2005 Mustang Review in a local paper
10/22/04, 07:58 AM
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Rabid Transit
2005 Ford Mustang
Giddy Up
By David Boldt
Special to the Star-Telegram
In a manner not that dissimilar from the Moon landing or Elvis’ death, most of us present at the launch of the Mustang remember the launch of the Mustang. Its father (as it were), Lee Iacocca, was deemed cover material by both – if memory servers – weekly news magazines, and the resulting buzz led to some 400,000 sales in the Mustang’s first year of production. That was a sizable sum for what was essentially a reskinned Falcon.
Of course, to dub the new Mustang a reskinned Falcon is to describe the aforementioned Elvis as kinda’ like Bing Crosby, with more attitude. The Mustang’s introduction, held at the New York World’s Fair, was the automotive equivalent of the Swinging Sixties’ sexual revolution. Even better was the easy access an eleven year old had with the Mustang, while the move to a looser sexual protocol – or any sexual protocol – would have to wait.
Combining a neo-classic long hood/short deck profile with available V8 power and (for the era) a semi-responsive chassis, the new Mustang could have been a respectable hit at around $4,500, which – I believe – is about what Chevy was getting for the Corvette. Introduced, in the spring of ’64, at under $2,500, buyers were grabbing their checkbooks faster than you can say “Barry Goldwater.” And with each one delivered in that very heady year, another ten prospects were wishing they had one, while Ford’s Big Three brethren, GM and Chrysler, were planning iterations of their own. For the execs at Ford, no one had seen such showroom excitement since the debut of the ’49.
Regrettably, like much of what made the Sixties a very special decade, the magic of the Mustang didn’t last. And before you jump on your computer or – godforbid – cancel your subscriptions, let me explain. The desirability of virtually anything is based on its scarcity, and if you – as a manufacturer – introduce a commodity in ridiculously high volumes, you’ve eliminated any premise of that precious scarcity. By the end of its first decade the Mustang had grown in size and price. While, in the early ‘60s, it might have been just the ‘Stang and a couple of competitors, by 1970 there were more ‘sporty coupes’ than British rock groups. Imitation is probably the sincerest form of flattery, and the Mustang was one highly flattered concept.
Fast forward forty years, and Ford rolls out the first all-new Mustang – are your ready for this? – in something like twenty-five years. And while we know that’s hard to fathom, especially when the buying public is offered a new Accord every 48 months, the stark reality is that the ’04 Mustang rides on essentially the same platform introduced by Ford in 1978. Obviously, you wouldn’t find much commonality if you were to park a ’78 and ’04 side-by-side, but their roots are very much the same. And in the same way that a 25-year old differs from a 50-year old (you’ll have to trust me on this), competing in 2005 with any product dating back to the Jimmy Carter presidency is daunting. In point of fact, it would be rather like nominating Mr. Carter for the ’04 election.
To its credit, the current Mustang has done just fine on the showroom floor, which may partially explain the delay in debuting its replacement. And in our last test of a Mustang, when they rolled out the special edition Bullitt, we liked the almost visceral combination of traditional layout and pop culture icon. But the old platform and sheetmetal can only do so much in the context of new competition, and while the ’05 draws its styling cues from 1968, much of what’s underneath is New Think, if not absolutely new technology.
In approaching the new ‘Stang, you can quickly see the inspiration from the late ‘60s, in combination with the new proportions culled from the 2003 coupe concept. This is still (thankfully) a long hood/short deck layout, but those stylistic requirements are arranged on a wheelbase significantly longer than the ‘04, and with front wheels pushed far forward.
In profile, the fastback two-door (the convertible launches next spring) enjoys a get-up-and-go proportion that suggests a drag race. The beltline seems slightly high and, conversely, the greenhouse seems slightly low, but the overall impression is classic Mustang, with virtually none of the ‘enhancements’ that graced later versions of the ponycar. The hood contour includes a power bulge, while a C-scoop just behind the door does away – we’re happy to note – with any fake scoop artifice. The GT rides on 17-inch alloys, while the V-6 provides 16-inch wheels shod with 215/60 tires. Both packages give the new Mustang an appropriately aggressive stance, although we look forward to the performance aftermarket lowering the car and broadening that stance.
Inside, there’s an amazing recall of the early era while incorporating today’s safety and ergonomic advances. The driver is greeted by two large dials front and center, the left incorporating the tach and the right providing an idea of what the ticket’s gonna’ cost. Both are trimmed in chrome, just as Iacocca would have wanted, and are framed by one of the nicest three-spoke steering wheels at this price point. Neat ventilation outlets, along with an (optional) expanse of aluminum, complete the dash’s horizontal expanse, while audio and ventilation controls occupy the center stack.
The bucket seats provide that still-unique combo of adequate support and easy ingress. Most body types at the press preview seemed happy with the size and shape, as well as adjustability. If you’re shorter, you’ll want to position yourself higher for better visibility, while those with longer torsos – you know who you are – can adjust down for adequate headroom. No slouching necessary, unless you find your midlife crisis embarrassing.
As in any previous Mustang, forget about the back seat. The convertible, we assume, will work just fine for the Homecoming Parade, but don’t book the coupe’s rear area for anyone with the NBA. In fact, forget the SBA. The rear seat does fold, and looks like it will accommodate your Santa Cruz just fine. A good thing, ‘cause we’re having trouble visualizing a roof rack.
Performance – and more performance – comes with your choice of two powertrains. The standard coupe is graced with a 4.0 liter SOHC V6, which replaced the 3.8 lump of the earlier model. With its cylinders splayed in a 60-degree Vee, the 4.0 liter is both more compact and inherently smoother. Delivering 200 horsepower and 235 lb-ft of torque, there should be no shorter of grunt, especially when connected with a much-improved 5-speed manual.
Opt for the GT, and you’ve got 300 horsepower under foot. We’ve seen the 4.6 liter V8 previously, but it continues to receive refinements. And while some might bemoan the absence of pushrods, you can’t knock the efficiency of its all-aluminum construction or 3-valve heads. Like the V6, you have your choice of 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic.
Putting the power to the pavement is – we think – perhaps the one hitch in the Mustang’s gitalong (?). Out back the design team gave the all-new platform a live rear axle. And while we’ll properly note that this is a new rear axle that is much better located – with what Ford describes as “three links” – than the old rear axle, we can’t help but think that if the bean counters can equip an Explorer with an independent rear suspension, they could find the bucks to put one under the Mustang. We won’t argue with the functionality, as both ride and control are top notch, but with an all-new platform I would have hoped for a 21st-Century spec. Live rear axles haven’t been New Age since the 19th century, a time period some Mustang loyalists apparently recall with fondness.
Up front, MacPherson struts provide the damping, while the Mustang comes to a stop via 4-wheel discs. In a day’s drive in-and-around Los Angeles, we found the ’05 everything we would want in something with a horse on the grill. The ride is appropriately firm in the GT, but not uncomfortable. You know you’re blessed with an authoritative V8, and despite the sheetmetal’s decidedly nostalgic turn, a collective thumbs-up from a group of teenagers confirms its newness and youthful appeal.
As Ford’s Phil Martens, the one auto exec that could be Frank Bullitt, puts it, the Mustang is “a pure performer…the most affordable 300-horsepower car made, and the best rear-drive performance car under $20,000.” For Steve McQueen, that would be an entire script.
2005 Ford Mustang
Giddy Up
By David Boldt
Special to the Star-Telegram
In a manner not that dissimilar from the Moon landing or Elvis’ death, most of us present at the launch of the Mustang remember the launch of the Mustang. Its father (as it were), Lee Iacocca, was deemed cover material by both – if memory servers – weekly news magazines, and the resulting buzz led to some 400,000 sales in the Mustang’s first year of production. That was a sizable sum for what was essentially a reskinned Falcon.
Of course, to dub the new Mustang a reskinned Falcon is to describe the aforementioned Elvis as kinda’ like Bing Crosby, with more attitude. The Mustang’s introduction, held at the New York World’s Fair, was the automotive equivalent of the Swinging Sixties’ sexual revolution. Even better was the easy access an eleven year old had with the Mustang, while the move to a looser sexual protocol – or any sexual protocol – would have to wait.
Combining a neo-classic long hood/short deck profile with available V8 power and (for the era) a semi-responsive chassis, the new Mustang could have been a respectable hit at around $4,500, which – I believe – is about what Chevy was getting for the Corvette. Introduced, in the spring of ’64, at under $2,500, buyers were grabbing their checkbooks faster than you can say “Barry Goldwater.” And with each one delivered in that very heady year, another ten prospects were wishing they had one, while Ford’s Big Three brethren, GM and Chrysler, were planning iterations of their own. For the execs at Ford, no one had seen such showroom excitement since the debut of the ’49.
Regrettably, like much of what made the Sixties a very special decade, the magic of the Mustang didn’t last. And before you jump on your computer or – godforbid – cancel your subscriptions, let me explain. The desirability of virtually anything is based on its scarcity, and if you – as a manufacturer – introduce a commodity in ridiculously high volumes, you’ve eliminated any premise of that precious scarcity. By the end of its first decade the Mustang had grown in size and price. While, in the early ‘60s, it might have been just the ‘Stang and a couple of competitors, by 1970 there were more ‘sporty coupes’ than British rock groups. Imitation is probably the sincerest form of flattery, and the Mustang was one highly flattered concept.
Fast forward forty years, and Ford rolls out the first all-new Mustang – are your ready for this? – in something like twenty-five years. And while we know that’s hard to fathom, especially when the buying public is offered a new Accord every 48 months, the stark reality is that the ’04 Mustang rides on essentially the same platform introduced by Ford in 1978. Obviously, you wouldn’t find much commonality if you were to park a ’78 and ’04 side-by-side, but their roots are very much the same. And in the same way that a 25-year old differs from a 50-year old (you’ll have to trust me on this), competing in 2005 with any product dating back to the Jimmy Carter presidency is daunting. In point of fact, it would be rather like nominating Mr. Carter for the ’04 election.
To its credit, the current Mustang has done just fine on the showroom floor, which may partially explain the delay in debuting its replacement. And in our last test of a Mustang, when they rolled out the special edition Bullitt, we liked the almost visceral combination of traditional layout and pop culture icon. But the old platform and sheetmetal can only do so much in the context of new competition, and while the ’05 draws its styling cues from 1968, much of what’s underneath is New Think, if not absolutely new technology.
In approaching the new ‘Stang, you can quickly see the inspiration from the late ‘60s, in combination with the new proportions culled from the 2003 coupe concept. This is still (thankfully) a long hood/short deck layout, but those stylistic requirements are arranged on a wheelbase significantly longer than the ‘04, and with front wheels pushed far forward.
In profile, the fastback two-door (the convertible launches next spring) enjoys a get-up-and-go proportion that suggests a drag race. The beltline seems slightly high and, conversely, the greenhouse seems slightly low, but the overall impression is classic Mustang, with virtually none of the ‘enhancements’ that graced later versions of the ponycar. The hood contour includes a power bulge, while a C-scoop just behind the door does away – we’re happy to note – with any fake scoop artifice. The GT rides on 17-inch alloys, while the V-6 provides 16-inch wheels shod with 215/60 tires. Both packages give the new Mustang an appropriately aggressive stance, although we look forward to the performance aftermarket lowering the car and broadening that stance.
Inside, there’s an amazing recall of the early era while incorporating today’s safety and ergonomic advances. The driver is greeted by two large dials front and center, the left incorporating the tach and the right providing an idea of what the ticket’s gonna’ cost. Both are trimmed in chrome, just as Iacocca would have wanted, and are framed by one of the nicest three-spoke steering wheels at this price point. Neat ventilation outlets, along with an (optional) expanse of aluminum, complete the dash’s horizontal expanse, while audio and ventilation controls occupy the center stack.
The bucket seats provide that still-unique combo of adequate support and easy ingress. Most body types at the press preview seemed happy with the size and shape, as well as adjustability. If you’re shorter, you’ll want to position yourself higher for better visibility, while those with longer torsos – you know who you are – can adjust down for adequate headroom. No slouching necessary, unless you find your midlife crisis embarrassing.
As in any previous Mustang, forget about the back seat. The convertible, we assume, will work just fine for the Homecoming Parade, but don’t book the coupe’s rear area for anyone with the NBA. In fact, forget the SBA. The rear seat does fold, and looks like it will accommodate your Santa Cruz just fine. A good thing, ‘cause we’re having trouble visualizing a roof rack.
Performance – and more performance – comes with your choice of two powertrains. The standard coupe is graced with a 4.0 liter SOHC V6, which replaced the 3.8 lump of the earlier model. With its cylinders splayed in a 60-degree Vee, the 4.0 liter is both more compact and inherently smoother. Delivering 200 horsepower and 235 lb-ft of torque, there should be no shorter of grunt, especially when connected with a much-improved 5-speed manual.
Opt for the GT, and you’ve got 300 horsepower under foot. We’ve seen the 4.6 liter V8 previously, but it continues to receive refinements. And while some might bemoan the absence of pushrods, you can’t knock the efficiency of its all-aluminum construction or 3-valve heads. Like the V6, you have your choice of 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic.
Putting the power to the pavement is – we think – perhaps the one hitch in the Mustang’s gitalong (?). Out back the design team gave the all-new platform a live rear axle. And while we’ll properly note that this is a new rear axle that is much better located – with what Ford describes as “three links” – than the old rear axle, we can’t help but think that if the bean counters can equip an Explorer with an independent rear suspension, they could find the bucks to put one under the Mustang. We won’t argue with the functionality, as both ride and control are top notch, but with an all-new platform I would have hoped for a 21st-Century spec. Live rear axles haven’t been New Age since the 19th century, a time period some Mustang loyalists apparently recall with fondness.
Up front, MacPherson struts provide the damping, while the Mustang comes to a stop via 4-wheel discs. In a day’s drive in-and-around Los Angeles, we found the ’05 everything we would want in something with a horse on the grill. The ride is appropriately firm in the GT, but not uncomfortable. You know you’re blessed with an authoritative V8, and despite the sheetmetal’s decidedly nostalgic turn, a collective thumbs-up from a group of teenagers confirms its newness and youthful appeal.
As Ford’s Phil Martens, the one auto exec that could be Frank Bullitt, puts it, the Mustang is “a pure performer…the most affordable 300-horsepower car made, and the best rear-drive performance car under $20,000.” For Steve McQueen, that would be an entire script.
10/22/04, 12:38 PM
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Originally posted by Falchion@October 22, 2004, 8:01 AM
Rabid Transit
2005 Ford Mustang
Giddy Up
By David Boldt
Special to the Star-Telegram
In a manner not that dissimilar from the Moon landing or Elvis’ death, most of us present at the launch of the Mustang remember the launch of the Mustang. Its father (as it were), Lee Iacocca, was deemed cover material by both – if memory servers – weekly news magazines, and the resulting buzz led to some 400,000 sales in the Mustang’s first year of production. That was a sizable sum for what was essentially a reskinned Falcon.
Of course, to dub the new Mustang a reskinned Falcon is to describe the aforementioned Elvis as kinda’ like Bing Crosby, with more attitude. The Mustang’s introduction, held at the New York World’s Fair, was the automotive equivalent of the Swinging Sixties’ sexual revolution. Even better was the easy access an eleven year old had with the Mustang, while the move to a looser sexual protocol – or any sexual protocol – would have to wait.
Combining a neo-classic long hood/short deck profile with available V8 power and (for the era) a semi-responsive chassis, the new Mustang could have been a respectable hit at around $4,500, which – I believe – is about what Chevy was getting for the Corvette. Introduced, in the spring of ’64, at under $2,500, buyers were grabbing their checkbooks faster than you can say “Barry Goldwater.” And with each one delivered in that very heady year, another ten prospects were wishing they had one, while Ford’s Big Three brethren, GM and Chrysler, were planning iterations of their own. For the execs at Ford, no one had seen such showroom excitement since the debut of the ’49.
Regrettably, like much of what made the Sixties a very special decade, the magic of the Mustang didn’t last. And before you jump on your computer or – godforbid – cancel your subscriptions, let me explain. The desirability of virtually anything is based on its scarcity, and if you – as a manufacturer – introduce a commodity in ridiculously high volumes, you’ve eliminated any premise of that precious scarcity. By the end of its first decade the Mustang had grown in size and price. While, in the early ‘60s, it might have been just the ‘Stang and a couple of competitors, by 1970 there were more ‘sporty coupes’ than British rock groups. Imitation is probably the sincerest form of flattery, and the Mustang was one highly flattered concept.
Fast forward forty years, and Ford rolls out the first all-new Mustang – are your ready for this? – in something like twenty-five years. And while we know that’s hard to fathom, especially when the buying public is offered a new Accord every 48 months, the stark reality is that the ’04 Mustang rides on essentially the same platform introduced by Ford in 1978. Obviously, you wouldn’t find much commonality if you were to park a ’78 and ’04 side-by-side, but their roots are very much the same. And in the same way that a 25-year old differs from a 50-year old (you’ll have to trust me on this), competing in 2005 with any product dating back to the Jimmy Carter presidency is daunting. In point of fact, it would be rather like nominating Mr. Carter for the ’04 election.
To its credit, the current Mustang has done just fine on the showroom floor, which may partially explain the delay in debuting its replacement. And in our last test of a Mustang, when they rolled out the special edition Bullitt, we liked the almost visceral combination of traditional layout and pop culture icon. But the old platform and sheetmetal can only do so much in the context of new competition, and while the ’05 draws its styling cues from 1968, much of what’s underneath is New Think, if not absolutely new technology.
In approaching the new ‘Stang, you can quickly see the inspiration from the late ‘60s, in combination with the new proportions culled from the 2003 coupe concept. This is still (thankfully) a long hood/short deck layout, but those stylistic requirements are arranged on a wheelbase significantly longer than the ‘04, and with front wheels pushed far forward.
In profile, the fastback two-door (the convertible launches next spring) enjoys a get-up-and-go proportion that suggests a drag race. The beltline seems slightly high and, conversely, the greenhouse seems slightly low, but the overall impression is classic Mustang, with virtually none of the ‘enhancements’ that graced later versions of the ponycar. The hood contour includes a power bulge, while a C-scoop just behind the door does away – we’re happy to note – with any fake scoop artifice. The GT rides on 17-inch alloys, while the V-6 provides 16-inch wheels shod with 215/60 tires. Both packages give the new Mustang an appropriately aggressive stance, although we look forward to the performance aftermarket lowering the car and broadening that stance.
Inside, there’s an amazing recall of the early era while incorporating today’s safety and ergonomic advances. The driver is greeted by two large dials front and center, the left incorporating the tach and the right providing an idea of what the ticket’s gonna’ cost. Both are trimmed in chrome, just as Iacocca would have wanted, and are framed by one of the nicest three-spoke steering wheels at this price point. Neat ventilation outlets, along with an (optional) expanse of aluminum, complete the dash’s horizontal expanse, while audio and ventilation controls occupy the center stack.
The bucket seats provide that still-unique combo of adequate support and easy ingress. Most body types at the press preview seemed happy with the size and shape, as well as adjustability. If you’re shorter, you’ll want to position yourself higher for better visibility, while those with longer torsos – you know who you are – can adjust down for adequate headroom. No slouching necessary, unless you find your midlife crisis embarrassing.
As in any previous Mustang, forget about the back seat. The convertible, we assume, will work just fine for the Homecoming Parade, but don’t book the coupe’s rear area for anyone with the NBA. In fact, forget the SBA. The rear seat does fold, and looks like it will accommodate your Santa Cruz just fine. A good thing, ‘cause we’re having trouble visualizing a roof rack.
Performance – and more performance – comes with your choice of two powertrains. The standard coupe is graced with a 4.0 liter SOHC V6, which replaced the 3.8 lump of the earlier model. With its cylinders splayed in a 60-degree Vee, the 4.0 liter is both more compact and inherently smoother. Delivering 200 horsepower and 235 lb-ft of torque, there should be no shorter of grunt, especially when connected with a much-improved 5-speed manual.
Opt for the GT, and you’ve got 300 horsepower under foot. We’ve seen the 4.6 liter V8 previously, but it continues to receive refinements. And while some might bemoan the absence of pushrods, you can’t knock the efficiency of its all-aluminum construction or 3-valve heads. Like the V6, you have your choice of 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic.
Putting the power to the pavement is – we think – perhaps the one hitch in the Mustang’s gitalong (?). Out back the design team gave the all-new platform a live rear axle. And while we’ll properly note that this is a new rear axle that is much better located – with what Ford describes as “three links” – than the old rear axle, we can’t help but think that if the bean counters can equip an Explorer with an independent rear suspension, they could find the bucks to put one under the Mustang. We won’t argue with the functionality, as both ride and control are top notch, but with an all-new platform I would have hoped for a 21st-Century spec. Live rear axles haven’t been New Age since the 19th century, a time period some Mustang loyalists apparently recall with fondness.
Up front, MacPherson struts provide the damping, while the Mustang comes to a stop via 4-wheel discs. In a day’s drive in-and-around Los Angeles, we found the ’05 everything we would want in something with a horse on the grill. The ride is appropriately firm in the GT, but not uncomfortable. You know you’re blessed with an authoritative V8, and despite the sheetmetal’s decidedly nostalgic turn, a collective thumbs-up from a group of teenagers confirms its newness and youthful appeal.
As Ford’s Phil Martens, the one auto exec that could be Frank Bullitt, puts it, the Mustang is “a pure performer…the most affordable 300-horsepower car made, and the best rear-drive performance car under $20,000.” For Steve McQueen, that would be an entire script.
Rabid Transit
2005 Ford Mustang
Giddy Up
By David Boldt
Special to the Star-Telegram
In a manner not that dissimilar from the Moon landing or Elvis’ death, most of us present at the launch of the Mustang remember the launch of the Mustang. Its father (as it were), Lee Iacocca, was deemed cover material by both – if memory servers – weekly news magazines, and the resulting buzz led to some 400,000 sales in the Mustang’s first year of production. That was a sizable sum for what was essentially a reskinned Falcon.
Of course, to dub the new Mustang a reskinned Falcon is to describe the aforementioned Elvis as kinda’ like Bing Crosby, with more attitude. The Mustang’s introduction, held at the New York World’s Fair, was the automotive equivalent of the Swinging Sixties’ sexual revolution. Even better was the easy access an eleven year old had with the Mustang, while the move to a looser sexual protocol – or any sexual protocol – would have to wait.
Combining a neo-classic long hood/short deck profile with available V8 power and (for the era) a semi-responsive chassis, the new Mustang could have been a respectable hit at around $4,500, which – I believe – is about what Chevy was getting for the Corvette. Introduced, in the spring of ’64, at under $2,500, buyers were grabbing their checkbooks faster than you can say “Barry Goldwater.” And with each one delivered in that very heady year, another ten prospects were wishing they had one, while Ford’s Big Three brethren, GM and Chrysler, were planning iterations of their own. For the execs at Ford, no one had seen such showroom excitement since the debut of the ’49.
Regrettably, like much of what made the Sixties a very special decade, the magic of the Mustang didn’t last. And before you jump on your computer or – godforbid – cancel your subscriptions, let me explain. The desirability of virtually anything is based on its scarcity, and if you – as a manufacturer – introduce a commodity in ridiculously high volumes, you’ve eliminated any premise of that precious scarcity. By the end of its first decade the Mustang had grown in size and price. While, in the early ‘60s, it might have been just the ‘Stang and a couple of competitors, by 1970 there were more ‘sporty coupes’ than British rock groups. Imitation is probably the sincerest form of flattery, and the Mustang was one highly flattered concept.
Fast forward forty years, and Ford rolls out the first all-new Mustang – are your ready for this? – in something like twenty-five years. And while we know that’s hard to fathom, especially when the buying public is offered a new Accord every 48 months, the stark reality is that the ’04 Mustang rides on essentially the same platform introduced by Ford in 1978. Obviously, you wouldn’t find much commonality if you were to park a ’78 and ’04 side-by-side, but their roots are very much the same. And in the same way that a 25-year old differs from a 50-year old (you’ll have to trust me on this), competing in 2005 with any product dating back to the Jimmy Carter presidency is daunting. In point of fact, it would be rather like nominating Mr. Carter for the ’04 election.
To its credit, the current Mustang has done just fine on the showroom floor, which may partially explain the delay in debuting its replacement. And in our last test of a Mustang, when they rolled out the special edition Bullitt, we liked the almost visceral combination of traditional layout and pop culture icon. But the old platform and sheetmetal can only do so much in the context of new competition, and while the ’05 draws its styling cues from 1968, much of what’s underneath is New Think, if not absolutely new technology.
In approaching the new ‘Stang, you can quickly see the inspiration from the late ‘60s, in combination with the new proportions culled from the 2003 coupe concept. This is still (thankfully) a long hood/short deck layout, but those stylistic requirements are arranged on a wheelbase significantly longer than the ‘04, and with front wheels pushed far forward.
In profile, the fastback two-door (the convertible launches next spring) enjoys a get-up-and-go proportion that suggests a drag race. The beltline seems slightly high and, conversely, the greenhouse seems slightly low, but the overall impression is classic Mustang, with virtually none of the ‘enhancements’ that graced later versions of the ponycar. The hood contour includes a power bulge, while a C-scoop just behind the door does away – we’re happy to note – with any fake scoop artifice. The GT rides on 17-inch alloys, while the V-6 provides 16-inch wheels shod with 215/60 tires. Both packages give the new Mustang an appropriately aggressive stance, although we look forward to the performance aftermarket lowering the car and broadening that stance.
Inside, there’s an amazing recall of the early era while incorporating today’s safety and ergonomic advances. The driver is greeted by two large dials front and center, the left incorporating the tach and the right providing an idea of what the ticket’s gonna’ cost. Both are trimmed in chrome, just as Iacocca would have wanted, and are framed by one of the nicest three-spoke steering wheels at this price point. Neat ventilation outlets, along with an (optional) expanse of aluminum, complete the dash’s horizontal expanse, while audio and ventilation controls occupy the center stack.
The bucket seats provide that still-unique combo of adequate support and easy ingress. Most body types at the press preview seemed happy with the size and shape, as well as adjustability. If you’re shorter, you’ll want to position yourself higher for better visibility, while those with longer torsos – you know who you are – can adjust down for adequate headroom. No slouching necessary, unless you find your midlife crisis embarrassing.
As in any previous Mustang, forget about the back seat. The convertible, we assume, will work just fine for the Homecoming Parade, but don’t book the coupe’s rear area for anyone with the NBA. In fact, forget the SBA. The rear seat does fold, and looks like it will accommodate your Santa Cruz just fine. A good thing, ‘cause we’re having trouble visualizing a roof rack.
Performance – and more performance – comes with your choice of two powertrains. The standard coupe is graced with a 4.0 liter SOHC V6, which replaced the 3.8 lump of the earlier model. With its cylinders splayed in a 60-degree Vee, the 4.0 liter is both more compact and inherently smoother. Delivering 200 horsepower and 235 lb-ft of torque, there should be no shorter of grunt, especially when connected with a much-improved 5-speed manual.
Opt for the GT, and you’ve got 300 horsepower under foot. We’ve seen the 4.6 liter V8 previously, but it continues to receive refinements. And while some might bemoan the absence of pushrods, you can’t knock the efficiency of its all-aluminum construction or 3-valve heads. Like the V6, you have your choice of 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic.
Putting the power to the pavement is – we think – perhaps the one hitch in the Mustang’s gitalong (?). Out back the design team gave the all-new platform a live rear axle. And while we’ll properly note that this is a new rear axle that is much better located – with what Ford describes as “three links” – than the old rear axle, we can’t help but think that if the bean counters can equip an Explorer with an independent rear suspension, they could find the bucks to put one under the Mustang. We won’t argue with the functionality, as both ride and control are top notch, but with an all-new platform I would have hoped for a 21st-Century spec. Live rear axles haven’t been New Age since the 19th century, a time period some Mustang loyalists apparently recall with fondness.
Up front, MacPherson struts provide the damping, while the Mustang comes to a stop via 4-wheel discs. In a day’s drive in-and-around Los Angeles, we found the ’05 everything we would want in something with a horse on the grill. The ride is appropriately firm in the GT, but not uncomfortable. You know you’re blessed with an authoritative V8, and despite the sheetmetal’s decidedly nostalgic turn, a collective thumbs-up from a group of teenagers confirms its newness and youthful appeal.
As Ford’s Phil Martens, the one auto exec that could be Frank Bullitt, puts it, the Mustang is “a pure performer…the most affordable 300-horsepower car made, and the best rear-drive performance car under $20,000.” For Steve McQueen, that would be an entire script.
10/23/04, 04:39 PM
#6
A good article, but like most others they just can't seem to get their facts straight:
The Accord is not all new from the ground up every 4 years. Some of the Accord updates haven't been much more than the 1998 - 1999 Mustang update.
And, the don't get the V6 HP correct.
And while we know that’s hard to fathom, especially when the buying public is offered a new Accord every 48 months, the stark reality is that the ’04 Mustang rides on essentially the same platform introduced by Ford in 1978
And, the don't get the V6 HP correct.
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