Just test-drove a 5.0 after owning a 2.3T

I live in the EU. I was a long Ecoboost owner ('20 Premium package) and saw/heard all the hussle about the 5.0 - so I finally decided to give it a shot.

Found the car in similar setup as mine in my area. '19, the same color, the same transmission (10R80), similar interior, the main difference was the engine and the exhaust.

So, let's begin... The cold start was more aggressive, as expected. Once I sat inside, I felt the car was heavy not only in the front, but also sound-wise when we started driving. It was so grounding, low sound. I got used to the high-pitched sound of Ecoboost and drove it like I stole it throughout the entire ownership, and I knew it loves to rev high if you don't boost it often. But the guy said he drives it gently and on low RPM, which confused me a bit. I thought - "what is the reason to buy a sports car then?". We got to the open road, I floored it a bit, and enabled manual mode (paddle shifters). This is where all my expectations about this car fell apart. The car was so heavy and sluggish in turns. I suddenly understood why "all day" high rpm driving isn't the perk of this car. Upshifts on the redline weren't the same - it simply felt boring. It didn't spit the compressed air out on the redline upshift like Ecoboost does. The downshifts were a bit better sounding to my ear, but a lot more harsh - my Ecoboost handles aggressive downshifts a lot smoother and more predictable, it doesn't jerk like this GT did, though the transmission is the same. It felt like I simply drove a boat instead of a sportscar. In the area where I live, there isn't much open straight space to floor the car like I'm an Mr. Locomotive™. After I came back to my car, I really started to appreciate how agile it is, and how pleasant the redline upshifts in the paddle mode are.

I understand that this low-grounding "muscle" can be pleasing for a while, but to own it like a true sportscar and daily-driver? Ecoboost any day of the year.

Yeah, didn't you warn me that 5.0's "muscle" was all about low bass and straight line acceleration... Yeah, yeah. To each his own.