You can find a number of well-built cars with plenty of zing in the Mustang's price range, but no imported pocket rocket has a gorgeous body like this.
December 28, 2004 (Press Release) --
By PETER PASSELL
Published: December 26, 2004
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.
THE last time Ford introduced a truly new Mustang, Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" topped the pop charts, Don Baylor was the American League's most valuable player and fundamentalist Muslims were denouncing America - under President Jimmy Carter - as the Great Satan.
Well, some things never change.
Though the Mustang has continued to sell well, almost everybody agreed that the marketing phenomenon that transformed Lee A. Iacocca into a capitalist hero was long overdue for a bumper-to-bumper makeover. After all, it had spent 26 years on a limp chassis derived from the long-forgotten Ford Fairmont, and had gone a full decade wearing the same basic wardrobe.
What few expected, though, was a new design that looked terrific, delivered great value and drove like a state-of-the-art sports coupe - yet could never be mistaken for anything else.
The 2005 version, which adheres to the pony car tradition of rear-wheel drive, comes in two flavors: a base model with a 12-valve iron-block V-6 engine delivering 210 horsepower with 240 pounds-feet of torque, and the GT, with a 24-valve aluminum block V-8 rated at 300 horsepower and 320 pounds-feet. A convertible will make its debut on Jan. 5 at the Los Angeles auto show, and a high-performance version with a more powerful engine and an independent rear suspension, like the SVT Cobra version of the previous generation Mustang, is expected sometime after 2006.
Both of the current models come with four-wheel disc brakes, air-conditioning and five-speed manual transmissions (a five-speed automatic is an option). Both are built on a simplified version of the platform architecture Ford uses for the Lincoln LS and the Jaguar S-Type.
The GT does, however, get bigger wheels (17-inchers instead of 16's), lower-profile tires (Pirelli P Zero Neros) and the brakes (with larger front discs) get a standard antilock function. The GT's other attractions include electronic traction control, a stiffer suspension, dual exhausts and a rear spoiler.
The base Mustang starts at just $19,410, including the delivery charge, making it one of the most stylish $20,000 investments available. Add a 500-watt stereo with a CD changer, and a six-way power driver's seat, and the car barely tops $20,000. The GT, starting at $24,995, is also priced to sell. Adding leather, seat-mounted side air bags and that monster sound system results in a nicely equipped coupe that is still less than $27,000. A 1,000-watt audio system is $1,295.
You can find a number of well-built cars with plenty of zing in this price range - think of the Acura RSX, the Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS, the Subaru Impreza WRX and the Volkswagen GTI for starters. But those do not offer a V-8 option.
Moreover, no imported pocket rocket has a gorgeous body like this. The new Mustang has exceptionally clean lines that echo the the original model yet look quite modern, in much the way Volkswagen's playful New Beetle captured the essence of the old one.
The new Mustang is substantially longer than the previous model and, for the first time, offers truly roomy front seats. (The rear remains barely adequate for grown-ups.) Few other carmakers, it is safe to say, would dare to create an interior with so much chrome or so many contrasting colors and surface textures.
With the My Color option, it is even possible to vary the color of the lighting on the instrument cluster; Ford brags that 125 shades are possible. But I am betting the sheer garishness of the concept will work well on two levels. The young will take the 1960's exuberance at face value, while the merely young at heart will enjoy the interior as a trip down memory lane, at least until the novelty wears off.
All the attention to style would be wasted if Ford had scrimped on performance. Happily, this is not the case: both models are light-years better than their predecessors.
The V-6 with the five-speed automatic, which Ford expects to capture half or more of Mustang sales, is an efficient modern vehicle that is peppy, smooth and relatively quiet. The power is adequate and the handling is crisp, an unexpected treat given the visual cues that suggest one is behind the wheel of a big, old-fashioned American car.
There's no denying, though, that the model of choice for serious drivers is the 300-horsepower GT with the five-speed manual. I spent 150 miles behind the wheel of a GT in the mountains of Southern California one sunny afternoon and had to be coaxed from the driver's seat with promises of espresso and white-chocolate macadamia nut cookies.
As expected, the GT is fast: zero to 60 miles an hour in 5.3 seconds, according to Road & Track magazine, and it has plenty of torque at low engine speeds. And the throaty rumble of the dual exhausts make it seem even faster.
But the more dramatic improvement over the old model is in the handling: in spite of Ford's decision to save some money by sticking with a solid rear axle (rather than using an independent suspension) the car manages irregular pavement and hard cornering like an expensive sports sedan.
Once, the Mustang captured the sense of fun and freedom that represented the best of American cars. Once again, Mustang - now over 40 and having outlived its original competitors - demonstrates Ford's determination to keep that spirit alive.
Published: December 26, 2004
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.
THE last time Ford introduced a truly new Mustang, Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" topped the pop charts, Don Baylor was the American League's most valuable player and fundamentalist Muslims were denouncing America - under President Jimmy Carter - as the Great Satan.
Well, some things never change.
Though the Mustang has continued to sell well, almost everybody agreed that the marketing phenomenon that transformed Lee A. Iacocca into a capitalist hero was long overdue for a bumper-to-bumper makeover. After all, it had spent 26 years on a limp chassis derived from the long-forgotten Ford Fairmont, and had gone a full decade wearing the same basic wardrobe.
What few expected, though, was a new design that looked terrific, delivered great value and drove like a state-of-the-art sports coupe - yet could never be mistaken for anything else.
The 2005 version, which adheres to the pony car tradition of rear-wheel drive, comes in two flavors: a base model with a 12-valve iron-block V-6 engine delivering 210 horsepower with 240 pounds-feet of torque, and the GT, with a 24-valve aluminum block V-8 rated at 300 horsepower and 320 pounds-feet. A convertible will make its debut on Jan. 5 at the Los Angeles auto show, and a high-performance version with a more powerful engine and an independent rear suspension, like the SVT Cobra version of the previous generation Mustang, is expected sometime after 2006.
Both of the current models come with four-wheel disc brakes, air-conditioning and five-speed manual transmissions (a five-speed automatic is an option). Both are built on a simplified version of the platform architecture Ford uses for the Lincoln LS and the Jaguar S-Type.
The GT does, however, get bigger wheels (17-inchers instead of 16's), lower-profile tires (Pirelli P Zero Neros) and the brakes (with larger front discs) get a standard antilock function. The GT's other attractions include electronic traction control, a stiffer suspension, dual exhausts and a rear spoiler.
The base Mustang starts at just $19,410, including the delivery charge, making it one of the most stylish $20,000 investments available. Add a 500-watt stereo with a CD changer, and a six-way power driver's seat, and the car barely tops $20,000. The GT, starting at $24,995, is also priced to sell. Adding leather, seat-mounted side air bags and that monster sound system results in a nicely equipped coupe that is still less than $27,000. A 1,000-watt audio system is $1,295.
You can find a number of well-built cars with plenty of zing in this price range - think of the Acura RSX, the Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS, the Subaru Impreza WRX and the Volkswagen GTI for starters. But those do not offer a V-8 option.
Moreover, no imported pocket rocket has a gorgeous body like this. The new Mustang has exceptionally clean lines that echo the the original model yet look quite modern, in much the way Volkswagen's playful New Beetle captured the essence of the old one.
The new Mustang is substantially longer than the previous model and, for the first time, offers truly roomy front seats. (The rear remains barely adequate for grown-ups.) Few other carmakers, it is safe to say, would dare to create an interior with so much chrome or so many contrasting colors and surface textures.
With the My Color option, it is even possible to vary the color of the lighting on the instrument cluster; Ford brags that 125 shades are possible. But I am betting the sheer garishness of the concept will work well on two levels. The young will take the 1960's exuberance at face value, while the merely young at heart will enjoy the interior as a trip down memory lane, at least until the novelty wears off.
All the attention to style would be wasted if Ford had scrimped on performance. Happily, this is not the case: both models are light-years better than their predecessors.
The V-6 with the five-speed automatic, which Ford expects to capture half or more of Mustang sales, is an efficient modern vehicle that is peppy, smooth and relatively quiet. The power is adequate and the handling is crisp, an unexpected treat given the visual cues that suggest one is behind the wheel of a big, old-fashioned American car.
There's no denying, though, that the model of choice for serious drivers is the 300-horsepower GT with the five-speed manual. I spent 150 miles behind the wheel of a GT in the mountains of Southern California one sunny afternoon and had to be coaxed from the driver's seat with promises of espresso and white-chocolate macadamia nut cookies.
As expected, the GT is fast: zero to 60 miles an hour in 5.3 seconds, according to Road & Track magazine, and it has plenty of torque at low engine speeds. And the throaty rumble of the dual exhausts make it seem even faster.
But the more dramatic improvement over the old model is in the handling: in spite of Ford's decision to save some money by sticking with a solid rear axle (rather than using an independent suspension) the car manages irregular pavement and hard cornering like an expensive sports sedan.
Once, the Mustang captured the sense of fun and freedom that represented the best of American cars. Once again, Mustang - now over 40 and having outlived its original competitors - demonstrates Ford's determination to keep that spirit alive.
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