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| Had an interesting time. Guenter in Ontario - 8 years ago |
After planning it for a while, my wife and I finally made it to Hawaii to explore a pretty spectacular part of the US.
First few days we spent in Honolulu, exploring Waikiki, climbed Diamondhead Wow. Quite a view from the top. And also visited Pearl Harbor. That's quite a moving experience.
On our way back to the airport to catch our flight to the Big Island, our shuttle went by the Honolulu Porsche dealership. In the window was a gorgeous silver 918 Spyder. So if someone here missed their chance to buy one before they were sold out. Here's your chance to get one.
We had arranged for a compact rental on the Big Island. When we arrived to pick out our rental car, the guy at the desk told me they had a special on right now, if I was interested in renting a convertible. Convertible in Hawaii instead of a little Kia? How much? An extra $10 per day for a Mustang convertible. OK, I couldn't resist. I thought this would be interesting.
My ride for 11 days.
It was nicely equipped EcoBoost Premium model. After going to the Ford website, from the numbers, it was surprisingly close to the new 718 Boxster's specs.
Mustang EcoBoost Premium $35,100 US
2.3 liter 4 cylinder turbo, 310 HP, 320 lb-ft torque
718 Boxster $56,000 US
2.0 liter 4 cylinder turbo, 300 HP, 280 lb-ft torque
Drove the Mustang about 1,400 miles in the 11 days we were on the Big Island. It was almost all highway driving. Highway speed limits on the Big Island range from 45 - 55 mph all on 2 lane roads and the roads generally were in beautiful shape.
LIKES
It's a nice looking car, but feels big (tallish) for a sports car and from the driver's seat, the front hood looks loooooooong - almost seems like a truck.
It's a convertible
Came standard with daily temps in the mid 80's and sunshine (wish that was an option with the Boxster)
Seats were quite comfortable with good support, but softer than what I prefer for long trips (these were the upgraded 6 way power seats)
COOL stuff
At night, when you open the door, a light in the shape of the Mustang logo shines on the ground from the mirrors.
DIFFERENT/ODD stuff
There were two main gauges
One labelled "Revolutions Per Minute" (I guess for those people who don't know what RPM stands for.)
The second one labelled "Ground Speed". There was no owners manual, so I tried pulling back on the wheel, but it didn't seem to want to take off, no matter what the speed. Maybe there's a flying Mustang in the future?
OK, so driving the car. Naturally, being a North America rental car, it had an automatic transmission. Fire it up with the push button start and it sounds like a nice compact car. Drive it off and it's got a fairly smooth ride. Wind noise isn't bad for a convertible (seldomly had the top up). Once when the roads were wet and I had the top up with the windows open, I notice that the rear (glass) window moves around a lot. Definitely not tight like the Boxster's. The automatic transmission REALLY kept the RPM's down. The only way I could get it above 2,000 (yup that two thousand) RPM was if I floored it to pass another car. When you step on the gas to accelerate - even when you want to pass another car it's almost as if the car is first checking to see if you really want it to go. Then it finally gets moving. I couldn't really tell how much of that was turbo lag and how much was auto tranny related. It really felt as if the engine was lugging most of the time. I guess like the new Boxster, it's all about mileage. The trip computer showed that I was usually getting between 27 - 30 mpg. I generally didn't get drive more than 5 - 10 miles over the limit because LEO's were definitely out and about.
As for the sound. The first time I passed another car (remember, that's floor it, wait, ok, now go), my wife commented, "That's the first time it almost sounded like a sports car,"
There are a few beautiful driving roads on the Big Island (Saddle Road and 250 north from Waimea). It sure didn't have the feel of my Boxster in the curves. It just had a standard suspension. I'm sure if you got a car with a of sports or track oriented suspension, handling would be a better.
Another problem with the automatic, is you couldn't get it to do much engine braking, even using the paddle shifters, so when you had a 10 - 20 mile mountain decent, I had to use the brakes quite a bit.
After all the beautiful weather and driving a convertible, I couldn't wait to get back home and get the CURVEN8R out. But, here's what it looked like coming home from the airport yesterday.
I miss driving my Boxster. I thought this was supposed to be Spring.
First few days we spent in Honolulu, exploring Waikiki, climbed Diamondhead Wow. Quite a view from the top. And also visited Pearl Harbor. That's quite a moving experience.
On our way back to the airport to catch our flight to the Big Island, our shuttle went by the Honolulu Porsche dealership. In the window was a gorgeous silver 918 Spyder. So if someone here missed their chance to buy one before they were sold out. Here's your chance to get one.
We had arranged for a compact rental on the Big Island. When we arrived to pick out our rental car, the guy at the desk told me they had a special on right now, if I was interested in renting a convertible. Convertible in Hawaii instead of a little Kia? How much? An extra $10 per day for a Mustang convertible. OK, I couldn't resist. I thought this would be interesting.
My ride for 11 days.
It was nicely equipped EcoBoost Premium model. After going to the Ford website, from the numbers, it was surprisingly close to the new 718 Boxster's specs.
Mustang EcoBoost Premium $35,100 US
2.3 liter 4 cylinder turbo, 310 HP, 320 lb-ft torque
718 Boxster $56,000 US
2.0 liter 4 cylinder turbo, 300 HP, 280 lb-ft torque
Drove the Mustang about 1,400 miles in the 11 days we were on the Big Island. It was almost all highway driving. Highway speed limits on the Big Island range from 45 - 55 mph all on 2 lane roads and the roads generally were in beautiful shape.
LIKES
It's a nice looking car, but feels big (tallish) for a sports car and from the driver's seat, the front hood looks loooooooong - almost seems like a truck.
It's a convertible
Came standard with daily temps in the mid 80's and sunshine (wish that was an option with the Boxster)
Seats were quite comfortable with good support, but softer than what I prefer for long trips (these were the upgraded 6 way power seats)
COOL stuff
At night, when you open the door, a light in the shape of the Mustang logo shines on the ground from the mirrors.
DIFFERENT/ODD stuff
There were two main gauges
One labelled "Revolutions Per Minute" (I guess for those people who don't know what RPM stands for.)
The second one labelled "Ground Speed". There was no owners manual, so I tried pulling back on the wheel, but it didn't seem to want to take off, no matter what the speed. Maybe there's a flying Mustang in the future?
OK, so driving the car. Naturally, being a North America rental car, it had an automatic transmission. Fire it up with the push button start and it sounds like a nice compact car. Drive it off and it's got a fairly smooth ride. Wind noise isn't bad for a convertible (seldomly had the top up). Once when the roads were wet and I had the top up with the windows open, I notice that the rear (glass) window moves around a lot. Definitely not tight like the Boxster's. The automatic transmission REALLY kept the RPM's down. The only way I could get it above 2,000 (yup that two thousand) RPM was if I floored it to pass another car. When you step on the gas to accelerate - even when you want to pass another car it's almost as if the car is first checking to see if you really want it to go. Then it finally gets moving. I couldn't really tell how much of that was turbo lag and how much was auto tranny related. It really felt as if the engine was lugging most of the time. I guess like the new Boxster, it's all about mileage. The trip computer showed that I was usually getting between 27 - 30 mpg. I generally didn't get drive more than 5 - 10 miles over the limit because LEO's were definitely out and about.
As for the sound. The first time I passed another car (remember, that's floor it, wait, ok, now go), my wife commented, "That's the first time it almost sounded like a sports car,"
There are a few beautiful driving roads on the Big Island (Saddle Road and 250 north from Waimea). It sure didn't have the feel of my Boxster in the curves. It just had a standard suspension. I'm sure if you got a car with a of sports or track oriented suspension, handling would be a better.
Another problem with the automatic, is you couldn't get it to do much engine braking, even using the paddle shifters, so when you had a 10 - 20 mile mountain decent, I had to use the brakes quite a bit.
After all the beautiful weather and driving a convertible, I couldn't wait to get back home and get the CURVEN8R out. But, here's what it looked like coming home from the airport yesterday.
I miss driving my Boxster. I thought this was supposed to be Spring.
| No big ash eruption from Mauna Loa Guenter in Ontario - 8 years ago |
Got some shots, from a helicopter, of lava flow at Mauna Loa, though. There was always a fair amount of "vog" around Mauna Loa, so was never able to get a picture of the whole mountain.
Another day, at Volcano NP, got some after dark shots of the lava lake reflection on the walls and rising steam of the Halemaumau Crater. Both of these were a few degrees warmer than the stuff we had coming down here yesterday.
Another day, at Volcano NP, got some after dark shots of the lava lake reflection on the walls and rising steam of the Halemaumau Crater. Both of these were a few degrees warmer than the stuff we had coming down here yesterday.
Laz - 8 years ago |
MikenOH - 8 years ago |
Good report, except there was nothing about that Turbo exhaust note--which is nearly non-existent.
I keep looking at cat-back options for our EB but the best of them sound like Subie's with a cold.
As I noted in my earlier email, I had our Boxster out before that snow hit and it felt wonderful; you get so used to that turbo lag--even if it's done well--that when you get in a N/A car with good power and a manual tranny you remember what you're missing.
It will be interesting to see how the 718 is reviewed by existing Boxster owners.
BTW, I wouldn't worry about that little burst of snow--it will all be gone by the time June rolls around.
I keep looking at cat-back options for our EB but the best of them sound like Subie's with a cold.
As I noted in my earlier email, I had our Boxster out before that snow hit and it felt wonderful; you get so used to that turbo lag--even if it's done well--that when you get in a N/A car with good power and a manual tranny you remember what you're missing.
It will be interesting to see how the 718 is reviewed by existing Boxster owners.
BTW, I wouldn't worry about that little burst of snow--it will all be gone by the time June rolls around.
| Re: Wecome back, Guenter Guenter in Ontario - 8 years ago |
Quote
MikenOH
Good report, except there was nothing about that Turbo exhaust note--which is nearly non-existent.
That's why there wasn't much of a report on the exhaust note, except for the comment my wife made after I floored the gas pedal to make a pass, "That's the first time it almost sounded like a sports car."
It's a nice car to drive, it just doesn't give me any sense of excitement that I'd expect from a sports car.
| Re: Had an interesting time. db997S - 8 years ago |
| Re: Had an interesting time. grc0456 - 8 years ago |
Nice report, Guenter. Sounds like a great trip.
I rented a ragtop 'stang in LA a few years ago. I think mine was just a base six. Same deal, special upgrade available at LAX. Nice car to drive around town or to do some leisurely cruising, but I had generally the same impressions as you. Especially when I had a chance to drive the Angeles Crest Highway, a known twisty favorite for bikes and sports cars. Just meh. Felt big, heavy and kind of underwhelming. Beat a Kia, but would have been a lot more fun to have a manual Box instead.
I rented a ragtop 'stang in LA a few years ago. I think mine was just a base six. Same deal, special upgrade available at LAX. Nice car to drive around town or to do some leisurely cruising, but I had generally the same impressions as you. Especially when I had a chance to drive the Angeles Crest Highway, a known twisty favorite for bikes and sports cars. Just meh. Felt big, heavy and kind of underwhelming. Beat a Kia, but would have been a lot more fun to have a manual Box instead.
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