Base seats?

[Evo1986]

Definitely will. I've had Recaros and fixed-headrest, aggressive, single-shelled seats in my past four cars. I just think it's comfier to be hugged into place, even in a daily driver.


Agreed, never had an issue with manual seats. Automatic adjustments are just a nice bonus.

Do you have some pictures of your Recaro's by any chance? Especially with the fixed headrest.

BTW: I love the carbon fibre bucket seats from the new BMW M4.

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[OppoLock]

Do you have some pictures of your Recaro's by any chance? Especially with the fixed headrest.

BTW: I love the carbon fibre bucket seats from the new BMW M4.

Yeah those seats are baller, carbon fiber scrote tray and all.

I never took photos of the interior really. Just videos of me bitching about the issues I needed to record for the lemon lawsuit lol.

Did a quick google and this guy has a fair summary; I'd agree with his thoughts:

 

[Q6543]

It looks like Recaro isn't even an option on the builds item.

When I ordered my 2014 GT base you could add Recaros for 1,895.

 

[Bikeman315]

It looks like Recaro isn't even an option on the builds item.

When I ordered my 2014 GT base you could add Recaros for 1,895.

I’m sure they will be available but we will need to see the order guide for it to be 100%.

 

[zstanny]

Real curious how the recaros will be. LOL if they're not like these, I bet someone could find a cheap set on a trashed 350 and swap em out.

Yeah those seats are baller, carbon fiber scrote tray and all.

I never took photos of the interior really. Just videos of me bitching about the issues I needed to record for the lemon lawsuit lol.

Did a quick google and this guy has a fair summary; I'd agree with his thoughts:

 

[NegativeMultiplier]

(Meanwhile I sit in my Mustang obliviously yet genuinely believing they're the most comfortable supportive cloth seats ever.)

That's my take. Even the base level seats are great in my opinion.

Then again I might be easily impressed, idk

 

[Hack]

(Meanwhile I sit in my Mustang obliviously yet genuinely believing they're the most comfortable supportive cloth seats ever.)

I liked the 2011 seats better, but I agree the current Mustang seats are pretty decent. They are made for taller people, which is nice. I also like having adjustable lumbar.

 

[amk91]

I liked the 2011 seats better, but I agree the current Mustang seats are pretty decent. They are made for taller people, which is nice. I also like having adjustable lumbar.

2013 Ford Mustang (2012)

I hated the non-Recaro seats in the second refresh S197 Mustang from May 2012 to 2014, preferring the older ones that lasted from late '04 at S197 intro to April 2012. I hated the new headrests, as I did in the 2012 F-150.

S197 2005 GT Interior (2003/04 photo)

2010 GT500 (2008 photo)

2012 Boss 302 Interior (2010 photo)

The sharper headrests above might've annoyed some people, but I liked them that way. I don't like flat headrests, except in integrated form (racing) like the Recaros.

S550 Faurecia Leather Seats (2014 photos)

The Faurecia supplied S550 regular seats, gave the S550 a more upmarket and near luxury feel, if not European flavor in 2014, but I imagine cost a pretty penny for the supplier contract. Faurecia is responsible for some the nicest interiors in the automotive industry, GLOBALLY. Ford knew what they were doing contracting with them, as FCA was already using them to improve their formerly crappy interior image.

They did the 2015 F-150 program (P552), which improved interior quality leaps and bounds compared to the previous generation.

Old Gen F-150 (P415) Pre-Faurecia

Faurecia Seating 2015 F-150 (P552)

Ford wants to ride out the contract for as long as possible and from what I remember, so they are still the same as in the current car.

These Recaros have been around I think since March 2011, when the '12 Boss 302 (Laguna Seca) came out and they were also optional on the 2012 Shelby GT500. The rest of the 2012 Mustang range didn't get them though.

2013 GT Premium S197 New Recaros (2012)

2015 S550 Mustang GT Premium Revised Recaros

The Recaros became optional in April/May 2012 on both the refreshed V6 and GT coupes for 2013, only changing to perforated inserts and new seat pattern on the new S550 when it went on sale in September 2014.

2015.5 Shelby GT 350 Special Recaros (2014 photo)

2018 S550 MCA Mustang GT Prem. (2017)

Since then, they've only changed for the Shelby GT350 in 2015, the 2018 MCA/refresh in late '17, when the seat faces became available in red or other non-black colors. Before that it was only colored stitching on black seats, like in my '17.

2020 GT500 Recaro Seats (2019)

The 2020 GT500 Recaros (2019) were based on the same seat frame as the GT350, but with full leather.


2024 S650 Mustang GT Premium (2022 photo)

I talked to the Recaro reps at the Detroit Charity Preview and they gave me background info, stating that Ford was satisfied with maintaining use of that seat model frame of theirs and wouldn't be changing them soon, since this RWD architecture will be discontinued by 2029.

The senior Recaro rep said Ford didn't consider ordering any of their new seat designs for the S650 program and only contracted for the Bronco/Ranger Raptor for USDM, so that's why the same basic seat frame from the 2012 model year S197 is still there. Only a slightly modified design was ordered for the GT350.

Ford if I recall, made their Recaro seating contract agreement back in 2008-09 as the 2010 models were coming out.

2009 SRT8

2010 Camaro SS

It was somewhat because the upcoming 2010 Camaro seats looked sportier and the new Challenger SRT8 seats had more bolstering, so in order to keep both customers who wanted a racing seat and regular buyers, by offering a spicier seat as optional, Recaro was consulted in already working with them for global ST and RS models over the years (and Fox body).

They barely became optional in March 2011 for Boss 302 and GT500, followed by all 2013'Mustangs in Apr/May 2012.

The new S650 seats whether Recaro or non, are not much different, because the new model is a heavily updated S550 and emphasized cost savings heavily. People tried to compare the level of changes to the 1999 or 2010 before reveal, but I knew it was a much bigger change to be even called 7G and also keep the new S650 chassis code. Unfortunately, the cost cutting would be made somewhere by reuse of S550 existing components, even as a new generation car.

This is why I wanted an all new CD6 S650 Mustang, like Mark Fields originally envisioned in 2015 and was sad in early 2018, when someone hinted it was killed after he left in 2017 and dumbed down.

I wanted a 100% new Mustang, sharing only parts we couldn't see with other Fords, but redesigning everything visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be nor was CD6 as a company wide modular basis, favoring more ICE RWD cars. A CD6 Mustang needed to be the best of the 6G Camaro, without being as much of a compromise as that car.

This final S650 is a great car, except the cost cutting rear end with the cheaper to stamp taillights and not enough technical forward leaps. Still a great car regardless.

 

[OppoLock]

2013 Ford Mustang (2012)

I hated the non-Recaro seats in the second refresh S197 Mustang from May 2012 to 2014, preferring the older ones that lasted from late '04 at S197 intro to April 2012. I hated the new headrests, as I did in the 2012 F-150.

S197 2005 GT Interior (2003/04 photo)

2010 GT500 (2008 photo)

2012 Boss 302 Interior (2010 photo)

The sharper headrests above might've annoyed some people, but I liked them that way. I don't like flat headrests, except in integrated form (racing) like the Recaros.

S550 Faurecia Leather Seats (2014 photos)

The Faurecia supplied S550 regular seats, gave the S550 a more upmarket and near luxury feel, if not European flavor in 2014, but I imagine cost a pretty penny for the supplier contract. Faurecia is responsible for some the nicest interiors in the automotive industry, GLOBALLY. Ford knew what they were doing contracting with them, as FCA was already using them to improve their formerly crappy interior image.

They did the 2015 F-150 program (P552), which improved interior quality leaps and bounds compared to the previous generation.

Old Gen F-150 (P415) Pre-Faurecia

Faurecia Seating 2015 F-150 (P552)

Ford wants to ride out the contract for as long as possible and from what I remember, so they are still the same as in the current car.

These Recaros have been around I think since March 2011, when the '12 Boss 302 (Laguna Seca) came out and they were also optional on the 2012 Shelby GT500. The rest of the 2012 Mustang range didn't get them though.

2013 GT Premium S197 New Recaros (2012)

2015 S550 Mustang GT Premium Revised Recaros

The Recaros became optional in April/May 2012 on both the refreshed V6 and GT coupes for 2013, only changing to perforated inserts and new seat pattern on the new S550 when it went on sale in September 2014.

2015.5 Shelby GT 350 Special Recaros (2014 photo)

2018 S550 MCA Mustang GT Prem. (2017)

Since then, they've only changed for the Shelby GT350 in 2015, the 2018 MCA/refresh in late '17, when the seat faces became available in red or other non-black colors. Before that it was only colored stitching on black seats, like in my '17.

2020 GT500 Recaro Seats (2019)

The 2020 GT500 Recaros (2019) were based on the same seat frame as the GT350, but with full leather.


2024 S650 Mustang GT Premium (2022 photo)

I talked to the Recaro reps at the Detroit Charity Preview and they gave me background info, stating that Ford was satisfied with maintaining use of that seat model frame of theirs and wouldn't be changing them soon, since this RWD architecture will be discontinued by 2029.

The senior Recaro rep said Ford didn't consider ordering any of their new seat designs for the S650 program and only contracted for the Bronco/Ranger Raptor for USDM, so that's why the same basic seat frame from the 2012 model year S197 is still there. Only a slightly modified design was ordered for the GT350.

Ford if I recall, made their Recaro seating contract agreement back in 2008-09 as the 2010 models were coming out.

2009 SRT8

2010 Camaro SS

It was somewhat because the upcoming 2010 Camaro seats looked sportier and the new Challenger SRT8 seats had more bolstering, so in order to keep both customers who wanted a racing seat and regular buyers, by offering a spicier seat as optional, Recaro was consulted in already working with them for global ST and RS models over the years (and Fox body).

They barely became optional in March 2011 for Boss 302 and GT500, followed by all 2013'Mustangs in Apr/May 2012.

The new S650 seats whether Recaro or non, are not much different, because the new model is a heavily updated S550 and emphasized cost savings heavily. People tried to compare the level of changes to the 1999 or 2010 before reveal, but I knew it was a much bigger change to be even called 7G and also keep the new S650 chassis code. Unfortunately, the cost cutting would be made somewhere by reuse of S550 existing components, even as a new generation car.

This is why I wanted an all new CD6 S650 Mustang, like Mark Fields originally envisioned in 2015 and was sad in early 2018, when someone hinted it was killed after he left in 2017 and dumbed down.

I wanted a 100% new Mustang, sharing only parts we couldn't see with other Fords, but redesigning everything visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be nor was CD6 as a company wide modular basis, favoring more ICE RWD cars. A CD6 Mustang needed to be the best of the 6G Camaro, without being as much of a compromise as that car.

This final S650 is a great car, except the cost cutting rear end with the cheaper to stamp taillights and not enough technical forward leaps. Still a great car regardless.

Excellent post, thank you

 

[Evo1986]

2013 Ford Mustang (2012)

I hated the non-Recaro seats in the second refresh S197 Mustang from May 2012 to 2014, preferring the older ones that lasted from late '04 at S197 intro to April 2012. I hated the new headrests, as I did in the 2012 F-150.

S197 2005 GT Interior (2003/04 photo)

2010 GT500 (2008 photo)

2012 Boss 302 Interior (2010 photo)

The sharper headrests above might've annoyed some people, but I liked them that way. I don't like flat headrests, except in integrated form (racing) like the Recaros.

S550 Faurecia Leather Seats (2014 photos)

The Faurecia supplied S550 regular seats, gave the S550 a more upmarket and near luxury feel, if not European flavor in 2014, but I imagine cost a pretty penny for the supplier contract. Faurecia is responsible for some the nicest interiors in the automotive industry, GLOBALLY. Ford knew what they were doing contracting with them, as FCA was already using them to improve their formerly crappy interior image.

They did the 2015 F-150 program (P552), which improved interior quality leaps and bounds compared to the previous generation.

Old Gen F-150 (P415) Pre-Faurecia

Faurecia Seating 2015 F-150 (P552)

Ford wants to ride out the contract for as long as possible and from what I remember, so they are still the same as in the current car.

These Recaros have been around I think since March 2011, when the '12 Boss 302 (Laguna Seca) came out and they were also optional on the 2012 Shelby GT500. The rest of the 2012 Mustang range didn't get them though.

2013 GT Premium S197 New Recaros (2012)

2015 S550 Mustang GT Premium Revised Recaros

The Recaros became optional in April/May 2012 on both the refreshed V6 and GT coupes for 2013, only changing to perforated inserts and new seat pattern on the new S550 when it went on sale in September 2014.

2015.5 Shelby GT 350 Special Recaros (2014 photo)

2018 S550 MCA Mustang GT Prem. (2017)

Since then, they've only changed for the Shelby GT350 in 2015, the 2018 MCA/refresh in late '17, when the seat faces became available in red or other non-black colors. Before that it was only colored stitching on black seats, like in my '17.

2020 GT500 Recaro Seats (2019)

The 2020 GT500 Recaros (2019) were based on the same seat frame as the GT350, but with full leather.


2024 S650 Mustang GT Premium (2022 photo)

I talked to the Recaro reps at the Detroit Charity Preview and they gave me background info, stating that Ford was satisfied with maintaining use of that seat model frame of theirs and wouldn't be changing them soon, since this RWD architecture will be discontinued by 2029.

The senior Recaro rep said Ford didn't consider ordering any of their new seat designs for the S650 program and only contracted for the Bronco/Ranger Raptor for USDM, so that's why the same basic seat frame from the 2012 model year S197 is still there. Only a slightly modified design was ordered for the GT350.

Ford if I recall, made their Recaro seating contract agreement back in 2008-09 as the 2010 models were coming out.

2009 SRT8

2010 Camaro SS

It was somewhat because the upcoming 2010 Camaro seats looked sportier and the new Challenger SRT8 seats had more bolstering, so in order to keep both customers who wanted a racing seat and regular buyers, by offering a spicier seat as optional, Recaro was consulted in already working with them for global ST and RS models over the years (and Fox body).

They barely became optional in March 2011 for Boss 302 and GT500, followed by all 2013'Mustangs in Apr/May 2012.

The new S650 seats whether Recaro or non, are not much different, because the new model is a heavily updated S550 and emphasized cost savings heavily. People tried to compare the level of changes to the 1999 or 2010 before reveal, but I knew it was a much bigger change to be even called 7G and also keep the new S650 chassis code. Unfortunately, the cost cutting would be made somewhere by reuse of S550 existing components, even as a new generation car.

This is why I wanted an all new CD6 S650 Mustang, like Mark Fields originally envisioned in 2015 and was sad in early 2018, when someone hinted it was killed after he left in 2017 and dumbed down.

I wanted a 100% new Mustang, sharing only parts we couldn't see with other Fords, but redesigning everything visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be nor was CD6 as a company wide modular basis, favoring more ICE RWD cars. A CD6 Mustang needed to be the best of the 6G Camaro, without being as much of a compromise as that car.

This final S650 is a great car, except the cost cutting rear end with the cheaper to stamp taillights and not enough technical forward leaps. Still a great car regardless.

My man did a whole Wikipedia article haha. Thanks a lot!

I think comparing the S550 and S650 Recaros, the only optical change I could encounter are the perforated seats in the Gen7 due to the heated and ventilated options. Other than that it is 1:1 identical to Gen6.

Looking at the Gen4 or Gen 5 models: Gosh the interior looks gross. It's a plastic overload. That car certainly wouldn't stand a chance in Europe against other manufacturers. I am glad that Ford did huge step ups in terms of quality. The S650 will be even better than current gen in terms of that!

 

[IceGamer]

My man did a whole Wikipedia article haha. Thanks a lot!

I think comparing the S550 and S650 Recaros, the only optical change I could encounter are the perforated seats in the Gen7 due to the heated and ventilated options. Other than that it is 1:1 identical to Gen6.

Looking at the Gen4 or Gen 5 models: Gosh the interior looks gross. It's a plastic overload. That car certainly wouldn't stand a chance in Europe against other manufacturers. I am glad that Ford did huge step ups in terms of quality. The S650 will be even better than current gen in terms of that!

Hopefully but built quality could be an issue in MY24. Since the S650 really is a refreshed S550 I doubt that the workers in Flatrock have to be trained from the ground up so there is a chance that MY24 might be on the same level as MY22/23 in terms of panel alignment, paint quality and such. Who knows but let's hope for the best.

A nice interior is important as that is what I have to look at day in and day out but the S650 interior will be nowhere near a Mercedes, Audi or BMW in that regard. It most likely is going to turn out ‘quite nice’ in terms of materials and hopefully fitting. Reminds me of the Kia EV6… Quite nice interior, it checks all the boxes but there is a noticeable difference between a Kia interior and a German ‘premium’ brand. At the end of the day you get what you pay for except here in Germany where we can buy ‘our’ cars with a 20-30% discount and have to pay way north of MSRP because of taxes, the exchange rate and greed to get an American V8…

 

[Evo1986]

Hopefully but built quality could be an issue in MY24. Since the S650 really is a refreshed S550 I doubt that the workers in Flatrock have to be trained from the ground up so there is a chance that MY24 might be on the same level as MY22/23 in terms of panel alignment, paint quality and such. Who knows but let's hope for the best.

A nice interior is important as that is what I have to look at day in and day out but the S650 interior will be nowhere near a Mercedes, Audi or BMW in that regard. It most likely is going to turn out ‘quite nice’ in terms of materials and hopefully fitting. Reminds me of the Kia EV6… Quite nice interior, it checks all the boxes but there is a noticeable difference between a Kia interior and a German ‘premium’ brand. At the end of the day you get what you pay for except here in Germany where we can buy ‘our’ cars with a 20-30% discount and have to pay way north of MSRP because of taxes, the exchange rate and greed to get an American V8…

But to be fair, German quality is not the same as it used to be, since many assembly lines are outsourced and everyone is saving costs. If you buy a Mercedes C180 with no options whatsoever, the car looks crappy from the interior as well. What is really the creme de la creme are cars like BMW i7, Merceces S Class or a Porsche Panamera GTS. However they of course cost at least double the amount of the new Gen 7.

I am optimistic and think they (even not that much) will improve in built quality and materials.

 

[IceGamer]

But to be fair, German quality is not the same as it used to be, since many assembly lines are outsourced and everyone is saving costs. If you buy a Mercedes C180 with no options whatsoever, the car looks crappy from the interior as well. What is really the creme de la creme are cars like BMW i7, Merceces S Class or a Porsche Panamera GTS. However they of course cost at least double the amount of the new Gen 7.

I am optimistic and think they (even not that much) will improve in built quality and materials.

I firmly disagree. Although it’s true that Mercedes has lost some of its interior superiority BMW has made some huge improvements throughout the F and G series. When I first test-drove the G20 in 2019 I immediately liked the car although I’ve never been a fan of the 3 series… The image was somewhat something I didn’t want to be associated with. But that has shifted… Now I don’t want to drive an AMG anymore… Regarding the 7 series or the S class... They are top notch. However, Bentley, RR and co are still somewhat on a different level. There are reasons why those brands are even more expensive and those reasons are not HP, torque or 0-60 numbers ;)

Anyhow, The S650 will be our last chance at a true American V8. Don’t get me wrong, I think that almost all our V8s are more ‘powerful’ (faster) than their American ‘counterparts’ but an American V8 is just something special. Is it the fastest? No… Does it have the best fuel economy? No… Does it have a unique character only the 6.2L AMG engine was able to reproduce? Yes! I love cruising around in a 5.0L V8 and would enjoy it even more if they would’ve upped the displacement.

 

[josaycuervo]

I also really like the base S550 seats. Yeah they aren't anything special to look at but they fit my 5'07 150lb me like a glove. My only other nitpick would be some more lateral support.

 

[Evo1986]

I firmly disagree. Although it’s true that Mercedes has lost some of its interior superiority BMW has made some huge improvements throughout the F and G series. When I first test-drove the G20 in 2019 I immediately liked the car although I’ve never been a fan of the 3 series… The image was somewhat something I didn’t want to be associated with. But that has shifted… Now I don’t want to drive an AMG anymore… Regarding the 7 series or the S class... They are top notch. However, Bentley, RR and co are still somewhat on a different level. There are reasons why those brands are even more expensive and those reasons are not HP, torque or 0-60 numbers ;)

Anyhow, The S650 will be our last chance at a true American V8. Don’t get me wrong, I think that almost all our V8s are more ‘powerful’ (faster) than their American ‘counterparts’ but an American V8 is just something special. Is it the fastest? No… Does it have the best fuel economy? No… Does it have a unique character only the 6.2L AMG engine was able to reproduce? Yes! I love cruising around in a 5.0L V8 and would enjoy it even more if they would’ve upped the displacement.

Weren't you driving a 330i or something? I think I have read that somewhere, which would be self evident for your favorism

No doubt that BMW is making very nice interiors, but I still think that the pinnacle of nice details and quality is beyond a 100K car, that includes a BMW M4 as well.

I just cannot comprehend the fact that the S650 would be merely as good as the S550 in terms of quality built, material and so forth. Maybe we won't see a leapfrog, but I am sure you will see certain improvements. This will also justify the price increase.

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