Tuesday 29th March 2005

2005 Ford Mustang GT

Nauman Farooq explores the limits of the all-new 'Stang

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Ford Mustang 2005

This is it then, the all-new Ford Mustang, one of the most eagerly awaited car to go on sale in North America.

The Mustang has been in existence for 41 years now, and in all that time, there have been only three models that were actually any good, and all of those were not even Ford's own official products. To name them, there was the 1967 GT350 and GT500, and then there were the Saleen models, with the S281 Supercharged Roadster (which you read about a few weeks ago -- see link below) being the best of the lot.

 

Big iron

Interior

Time now for a bit of change, and enter the new generation of this American icon. The 2005 Mustang is all-new, and it shows.

The body styling might be commemorating the Mustang's best era, its first, but that is the only thing about this car that resembles the old. The chassis is all new (finally), the interior is not only good looking, but functionally very user friendly too, the seats are comfortable (finally, thank goodness), but most of all, it is a blast to drive.

Yes Mustang fans, finally you don't have to make excuses to buy a Mustang, it's a good car, in all respects.

The reasons I always hated the outgoing model was (a) the seats were just awful, (b) the interior had all the build quality of a microwave box (correction there actually, microwave boxes were better quality than the plastics Ford used for the old Mustang), and it was a horrible car to take a corner in.

Old chassis, new chassis

Due to the old car's awful chassis and suspension configuration, it felt like it was always on tip-toe. Most people blamed the live-beam rear axle for that, but I had driven the Mustang Cobra version as well, which since 2001 had the independent rear suspension, and while better, it still felt unstable, both at high speeds and at a handling course.

So, the live-beam rear shouldn't be blamed, and Saleen proved that with their cars which had a Saleen patented rear-end, and the Saleen could really handle.

 

Power

Yellow

Cruiser

Looks like Ford has been doing some poking around in Saleen cars, because despite the live-beam rear axle, the new Mustang feels remarkably like last years Saleen through the corners, and that is a very good thing. The new Mustang felt good in the first 50 feet I drove it, but what really made me smile was, that this new car can handle corners. OK, before people start questioning me about how well it handles compared to its price-based rivals, which include the Subaru Impreza WRX and the Mazda RX8, let me just say this, both the WRX and the RX8 do handle better. However, on a twisty road or a track, this new Mustang will be as fast as the others, because where it might lose out on cornering speed, it makes up the deficit when the road opens up a bit. Then it'll catch up and swallow the other two in a single move.

Performance

That power comes from a heavily reworked 4.6 litre V8, which now has three valves per cylinder, and produces 300bhp and 320lb-ft of torque. That is a gain of 40bhp over the old Mustang GT, and considerably a lot more than its rivals.

That engine is mated to a new 5-speed manual gearbox (5-speed auto also available of course) which is a delight to use, which really has to be a first in Mustang history. Even the clutch is a delight to use. So, now you can use a manual Mustang as a daily driver, and don't have to suffer
physically.

All this means that getting those perfect traffic light grand prix launches are a cinch. Hook it up properly (with the traction control off) and you'll go from 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds. Keep the go pedal buried, and you'll hit 150 mph. That is seriously fast, and on one daring high speed run, it proved to be stable too, as long as you get it out of fourth gear well before hitting redline.

You see, if you try to redline in fourth gear, you'll be sending too much torque to the rear-end, making it feel a bit nervous. Shifting into fifth gear early lets you ride the torque curve more smoothly, and will see you into very indecent speeds with the sort of poise I never expected from a Mustang. Just leave enough distance to slow down, since the brakes are not exactly very good. They are fine at city speeds, but high speeds require lots of concentration, even prompting you to use engine braking as much as possible too.

Attitude

But this is still mainly a cruising car, which means that it rumbles through town easily thanks to its light controls, and its wonderful, bellowing exhaust that ensures you have everyone's attention. The looks keep their attention, because people love the way this car looks.

You get as many thumbs up signs in this car as you'd get with any Ferrari. Get anyone in it, and they all love the retro-modern interior, and the changeable colours of the dials makes everyone go 'ohh' and 'ahh.'

This car already is a winner in many people's eyes, but what makes it even better is its price. At CAN$34,000 (just under £15,000) for a base GT, that is remarkable, since that makes it only a few hundred dollars more than the car it replaces. The test car I had was equipped with the optional interior accents package and a few other goodies, was still only CAN$35,800 (£15,750). That is simply good value for money.

So, there you go, if you can afford one, buy one, no need to make any excuses. The Mustang finally lives up to its name, and the image it always wanted to portray. Enjoy.

Saleen story: www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=47&i=9792

[4wd]

£15k in America, so I guess it'll be £25k over here + £5k for RHD conversion. Bollox to that.

[The-Knight]

The GT can be imported and on the road for under £22k - and thats without even doing it yourself which can save even more money.

Why bother with the conversion? I'd rather save the money

For me even when imported the value is fantastic and i'd choose this over any of its 'rivals' within the same price range.

[gr4]

To balance the view that only Saleen can build a good Mustang, I thought the Roush converted cars were meant to be at least as good as the Saleen ones.

[thirsty]

In order to keep costs down, Ford really cut corners on some major things, like the interior which looks extremely cheap in base version. The interior upgrade is a must, but will set you back several thousand.

I would love to see Chevy come out with a modern Camaro to compete with this car. That probably won't happen now as GM has cut plans for the Zeta platform in North America.

[speedy_thrills]

If we can have it at that price + shipping we will not complain (even if it is LHD). However I should point out that I read this the other day “There's also word that Ford is already working to tweak mainstream Mustangs for improved ride comfort and less noise, vibration and harshness. Timing is unclear here too, but a leading industry trade paper has quoted Ford officials as all but promising some chassis "upgrades" fairly soon--including a possible independent rear suspension as standard. As noted, the newest base and GT Mustangs use a solid rear axle, but are designed to accept the bolt-on independent setup developed for the Cobra.” So that strange decision on the rear suspension may be being backtracked already.

[dans]

Someone obviously does not mind the price as I have sen 3 of them in the last week in London and another yesterday at Donnington. In the flesh they are really impressive, if they handle as well as this says they are an utter bargain cheap plastic or not - remember this is the same price as an ordinary Golf.

[kedelbach]

decent article at www.roadandtrack.com comparing the base V6, GT, and tuners Steeda and Saleen versions.

lots of bang for the buck!!

Kurt

[thirsty]

speedy_thrills said:

Timing is unclear here too, but a leading industry trade paper has quoted Ford officials as all but promising some chassis "upgrades" fairly soon--including a possible independent rear suspension as standard. As noted, the newest base and GT Mustangs use a solid rear axle, but are designed to accept the bolt-on independent setup developed for the Cobra.” So that strange decision on the rear suspension may be being backtracked already.

The new Cobra also has a solid rear axle. I don't think we will ever see an IRS in this car. The drop top has a bit softer suspension. They have gotten some critisism for this as most GT buyers will still want the better handling.

[sirtophamhat]

If the independent suspension comes even close to bolt in they should sell it through Ford Racing. That way, the sticker price stays low, the drag racers stay happy, and if anyone really feels that they just can't live with a solid axle( ) then the dealer can install it and add it into the purchase price. If it honestly is bolt-in labor shouldnt be too expensive, especially if they've already done a few(and I bet it would be a VERY few).

[Dan]

It really annoys me that US manufacturers think they can just add 50% to the price of the car and ship it to the UK. I'd accept an increase in price if they did a RHD version.

22K for a RHD 'stang would be perfectly acceptable, in fact I'd probably buy one.

It's not just ford, Chevrolet dont do a RHD Corvette due to low volumes.. Guys, the reason they are low volumes is that you hike the price and make driver sit in the gutter! If a RHD corvette was £35K, you wouldn't be able to make em fast enough. Same goes for the Viper.

So to all you American car makers out there... Make a bloody effort, or sod off back where you came.

[thetruemackie]

How does the Pontiac GTO compare price-wise? It has way more power (350bhp 350ci chevy V8).

[sirtophamhat]

The GTO is up to 400hp this year, with some other minor revisions. As I recall its somewhat more expensive, but overall a much more up-market car.

[thirsty]

thetruemackie said:

How does the Pontiac GTO compare price-wise? It has way more power (350bhp 350ci chevy V8).

The GTO starts at 35K dollars. OTR you are looking at 40k with a few extra goodies thrown in. It is a more up market car, but weighs considerably more.

Price to horsepower, I think it's just as good a bargain as the Mustang. I would love to strap on 400 bhp for a couple of hours.....

[cnjohnson_uk]

Ive just got a quote for a V6, with upgraded interior including the colour accent package 17" machined alloys and undersealing for just under £20K.

[TUS 373]

Interesting - can you say where from?

[cnjohnson_uk]

That was from Kent Car Imports. They have a very good website that appears to be pretty much dedicated to the Mustang. They have a facility to do an immediate online quote.

[TUS 373]

Thanks for that - I will take a look. Have to say the cabrio looks rather nice.

[Dan_the_man]

I thought he would mention the V8 Monaro as a suitable alternative too (I know its a US GTO - but we are British) - There is a 400bhp one for sale on this forum which looks nice

>> Edited by Dan_the_man on Wednesday 6th April 12:22

[mpescatori]

Dan said:

If a RHD corvette was £35K, you wouldn't be able to make em fast enough. Same goes for the Viper. So to all you American car makers out there... Make a bloody effort, or sod off back where you came.

Odd, you know? We were all taught at school that Yanks were actually renegade British expats... so, you're actually inviting them back home?

BTW, only UK, South Africa and India drive RHD (oh yes, and Japan), so I don't see why you shouldn't be made to pay more if you want your car so heavily modified.

I drive a RHD MGB in Italy, but I accept the minus as well as relish the plus sides.

Maurizio

[dogsharks]

Somehow the quote, referencing the statement that "there were only three of them that were any good, and none of them were Ford products" just makes me think "someone" has spent way too much time on the wrong side of the pond.

Those of us who grew up in the Mustang era, remember the 271-hp high po 289 fastbacks as very fine cars, including the 1968 big block powered 390 series, the even bigger block 429 Semi Hemi Shotgon BOSS, and of course the superb BOSS 302 Trans Am racers they actually sold to the general public. Therefore I'd like to weigh in and say that statement is pure BS, so how's that, and I didn't even mention some of the other fine models???

Sheesh, an automitive journalist with a wrench in his hand is a dangerous thing, especially since the guy has no hands-on memory past his 20 or so years of cough, cough, "experience".

Dogsharks