Legal Bill

On the same day I tried to test drive and Acura TL, (ass of a dealer, with a real "who cares" attitude) I did manage to test drive a Mustang GT. The looks of the car just grab me. I have had several Mustangs over the years, so I am partial to the looks. But that said, I really do think this is one of the few distinctive cars on the road that looks great at a reasonable price.

Interior does not look bad to me. Some of the materials have a low price feel to them, so I understand how some comment on that, but it isn't "Chevy Cavalier" cheap. It is a step below the Mazda RX8 interior, just for comparison. I found the seats supportive and comfortable. Some complain that they could have better lateral support, but for a daily driver, I think the seats strike a nice balance of support and comfort. The shifter is much improved over older Mustangs. The throws could be a smidge shorter for me, but really not bad at all.

Start the engine and smile! They left her a little loud and it sounds great. I can't really do the sound justice, but you not only hear the V8 burbble, but there is a little extra "rip" in the sound that really gets the juices pumping. Kinda like the sound of the Mustang in the movie Bullit. I can see why they used Steve McQueen in the commercial.

The ride was exceptionally well controlled. The shifter was smooth and the shift transitions were smooth. I was prepared for some jerking shift transitions until I got used to the shif/throttle/clutch modulations for this car, but it was smooth and slick from shift one.

Power felt great BUT I did not take it over 4,000 rpm. The engine is very tractable and you can lug it down to 1,000 rpm in 5th and still accleerate away smoothly.

I have heard comments that the brake pedal is a little soft, but it felt fine to me. My Jag pedal is soft, so maybe it only felt fine in comparisson to what I am used to.

Steering was good. Nice feel to the wheel and good response to minor inputs, but I got no where near the limits.

Exterior body finish left a little to be desired. I don't know if it is just this one car, or all Mustangs, but the panel fit was a little inconsistent. Some gaps were larger than others.

Trunk is small. but not too small. Rear seats fold down 60-40 for added hauling capacity. The underhood view is not very pretty, but it means business and I'd rather open the hood and see an industial looking engine than a plastic cover.

Anyway, the search continues. But the Mustang makes it to the final rounds.

vroom

If my other car wasn't an E36 M3 which I will keep until death (it's or mine), I'd get the new GT (next year - bigger tire option might make it an even better bet for FS autocross) in a heartbeat. I'd love to get something cheap with great performance. Sadly though my M3 is not a quick, it has a similar manner (torqey(sp?) GT type feel) and I like having cars that vary in nature.


One thing I still deplore in the Mustang is its brakes are not up to current standards - look at it's stopping distance - appalling.

Great job by Ford

steve c

Stoptech makes a kit for them, 2 grand. If it is anything like their other systems it provides a great upgrade for the money -- although in some cases it throws the ABS/TC systems into fits.

rai

I'm not a big Ford fan, but from the 04 to the 05 Mustang is like night to day.

I wouldn't even want to test drive an 04 mustang. The 05 looks like a real car.

Not to say they're in the same class, but there's a V8 BMW (645Ci) that is about as fast has about the same weight and practicality as the GT but costs three times as much. 2 years of owning a 645Ci you'd loose as much as the cost of a GT.

Is the bimmer worth thrice the cost of a GT?

Officer_down

Yep, though I have not driven a new Mustang, but it looks like it's much improved over the previous generations.

steve c

A slippery slope that is.

vroom

Heh, not being a fan of the uberbloat Bimmers of today, I'll say no. But it's really a totally different market (oh gawd, the dreaded apples and oranges).

I test drove an 02 (same as 04) Mustang GT, not what I necessarily want, but I've seen guys have them as very quick autocross/track cars for not nearly the money you'd spend on a bunch of other cars. The engine has always sounded awesome. Considering they wanted to sell it loaded for 19K - not a bad buy.

330R

So were you able to test drive the TL? I'm kinda confused by the "tried to" comment.

I can't stand dealers with attitudes.

rai

Ha ha just trying to stir things up. I work with a guy with a 645Ci he previously had a M3 followed by M5. He likes the 6 beter than either, but he's not into sports cars.

What I'm saying about the Stang is that it's so cheap (to me) it's like I could one without a second thought whereas an M3 or 645 or 911 (more substantial cars), I could buy, but it'd be real money.

Are they worth 2.5-3 times the cost? Are they worth the cost when a mustang (essentially can do much the same as a M3 or 645Ci) plus for the same cost an Elise or a Boxster on the side (give a few tho here or there)?

Legal Bill

Long story. The dealer ignores me for a half hour, then a salesman comes by and asks me and another guy if we are being helped. I ask if they have any TLs with 6spd? "Just one in silver" he says. "Not my favorite color" I reply, and the guy walks away. I guess If I don't want what he has, he doesn't have the time for me. Today I went to a differnt Acura dealer. Whole different experience. They didn't have a 6spd available for a test drive as their extensive inventory of 6 speeds hadn't been preped, but they offered an automatic. I declined and they promised to have a 6 speed preped and ready for a test drive tomorrow. I Test drove an RSX-S while I was there and have an appointment to drive the TL tomorrow.