Introduction: The Ford Mustang is one of Ford's most iconic models from its glorious past. The Mustang was an 18 month project under Donald N. Fey who was Lee Iacocca's assistant and chief engineer. It was originally supposed to be a 2-seater, mid-engined roaster but due to the 2-seater Thunderbird's sales failure thus the Mustang was changed into a 4-seater front engined coupe. To lower costs the Mustang shared various components with the Fairlane and Falcon. It was released in 1964 and to Ford's surprise and an even bigger surprise to an unsuspecting GM in its first 2 years the Mustang sold nearly 1.5 million vehicles. It was then the Ford Mustang created what's called the Pony car. The 1973 OPEC oil embargo meant the original Mustang's days had to end with stricter pollution laws this had Ford create the Mustang II. While Mustang II's sales were good, it was not well received with much more competitive cars in the market. One of the most popular trim levels from the original the Mustang GT was discontinued since the Mustang II. The original Mustang is still much loved, the Mustang II didn't bring such attachment. In 1979 the Mustang was once again changed this time to be applied on the Fox platform. As the Mustang reached the mid 1980s Ford believed the Mustang was falling out in favour as sales was becoming more dismal and wanted to replace the rear wheel drive Mustang for a front wheel drive derived from Mazda. Ford received plenty of angry letters from Ford enthusiasts and decided to leave the Mustang alone while still initiating the Mazda MX-6 derived vehicle now known as the Ford Probe. The Mustang underwent another redesign in 1994, using the SN platform which was a updated Fox platform. This version revived the Mustang GT thought to be have been gone. In 2005 the Mustang received a complete update on its own platform known as the D2C. Styling has also takes on a retro theme as its styling has been greatly influenced by the original Mustang. This version of the Mustang also brought the return of the Shelby Mustangs back from the original version's days, now known as the Shelby GT500. This Mustang was updated in 2010 with a updated look and adding a few more retro items, the next set of updates occurred in 2011 with both the V6 and V8 engines receiving a much needed power upgrade with increased competition from the new Chevrolet Camaro.
Yeah the Mustang has an incredibly rich history. The car has always embodied the greatness of the old American muscle cars. Its actually a good thing Ford didn't succumb to pressure to kill off the Mustang during its dark days as its returned to some of the glory it once had. Its very difficult for Ford to sell 1.5 million in 2 years with fuel economy and practicality taking priority for most families but for simple cheap fun the Mustang has usually been there. I heard great things about the V6 Mustang, but was pretty surprised about receiving the GT which comes with a new 5.0L V8.
Performance: This is really what the Mustang GT is all about. With its massive 5.0L V8 by using premium fuel this engine can produce 418 hp and 390 lb.ft of torque. Much of the excitement starts just by starting the engine and hearing the snarl. Normally I would comment about how good the engine is being quiet...this car isn't quiet and you don't want it to be because this snarling V8 sounds so good. Due to its massive power increase, Ford needed a heavier duty transmission to deal with the power and thus you get either a 6-speed manual or automatic, dealing with fleet cars I only got to use the automatic. The hardtop Mustang GT can blitz through from 0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds, my convertible is likely an extra .2 or .3 seconds more. This car is so quick that 100 km/h feels rather slow because its over with so soon. This is easily the most corrupting car I've ever driven. Fuel economy is actually not terrible either, its horrid in the city but its capable of mid 20 mpg if your doing highway driving.
My Score: 10/10 - Brilliant, love the noise, seriously quick, not terrible fuel economy numbers as one would expect, most corrupting engines ever.
Handling: The Mustang has never really done the greatest job when it came down to handling in much of its career. Many blame it all on the live rear axle, it was indeed a problem for many of the older Mustangs compared to modern independent rear suspensions. Yet it can be argued the live rear axle lowered weight and is far more suitable for drag racing which is what the Mustang does very well at. Taking this revised 2011 Mustang around a corner, I actually didn't really notice the live axle hindering my ability to take corners. Where live axles cause problems is when the road is uneven causing it to bounce around instead of cornering flat. Depending on how well paved your roads are may determine how good or bad the live axle is for you. The Mustang GT easily has a tendency to oversteer thanks to brutal power going straight to only the rear wheels. While I believe the Infiniti G37 is a more solid and capable handling, the Mustang is pretty competent but more capable of providing fun(also danger) making it a more exciting car to take around corners.
My Score: 10/10 - Not the best car I've taken around corners but definitely the most fun
Interior: This has been the biggest drawback of the original Mustang the woeful interior. Well the seat was pretty comfortable, not as supportive as the Maxima's I'm afraid which I would prefer on a car that loves to oversteer. The interior materials are definitely better than the last Mustang but I can't say they're great. The plastic is of mediocre quality and it overall doesn't look all that appealing unlike a few of the newer Fords. There's very poor amount of legroom for those who're thinking of using the backseats for people. A tall driver pretty much negates the use of one of the back seats its still not good even with the seat up and I'm quite small. The convertible has a very small amount of trunk space, though space is better than no trunk. The build quality...I'm not that impressed there are a few trim pieces I thought were a bit flimsy. In the end there is a price to pay, the Mustang is not very expensive for what it is but the interior took much of the sacrifice.
My Score: 4/10 - Mediocre plastic, woeful legroom for rear seats, puny trunk and disappointing build quality.
Styling: This is the revised version of the previous 2005-2009 Mustang. I must say I rather like the revisions over the older one a lot. Your rear turn signal lights up in an arrangement very much like it once was done by cars in the 1960s specifically Mustangs and Cougars, a great nostalgic item. It retains much of the looks of the 1960s Mustang which has a timeless look to it. The curving of some of the sharper touches makes this version seem very modern in contrast to the previous version which tried to look 1960s. This way it doesn't look old but keeps much of what's great of old car styling.
My Score: 10/10 - Great mix of old and new car styling to create a beautiful car.
Value for money: The Mustang has some fierce competition as of late with the Chevrolet Camaro's return. It used to be down to the Mazda MX-5 which has a completely different philosophy to the Mustang's. The Dodge Challenger's return has also complicated things too. However in the case of the Challenger its appeal is directly to those who miss the 1960s. The Camaro and the revised Mustang embrace the future. The Camaro offers a rather unique challenge since its down to how much you prefer GM over Ford, the differences between the two are statistics. We'll be certain a revised Camaro will be capable of beating this revised Mustang. However as it stands the Mustang is a great value for money when it comes to brute power, but for total sports car handling you'll still have to look at the Mazda MX-5.
My Score: 8/10 - Its very good value for its money, it mainly comes down to your tastes and wants for sports cars.
Overall: 42/50 - A handsome brute of a car, truly an experience...shame about that interior.
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