New for 2018 Level 2 GT Performance Pack

[SonicVenum]

Any of you hear about this?

http://www.mustangandfords.com/news/171 ... k-level-2/

[jhwalker]

Looks like a nice product to me. Being here in Mexico saves me from buying this good stuff. The road to our casa would destroy a nice car.
Did you see price? Sounds 'spensive. I guess 19" rims are the ticket. Our 2015 Honda CRV has 18's.

I'd love to see the ROI from a project like this.. Proud of Ford for authorizing, even if an 'after-hours project'.

[SonicVenum]

I did a little research. The original GT Performance Package is $4k, and this one is $6500, but includes everything in the Level 1 with the addition of the new stuff. If you get a basic Mustang GT, and add on only this package , you're looking at $42,500. Add all the other options, and you're up to $50k. The GT350 starts at $57k, and the GT350R is $64k. However, both of those have crazy mark-ups. A month ago we got rid of Rach's Fusion in favor of an Edge Sport, and while we were at South Bay Ford, they had two GT350Rs, each with a $20k mark-up. I checked their website yesterday, and they had increased those to $30k over. So, they're at $97k & $98k for the two GT350Rs they have in stock. Ouch.

[Tetge]

I have been following the hype and teases surrounding the new mid model 2018 Mustang. And, after Ford released the pricing I looked at what a base GT MSRP would be for a 2018 equipped as closely to my 2017, as possible. It was a lot more money than the 2017, as the base GT is $1900 more for 2018; the available Performance Package is $1000 more, and, when I looked, the adaptive shocks were not included and they were another $1800. Those three options alone add $4700 to the MSRP, and, if you want the $900 exhaust so you can tailor your exhaust note on the fly, you have to check off a $2000 additional option, so the exhaust actually adds $2900 more to the price. And, one of the rumors about the Level 2 package stated that it also required the $2000 option, which would make it +$8500, if and when it actually becomes available.

From my vantage point, Ford apparently has decided to move the Mustang GT up the price ladder, and, it no longer qualifies for being a clear bang for the buck winner. $50K, or more, out the door, with additional tags and insurance as well, puts the Mustang into competition with some worthy company when it comes to performance and it is now priced out of my grasp. Makes me happy that I decided to grab a 2017 one year ago, even though it clearly is now totally obsolete. And, in any case, I still like a manual trans, but, it is obvious that the new 10 speed auto, now available with the regular performance package, is going to be the performance option of choice, as it is hard to argue with 10 speeds compared to only 6. But, reviews are yet to come. Thus far, the only thing that I see that I know will make a big difference is the change from the terrible P-Zero's on my car to a much better Michelin tire. But, I am not the intended audience for the 2018 Mustang, as I have no use for sync and touch screen controls or active cruise control or a digital dash or ambient lighting, etc., and, I never even turn on the stereo system in my car. Ford is working on trying to develop a new buyer base, as the elderly Mustang fan boys are all falling off the perch, or switching to more sensible, easier to get in an out of, vehicles.

Still, I know that i will be disappointed when my 13.5 in the 1/4 Mustang is slammed as dog slow by all the results in the road tests of the new 460 HP, GT, which will no doubt perform well with the 10 speed auto and drag mode and the corrections for DA and track conditions that magazines always apply. The real target is the SS Camaro, but the churning of performance vehicles is an old story. Fortunately, my slow, wallowing, 2017, still has a nice V8 rumble and the feel of a Mustang, so, it is an acceptable cruiser for me, at this point in my life.

[Tetge]

I went to Ford and optioned up a white base GT with the rare light color interior seats (never seen them at dealerships as they always get the black interior), and just the performance options, except that I did add the exhaust since the shocks now require the $2000, 301A package, that I have no use for. The MSRP does not reflect the almost universal further packing with unnecessary junk, by a dealership, nor the initial high prices because it is a new model. But, $44580 is pretty expensive for a base model with cloth seats and all. And, if and when the rumored Level 2 package becomes a fact, it would add even more to the price, and, of course, any Mustang performance fan boy would have to have that option. The difference is $7545, and if you take the $495 for the special white paint (which is only white paint to me) off of my sticker, it is a $8040 difference. Not trivial by any means.......

[SonicVenum]

It may be nothing to you, but the White Platinum with the pearl shimmer is far superior to the plain old Oxford White. So much so that it convinced me to buy my first white vehicle.

[jhwalker]

Looks cool. You happy with? 1/4 mile time?

[SonicVenum]

We love it, so far. Only thing I may add is to update the Sync system to a Sync 3. It's a bit pricey @ ~$1600, but it's worth it to us for the features. We'll see. It's the Edge Sport, so it comes with a 3.7L V-6 305HP/280Ft-lbs. It's FWD, so you definitely feel some torque steer when accelerating hard, but it's nice to be able to make an easy pass. This one is pretty much fully optioned, only missing the panoramic moonroof. But, it was pretty much love at first site. We've also discovered that this color scheme makes people think we're law enforcement.

The Fusion had to go after discovering yet another issue (4 in our 1 year of ownership). It had a small coolant leak (2nd) from a fitting near the coolant reservoir. Turns out the plastic they used in these 2013 1.6L Ecoboost engines sucks. Couple that with the high pressure cooling system they run on these engines, and it's a recipe for disaster. On top of those issues, the car does not come with a low coolant sensor. We could have had one installed for free, but after fixing the latest issue, I just wanted to get rid of the car. Two separate times it left Rach stranded on her way home from work. Luckily, I was home and able to come get her both times. It goes into a limp mode to save the cylinder head/avoid a fire, so you have to add coolant, and clear the code to get it to operate normally again.

[jhwalker]

We love it, so far. Only thing I may add is to update the Sync system to a Sync 3. It's a bit pricey @ ~$1600, but it's worth it to us for the features. We'll see. It's the Edge Sport, so it comes with a 3.7L V-6 305HP/280Ft-lbs. It's FWD, so you definitely feel some torque steer when accelerating hard, but it's nice to be able to make an easy pass. This one is pretty much fully optioned, only missing the panoramic moonroof. But, it was pretty much love at first site. We've also discovered that this color scheme makes people think we're law enforcement.

The Fusion had to go after discovering yet another issue (4 in our 1 year of ownership). It had a small coolant leak (2nd) from a fitting near the coolant reservoir. Turns out the plastic they used in these 2013 1.6L Ecoboost engines sucks. Couple that with the high pressure cooling system they run on these engines, and it's a recipe for disaster. On top of those issues, the car does not come with a low coolant sensor. We could have had one installed for free, but after fixing the latest issue, I just wanted to get rid of the car. Two separate times it left Rach stranded on her way home from work. Luckily, I was home and able to come get her both times. It goes into a limp mode to save the cylinder head/avoid a fire, so you have to add coolant, and clear the code to get it to operate normally again.

Ouch. and double ouch. Terri has had no issues with her Fusion. I think it is a 2015. We will pay the lease off in January, as we don't plan frequent trips to the USA after she quits work 12/31...

[SonicVenum]

It seems 2013 was the bad year for the 1.6L Ecoboost. There are many issues on Fusions and Escapes with that engine. It started with minor leaks in the cooling system, caused by the weak plastic used in the many (many) fittings in the complicated system. With no low coolant sensor, early cars were overheating to the point where the cylinder head would crack, and leak coolant/oil onto the hot exhaust. After that cause a couple fires, they issued a TSB involving updating the software to put in the ultra safe limp mode. Once the car senses an overheat temperature, it shuts down the engine to nothing more than idle. The TSB for the rest of the crap cooling system is yet to come. They sent out a recall notice, but said the parts for the fix were not yet available for the recall. My guess is they'll bring in all the cars and replace the failing parts of the system, and install a low coolant sensor.

Learned a lesson from that, and researched our new car for any such issues. Nothing like that found, and on top of that, we managed to get an extended warranty for 7yrs/100k miles for pretty cheap because I turned down their first three offers before they finally went low enough for it to be worth our while.