Looks like there are more REAL mean in the UK than the US

[Branhammer]

http://blog.caranddriver.com/u-k-kicking-americas-butt-when-it-comes-to-ford-mustang-v-8-take-rates/

After 50 years of standing by while Ford churned out Mustang after Mustang for the States, U.K. buyers can finally buy one of the iconic pony cars all official-like at their friendly neighborhood Ford dealer. And while we get three engine choices here—a turbo four, a V-6, and the mighty 5.0-liter V-8—our friends across the pond are being offered only the EcoBoost four and the V-8. So which engine are they choosing?
Ford has released preliminary stats on what versions U.K. buyers are snapping up, and it turns out the Brits are opting for the all-American V-8 in droves. Droves proportionally larger, it must be pointed out, than those of Americans buying V-8–powered Mustangs. Fully 70 percent of the initial 2000 orders for Mustangs in the U.K. were for the 5.0-liter V-8, and 55 percent of all Mustang buyers are going with the six-speed manual.
Shortly after the Mustang went on sale last year, Ford reported that a mere 52 percent of U.S. buyers ponied up for the V-8, while the rest were split pretty much equally between the EcoBoost and the V-6. Even today, those take rates haven’t budged much.
Do you hear that, America? Britain is doing it better than us. And that’s with average gasoline prices of £1.16 per liter—nearly $7 a gallon!—not to mention their cramped little roads and that constant talk about CO2 emissions and other sissy things.
Now, the Brits’ V-8gasm could be representative of pent-up demand for the Mustang—hey, if we had to wait 50 years for this car, we’d skip right past the weak engine and go right for the right motor. Or maybe it’s the mix of cheap horsepower and a robust exhaust note that’s proving compelling to the good people of the U.K. (In England, the EcoBoost starts at £29,995 and the V-8 is just a few quid more, at £33,995.)

But still. When Lee Iacocca invented the pony car, it had a V-8, not some fuel-sipping turbo four. WE are the ones who live in the land of cheap gas, excessive horsepower, and mindless burnouts. The Brits have their roundabouts, their afternoon tea, and their intelligent-sounding accents. It’s all well and good for us to send them our red-blooded Mustang, but how can it be that they’re proving to be better Mustang buyers than we are? Come on, America!

Sounds like there are more men with TWO BALLS AND A LEFT LEG in the UK than here in the U.S.









:-DTROLOLOLOLOLOLOL

 

[Mr.Bolt-on]

Well they've had crappy turbo fours for decades. It's so obvious they would choose the V8.

 

[GT Premi]

Umm... yeah. About that. Fifty-five percent of 2000 orders? Versus 52% of tens of thousands. I still say they have a LOT of catching up to do. And, frankly, I'm surprised that the V8 Mustang outsells both the 4-banger and V6 combined here! I'd say we're still doing it right.

Anyway, though, the Mustang's mystique is all in its V8. If you're not getting a V8 in a Mustang, what's the point? This just shows that the Brits really do want the authentic experience. Bravo to them.

 

[Branhammer]

I was kind of surprised at first, honestly. With the price of gas in the UK, I figured there would be more EB purchases. But I realized if they want a lighter car with a turbo 4, they already have a million options for that, but they don't have a lot of options for a RWD V8 unless they fork out a lot more money for a much more high-end car, so I can understand.

 

[starnsey]

Also - fleet orders - have you ever driven by a rental lot at a Hawaii airport? Endless supply of V6 Mustangs as far as the eye can see. And more around the corner.

 

[Deceptive]

Well they've had crappy turbo fours for decades. It's so obvious they would choose the V8.

Crappy turbo fours? They have had the Focus RS, a hopped up Evo with 400hp stock, tons of hot hatches, proper imports. We have gotten the shaft outside of muscle cars.

 

[Steve@TF]

just came back from vacation in germany. i was discussing the new mustang with my cousin there. he said if people there are going to buy a mustang its because they want a muscle car. and if its a muscle car, it should have a V8. he also said the new body does not really have the muscle car look to it like the previous ones did. he doesnt think it will be a big seller in germany. time will tell i guess

while there, i only saw a couple of mustangs (older) and one camaro. all of them were V8s.

of course ford is thinking about the average consumer, not the european gearhead. hence the ecoboost. BUT, i didnt see very many coupes in germany. most were 4 doors (sedan and 5 door hatch). you do see quite a few 3 door hatches but theyre tiny cars. i didnt really see any large size coupes, of any brand. although my cousin does have a 3.0 Genesis but those are really rare, which is why he bought it. the mustang is BIG compared to most cars over there.

UK is a different country with a whole different type of gearhead base but it seems like their streets are even more cramped than germany's.

with the cost of fuel over there i couldnt even imagine driving my gt500 there. i cry a little every time at the pump here and that's just about every time i take the damn car out for a spin lol.

 

[thomas91169]

We have had v8 mustangs since 1964. They havent.

They have had good hp turbo 4cyl's for years. We havent.

Like said above, their only option previously for a 400+hp RWD V8 is a high priced bmw/mbz/audi offering. Now they can get the same level of performance at a much cheaper price, of course they will go with the v8. Us? Well we've had that level of performance at that price point for quite some time.

 

[GT Premi]

... the mustang is BIG compared to most cars over there.

...

The Mustang is BIG compared to most cars over HERE! It's a big ass car. Way bigger than it should be.

 

[Steve@TF]

The Mustang is BIG compared to most cars over HERE! It's a big ass car. Way bigger than it should be.

not really. you walk in a mall parking lot here in the US and you see tons of large cars. sedans, coupes etc... over there its a sea of tiny little micro cars. like fiat/fiesta sized. its almost depressing from a gearheads perspective. and before people say "yeah but abarth and st and other hot hatch models" i barely saw any of those. when i stopped by the nurburgring is when i finally got to see lots of different performance cars, finally.

although i do agree that it is way bigger than it should be. i saw a new mustang at the gas station the other day. from the windshield forwards just looks like just a big/long car. like an m6 coupe. but every car has gotten bigger. even the focus is way bigger than what it started as. and gained a ton of weight. miatas too. though they seem to be trying to slim those back down

 

[GT Premi]

Yeah, all cars have gotten bigger, but the Mustang is still way bigger than it should be. My GT500 is at least as big as our S4 and it absolutely dwarfs the Forester in length and width. That's just ridiculous. And with European roads being as narrow as they are, there's no way the Mustang will be a big seller over there.

 

[shanezt]

Shit, guess I need a tampon to go with my new EB Mustang.

 

[Fox-4]

Looks like there are more REAL mean in the UK than the US

Real what? Looks like one of the Mods let their gimp out of the basement again.

 

[Steve@TF]

Shit, guess I need a tampon to go with my new EB Mustang.

had you purchased a G35 it would have come with one :lol1:

 

[ssj4sadie]

Yeah, all cars have gotten bigger, but the Mustang is still way bigger than it should be. My GT500 is at least as big as our S4 and it absolutely dwarfs the Forester in length and width. That's just ridiculous. And with European roads being as narrow as they are, there's no way the Mustang will be a big seller over there.

Do you really think Ford didn't...lol never mind keep being special!

 

[Deceptive]

The Mustang is BIG compared to most cars over HERE! It's a big ass car. Way bigger than it should be.

So true. When they were talking about the S550 I heard much talk about it being similar in size to the SN95s. I do not know who came up with that but weight alone it is around 600lbs more.

 

[CobraBob]

So true. When they were talking about the S550 I heard much talk about it being similar in size to the SN95s. I do not know who came up with that but weight alone it is around 600lbs more.

I agree that the S550 is bigger all around, and much heavier, compared to the SN95. I did a spec comparison. I'd love to see the next gen Mustang move back to specs closer to the SN95, but that's doubtful.

2003 Mustang GT Specs
Wheelbase: 101.3"
Track Front: 60.3"
Track Rear: 60.3"
Length: 183.2"
Width: 73.1"
Height: 53.1"
Weight: 3,237 lbs. (GT coupe)

2015 Mustang GT Specs
Wheelbase: 107.1" (+5.8")
Track Front: 62.3" (+2.0")
Track Rear: 64.9" (+4.6")
Length: 188.3" (+5.1")
Width: 75.4" (+2.3")
Height: 54.4" (+1.3")
Weight: 3,895 lbs. (GT coupe) (+658 lbs.)

 

[Sinister04L]

I was kind of surprised at first, honestly. With the price of gas in the UK, I figured there would be more EB purchases. But I realized if they want a lighter car with a turbo 4, they already have a million options for that, but they don't have a lot of options for a RWD V8 unless they fork out a lot more money for a much more high-end car, so I can understand.

This.

Also - fleet orders - have you ever driven by a rental lot at a Hawaii airport? Endless supply of V6 Mustangs as far as the eye can see. And more around the corner.

And this.

And small sample size is small.

 

[Branhammer]

Real what? Looks like one of the Mods let their gimp out of the basement again.

Aw God damnit...It's been a whole day since I posted this and didn't notice the typo until reading this today. DERP.

So true. When they were talking about the S550 I heard much talk about it being similar in size to the SN95s. I do not know who came up with that but weight alone it is around 600lbs more.

Yeah, I can tell you just how much bigger the S550 is because I still had my '96 for a few weeks after I bought the '15 and it dwarfed it. I had to change parking spots in our garage. We have a set of concrete stairs that go to the door leading into the house and it causes one of the parking spots to be shorter than the others. I used to park the '96 in that spot and it just barely fit, but the '15's ass end hangs out of the garage door. Had to switch spots with the wife. I believe it's about 8-10 inches longer than the '96 was.

 

[thomas91169]

I agree that the S550 is bigger all around, and much heavier, compared to the SN95. I did a spec comparison. I'd love to see the next gen Mustang move back to specs closer to the SN95, but that's doubtful.

2003 Mustang GT Specs
Wheelbase: 101.3"
Track Front: 60.3"
Track Rear: 60.3"
Length: 183.2"
Width: 73.1"
Height: 53.1"
Weight: 3,237 lbs. (GT coupe)

2015 Mustang GT Specs
Wheelbase: 107.1" (+5.8")
Track Front: 62.3" (+2.0")
Track Rear: 64.9" (+4.6")
Length: 188.3" (+5.1")
Width: 75.4" (+2.3")
Height: 54.4" (+1.3")
Weight: 3,895 lbs. (GT coupe) (+658 lbs.)

1965 Mustang Specs
Wheelbase, inches: 108.0
Length, inches: 181.6
Width, inches: 68.2
Curb-weight range, pounds: 2,445 to 2,800

2015 Mustang GT Specs
Wheelbase: 107.1" -0.9")
Length: 188.3" (+6.8")
Width: 75.4" (+7.2")
Weight: 3,895 lbs. (GT coupe) (+1,095 to 1,450 lbs.