Some people wonder why I’m getting an auto and not a manual tranny. I’ve driven both. The manual is okay for shifting, not good or bad, certainly not as fast as the butter smooth Hurst I had on my ’68 Olds 442 (no notches at all). The auto also has a lower rear axle ratio and reviewers say the overall response is “muted” for the automatic.

The manual in the Shelby is an American Tremec. No significant issues.

All the other manuals in all other models of Mustang are Getrag. Getrag is a good Slovakian company that’s been around a long time and has made tranny’s for everyone, including very expensive cars. The parts are generally very rugged.

However the one for the Mustang is assembled in China. The 2011 Mustang showed problems with bolts backing out and the wrong fluid being used, plus maybe some other parts being thin and a shim being needed. It appears that the initial problems have been fixed, but it still makes me nervous because I can’t find any reports on the fixes in later years after someone has put on a lot of miles. My warranty on the powertrain is 6 years which at the rate I drive, is not a lot of miles.

I probably would be okay with the manual, but would be inclined to go with it only if it was a really fast shifter. I’m spoiled.

I’m not too concerned with the automatic getting off the line with 420 hp. It will still burn a long strip of rubber so I don’t really care if it does 0-60 one or two tenths of a second slower than the manual. The auto certainly will shift as fast or faster than the manual.

Ford says they could do as well or faintly better for acceleration times with the automatic compared to the manual.

For the year 2013, they added a switch on the shift knob so you can manually select gears, and it won’t over ride your decisions and will go nearly to full RPM.

There’s a little noise on the Net that Ford might’ve fixed the problems of the Chinese manual, but I’m sticking with an automatic anyway. I’ve read their official statement describing what they found and their solutions, and it appears reasonable overall.

Bottom line:

It will slam you in the seat as well as the manual and the top speed will be the same. It appears all regular V8’s are speed limited to 155 mph as best as I can tell.
It will be nicer to drive in Boston. The city gas mileage is slightly better than the manual.

Resale on Mustangs is average, but I’m predicting that within 10 years 2012’s and especially 2013’s will surprise people with their value once the public gets a load of the newer Evo Mustangs. Or at least the retro car enthusiasts.

I might’ve told you before that the GT can probably do 170 but is speed limited to 155. I imagine it’s the same deal with the 2013.

Premium fuel for the 2013 gets you 420 hp instead of the 2012’s 412. Apparently regular fuel for both cars is still 402 hp.
There are few reviews for automatics and this is one of the better ones: