 Eco-Boost, which limits my experience. Save for one perhaps two roads within city limits, I can't get over 45 (about 2 seconds) without exceeding the limit. Everything else within 250+ is limited to 70 MPH (about 6 seconds). So other than a louder exhaust, a bit faster to get up to speed, I have everything else I need.

 

[Upacurb]

I ZL1 with stock superchargers, but those just like the earlier mustangs still have a lot of older technology. And I'm not talking about the digital gauge cluster and instrument panel, rather mechanical technology such as the suspensions.

Ummm no.....its well documented the Camaro is a better handling car then the Mustang/ Camaro has the more advanced chassis (GT vs SS).....and ummm.....the S550 and S650 suspension is basically the same..... technology is for Teslas

 

[MustangMitch69]

Ummm no.....its well documented the Camaro is a better handling car then the Mustang/ Camaro has the more advanced chassis (GT vs SS).....and ummm.....the S550 and S650 suspension is basically the same..... technology is for Teslas

We're getting off topic, although I'll give the camaro with the 1LE track package this: It has more aggressive suspension tuning and better grip, making it superior for the track.

If you're not primarily driving it at the track though, I would suggest that the mustang GT has a better balance of comfort and performance, which makes it better suited for daily driving.

Getting into the weeds, the mustang GT's optional MagneRide damping system is particularly fine-tuned for 2024, providing superior real-time adaptation to road conditions, which enhances both handling and comfort. Also the mustang GT has advanced rev-mathching technology for its manual transmission, which automatically blips the throttle during downshifts to provide smoother gear changes.

 

[Upacurb]

We're getting off topic, although I'll give the camaro with the 1LE track package this: It has more aggressive suspension tuning and better grip, making it superior for the track.

If you're not primarily driving it at the track though, I would suggest that the mustang GT has a better balance of comfort and performance, which makes it better suited for daily driving.

Getting into the weeds, the mustang GT's optional MagneRide damping system is particularly fine-tuned for 2024, providing superior real-time adaptation to road conditions, which enhances both handling and comfort. Also the mustang GT has advanced rev-mathching technology for its manual transmission, which automatically blips the throttle during downshifts to provide smoother gear changes.

Sweet you copied and pasted the Ford brochure......

 

[Zcarmenb28]

Probably not a popular take, but if you want something faster than the prev gen GT, get something other than a mustang. There are several zippy little 2 seaters avilable that cost the same or less, that don't weigh as much, have quicker 0-60 times, and get better gas mileage.

Or, the mustang ecoboost's 0-60 time is only about half a second less than the GT (still 4-5 seconds) and costs $10k less, so with the GT you're only going to really feel a difference when you're going faster than 60 mph, which isn't street legal in most places. For a daily driver, you really don't need any more than 300 hp, which you can get in a fully loaded camry with a V6.

Having said all that, I own a 24 GT convertible, and absolutely love it, but speed isn't the reason. It sounds amazing, and there's actually "adjustability" of the sound with the performance exhaust option. It SOUNDS like you're sitting behind a powerful engine, and you are! You just can't get that with a V6, a turbo 4, or an electric car regardless of how fast they are. Also, the 24's came out with a lot of the latest, greatest technology that the pre-24's don't have. And I like the exterior more "boxy" styling of it a lot more than the previous generation. So to some degree, with the 24's you get what you pay for, and thats why it costs more.

If I only cared about speed and still wanted a "pony car" I would have gotten the latest Dodge hellcat or camaro ZL1 with stock superchargers, but those just like the earlier mustangs still have a lot of older technology. And I'm not talking about the digital gauge cluster and instrument panel, rather mechanical technology such as the suspensions.

With the camaro ZL1 (and any of the newer camaros for that matter) you basically can't see out of the rear windshield with the awful visibility and the back seat might as well not exist. At the ZL1 price, you might as well just get a corvette. And with the hellcat, it's handling is awful and it has more horsepower than the wheels can handle which really limits its actual performance. It's a straight line car, and it's not even that impressive at doing that.

The 24 GT is a great, well-rounded, FUN car, in my opinion, and I love every minute of driving it. Everyone has different priorities and values, although for me, it has more "smiles per mile" than anything else I've driven.

The part about the suspension age isn’t really that accurate. The Camaro suspension and chassis is better than the S650, as the S650 is just a barely updated S550 suspension, which wasn’t close to the alpha Camaro chassis or suspension trim for trim. The S650 isn’t “newer tech” suspension. Just same ole OK but not great suspension.

Also, the GT is much faster than an Ecoboost above about 30 mph. Below that it’s more so just traction limited compared to the Ecoboost. Above 45-50 mph it’s not even close.

 

[MustangMitch69]

The part about the suspension age isn’t really that accurate. The Camaro suspension and chassis is better than the S650, as the S650 is just a barely updated S550 suspension, which wasn’t close to the alpha Camaro chassis or suspension trim for trim. The S650 isn’t “newer tech” suspension. Just same ole OK but not great suspension.

Also, the GT is much faster than an Ecoboost above about 30 mph. Below that it’s more so just traction limited compared to the Ecoboost. Above 45-50 mph it’s not even close.

Admittedly, I'm not as familiar with the camaro's suspension as the mustang's, although my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that both have MacPherson struts in the front and a multi-link rear suspension, both have advanced damping systems, and both have electronic steering assist with adjustable effort levels.

The mustang, however, offers "modes" such as Sport and Track which allow for real-time adjustment of the suspension stiffness, whereas the camaro only provides performance-tuned suspension at the higher trim levels. Is the camaro's performance-tuned suspension "better"? Maybe it is. When I drove both, I honestly couldn't tell a difference, and I'm sure other people are more aware of the differences.

However, I will give the camaro this: when you turn the steering wheel, the wheels of the car turn immediately, just like a BMW or roadster-style car, whereas the mustang's steering wheel has a little bit of "wiggle" or "give" to it when you turn it, resulting in less of a feeling of control. Some people might prefer that and/or consider it a "comfort" feature, but in my opinion that's one comparative advantage of the camaro's.

Not to elaborate too much on it because this is a mustang forum after all, although I absolutely love the camaro's exterior styling, especially on the ZL1. From the outside, it looks better than even the new $150K Shelby super snake, in my opinion, and probably costs half of that. My dream car would be something like a 24 ZL1 on the outside and a 24 mustang GT on the inside.

The dealbreakers for me were that the outward visibility is awful, the back seat and the trunk are both so small that they might as well not exist, and the 1LE track package in my opinion is TOO stiff. Great for the track, but I personally find it unsuitable for daily city driving.

 

[Zcarmenb28]

Admittedly, I'm not as familiar with the camaro's suspension as the mustang's, although my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that both have MacPherson struts in the front and a multi-link rear suspension, both have advanced damping systems, and both have electronic steering assist with adjustable effort levels.

The mustang, however, offers "modes" such as Sport and Track which allow for real-time adjustment of the suspension stiffness, whereas the camaro only provides performance-tuned suspension at the higher trim levels. Is the camaro's performance-tuned suspension "better"? Maybe it is. When I drove both, I honestly couldn't tell a difference, and I'm sure other people are more aware of the differences.

However, I will give the camaro this: when you turn the steering wheel, the wheels of the car turn immediately, just like a BMW or roadster-style car, whereas the mustang's steering wheel has a little bit of "wiggle" or "give" to it when you turn it, resulting in less of a feeling of control. Some people might prefer that and/or consider it a "comfort" feature, but in my opinion that's one comparative advantage of the camaro's.

Not to elaborate too much on it because this is a mustang forum after all, although I absolutely love the camaro's exterior styling, especially on the ZL1. From the outside, it looks better than even the new $150K Shelby super snake, in my opinion, and probably costs half of that. My dream car would be something like a 24 ZL1 on the outside and a 24 mustang GT on the inside.

The dealbreakers for me were that the outward visibility is awful, the back seat and the trunk are both so small that they might as well not exist, and the 1LE track package in my opinion is TOO stiff. Great for the track, but I personally find it unsuitable for daily city driving.

Yes, the Camaro performance trims offer adjustable magnetic dampers, except for the ZL1 1LE which is fixed but adjustable (on the dampers) spool valve dampers, which are very stiff.
I had a 18 GT PP1 with MagneRide and it was very bouncy and uncontrolled compared to my ZL1. Most accounts indicate the GM damper tuning is superior to Ford’s. I’d agree as well.

On bumpy roads my GT had to be in the softest damper setting otherwise it was very bouncy and unsettled, while my ZL1 takes the bumps and keeps the car planted in comparison in any mode. Also the ride in “tour” of my ZL1 isn’t any worse or stiffer than my GT was. But the wheel motions are much better controlled.

I agree about the steering differences, more immediate response but also more feel and feedback, with less tramlining.

I regularly take my middle schoolers in the back seats, and put all 3 of their backpacks, their jackets, my work backpack, and my gym bag, in the trunk, with a little room to spare. It’s mainly just a small opening, which is due to the higher rear and as a result of the chassis and bracing design at the rear. I agree rear visibility is poor through the rear window, but I’m used to that (they also have a rear mirror video screen, but I’m not a fan). The side windows are narrow/short, but that’s not a problem for me.

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