So who's not really impressed with the new SHO?

[SHO-NUF93]

I just don't see how you can make any serious decision about a car without riding, driving, or setting eyes on one. Which I have not done. But I am very impressed with where Ford went with this thing, and how they went about it.

Bottom line: Ford would be understandably interested in garnering input and support from the existing community. But the car they build now, 11 years after the last one, has to compete with what else is out there, specifically the European stuff. They have to build a car that's going to bring in NEW customers.

I don't find it a stretch, with the other stuff I've seen from Ford the last few years, that this new SHO is above and beyond what we're used to, especially as far as build quality. ****, I'm plenty impressed with the 07 F150 Lariat and 08 Taurus Limited in my driveway as it is.

If you're waiting for a return to the grassroots, like a new GenI or II, don't hold your breath. The majority of people are spoiled by everything else that's available, 'old tech' just won't sell.

Maybe in a couple years I'll be able to pick up a used '10 or '11. But until then, I'll be alright.

 

[RonPorter]

well written. i cant argue those point except the G8, however perhaps its the persona of a "performance" sedan that but the bar higher than what the current SHO could achieve. we have been beaten on since 1995 by most of the car market. base accords making as much power as we do. maybe it was because we were hoping for ford to capture lightning in a bottle twice and send us a new battleship for the streets, unfortunately we are givin a dingy.

this is where being an enthusiast of any auto hurts you. to me and for my money i would prefer the g8. but that is not to say the SHO is not a wonderful accomplishment. for me. it just does not have it where it counts.
. we hoped for the boy racer car of yester-year. and got a civilized version instead.

a footnote, the G8 is rebadged and will return in the chevy lineup.

Footnote (2): The G8 will NOT be rebadged as a Chevy. Lutz made that statement the first day he "unretired", then retracted it about two days later.

The GXP is no more. A guy on another SHO list was looking for one about a month ago, and he found NONE anywhere in the lower 48. He also could not find a manual tranny G8.

The G8 is a 6.0 355 HP car. Comparable to the SHO, only 2WD, and IMHO not as good looking. Therte was a black G8 here at the hotel the other night, and I just cannot warm up to the derivative styling.

The G8 is no longer a comparable vehicle, as it is history.

 

[Devin]

I just don't see how you can make any serious decision about a car without riding, driving, or setting eyes on one. Which I have not done. But I am very impressed with where Ford went with this thing, and how they went about it.

That's kinda what I was gettin' at, but this exercise in mental ************ will keep going on until people are driving these things regularly. I wonder how many people picked up a C&D and other related mags and made the decision to drive a SHO based on that.

 

[OSU 4 SHO]

Footnote (2): The G8 will NOT be rebadged as a Chevy. Lutz made that statement the first day he "unretired", then retracted it about two days later.

The GXP is no more. A guy on another SHO list was looking for one about a month ago, and he found NONE anywhere in the lower 48. He also could not find a manual tranny G8.

The G8 is a 6.0 355 HP car. Comparable to the SHO, only 2WD, and IMHO not as good looking. Therte was a black G8 here at the hotel the other night, and I just cannot warm up to the derivative styling.

The G8 is no longer a comparable vehicle, as it is history.

Our local dealer has 3 GXP's sitting here, not sure what trans though.

One thing I found out about a specific dealer trying to locate a car for you is that there are certain dealers that your dealer will NOT trade with. Such as others in your area that are direct competition. They also have preferred dealers in other states and some they just wont deal with.

So he might try other avenues. If he was doing the research personally and not affiliated with a dealer, then disregard my comment.

 

[SHOclub1]

Again, A "review" of the new SHO without driving one is worthless. Just uninformed opinion.

I have driven both versions (I like the standard over the performance package) and this is a wonderful car.

For those that want a Lotus or 911 etc, then NO, it isn't what they want, but I have a problem with people that "review" something based on their own bias, and not based on what the vehicle they are reviewing is designed to do.

Example: Someone loves big diesel trucks. They review the new Honda Fit and say it is an awful vehicle. It won't tow 10,000 pounds and only will hold a half dozen bags of mulch. REALLY! I have seen reviews of the new SHO almost this bad. Others put it down for weight, but love the newest Mercedes, BMW, or Volvo and Japan Inc full size cars that weight the same or more, cost more, and don't offer any better performance.

The Gen IV SHO is NOT a Gen I or II or even III (and for those that call the new car the Gen VI, then SHOw me the other two generations from Ford factories?) It is a different car, and a different market.

You may not be in the market for one, but be fair, evaluate it for what it is, not for what you want it to be. Don't want one? That is your choice, we have the new SHO, and it won't change noticably for at least 2-4 years. And then it won't become a Lotus or even 1989 SHO. there is the Fusion Sport for those that want smaller/lighter/slower.

 

[tardboy21]

I'm sure Kirk will have a great break upgrade soon

is this a pun?

 

[stephen newberg]

is this a pun?

I don't think it was, well, intentionally anyway. I have noticed a number of posters have trouble with spelling 'brake'.

pax, smn

 

[Iron Lung Jimmy]

Sorry for reviving this played out thread but I had to respond

On a further note, of all the people comparing the new SHO to the GEN I/II's, and complaining how they are not the same car, that the new SHO does not have the same magic, etc etc etc, I would be curious to know how many of you PURCHASED GEN I/II'S BRAND NEW???

I did.

It was a white 1990 with black interior. I loved that car. To this day it is still my favorite car I ever had. EVERY time I got in that thing... even after ten years and 105,000 miles... it put a smile on my face. I put up with all its problems and the fact that nobody, not even Ford, knew how to work on it because it was such a fun car.

Then finally a valve shim came out of the bucket... all I knew was that it was making a noise that was definitely not good... and that was the end. Nobody I would trust to work on it wanted to touch it so I sold it to some guy who drove down all the way from Oklahoma.

The fact is, the new car does not have the same magic. I want to get excited about it but I just can't.

For me there are many reasons but mainly it boils down to the fact that in 1990 220HP was a big deal and in 2009 365HP is not.

If it was 465HP I'd be first in line to buy one. Instead I'm either going to get a CTS-V... way more money but a monster of a car... or a Camaro... less money and still way more car.

Your other points about dismal sales of the 1st gen are spot on but this is supposed to be an enthusiast car and if Ford wants to dumb it down to get better sales numbers then maybe that's why the magic is not there.

 

[Toolman]

I did.

It was a white 1990 with black interior.

A MINT interior at that.

Nobody I would trust to work on it wanted to touch it so I sold it to some guy who drove down all the way from Oklahoma.

Who would be silly enough to drive across country for a blown up Taurus!

For me there are many reasons but mainly it boils down to the fact that in 1990 220HP was a big deal and in 2009 365HP is not.

If it was 465HP I'd be first in line to buy one. Instead I'm either going to get a CTS-V... way more money but a monster of a car... or a Camaro... less money and still way more car.

Well, there are some exciting things happening on the Ford Gt forums, as a number of members there are already modding their SHO's. They are seeing close to 400hp with only tuning changes. Once they add some boost and some hardware upgrades, I am seeing the SHO getting real close to 465hp.

Your other points about dismal sales of the 1st gen are spot on but this is supposed to be an enthusiast car and if Ford wants to dumb it down to get better sales numbers then maybe that's why the magic is not there.

I think Ford remembers, and I think you are right, they NEED this car to do better than the originals. For that reason the car could never be what the original was. But, I still think it is a great ride, just not something that compares real well to the 89's, in terms of it's 'outlaw' type persona. It was a groundbreaking sedan. The new SHO is a great car, but yeah, groundbreaking, at least in terms of HP, would not be the word I use to describe it.

 

[jedhead]

I spent most of my summer test driving and shopping most every weekend for a new car for me. I tested G8 GT, G8 GXP, E55 AMG, C55 AMG, M3, M5, 300 SRT8, Charger SRT8, '07 CTS-V, New SHO, EVO IX MR, GT500, 427R Roush, M45, G37, ISF and STS-V. Some of the cars were new some used. Price range for me was up to 45K. I though some of the cars were rude and crude. A broad sword compared to a samurai sword. Both will do the job, but one was more refined. I was most impressed with the performance of the MB E55 AMG. The car was loaded with everything and I took the car for a test drive for a day. Accelerations was incredible. It would blast passed 120 like most cars at 60. What I could not stand about the car was the brakes. They were touchy and had a funny feel to it. I had trouble stopping smoothly. I was also concerned about the maintenance. My cousins told me about the frequent $450 oil changes on her MB. Oil change then $400 bucks worth of inspections. I enjoyed test driving the G8 GXP. Driving the manual transmissioned car was really great. I loved the instant torque and sound of the V8. No where as fast as the 12 sec E55 but it wasn't no slouch. I really hated the **** for the seat recline. Since I would have others drive the new car, I wanted to have memory seats and mirrors. These weren't available on G8. I tested the 300C SRT8. Great car lots of torque. The interior was good but did not compare with the MB or BMW or Cadillac. I tried the new SHO. I still have my 1991 SHO with a few mods and did own a 1998 SHO in the past. In some ways the new SHO reminded me of the 1998. Very refined, lovely interior handles and drives very well. Good power for a V6. I never like the proportions of the Five Hundred and still don't like it on the new SHO. I felt like I was sitting in a lowered SUV than a sedan. In the end I bought a 2006 STS-V. The STS-V is very refined and smooth car, far more than the 2007 CTS-V. I like the V8 sound (I thought the best feature of my 1998 was the V8), the rear wheel drive (I like pitching sideways smoking the tires, something I missed in the SHO). The STS-V has every creature comfort. My favorite feature is the ability to customize all the settings to your keyless fob. The seats, mirrors, radio presets, radio settings, HVAC are all keyed to your fob. I can remote start the car and the car will be nice an cool with all my settings when I walk up to the car.
I liked the SHO and the test drive was good. The Caddy won me over, although at the beginning of summer I never expected that I would buy a Cadillac. Most of my friends were shocked when they found out what I bought.

Bob

 

[stephen newberg]

Very interesting comparisons. Thank you.

Is your STS-V AWD?

pax, smn

 

[wuzzzer]

Some things of concern to me are the weight and size of the SHO. However, I'm 100% convinced that those items will be a non-issue if I ever got the chance to drive one.

In 5-7 years I will be scouring the classified car ads for one!

 

[Jonny Cash]

I spent most of my summer test driving and shopping most every weekend for a new car for me. I tested G8 GT, G8 GXP, E55 AMG, C55 AMG, M3, M5, 300 SRT8, Charger SRT8, '07 CTS-V, New SHO, EVO IX MR, GT500, 427R Roush, M45, G37, ISF and STS-V. Some of the cars were new some used. Price range for me was up to 45K. I though some of the cars were rude and crude. A broad sword compared to a samurai sword. Both will do the job, but one was more refined. I was most impressed with the performance of the MB E55 AMG. The car was loaded with everything and I took the car for a test drive for a day. Accelerations was incredible. It would blast passed 120 like most cars at 60. What I could not stand about the car was the brakes. They were touchy and had a funny feel to it. I had trouble stopping smoothly. I was also concerned about the maintenance. My cousins told me about the frequent $450 oil changes on her MB. Oil change then $400 bucks worth of inspections. I enjoyed test driving the G8 GXP. Driving the manual transmissioned car was really great. I loved the instant torque and sound of the V8. No where as fast as the 12 sec E55 but it wasn't no slouch. I really hated the **** for the seat recline. Since I would have others drive the new car, I wanted to have memory seats and mirrors. These weren't available on G8. I tested the 300C SRT8. Great car lots of torque. The interior was good but did not compare with the MB or BMW or Cadillac. I tried the new SHO. I still have my 1991 SHO with a few mods and did own a 1998 SHO in the past. In some ways the new SHO reminded me of the 1998. Very refined, lovely interior handles and drives very well. Good power for a V6. I never like the proportions of the Five Hundred and still don't like it on the new SHO. I felt like I was sitting in a lowered SUV than a sedan. In the end I bought a 2006 STS-V. The STS-V is very refined and smooth car, far more than the 2007 CTS-V. I like the V8 sound (I thought the best feature of my 1998 was the V8), the rear wheel drive (I like pitching sideways smoking the tires, something I missed in the SHO). The STS-V has every creature comfort. My favorite feature is the ability to customize all the settings to your keyless fob. The seats, mirrors, radio presets, radio settings, HVAC are all keyed to your fob. I can remote start the car and the car will be nice an cool with all my settings when I walk up to the car.
I liked the SHO and the test drive was good. The Caddy won me over, although at the beginning of summer I never expected that I would buy a Cadillac. Most of my friends were shocked when they found out what I bought.

Bob

Im curious about the G8 myself. Popping up for 20k, comparable to the e39 M5, and 5 years newer. Im curious what the warranty situation would be like though.

 

[jedhead]

Very interesting comparisons. Thank you.

Is your STS-V AWD?

pax, smn

No its RWD. Standard STS are available with AWD.

Bob

 

[jedhead]

Im curious about the G8 myself. Popping up for 20k, comparable to the e39 M5, and 5 years newer. Im curious what the warranty situation would be like though.

I was not too concerned with warranty or availablity of parts other than body parts. The Holden is still in production in Austrailia and they are still selling rebadged Holdens in the Middle East as Chevys. I drove G8 GT and both auto and manual G8 GXP. I did prefer the manual GXP although the auto is the same as the one in my STS-V and does rev matching downshifts, which I think is really cool. With my new Corsa exhaust, when I do a high rpm rev matched downshift, I love the crackle and pops in the exhaust.

Bob

 

[thebigjimsho]

I spent most of my summer test driving and shopping most every weekend for a new car for me. I tested G8 GT, G8 GXP, E55 AMG, C55 AMG, M3, M5, 300 SRT8, Charger SRT8, '07 CTS-V, New SHO, EVO IX MR, GT500, 427R Roush, M45, G37, ISF and STS-V. Some of the cars were new some used. Price range for me was up to 45K. I though some of the cars were rude and crude. A broad sword compared to a samurai sword. Both will do the job, but one was more refined. I was most impressed with the performance of the MB E55 AMG. The car was loaded with everything and I took the car for a test drive for a day. Accelerations was incredible. It would blast passed 120 like most cars at 60. What I could not stand about the car was the brakes. They were touchy and had a funny feel to it. I had trouble stopping smoothly. I was also concerned about the maintenance. My cousins told me about the frequent $450 oil changes on her MB. Oil change then $400 bucks worth of inspections. I enjoyed test driving the G8 GXP. Driving the manual transmissioned car was really great. I loved the instant torque and sound of the V8. No where as fast as the 12 sec E55 but it wasn't no slouch. I really hated the **** for the seat recline. Since I would have others drive the new car, I wanted to have memory seats and mirrors. These weren't available on G8. I tested the 300C SRT8. Great car lots of torque. The interior was good but did not compare with the MB or BMW or Cadillac. I tried the new SHO. I still have my 1991 SHO with a few mods and did own a 1998 SHO in the past. In some ways the new SHO reminded me of the 1998. Very refined, lovely interior handles and drives very well. Good power for a V6. I never like the proportions of the Five Hundred and still don't like it on the new SHO. I felt like I was sitting in a lowered SUV than a sedan. In the end I bought a 2006 STS-V. The STS-V is very refined and smooth car, far more than the 2007 CTS-V. I like the V8 sound (I thought the best feature of my 1998 was the V8), the rear wheel drive (I like pitching sideways smoking the tires, something I missed in the SHO). The STS-V has every creature comfort. My favorite feature is the ability to customize all the settings to your keyless fob. The seats, mirrors, radio presets, radio settings, HVAC are all keyed to your fob. I can remote start the car and the car will be nice an cool with all my settings when I walk up to the car.
I liked the SHO and the test drive was good. The Caddy won me over, although at the beginning of summer I never expected that I would buy a Cadillac. Most of my friends were shocked when they found out what I bought.

Bob

I liked everything you said except for the comparative lack of refinement in the CTS-V...:swing:

But you did drive the truck motorz version...

 

[jedhead]

I liked everything you said except for the comparative lack of refinement in the CTS-V...:swing:

But you did drive the truck motorz version...

I did test drive a 2009 CTS-V. I loved the car. I was expecting a leg work out with the clutch but the dual disk worked very well. I think the interior is much improved over earlier V and rivals the STS-V. If I could have afforded the CTS-V, I would have bought the black on black 6 speed manual with recardos on the spot. Now my plan is to wait three years and sell the STS-V for a low milage mature one owner 3 year old CTS-V.

I took away a little refinement with my new Corsa Exhaust. I am impressed how quiet the Corsa is at cruising speed, then just roars when you go WOT. I think I am going to try a set of Corsa Mufflers on the SHO.

What were the Caddy engineers thinking or smoking when they put 6 lug wheels on the V's and needing to remove the front bumper to get to the headlights (I bought HID's for the high beams, the fogs are easy)

Bob

 

[Siman]

test drove it handles like a tank and can be easily dominated by almost any other car because its heavy as **** has way to many features feels like a caddy or a bigggg Lincoln town car... should be the SE with some interior work, sound system paddle shifters, and a 4.4L V8 they put in the volvo. Supercharged/Twin turbo and should have chosen RWD or FWD, AWD just adds weight, complexity, and more places for power to get lost. i hate to say it hello G8 bye bye SHO if i had to choose.....

 

[kikkinasphalt]

test drove it handles like a tank and can be easily dominated by almost any other car because its heavy as **** has way to many features feels like a caddy or a bigggg Lincoln town car... should be the SE with some interior work, sound system paddle shifters, and a 4.4L V8 they put in the volvo. Supercharged/Twin turbo and should have chosen RWD or FWD, AWD just adds weight, complexity, and more places for power to get lost. i hate to say it hello G8 bye bye SHO if i had to choose.....

post pics of your G8 after you get it.

 

[1970Bronco]

I don't know what car you were driving, but I would hazard to say that you are way off. I drive one everyday and my SHO bears NO resemblance to your rant....