S550 vs S650

[Nik691]

As someone who has had 2 s550s and an ss1le, my s650 is night and day so much better than my 550s.

It was hard to be confident coming in and out of turns in the 550. The 650 dramatically improved on this.

The steering rack may not communicate as much as I would like in the 650, but I can tell what the rear is doing and how much I can push. The 550 lacked heavily in that department.

The turn in on the 650 is much improved over the 550. Ford really screwed the PP car and Dark horse non-hp by severely undertiring them.

I think the ss1le has a nice and comfortable feeling to it, the chassis is refined and sharp. It makes you feel very confident because it has your back when you mess up. The 650 is more raw, still has your back when you mess up, but it’s slightly less forgiving, which adds to the crazy and fun factor.

Can’t go wrong with any of these cars, but I would never go back to the 550 platform, unless it’s a Shelby.

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[LouG]

As I said, there are screens, and there are useless hateful abominations of screens needing multiple levels of success before you can drop the temps by 1 degree. And, don't get me started on haptic feedback buttons.
It was probably the glorified tablet display as much as the looks that made me hate Teslas at first sight.
If I wanted fart sounds in my car, I don't need a screen to do them.

 

[ChitownStang]

As someone who has had 2 s550s and an ss1le, my s650 is night and day so much better than my 550s.

It was hard to be confident coming in and out of turns in the 550. The 650 dramatically improved on this.

The steering rack may not communicate as much as I would like in the 650, but I can tell what the rear is doing and how much I can push. The 550 lacked heavily in that department.

The turn in on the 650 is much improved over the 550. Ford really screwed the PP car and Dark horse non-hp by severely undertiring them.

I think the ss1le has a nice and comfortable feeling to it, the chassis is refined and sharp. It makes you feel very confident because it has your back when you mess up. The 650 is more raw, still has your back when you mess up, but it’s slightly less forgiving, which adds to the crazy and fun factor.

Can’t go wrong with any of these cars, but I would never go back to the 550 platform, unless it’s a Shelby.

I couldn’t agree more. My DH non hp handles way better than my last Mach 1non hp. Night and day.
I now have 285 and 305 19’s on the DH and it’s so good!

 

[Nik691]

I couldn’t agree more. My DH non hp handles way better than my last Mach 1non hp. Night and day.
I now have 285 and 305 19’s on the DH and it’s so good!

It was probably by design. Ford couldn’t have the PP and DH non-hp challenge their halo car. Best way to do that was in the tire selection and size.

 

[armyGT]

I think 550 vs. 650 is just an argument between young people and old people. Young people were brought up with a cell phone in their cradle. Older folks tend to try to keep things simple. In the 60's and 70's cars had a simple lever, right is hot, left is cold. Change it without looking.
The screen is cheaper to build and much more expensive to replace than a wire. Most of the new stuff is over engineered to benefit the service department where the dealer makes their profit.
Many salespeople have issues demonstrating the screen.
I report, you decide!

 

[LouG]

Yep, I'm young. 74 next time round, and I like the screens.

 

[MidwayJ]

As someone who has had 2 s550s and an ss1le, my s650 is night and day so much better than my 550s.

Interesting. Most reviewers seem to think the SS1LE handles night and day better than both the S550 and S650, with the S550 and S650 being pretty close.

The main thing I've noticed so far about the S650 vs my S550 is the quicker steering. Now that I've upgraded the wheels and tires and added the BMR cradle lockout kit, my S650 is more comparable to the suspension I had on my S550. Next weekend I'm going on a road trip and will be hitting some twisty roads, so I can't wait to see how she handles!

 

[Nik691]

It was probably by design. Ford couldn’t have the PP and DH non-hp challenge their halo car. Best way to do that was in the tire selection.

Interesting. Most reviewers seem to think the SS1LE handles night and day better than both the S550 and S650, with the S550 and S650 being pretty close.

The main thing I've noticed so far about the S650 vs my S550 is the quicker steering. Now that I've upgraded the wheels and tires and added the BMR cradle lockout kit, my S650 is more comparable to the suspension I had on my S550. Next weekend I'm going on a road trip and will be hitting some twisty roads, so I can't wait to see how she handles!

In stock form, it is night and day from both. They are such good cars, I would love to own one again someday.

Now that my 650 has the track shocks and springs, as well as 295 fronts, 305 rears, the gap has decreased significantly. It’s honestly hard to tell which one handles better. Some days I think the 650, and other days, the 1le.

It’s interesting because I had test driven another 1le in November of last year when I had the 650 and I got out of the 1le being more impressed with my 650

 

[MidwayJ]

Now that my 650 has the track shocks and springs, as well as 295 fronts, 305 rears, the gap has decreased significantly. It’s honestly hard to tell which one handles better. Some days I think the 650, and other days, the 1le.

The handling of the Mustang GT can definitely be improved with mods.

 

[Nik691]

The handling of the Mustang GT can definitely be improved with mods.

Definitely.

I think the chassis of the 1le is still more sorted, but I think Ford did a good job narrowing the gap a bit with the 650, and then even further with slight modification. I would need to actually drive a 1le spiritedly again though because it’s been a long time.

I think Ford prioritizes comfort, otherwise, I believe the PP cars should have been more performance oriented from a suspension standpoint. This would take away from the halo cars though, so I’m glad they at least make suspension goodies to help sort it out.

Let me know how your trip goes! Honestly curious on what your thoughts end up being

 

[steveo1960]

I think 550 vs. 650 is just an argument between young people and old people. Young people were brought up with a cell phone in their cradle. Older folks tend to try to keep things simple. In the 60's and 70's cars had a simple lever, right is hot, left is cold. Change it without looking.
The screen is cheaper to build and much more expensive to replace than a wire. Most of the new stuff is over engineered to benefit the service department where the dealer makes their profit.
Many salespeople have issues demonstrating the screen.
I report, you decide!

My salesperson asked me if I was technically inclined or not so he could tailer the screen tutorial to my abilities. The only item I asked for was to have all the nanny/reporting stuff turned off when I took delivery which he did. Once I got used to the car, I turned some of it back on as needed. Thanks Sofa King as I didn't know about the alarm keyfob either. I'm going to test it when I get a chance.

 

[MidwayJ]

Definitely.

I think the chassis of the 1le is still more sorted, but I think Ford did a good job narrowing the gap a bit with the 650, and then even further with slight modification. I would need to actually drive a 1le spiritedly again though because it’s been a long time.

I think Ford prioritizes comfort, otherwise, I believe the PP cars should have been more performance oriented from a suspension standpoint. This would take away from the halo cars though, so I’m glad they at least make suspension goodies to help sort it out.

Let me know how your trip goes! Honestly curious on what your thoughts end up being

The BMR cradle lockout kit worked well to take some of the slop out of the rear on my S550, so I installed it on the new car as well. I have stock magneride on my '26 vs Bilstein B6 on my S550. The new car definitely has a more refined ride, so if it handles as well or better in spirited driving I'll be impressed!

 

[Upacurb]

This thread is like 2023 all over again......

 

[Sig Oris]

It seems that I've upset you and I'm sorry, that was not my intent. I was simply sharing ONE thing that I prefer in the S550 over the S650 - the buttons with smaller screens - and then tried to show why, and that it's not an uncommon view.

The reality is I've owned 3 Mustangs of 3 different generations, and have liked them all, and always enjoy discussing and reading about them, and I've posted plenty here that was positive about the S650. That doesn't mean I can't appreciate things about the other generations or even other cars as well.

This is a good place to tactically withdraw before getting yourself banned for expressing your opinion.

 

[armyGT]

Opinions are like elbows! Everybody has one. It's best to shut this thread down and discuss what's good about the S650.
I have yet to see the perfect car!

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