Hey.
What's up, guys.
Justin with americanmuscle.com.
We've got a fun, little video for you here today.
As you can see, both of my rides are in the shop, and we had them up here.
We figured, "Why not pull them in, do a quick, little video showing the differences between
the two, side-by-side compare them, and throw some pros and cons of each body style at you?"
Now, as always, guys, we hope you like this content.
We try to keep it fun.
So if you dig it, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
And this one could be a fun one in the Comments section.
So drop us a comment, let us know which two of these you are digging the most.
Now, even though by appearance standards, they couldn't be any more different, dimension-wise,
these two cars are pretty similar.
Now, the S197, the 2014 in particular, has an inch on the 2019, 189 inches to 188 here.
However, the 2019 does have about an inch of width on the S197, in addition to being
about an inch or two shorter overall.
So dimensions are pretty similar, but again, these things couldn't be any more different,
starting with the most polarizing part, that front end.
In my humble opinion, guys, and I know I am not alone in this, probably one of the best
front ends Ford ever put on a Mustang.
Big fan of the '13 and '14 front ends.
To me, they just embody what this car should look like: muscular, strong, intimidating,
whatever adjective you want to use.
They really nailed it here with the '13 and '14 cars.
The '10, '11, '12s weren't much different.
They kind of flattened out the grille a little bit more.
But for '13 and '14, Ford took some of the recipe or ingredients from the Shelby GT500
at the time, mainly the grille, and implemented that into the V6 and GT.
Standard HID headlights on all models.
And subtle parts, like this little chin spoiler from Roush, really help give this front end
a tougher look.
And of course, a little cowl hood doesn't hurt as well.
But what do you say we head over to the 2019 and talk about this?
Again, probably the most controversial front end in recent years here with the Mustang,
the '18 and '19 cars.
Now, I'll be completely honest, guys.
When I first saw these things come out on that Ford video, I was not very impressed
at the angles they gave us.
But again, you see it in person, you kinda have time to digest it, and it's really not
as bad as everybody made it out to be.
My biggest gripe with this front end, guys, is this just gloss, Piano Black, whatever
grille you want to call it.
To me, it just doesn't really flow with the front end of the car.
The '14, everything is consistent, everything looks great.
This just kinda screams like it's just not very consistent to me.
I don't know.
I do think the front end is very tough when you photograph it from a different angle,
namely from above.
But when you're at eye-level with this car, it just...There's something weird about it.
So mainly, a few things that we can fix through the aftermarket.
The grille is gonna be the first thing to go, I promise you that.
Add a little bit more chin here, down low.
And other than that, not a bad-looking car.
But it had some very big shoes to fill coming from the '13 and '14, and even the '15 through
'17 cars, which look pretty sharp in my opinion, thanks to a more consistent grille and front
end.
But enough about the front ends.
What do you say, we dive over to the side a little bit more and talk about those?
One thing Ford has kept consistent over the years is the side profile, or mainly a couple
of features on the side of the car.
Basically, the sunken-down sheet metal on the side of both the '14 and the '19, that's
something they've done ever since the OG Mustangs back in the '60s.
But the profiles have always been on point.
Now, quarter-window on the '14 and '13 cars, for that matter, a little bit more reminiscent
of those originals back in the day, whereas the greenhouse here, or roofline with the
S550 is a little bit more sleek.
So as such, you get a little bit more angular there with the window design.
But overall, the '13 and '14, or the S197, one thing that I really think they could have
done a little bit better is give it a better stance right from the factory.
If there's ever one car that really needed a set of lowering springs, it was the S197.
Now, the S550s, they set these things up a little bit better from the factory, gave them
a little bit better ride height, and they just look better even stock.
I also really like what Ford did with the lower rockers here, on the '18 and '19, and
even with the S550s in general, given that black rocker panel there.
It just kind of gives it a little bit more of an aggressive look, almost gives it more
of an aftermarket feel right out of the factory.
But let's head back to the rear of the car, break down the two.
Because again, this is another area where there's some really big differences between
the two.
Now, to keep things consistent, let's start by talking about the 2013 and '14 car, and
namely that rear end and those killer tail lights.
Arguably, one of the most popular aspects of that rear end.
'10, '11, '12 guys absolutely love them and try to grab them for their car.
But as a '13 or '14 owner, I know they're killer.
They just look great.
They kind of balance the retro feel of the older cars, but with some of the modern amenities
of the LED rings, the operation, just really, really sharp-looking tail lights.
Now, they did stick with a single exhaust for the '13 and '14 cars, with the exception
of the GT500, of course, which, thanks to Ford, they allowed us to get in on the party
- '13 and '14 GT owners that is - by making a simple cut and adding that rear valance,
thus making the way for a killer set of quads, which I, of course, have and absolutely love.
To me, that was the only thing that rear end was missing, possibly a slightly bigger spoiler.
The S550 here, on the other hand, well, listen, they went back to their roots with the tri-bar
design.
Obviously, the '18 and '19 has a little bit more angle to them, but overall, still hold
onto that same basic design.
And listen, these are absolutely beautiful as well, not to take anything away from this
particular car.
But it really depends on what you like.
Do you really dig those '13 and '14 tail lights?
Are you more of a fan of the tri-bar design?
Of course, let us know.
One thing that they didn't get away from, from the S197 to the S550, was maintaining
this Piano Black panel back here, which is kind of a love it or hate it thing.
Now, if you own one of these cars or an S197, you know, just looking at this thing wrong
causes it to scratch.
And unfortunately, that still is the case here with the newer cars.
But it is really sharp, as long as you keep it clean.
But aside from the tail lights, guys, Ford really hit this rear end out of the park.
Finally, they gave us the quad tips we have been demanding as enthusiasts, in addition
to implementing a really cool rear valance here with the '18 and '19.
Now, this is very similar to what some of the aftermarket guys were doing with the '15
through '17 cars, and Ford just said, "Hey, we can do that too."
So they put a really cool rear valance on the car, gave us the quads, so just an awesome,
awesome part of the S550.
Again, since day one, I thought the rear end was the home run here for the '18 and '19s,
and that really hasn't changed in my opinion.
But appearance aside, guys, what do you say, we pop the hoods on these things, take a closer
look at the differences between the Gen 1 and that Gen 3 Coyote?
Well, here it is, guys, the Gen 1 Coyote in the '13 and '14 GT, which made 420 horsepower,
390 pound-feet at the crank. '11 and '12s made a little bit less than that in the horsepower
department.
But overall, guys, this is a very, very awesome step forward for Ford.
Right?
The Coyote engine has become kinda legendary in the Ford lineage and with good reason.
It's only gotten better, and it's capable of some incredible things.
Now, obviously, this one isn't stock.
I had the Roush TVS on it, which made 640, 650 on pump gas to the tires, which is getting
closer to the safe limits of the Gen 1 here.
They didn't have the sinter-forged connecting rods, like the Gen 2 and Gen 3.
And as such, that is the weak spot here with the Gen 1.
But again, 11 to 1 compression ratio, port-injection, kinda the first iteration of the intake manifold
design, which was the weakest of the bunch.
There's a lot of good intake manifolds for these things now.
But for the kinda founder of the Coyote lineage, certainly, not a bad step for Ford.
But let's go over.
We'll skip the Gen 2, which was found in the '15 through '17, and dive right into the Gen
3.
So here it is, guys, the Gen 3 Coyote, 12 to 1 compression ratio.
Now, a port-injection and direct-injected.
So as such, they're able to run such a high compression ratio and keep things pretty safe.
These things stock are just capable of so much.
Again, I've been talking about it in all of our reviews.
Those guys down in Midnight Performance, they're getting even faster, 860 stock engine, stock
trans, stock converter.
The guys are making 1,000-plus all day long with these things.
It's really not that uncommon anymore.
So it just goes to show you what these engines are capable of.
Now, better rods in these things, of course, better head design, better cams, and of course
that compression ratio allows you to just make so much more power compared to that guy.
So 460, 420 here at the crank stock, and this one is backed by the 10-speed auto, which
you guys know.
MT-82 is still very much alive and well in the lineage.
Some would argue it's not that great in the '18 and '19 due to shifter fork issues, things
like that.
But overall, guys, the stock automatic transmission in this thing is absolutely stellar so far.
And this is before aftermarket support, so there's no billet input shafts yet, no converters,
clutch packs, things like that.
So as a stock transmission, very, very capable.
And honestly, I cannot wait to dive into this thing and start adding horsepower by the hundreds.
But one more thing to do before we go for a spin, guys, and that is hop in and break
down these interiors.
All right.
Again, guys, we are gonna start with the 2014 here.
And, yes, this is a base car, so cloth interior, really not all that fancy.
And in my opinion, the '13 and the '14, or the S197 in general, the later years, was
more of a transition year, if you will, when it came to interior design for Ford.
The early S197s, let's be honest, were pretty painful as far as interior design goes in
my opinion, and then the '15s through '19s are just basically leap years ahead of where
they were 10 years ago.
But sticking with the car here, it still had that retro feel.
Right?
The gauges were very much kind of that old-school design, in addition to just a straight-up-and-down
interior.
There really wasn't anything fancy to it.
Now, me personally, I do have an aftermarket navigation unit in the car.
It does have SYNC.
So there are some creature comforts or some tech in there that was helpful at first.
But as far as comparing them to the later years, it's really just no comparison whatsoever.
So speaking of which, let's go take a closer look at that.
And this is what I'm talking about.
I mean, as you can see, these interiors are just light years ahead of where the S197 was
at the time.
And that really shouldn't come as any surprise, as car manufacturers tend to get better with
age.
And as things get newer, designs start getting a little bit more sleek, if you will, and
that certainly is the case here with the S550.
Now, obviously, we're comparing apples and oranges with a base car to a premium 401A
package.
But it's just a great example of how far Ford has come with their interior design.
And this is even a better example because you're getting things like the Recaros with
the blue stitching, and that stitching is everywhere in the interior, as you guys saw
with the reveal video.
But on top of that, you got things like SYNC 3, the B&O Play System, which sounds amazing,
by the way, 12 damn speakers in this thing.
Just light years ahead of the S197 in every way and clear victor, for sure.
But now, time to drive these things a little bit, see how they feel in comparison on the
road.
And what do you say, we start with age before beauty?
All right, guys.
We're out in the 2014 first, and obviously, it is far from stock.
It's on bias-plies right now and skinnies, because you never know when a drag race is
gonna break out.
And as such, the ride is not ideal.
It's all about doing one thing, and that is kinda going fast in a straight line and maybe
turning if you wanted to.
There's a lot of polyurethane stuff in the mix here and...Oh, this thing still rips.
I never get tired of it, never will I. I mean, would I want more?
Yes.
I think I said that in the original build video.
But aside from the fact that this thing has a whole hell of a lot of horsepower compared
to stock and besides the tire situation, the suspension situation, it's still got that
beautiful, beautiful manual transmission.
Right?
As good as the autos will get, it'll never replace the feeling of just ripping off a
good old-fashioned downshift.
There's something about driving a stick where you got total control of your machine.
You feel kinda like a badass when doing so.
And that's just something an auto will never be able to reproduce.
Even though technically, it's only four to five years old, which isn't really a long
time, it's kind of an eternity in the world of cars.
Right?
Because we see how much things change over such a short period of time, case in point,
this interior and suspension technology.
Suspension-wise, well, it's still got the live rear axle, solid rear axle.
We still have a lot of BMR goodies going on.
There's a lot of NVH, which is something you don't get in a stock car.
You're just used to these noises, these rattles, things like that, where you've modified it
as heavily as I have.
A great way, I think, to summarize, it's like the '14 is Mike Tyson in his prime - rough
around the edges, powerful, strong, just Mike Tyson.
The S550, on the other hand, is like Conor McGregor.
And, yeah, I know he just lost, but never mind that.
They're both really good in their own respects, but the S550 is a little bit more Euro in
style.
Right?
A little flashier, maybe a little bit more refined, I guess.
Let's bring this thing on back to the shop, hop in the '19, and see what that thing is
all about.
All right.
So now that we're in the 2019, it's a night-and-day difference between the two.
This is the car you take your grandma to church in.
The '14 is the car you take your date out in and try to impress her.
Now, that's not to say this isn't impressive, per se.
It's just a very subdued experience.
Exhaust is there, but it's obviously not nearly as loud, and the ride is...It's an auto.
I mean, listen, you're not gonna impress any girls driving an auto, right?
So you get back to that whole manuals are great for impressing chicks, but the autos
are always gonna win races and be a hell of a lot better in traffic, which is where this
thing shines.
Listen, I've driven this thing to work a few times, and I literally just hang out, don't
even think about shifting, clutch isn't in and out a million times.
It's a wonderful thing.
Now, will an auto ever be as fun as a manual?
Well, I'm sure given enough horsepower, sure.
But transmission for transmission, the manual is gonna win all day every day, and twice
on Sundays.
But aside from the transmission and the fact that this thing feels like it's five years
newer - it's tight, doesn't rattle, nice and quiet - the difference between the interiors
is staggering, and it's almost depressing.
As an S197 owner, when I got done reviewing that 2015 GT at the time and got back into
my 2014, you're like, "Aw, man."
It's just...it's that different.
And again, I know I'm comparing a base car to a five-year newer premium car.
But you wanna talk differences, that's the biggest difference.
Let's downshift this thing a few gears with these paddles.
I mean, it's no slouch for being stock and 400-plus-horsepower to the tires.
It's still enough to put you back in your seat, still certainly enough to get you in
trouble.
But when it comes to just brute force and put you back in your seat, the clear victor
is obviously my 2014.
Now, as far as sound, well, I'm very impressed with what Ford did.
The '15 to '17 cars sound absolutely neutered from the factory, which is really a shame.
The '18 sounds perfect for a factory car.
It's got enough grunt.
But again, long tubes with the Corsa on my car, I think it's actually really, really
perfect.
So I'd have to give the nod to my '14 there.
But overall, driving experience, I would drive this car across country and not even blink
twice.
Now, granted, when we start ripping this thing apart and having fun, that might change.
But I'm still confident that maximizing a car's potential while still being just creature
comfort to the max, that's my goal with this thing.
So fun factor easily goes to the S197 and the manual transmission.
But creature comfort and stress-free driving, that's the '19.
Well, guys, we hope you enjoyed this brief, little comparison between my two cars.
Let us know what you think.
Are you an S550 fan, or are you S197 until you die?
Let us know and drop us a comment wherever you're watching this.
But in the meantime, guys, thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube
channel if you haven't done so already.
And for all things Mustang, keep it right here, at americanmuscle.com.