Edmunds Full-Test & Video - Refreshed 2010 Ford Mustang GT
03-10-2009, 01:01 PM
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Edmunds Full-Test & Video - Refreshed 2010 Ford Mustang GT A Good Reason To Buy American
The Mustang's ability to powerslide is hard to argue with.
By Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
Date posted: 03-09-2009
315-hp 4.6-liter V8 - 5-speed manual transmission - 19-inch wheels and tires - Optional Track Pack
Affordable. Powerful. Rear-wheel drive.
It's what we all want: powerslides for a low monthly payment.
But with the new Hyundai Genesis coupe grabbing headlines like a publicly intoxicated Michelle Obama, Americans seem to have forgotten that it has been the Ford Mustang supplying them with that magic formula for fun for more than 40 years.
The Ford Mustang has defined affordable performance with two smoking rear tires since back when a hybrid was an Italian-bodied car powered by an American V8. You know, way back in the groovy 1960s. Even the laughable Ford Mustang II of the mid-1970s was fast for its day.
But Americans are not known for their long-term memory. Sometimes we need a little reminding. And this slate-gray 2010 Ford Mustang GT with the optional Track Pack is tire-shredding Ginko biloba.
Track Pack and the Big Bow Wow
It likes long, fast sweepers, where the suspension can take a set and lean on those sticky 19-inch Pirellis.
But affordable isn't as affordable as it used to be. These days, blowing minds at the Big Bow Wow with your V8 muscle car will cost you north of $30 grand.
Base price on this 2010 Ford Mustang GT Premium is $30,995 and its MSRP with options will hit your wallet for $34,775. And it isn't even loaded (but it's close).
Performance options? Just one. The nicely named Track Pack. For $1,500 it adds a unique set of dampers, a front strut-tower brace, a shorter 3.73:1 axle ratio, a limited-slip differential, dual-piston front calipers with performance brake pads, recalibrated stability control, a set of cast-aluminum 19-inch wheels with 255/40ZR19 Pirelli P Zero summer performance tires, plus several pieces from the current Shelby GT500, including its front and rear antiroll bars, rear lower trailing links and front upper strut mounts.
As far as comfort stuff goes, this car has the Comfort Group, which includes heated front seats and six-way power adjustment for the passenger seat, a security package and the monster 10-speaker Shaker 1,000-watt audio system (which can cause bleeding). No navigation, no sunroof, although both are available. So are several different scoop and stripe options, which honestly might be worth a little extra scratch, as our very gray tester lacked a little eye candy.
Few at the Pizza City gave it a second glance, despite the fact that every body panel but the roof is new for 2010. And most of it is successful at keeping the Mustang retro instead of so last year. Positive comments we did get centered around the cool grille lights, which were a crowd favorite on the 2005-'09 model, and the new cowl-induction-style hood. The new taillights also drew some attention, but the comments weren't always flattering.
The new interior got mixed reviews as well. Only one guy thought the color-your-gauges-to-suit-your-mood isn't just dumb, but he had neon blue lights under his Evo. More than a few thought the new dash was a bit dull, and even when we told them it was ergonomically improved they didn't seem to care.
More Suspension Control, Please
The Mustang will get left for dead by a Nissan 370Z on just about any mountain road, although it can probably pull away from a Challenger R/T.
Because we've driven the 2010 Mustang before, both on the street and around the racetrack at the Streets of Willow northeast of Los Angeles, we knew what to expect.
In that earlier report we complained about the new Mustang's over-boosted steering, its soft brake pedal and the way it flops around on its suspension. We wrote, "On winding canyon roads the 2010 Ford Mustang is still too big, too soft and too vague to really toss around with any measure of precision."
The Track Pack improved things, however, and we praised the additional athleticism. We wrote, "At speed on the road course at the Streets of Willow, the improvement from the Track Pack proved noticeable almost instantly. The retuned dampers do a better job of keeping the front end under control, so the initial turn toward the apex of the corner is more immediate. There's far less body roll, and the additional cornering grip allows you to push it a little harder at the limit."
But after two weeks behind the wheel of this 2010 Ford Mustang GT, we've decided that the Track Pack doesn't take things far enough. Oh, there's plenty of grip, and the Mustang has a real ability to change direction, but its suspension still dives, squats and leans far more than it needs to (Look at all that body roll in these powerslide photos. It looks like we disconnected the sway bars.), and it doesn't deal with crests or elevation changes as well as it could. Basically the Mustang's suspension works. This car is easy to drive very quickly on a mountain road, we'd just like it to feel more precise than it does, more tied down to the road. And we still think the steering is over-boosted, although it feels better in the hills than it does in the city, and the brake pedal is still too soft.
Make It Less Friendly, Please
Build quality, ergonomics and comfort are improved. When the tach needle reaches the engine's 6,500-rpm redline, the entire instrument face goes red. It's like a big shift light from a racecar.
And then there's the Mustang's lack of attitude around town. In the city there just isn't enough edge to the drive. Everything about the 2010 Ford Mustang feels a bit sanitized for your protection. Like somebody at Ford told the engineers that the guy's wife might have to drive it, too, so make it feel...friendly.
"But it's a Mustang GT, sir, with the Track Pack," says the middle management engineer to the suit. "Shouldn't we dial it in for a real driver? The guy who knows that a steering wheel that can be turned with one finger is a bad thing?"
"You fool. Men don't buy cars anymore. Our focus groups and overpaid consultants have made it clear that we need to expand the Mustang brand's appeal deeper into the female consumer pool," retorts the suit through stale coffee breath. "Now get back to work. We've lost millions in just the time it has taken me to call you stupid."
The result is an unfulfilling experience on anything but a straight road. Pound the 2010 Ford Mustang GT into some curves and it dances, but it's up on its tippy toes and never settles down long enough for the driver to find a rhythm.
Even the powertrain, which makes plenty of thrust for those late nights at the Connecting Highway and Cross Bay Boulevard, isn't well suited for the twisties. Despite the short 3.73 gears, the soft bottom end of the 4.6-liter V8's power curve (it only starts making real power at 4,000 rpm) and the super-tall 2nd gear in the five-speed conspire to make tight corner exits unexciting unless you're attacking the road at race pace. If you're willing to commit, however, this Mustang will fly in and out of any bend. It just takes high entry speeds, aggressive turn-in and a heavy right foot to keep the revs up.
It does very well in long fast sweepers, where the suspension can take a set and lean on those sticky 19-inch Pirellis, but even on faster open roads, this Mustang will get left for dead by a more agile 2009 Nissan 370Z, although it can pull away from a larger 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T.
The Mustang's ability to powerslide is hard to argue with.
By Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
Date posted: 03-09-2009
315-hp 4.6-liter V8 - 5-speed manual transmission - 19-inch wheels and tires - Optional Track Pack
Affordable. Powerful. Rear-wheel drive.
It's what we all want: powerslides for a low monthly payment.
But with the new Hyundai Genesis coupe grabbing headlines like a publicly intoxicated Michelle Obama, Americans seem to have forgotten that it has been the Ford Mustang supplying them with that magic formula for fun for more than 40 years.
The Ford Mustang has defined affordable performance with two smoking rear tires since back when a hybrid was an Italian-bodied car powered by an American V8. You know, way back in the groovy 1960s. Even the laughable Ford Mustang II of the mid-1970s was fast for its day.
But Americans are not known for their long-term memory. Sometimes we need a little reminding. And this slate-gray 2010 Ford Mustang GT with the optional Track Pack is tire-shredding Ginko biloba.
Track Pack and the Big Bow Wow
It likes long, fast sweepers, where the suspension can take a set and lean on those sticky 19-inch Pirellis.
But affordable isn't as affordable as it used to be. These days, blowing minds at the Big Bow Wow with your V8 muscle car will cost you north of $30 grand.
Base price on this 2010 Ford Mustang GT Premium is $30,995 and its MSRP with options will hit your wallet for $34,775. And it isn't even loaded (but it's close).
Performance options? Just one. The nicely named Track Pack. For $1,500 it adds a unique set of dampers, a front strut-tower brace, a shorter 3.73:1 axle ratio, a limited-slip differential, dual-piston front calipers with performance brake pads, recalibrated stability control, a set of cast-aluminum 19-inch wheels with 255/40ZR19 Pirelli P Zero summer performance tires, plus several pieces from the current Shelby GT500, including its front and rear antiroll bars, rear lower trailing links and front upper strut mounts.
As far as comfort stuff goes, this car has the Comfort Group, which includes heated front seats and six-way power adjustment for the passenger seat, a security package and the monster 10-speaker Shaker 1,000-watt audio system (which can cause bleeding). No navigation, no sunroof, although both are available. So are several different scoop and stripe options, which honestly might be worth a little extra scratch, as our very gray tester lacked a little eye candy.
Few at the Pizza City gave it a second glance, despite the fact that every body panel but the roof is new for 2010. And most of it is successful at keeping the Mustang retro instead of so last year. Positive comments we did get centered around the cool grille lights, which were a crowd favorite on the 2005-'09 model, and the new cowl-induction-style hood. The new taillights also drew some attention, but the comments weren't always flattering.
The new interior got mixed reviews as well. Only one guy thought the color-your-gauges-to-suit-your-mood isn't just dumb, but he had neon blue lights under his Evo. More than a few thought the new dash was a bit dull, and even when we told them it was ergonomically improved they didn't seem to care.
More Suspension Control, Please
The Mustang will get left for dead by a Nissan 370Z on just about any mountain road, although it can probably pull away from a Challenger R/T.
Because we've driven the 2010 Mustang before, both on the street and around the racetrack at the Streets of Willow northeast of Los Angeles, we knew what to expect.
In that earlier report we complained about the new Mustang's over-boosted steering, its soft brake pedal and the way it flops around on its suspension. We wrote, "On winding canyon roads the 2010 Ford Mustang is still too big, too soft and too vague to really toss around with any measure of precision."
The Track Pack improved things, however, and we praised the additional athleticism. We wrote, "At speed on the road course at the Streets of Willow, the improvement from the Track Pack proved noticeable almost instantly. The retuned dampers do a better job of keeping the front end under control, so the initial turn toward the apex of the corner is more immediate. There's far less body roll, and the additional cornering grip allows you to push it a little harder at the limit."
But after two weeks behind the wheel of this 2010 Ford Mustang GT, we've decided that the Track Pack doesn't take things far enough. Oh, there's plenty of grip, and the Mustang has a real ability to change direction, but its suspension still dives, squats and leans far more than it needs to (Look at all that body roll in these powerslide photos. It looks like we disconnected the sway bars.), and it doesn't deal with crests or elevation changes as well as it could. Basically the Mustang's suspension works. This car is easy to drive very quickly on a mountain road, we'd just like it to feel more precise than it does, more tied down to the road. And we still think the steering is over-boosted, although it feels better in the hills than it does in the city, and the brake pedal is still too soft.
Make It Less Friendly, Please
Build quality, ergonomics and comfort are improved. When the tach needle reaches the engine's 6,500-rpm redline, the entire instrument face goes red. It's like a big shift light from a racecar.
And then there's the Mustang's lack of attitude around town. In the city there just isn't enough edge to the drive. Everything about the 2010 Ford Mustang feels a bit sanitized for your protection. Like somebody at Ford told the engineers that the guy's wife might have to drive it, too, so make it feel...friendly.
"But it's a Mustang GT, sir, with the Track Pack," says the middle management engineer to the suit. "Shouldn't we dial it in for a real driver? The guy who knows that a steering wheel that can be turned with one finger is a bad thing?"
"You fool. Men don't buy cars anymore. Our focus groups and overpaid consultants have made it clear that we need to expand the Mustang brand's appeal deeper into the female consumer pool," retorts the suit through stale coffee breath. "Now get back to work. We've lost millions in just the time it has taken me to call you stupid."
The result is an unfulfilling experience on anything but a straight road. Pound the 2010 Ford Mustang GT into some curves and it dances, but it's up on its tippy toes and never settles down long enough for the driver to find a rhythm.
Even the powertrain, which makes plenty of thrust for those late nights at the Connecting Highway and Cross Bay Boulevard, isn't well suited for the twisties. Despite the short 3.73 gears, the soft bottom end of the 4.6-liter V8's power curve (it only starts making real power at 4,000 rpm) and the super-tall 2nd gear in the five-speed conspire to make tight corner exits unexciting unless you're attacking the road at race pace. If you're willing to commit, however, this Mustang will fly in and out of any bend. It just takes high entry speeds, aggressive turn-in and a heavy right foot to keep the revs up.
It does very well in long fast sweepers, where the suspension can take a set and lean on those sticky 19-inch Pirellis, but even on faster open roads, this Mustang will get left for dead by a more agile 2009 Nissan 370Z, although it can pull away from a larger 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T.
03-10-2009, 01:01 PM
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Track Testing
At our test track, the Mustang hit 60 mph in 5.2 seconds.
Regardless of its shortcomings, this car is fast. In fact, this is the quickest, best handling and best stopping normally aspirated Mustang we've ever tested. Plus, it lays two big patches of Italian rubber if you shift 2nd gear like you're trying to tear the shifter from the fancy new console. We like that.
Making that power is essentially the same engine package that powered the 2009 Ford Mustang Bullitt. To the same old 4.6-liter DOHC V8, Ford has added a cold-air intake plus a reprogrammed ECU that bumps the redline to 6,500 rpm. That same computer also has two different fuel programs: for regular and premium gas. Peak output is 315 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 325 pound-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm, just like the Bullitt.
When we arrived at our test track with the tank filled with premium and the traction and stability control systems off, the Mustang hit 60 mph in 5.2 seconds (4.9 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip), and covered the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds at 102.9 mph. That's impressive for a car that weighs 3,572 pounds. In the slalom, this Mustang with its Track Pack hardware recorded a speed of 68.4 mph, then circled the skid pad at an eyebrow-raising 0.91g. It also stopped from 60 mph in just 107 feet.
A Good Reason To Buy American
Ford offers several different scoop and stripe options, which might be worth a little extra scratch. Our very gray tester lacked a little eye candy.
How do those numbers compare to the performance of the rivals of the 2010 Ford Mustang GT? They kick ***.
Of course we haven't tested a new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS yet, but the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T isn't even close. The Mustang GT is quicker, faster and easily out-handles the Dodge. And that new Hyundai Genesis coupe everybody is swooning over? Well, the new Mustang GT out-performs it, too.
And so we've found that powerful rear-wheel-drive ride you crave. You know, the drift machine that can be bought on an hourly wage. And we've found it in red, white and blue.
The 19-inch wheels and Pirelli tires are part of the Track Pack.
MSRP of Test Vehicle: $35,625
What Works: Fast and comfortable; sounds good; well-put-together interior; still a performance value.
What Needs Work: Steering effort is overly light; too much dive, squat and lean in the suspension; looks unchanged from last year's model.
Bottom Line: Fast, fun around town and a blast in the hills. A real American performance car value, but no longer a Men's Only Club.
Second Opinion
The seats are fantastic. Very well shaped, and very cool in a classic way.
Inside Line Executive Editor Michael Jordan says:
The Mustang GT is not the Shelby GT500KR. It does not have big, honkin' stripes down the middle of its hood. It does not have a supercharged 540-hp engine or tires 3 feet wide. It doesn't smoke the tires like a Pro Stock dragster, leap up in the air like KITT, or do stunt-driving tricks from some kind of lowbrow show on Speed TV. Neither does it hop, skitter, shudder, shake and otherwise perform like some kind of rabid dog. For me, this is a good thing.
Ever since the first Mustang was made out of the bits of a Ford Falcon economy car back in 1964, guys have been trying to stiffen up, snub down and pump up the hardware to create a road monster, usually with massive tires, antiroll bars as thick as your forearm and suspension with as little travel as possible. As we've learned through several generations of Mustang, the result is always more like a Falcon than a Mustang.
When you see the Mustang GT with Track Pack, don't be thinking Milan Dragway. Think Miller Motorsports Park and its spec-racer Mustang road racing series. This car has grip, it has manners thanks to a suspension calibration that's soft enough to let you know what's happening, and you can happily drive it to the store. The 4.6-liter Ford V8 likes to rev to make its power just like an old 289-cubic-inch Ford V8, the engine that Phil Remington, Carroll Shelby's ace fabricator, always said could have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965 with a plain old GT40 if only the Ford executives hadn't fallen in love with big-block NASCAR motors.
It's true that the Mustang GT does all things well rather than being particularly spectacular at any one thing, but that's what makes it the kind of car you can happily drive every day with no excuses. The Mustang GT is a package, not just a one-dimensional attitude.
Performance
0 - 30 (sec): 2.1
0 - 45 (sec): 3.4
0 - 60 (sec): 5.2
0 - 75 (sec): 7.6
1/4 Mile (sec @ mph): 13.5 @ 102.9
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 4.9
30 - 0 (ft): 27
60 - 0 (ft): 107
Braking Rating (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor or Very Poor): Very Good
Slalom (mph): 68.4
Skid Pad Lateral acceleration (g): 0.91
Handling Rating (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor or Very Poor): Good
Edmunds Observed (mpg): 17.1
Acceleration Comments: Easy to launch. Best technique is to let the clutch out quickly at relatively low rpm and then use the torque to pull through the rest of 1st gear without wheelspin. I drop the clutch from below 3K rpm and transition immediately to WOT. Good shifter -- direct without being too high effort. And thanks to the intake honkus, I like the engine noise. This feels and sounds like a pony car. If nothing else, Ford has that nailed.
Handling Comments: Overall, the Mustang is predictable and easy to throw around. Fun, even. Its limits are higher than before but it's difficult to take it seriously as a handling machine when compared to something like the Z. Still, around the pad, it's totally mild mannered and controllable -- even a knuckle dragger could powerslide this thing until it had no rear tires. Through the slalom its instant turn-in takes some adjustment but it transitions well for a live-axle car and remains impressively composed. Overall, an improvement from the last car.
Braking Comments: Short stopping distance is a surprise.
At our test track, the Mustang hit 60 mph in 5.2 seconds.
Regardless of its shortcomings, this car is fast. In fact, this is the quickest, best handling and best stopping normally aspirated Mustang we've ever tested. Plus, it lays two big patches of Italian rubber if you shift 2nd gear like you're trying to tear the shifter from the fancy new console. We like that.
Making that power is essentially the same engine package that powered the 2009 Ford Mustang Bullitt. To the same old 4.6-liter DOHC V8, Ford has added a cold-air intake plus a reprogrammed ECU that bumps the redline to 6,500 rpm. That same computer also has two different fuel programs: for regular and premium gas. Peak output is 315 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 325 pound-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm, just like the Bullitt.
When we arrived at our test track with the tank filled with premium and the traction and stability control systems off, the Mustang hit 60 mph in 5.2 seconds (4.9 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip), and covered the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds at 102.9 mph. That's impressive for a car that weighs 3,572 pounds. In the slalom, this Mustang with its Track Pack hardware recorded a speed of 68.4 mph, then circled the skid pad at an eyebrow-raising 0.91g. It also stopped from 60 mph in just 107 feet.
A Good Reason To Buy American
Ford offers several different scoop and stripe options, which might be worth a little extra scratch. Our very gray tester lacked a little eye candy.
How do those numbers compare to the performance of the rivals of the 2010 Ford Mustang GT? They kick ***.
Of course we haven't tested a new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS yet, but the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T isn't even close. The Mustang GT is quicker, faster and easily out-handles the Dodge. And that new Hyundai Genesis coupe everybody is swooning over? Well, the new Mustang GT out-performs it, too.
And so we've found that powerful rear-wheel-drive ride you crave. You know, the drift machine that can be bought on an hourly wage. And we've found it in red, white and blue.
The 19-inch wheels and Pirelli tires are part of the Track Pack.
MSRP of Test Vehicle: $35,625
What Works: Fast and comfortable; sounds good; well-put-together interior; still a performance value.
What Needs Work: Steering effort is overly light; too much dive, squat and lean in the suspension; looks unchanged from last year's model.
Bottom Line: Fast, fun around town and a blast in the hills. A real American performance car value, but no longer a Men's Only Club.
Second Opinion
The seats are fantastic. Very well shaped, and very cool in a classic way.
Inside Line Executive Editor Michael Jordan says:
The Mustang GT is not the Shelby GT500KR. It does not have big, honkin' stripes down the middle of its hood. It does not have a supercharged 540-hp engine or tires 3 feet wide. It doesn't smoke the tires like a Pro Stock dragster, leap up in the air like KITT, or do stunt-driving tricks from some kind of lowbrow show on Speed TV. Neither does it hop, skitter, shudder, shake and otherwise perform like some kind of rabid dog. For me, this is a good thing.
Ever since the first Mustang was made out of the bits of a Ford Falcon economy car back in 1964, guys have been trying to stiffen up, snub down and pump up the hardware to create a road monster, usually with massive tires, antiroll bars as thick as your forearm and suspension with as little travel as possible. As we've learned through several generations of Mustang, the result is always more like a Falcon than a Mustang.
When you see the Mustang GT with Track Pack, don't be thinking Milan Dragway. Think Miller Motorsports Park and its spec-racer Mustang road racing series. This car has grip, it has manners thanks to a suspension calibration that's soft enough to let you know what's happening, and you can happily drive it to the store. The 4.6-liter Ford V8 likes to rev to make its power just like an old 289-cubic-inch Ford V8, the engine that Phil Remington, Carroll Shelby's ace fabricator, always said could have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965 with a plain old GT40 if only the Ford executives hadn't fallen in love with big-block NASCAR motors.
It's true that the Mustang GT does all things well rather than being particularly spectacular at any one thing, but that's what makes it the kind of car you can happily drive every day with no excuses. The Mustang GT is a package, not just a one-dimensional attitude.
Performance
0 - 30 (sec): 2.1
0 - 45 (sec): 3.4
0 - 60 (sec): 5.2
0 - 75 (sec): 7.6
1/4 Mile (sec @ mph): 13.5 @ 102.9
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 4.9
30 - 0 (ft): 27
60 - 0 (ft): 107
Braking Rating (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor or Very Poor): Very Good
Slalom (mph): 68.4
Skid Pad Lateral acceleration (g): 0.91
Handling Rating (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor or Very Poor): Good
Edmunds Observed (mpg): 17.1
Acceleration Comments: Easy to launch. Best technique is to let the clutch out quickly at relatively low rpm and then use the torque to pull through the rest of 1st gear without wheelspin. I drop the clutch from below 3K rpm and transition immediately to WOT. Good shifter -- direct without being too high effort. And thanks to the intake honkus, I like the engine noise. This feels and sounds like a pony car. If nothing else, Ford has that nailed.
Handling Comments: Overall, the Mustang is predictable and easy to throw around. Fun, even. Its limits are higher than before but it's difficult to take it seriously as a handling machine when compared to something like the Z. Still, around the pad, it's totally mild mannered and controllable -- even a knuckle dragger could powerslide this thing until it had no rear tires. Through the slalom its instant turn-in takes some adjustment but it transitions well for a live-axle car and remains impressively composed. Overall, an improvement from the last car.
Braking Comments: Short stopping distance is a surprise.
03-10-2009, 01:49 PM
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The new Z28 is all but off the books, so don't get your hopes up
.
03-10-2009, 02:40 PM
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It also weighs less, and I'd venture to guess it'll be more than a match for the V6 Camaro. Regardless, why does it always have to be a comparison? The Camaro isn't even out yet. The refreshed Mustang is pleasing to look at, and performs quite well IMO. Also, as stated, these performance figures were with a full tank of premium fuel.
The new Z28 is all but off the books, so don't get your hopes up.
The new Z28 is all but off the books, so don't get your hopes up
.
I AGREE !!!!! 
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03-10-2009, 03:28 PM
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Yeah the new GT SHOULD slot above the V6 Camaro...but the fact that it's not completely ridiculous to compare them is tragic enough. Why we have to wait a year or two for a decent power bump in this car is beyond me...the competition has the power NOW...the window of opportunity for high horsepower coupes has been slowly closing for almost a year now. Will there still be an opening at all when the supposed 400hp 5.0l motor is ready? I'm starting to believe we'll never see this motor.
03-10-2009, 04:20 PM
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The Camaro has been in production for awhile now and the first shipments are being delivered. The official on-sale date is April 1st but dealers should have them in showrooms well before then.
03-10-2009, 04:40 PM
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I'd buy it, but get this. My wife (who hates Camaro's) loves the look of the new Camaro and Challenger. Of course she would love if we got a 05-08 GT as well (auto ugh). And she wants a Chysler 300 or Dodge Charger. Yea, we're American lol.
03-10-2009, 06:02 PM
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You can't go wrong with any of those.
03-10-2009, 08:26 PM
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Yeah the new GT SHOULD slot above the V6 Camaro...but the fact that it's not completely ridiculous to compare them is tragic enough. Why we have to wait a year or two for a decent power bump in this car is beyond me...the competition has the power NOW...the window of opportunity for high horsepower coupes has been slowly closing for almost a year now. Will there still be an opening at all when the supposed 400hp 5.0l motor is ready? I'm starting to believe we'll never see this motor.
This is the second test where the Mustang GT gets a great slalom and Skidpad(actually I think is 3rd),this car seems like a awesome handing car....oo and it has awesome braking aswell
03-10-2009, 08:48 PM
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All bets are off at any automaker until the product is sitting in a showroom with a for sale sign on it.
03-10-2009, 11:21 PM
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It also weighs less, and I'd venture to guess it'll be more than a match for the V6 Camaro. Regardless, why does it always have to be a comparison? The Camaro isn't even out yet. The refreshed Mustang is pleasing to look at, and performs quite well IMO. Also, as stated, these performance figures were with a full tank of premium fuel.
The new Z28 is all but off the books, so don't get your hopes up.
The new Z28 is all but off the books, so don't get your hopes up
.Yeah the new GT SHOULD slot above the V6 Camaro...but the fact that it's not completely ridiculous to compare them is tragic enough. Why we have to wait a year or two for a decent power bump in this car is beyond me...the competition has the power NOW...the window of opportunity for high horsepower coupes has been slowly closing for almost a year now. Will there still be an opening at all when the supposed 400hp 5.0l motor is ready? I'm starting to believe we'll never see this motor.
03-11-2009, 09:35 PM
#17
The comparison between the V6 Camaro and the Mustang GT is pretty dumb to me... but people will compare anything. Back in 1996 the comparison made sense, but anybody with a brain can see that the new GT and V6 Camaro aren't going to be close enough in performance to warrant any sort of comparison.
03-11-2009, 10:16 PM
#18
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I have a feeling that the Camaro SS won't be too far in the 12s... Mustang GTs run mid 13s on a bad day. In 2011 who knows. But the difference is the Mustang has quite a bit more torque than the V6 Camaro, and weighs the same (possibly less). Whereas yes the Camaro SS will be faster, but it's also gonna weigh 300lbs more. Some people value a big weight difference over a moderate power difference.
03-12-2009, 12:06 AM
#19
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I have a feeling that the Camaro SS won't be too far in the 12s... Mustang GTs run mid 13s on a bad day. In 2011 who knows. But the difference is the Mustang has quite a bit more torque than the V6 Camaro, and weighs the same (possibly less). Whereas yes the Camaro SS will be faster, but it's also gonna weigh 300lbs more. Some people value a big weight difference over a moderate power difference.
03-12-2009, 12:09 AM
#20
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100hp is a big difference, but 300lbs affects more than straightline. It helps in turns and braking, as well as "feel." I can't say which one will feel better, but I would guess the one that's 300lbs lighter will definitely feel and act 300lbs lighter.