Since I own a 2011 Mustang GT Premium and I am always quick on the criticism, I will put together a
CONS list. I have had the Mustang since 21 December, 2010 and it has 3200 miles on the odometer. 2011 Mustang GT Premium, 5.0, 6 speed Getrag, 3.73's, 401a. Here it is:
CONS:
1. Cupholder: This cupholder is strategically in the worst place it could possibly be. I would imagine that an automatic wouldn't be as bad but I don't have an auto. I usually use it for my iPhone, Pall Mall's, lighter, change dish ect ect...
2. Glovebox: The glovebox is pretty small, mostly limited to document storage. Even some documents have to be folded to fit in there or it will cover the latch and the glovebox won't close.
3. Door storage compartment: The little slot below the armrest isn't wide enough to store anything in. I use to detail automobiles and have seen some useless storage compartments... this is one of the smallest. If it isn't big enough to put something in it, don't put it there at all, it is very hard to clean down inside there because the opening is so narrow.
4. Factory Ride Height: The ride height is way too high for any performance vehicle. I am shocked that the GT can produce the numbers that it can while there is 2 1/2 inches between the tire and the fenders. Lowering springs are the first mod I suggest once you get the car. At least 1 inch front, 1.2 in the back... Do Not Exceed 1.5 fr/ 1.75 rr, the suspension needs room to travel.
5. Transmission Fluid: There has already been a TSB issued on the 31st of March. The stock transmission fluid made it a little more difficult to shift when the transmission was cold. It was noticeable in 1st and 2nd gears but may also be noticed in 3rd through 6th gears. The increased shift effort may be the result of the increased viscosity of the transmission fluid in cold weather. Once you change out the fluid.. problem solved.
http://www.mustangevolution.com/must...2012-mustangs/
6. Tire hop prior to break-in: I experienced tire hop initially when the car was new, or newer I should say. Once the suspension settled, I rarely hop anymore. I recommend some control arms after the ride height is lowered.
7. Interior illumination on the console: The buttons on the console are a light blue/aqua. I would love to be able to change the color of the entire button illumination to match my gauges and ambient lighting. If I could have changed everything, I would have purchased a Race Red, the Red brick interior and with red ambient lighting and gauges.
8. Too quiet: The new 5.0 is too quiet. Too much sound deadening material inside the car. The exhaust is too restrictive as well, this is another must do mod. The sound induction tube is cool and does the trick until you have the cash to make this thing louder. I pulled both the sound tubes plugs so I could hear the car.
9. Leather seats: While the leather seats are nice, they still are not superior quality leather. I'm sure these leather seats are more durable than the European leather but this is an area that we Americans fall behind in. Leather seats are also the worst thing you can invest in if you are going to race the car. They do not provide the grip you need during hard cornering, this will have you hanging on to the shifter/steering wheel (bad thing to do) or wrapping your right elbow around the center console. They are also way too heavy, I read somewhere that the power drivers seat is 60+ pounds over the passengers 40+ pounds. No matter what car your buying... think twice about the leather..
10. Factory Grille: The stock grille is very restrictive. There are only two small openings between the running horse and the fog lamps. I immediately deleted my fog lights with a Roush 7 bar grille, it opened the entire grille area up. Caution: Once you increase the airflow into the engine bay, start looking for an aftermarket heat extractor hood. I currently am looking at the Steeda Q-series fictional hood but even a cowl hood is useful. There was a lot of air pressure underneath the hood at 140mph on the Autobahn.
11. Factory soft limiter: This will be a BIG surprise the first time you hit this. The soft limiter kicks in around 6700rpm and stays engaged until you redline the car. This is the main reason some car magazines pulled incredibly bad 1/4 mile times. If you look at the Road & Track first test in the 2011 Mustang, the 13.2@109mph was accomplished by
not knowing the vehicle (Car & Driver too). The shifts were made at 7000rpm whichs means they rode through the factory soft limiter, which means they lost about 1-2mph in each gear. The soft limiter pulls fuel and timing, making the engine run like its out of gas. I recommend an SCT tune to at least eliminate the soft limiter. Take note of the damage done by shifting at the hard limiter and not before the soft limiter in the 5.0. This will result in bad 1/4 mile times as this 13.2 run by R&T/C&D is accepted in this community to be standard now. It is a drivers race... only the driver lost here...
Note: R&T didn't even reach 60 in second gear, top speed in second with the 3.73's and 19 inch Brembo package Pirelli's is 62-63mph. They shouldn't be shifting into 3rd before 60. Shifting at 6800rpm (200-300rpm before hard limiter) or when the tachometer flashes red, would have saved them 3mph in that gear alone. 2-3mph was lost in each shift, this also forced them to shift into 5th right before they trapped.