Is MotorTrend right about the new S650?

[S650 GT]

Their new review of the Mustang.

- Design is a step backwards and sideways (agree)
- Mustangs looked cool and this one doesn't (disagree)
- Ugly grill (disagree)
- Ugly nostrills like a Ram pick-up truck (disagree)
- Weird headlights with 3 bulbs (agree)
- Side looks good (agree)
- From the B-pillar back looks like Camaro (agree)
- Weird boomerang taillights (agree)
- Quad tips cool (agree)
- Diffusor cool (agree)

Overall, missed opportunity for Ford (agree)

Don't get me wrong, I like the new Mustang, but it is a missed opportunity and I hear it from many others. It could have been so much better.

The tail lights are still a thing for me that I can't get used of, especially because I was in love with the S550 tail lights.

The front looked weird in the beginning, but I still kinda like it, except for the 3 bulbs.

What do you guys think? Did the reviewer got paid to like the Dodge, is he a Dodge fan? Or is he just right about the new design of the Mustang?

I think he made some good points.

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[ThreePedalPlow]

MotorTrend has ok content but I can't take this particular video of theirs seriously when they are comparing an automatic to a manual when both vehicles are available with auto and manual transmissions. An apples to apples comparison was easily possible yet they still botched this.

 

[Jivor]

Given that this is subjective, I'll furnish y'all with my opinion; you know what they say about opinions (and other things), everyone has one, so here goes...

I owned a 2003 v6 Mustang, which served me well but soon grew out of. The Mustang was off my radar until the gen6 came out, but I was not in the market for one, since it did not draw me away from what I had at the time. Enter the gen7; wow, a much improved design due to cleaner lines and a greatly updated interior.

I like every aspect introduced in the 650, every one, including the safety upgrades and digital screens. I appreciate the indented rear much more than that of the 550 with its blacked out and flat slant, which seemed like a cop out to me. The new front is much more aggressive, and the sides eliminated that weird inlaid crease; an odd design that harkened back to the gen5.

I liked the gen5 Camaro, but after sitting in one, it was apparent that visiblilty was aweful, and the gen6 shrunk the top level even more. You can compare the rear quarter panels of both Mustang and Camaro, but the former has a much nicer cabin proportion; the gen6 Camaro looks like it was hit with a car crusher.

In total, the 650 is a very neat design, and the best looking Mustang Ford has ever made; the Nite Pony is a very fine esthetic addition. I'm looking forward to picking mine up tomorrow. This car is not a missed opportunity, it is after all, the last V8 pony car around, and with the active exhaust building on the aural feast that is the Coyote, not a bad value by any means.

 

[slowjim]

For me the exterior is more about what other people think, since I spend more time in the interior. So I don't really care much about how it looks from the outside. I'm just happy I can still get a manual v8 with a nice interior in 2023. I smile every time I get behind the wheel.

 

[Jivor]

For me the exterior is more about what other people think, since I spend more time in the interior. So I don't really care much about how it looks from the outside. I'm just happy I can still get a manual v8 with a nice interior in 2023. I smile every time I get behind the wheel.

You do spend more time inside, but you have to walk up to the car to get in and walk away when you get out; at those times you can appreciate the esthetics no?

 

[JAM486HP]

My first and last Mustang GT was 35 years ago, a 1988 Foxbody. For me, each gen after that was alright, some better than others, though nothing to bring me back.

For me, was love at first sight with the 7th gen and I made the order. Again this is just my perspective, everything is subjective to ones tastes. After all, I am the one paying for it, I'll be driving it and that's all that matters to me

 

[Dena]

The 4th generation which was my 96 is an interesting comparison. Both cars are about the same size though the 7th generation is a small bit longer and maybe a bit wider. Yet the 7th generation feels like a boat compared to the 4th generation. This is because the hood area is a little larger and is visible to the driver where the 4th generation slopes down to the front of the car. The 7th generation has square fenders where the 4th generation are rounded,
The cutch and brakes are much easer to operate and the steering lacks the feel of the 4th generation. Both cars stick so well the the pavement that my nerves give out before the tires let lose of the pavement. I would agree that the 6th generation looks a bit better than both generations on the exterior but both look better on the interior than the 6th generation. My 4th generation had the nickname of bubble butt. The 7th generation looks a little like the 69 super bee which is rather stylish.
When they were designing the 4th generation, they named the 3 ideas after 3 people. One was an olympic swimmer and featured a much smaller hood. One was named after Arnold Schwarzenegger and featured a big hood. Then there was the Sylvester Stallone which was somewhere in the middle and the design they settled on. I think the 7th generation is a more in the direction of the Arnold Schwarzenegger which make the car look a little front heavy.

 

[Dena]

It's been to long and my memory has faded a bit so I didn't exactly get it right. Here is a link with what is probably a little more accurate information.

Mustangs that never were

 

[marcekb]

He said the Mustang wins by every measure. He prefers the Dodge. Another reviewer prefers the Stang. Not much to talk about when it comes to preferences. I think Ford did a great job and I enjoy the new car and wouldn't trade back to my s550. Are there things I'd prefer to be different? Sure. But I could say that about every car. I do like the Challenger too, just not as much as the Mustang.

 

[Zig]

Their new review of the Mustang.

- Design is a step backwards and sideways (agree)
- Mustangs looked cool and this one doesn't (disagree)
- Ugly grill (disagree)
- Ugly nostrills like a Ram pick-up truck (disagree)
- Weird headlights with 3 bulbs (agree)
- Side looks good (agree)
- From the B-pillar back looks like Camaro (agree)
- Weird boomerang taillights (agree)
- Quad tips cool (agree)
- Diffusor cool (agree)

Overall, missed opportunity for Ford (agree)

Don't get me wrong, I like the new Mustang, but it is a missed opportunity and I hear it from many others. It could have been so much better.

The tail lights are still a thing for me that I can't get used of, especially because I was in love with the S550 tail lights.

The front looked weird in the beginning, but I still kinda like it, except for the 3 bulbs.

What do you guys think? Did the reviewer got paid to like the Dodge, is he a Dodge fan? Or is he just right about the new design of the Mustang?

I think he made some good points.

The review makes me think of Waffle king.

 

[krisk]

I’ll admit when they first revealed the S650 I wasn’t a big fan of the front end design. Every other part I preferred the new design. It has since grown on me, and I think it looks better in person than it does in most pictures. Now after having had mine for about six weeks, I really like the look, even from the front, better than the S550, with the exception of the Shelby. I still think the S550 GT350 and GT500 look better from the front.

That said, there is not one thing about my S650 that I wish was more like my S550. Every change is an improvement in my book, and I love the updates. Like someone else said, there are things I wish were better or added, but nothing that I feel is a step back from the previous generation.

As far as this and other reviews, it’s all about personal preference and how you intend to use the car. I really like both the Challenger and Camaro as well.

If I wanted a drag racing car, I would have bought the Challenger. If I wanted a track car, I would have bought the Camaro. I wanted a car I could enjoy driving every day while occasionally drag racing and tracking, so I bought the Mustang.

 

[Interstellar]

Now that they’re in everyone’s hands, I have yet to see a negative review from anyone here. MotorTrend (like all media) are just making hot statements to drive clicks and comments.
This mustang doesn’t look “cool”? Lmao what a joke, I guess Prius is the pinnacle of design now

 

[Q6543]

All of my personal friends and family have been absolutely BLOWN away by not just the car itself but the tech.

this is coming from people that own GT500s, fox bodies, Camaro SS, falcons, old Z28s etc. classic car culture owners

people are just jaw dropped when they sit in it.

 

[Arthonon]

More discussion about that video here, from a previous posting:
https://www.mustang7g.com/forums/th...nger-scat-pack-wb-head-to-head-review.158276/

 

[DeluxeStang]

Yeah, they hated the s550's design when it first came out. People don't like change. Personally, I think they nailed the exterior design. Still haven't seen one in person, so I haven't made my judgements there.

But the front end looks so muscular. It looks like their intention was to make it look like a blend of the s550 gt, and gt500. They nailed it, it looks sportier and meaner, more exotic than the s550 gt, but more restrained than the gt500. The side looks smoother, more muscular in a way, and the rear is sharper, with clear inspiration from the '67-68 fastback with its concaved decklid.

Overall, they did a great job. This team was handed an outdated platform, they were probably told they couldn't change the hard points and proportions that much, and they had to follow up one of the most successful mustangs ever. Cut them some slack, they did a good job. I haven't seen a fan rendering that did it any better, and those people do whatever they want with no restrictions.

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