One of the biggest downsides of being a big guy is a loss of options. Small people can’t understand that because we may be big or tall, there are things we just don’t get to experience. You won’t find me spelunking. I can’t walk into every store I see and purchase clothing. I don’t get to have a fun sports car that’s comfortable and stylish.
Or can I?
It all changed in 2015
I’m highlighting the Mustang here, because it’s my favorite of the options, but for the first time in my life, I can buy an affordable sports car with real performance and plenty of leg, hip, and head room to make me comfortable. However, American muscle is evolving just as cars are falling out of fashion, so that means you can get them even cheaper than they should be.
That’s Mr. Buttons in the back seat.
I recently bought a 2015 Mustang V6 Convertible. Yes, it’s a base model. Yes, it used to be a rental. No, I don’t care. I love this car. It has 300 hp. It looks amazing. My bulldog loves it. None of this matters, because when I put the top up, my hair isn’t even close to grazing the ceiling. I am six foot six!
If I had the money, I could have upgraded to either the Turbo 4, or the Coyote 5.0L V8, but honestly, 300 hp is enough to let me be fast without getting into trouble.
I should point out that the Camaro was redesigned around this time as well, and just like the Mustang, I fit inside nicely. Somehow American manufacturers have figured out that T.A.R.D.I.S. magic that the Europeans have known for decades. It’s bigger on the inside!
Of course, now we’re back in an arms race.
Fast Forward to Today
Ford has refined the Mustang for 2018. Same comfy body with a nice interior, with a few changes and omissions. Gone is my V6, resigned back to the truck fleet from whence it came. Now you only get either the Turbo 4 or the V8.
Of course, in order to cope with the loss of a base model, they’ve dropped the price of the Turbo 4 while still increasing the torque to 350 lb-ft. Sure, you need to run premium, but you’re going to be getting this chubby little beast up to speed in a shockingly short amount of time.
Not to be outdone, they’ve bumped the V8 to 460 horsepower and 420 lb-ft. Let’s do a little more time travel and remember that the 4.6L modular V8 from as recently as 2010 was only making 315 hp. That’s only 5 more horsepower than the new four-cylinder! America finally figured out that engine technology could actually advance!
Fanboy
Ok ok, I’m gushing on the new Mustang, but that’s not the point of this article. The point is that I get an option that I didn’t have before. I don’t have to buy a truck or SUV unless I want one. I don’t have to buy some bastardized minivan/crossover nonsense because it’s all I can afford. The point is that I have choice, and now you do, too.
Pros:
- Beautiful refined design
- Comfortable and spacious cabin
- SPEED
Cons:
- Hard to haul lumber
- Get to know your local law enforcement
- Not the best for extreme long distance travel
Verdict:
I put my money where my mouth is and bought the 2015 model, but if I were in the model, this is the car I’d be buying this year.
I had a ’96 Firebird Formula back in the day. I don’t miss having to roll in and out of that thing because it was so low. I kind of like or minivan now ;).
You’d be shocked just by how big these muscle cars have gotten. While the power increase has been impressive, the power-to-weight ratio growth has been considerably flatter. This can mostly be laid at the feet of safety regulations requiring beefier structural components that have ballooned all cars. Depending on how old your minivan is, it’s possible that the same model new is larger on the outside, with little to no gains in space on the inside.
[…] to see what’s going on and discovered our next destination. The next year, we rented a 2015 Mustang Convertible and booked a house on the beach (that was actually cheaper than our Tampa Marriott hotel […]