max_stirling
New Member
Hey guys, this is my first post, but I've been trying to do my research here for a while. I probably won't be actually purchasing a new car for at least a year, as my current daily driver is running strong and is still entertaining, but it is over 5 yrs old and I'm always looking for the next thing.
Here are my thoughts on the SHO and please feel free to correct me if I got something wrong. This post is not meant to imflame anyone, just a newbie's impression.
First of all, I've narrowed down my short list to just two vehicles. The vehicles that got cut: BMW 535xi, Audi A6, and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.
The SHO looks big from the outside, but doesn't drive as big. The handling is nice and responsive. The handling is not lightning quick, but I don't think needs to be nor should be. The steering is nicely weighted to give a sense of sportiness and connection to the vehicle without the harshness of a true sports car. I was also able to perform a couple of U-turns to get a feel for the turning radius and it was better than expected. This is important to me since I parking in an underground deck at work where the lanes are tight.
Speaking of size, it feels big from the front seats, but doesn't feel big from the rear seats. I think the front seats feel big due to the lack of side and thigh bolsters which I would have preferred, but the suede inserts do a good job of keeping your rear end in place during corners. Also, the front headrest seem to protrude forward a little too much. It might be a safer position, but initially uncomfortable. The rear seats are not lacking in space, but feel a little small for such a big vehicle, IMO, due to the small space under the front seats where you stick your feet and the high seating position. At 5'11", I don't consider myself tall, but I only felt an inch or two of headroom before contacting the headliner in the rear. Another thing I noticed is that one really has to bend your neck over to get into the rear seats without banging your head, again maybe due to the high seating position.
The interior has a lot of soft surfaces which I like a lot. I know from some of the promotional videos on the net that Ford is proud of the similated stitching in the door panels, but I was disappointed that this wasn't a soft/softer surface.
The car is deceivingly fast. A quick blast down the parkway and I was running 30 over the limit without much effort or even feeling that it was running that fast. I might have to use the Active Cruise Control a lot to avoid tickets in this thing. The transmission in manual mode worked really well. Again not lightning quick, but doesn't need to be. As a comparison, it was much quicker and never protested any request for a gear change regardless of speed, unlike the automatics from the 3 Mercedes I've owned.
I think I would have to hold off on the mods for a while until I get used to the stock power. The Jeep SRT8 I test drove was very twitchy and would snap your head back in an instant, but the SHO just felt as fast in a smooth and mature way.
I was able to test drive a loaded SHO and its features and the relatively low price is what really kills the competition. First, their are very few cars out there that offer all the features that the SHO has and none can do it at the same price point. Not even within $10K.
Now for the niggles. Had anyone notices the fit and finish around the front edge of the hood, fenders and facias? I was able to compare three brand new SHOs and there were noticeable fitment issues of varying degrees from all three. I also notice inconsistant gaps where the front facias meets the fender. Both the front and rear wheel wells don't have smooth transitions between different panels and the curves around the tail light and rear quarter have inconsistant gaps as well. Another issue is that the SHO doesn't fit in my garage due to a support beam. My wife's space would support a 20' boat and trailer, but her car is big too and she's not going to give it up.
Finally, the price. I was upfront with the dealership that I was in the research phase and had to test drive other vehicles before making a decision, but they gave me a figure anyway, which came out to be ~$4800 off MSRP plus financing at 2.9% or 3.9% depending on the term. This is before any negociations. Wow!!! Needless to say, I was really tempted, but this info will be helpful when I eventually do make a purchase.
Let me know what you guys think?
Here are my thoughts on the SHO and please feel free to correct me if I got something wrong. This post is not meant to imflame anyone, just a newbie's impression.
First of all, I've narrowed down my short list to just two vehicles. The vehicles that got cut: BMW 535xi, Audi A6, and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.
The SHO looks big from the outside, but doesn't drive as big. The handling is nice and responsive. The handling is not lightning quick, but I don't think needs to be nor should be. The steering is nicely weighted to give a sense of sportiness and connection to the vehicle without the harshness of a true sports car. I was also able to perform a couple of U-turns to get a feel for the turning radius and it was better than expected. This is important to me since I parking in an underground deck at work where the lanes are tight.
Speaking of size, it feels big from the front seats, but doesn't feel big from the rear seats. I think the front seats feel big due to the lack of side and thigh bolsters which I would have preferred, but the suede inserts do a good job of keeping your rear end in place during corners. Also, the front headrest seem to protrude forward a little too much. It might be a safer position, but initially uncomfortable. The rear seats are not lacking in space, but feel a little small for such a big vehicle, IMO, due to the small space under the front seats where you stick your feet and the high seating position. At 5'11", I don't consider myself tall, but I only felt an inch or two of headroom before contacting the headliner in the rear. Another thing I noticed is that one really has to bend your neck over to get into the rear seats without banging your head, again maybe due to the high seating position.
The interior has a lot of soft surfaces which I like a lot. I know from some of the promotional videos on the net that Ford is proud of the similated stitching in the door panels, but I was disappointed that this wasn't a soft/softer surface.
The car is deceivingly fast. A quick blast down the parkway and I was running 30 over the limit without much effort or even feeling that it was running that fast. I might have to use the Active Cruise Control a lot to avoid tickets in this thing. The transmission in manual mode worked really well. Again not lightning quick, but doesn't need to be. As a comparison, it was much quicker and never protested any request for a gear change regardless of speed, unlike the automatics from the 3 Mercedes I've owned.
I think I would have to hold off on the mods for a while until I get used to the stock power. The Jeep SRT8 I test drove was very twitchy and would snap your head back in an instant, but the SHO just felt as fast in a smooth and mature way.
I was able to test drive a loaded SHO and its features and the relatively low price is what really kills the competition. First, their are very few cars out there that offer all the features that the SHO has and none can do it at the same price point. Not even within $10K.
Now for the niggles. Had anyone notices the fit and finish around the front edge of the hood, fenders and facias? I was able to compare three brand new SHOs and there were noticeable fitment issues of varying degrees from all three. I also notice inconsistant gaps where the front facias meets the fender. Both the front and rear wheel wells don't have smooth transitions between different panels and the curves around the tail light and rear quarter have inconsistant gaps as well. Another issue is that the SHO doesn't fit in my garage due to a support beam. My wife's space would support a 20' boat and trailer, but her car is big too and she's not going to give it up.
Finally, the price. I was upfront with the dealership that I was in the research phase and had to test drive other vehicles before making a decision, but they gave me a figure anyway, which came out to be ~$4800 off MSRP plus financing at 2.9% or 3.9% depending on the term. This is before any negociations. Wow!!! Needless to say, I was really tempted, but this info will be helpful when I eventually do make a purchase.
Let me know what you guys think?
