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The 2005 Mustangs are being delivered to dealerships in upstate, NY as of today, Thursday, October 21, 2004. Although I did not have the pleasure of locating a GT to test drive, I was able to spend some time behind the wheel of a Legend Lime V6 and here are my initial observations...

There is no doubt about it, this car is drop dead gorgeous in person. I have yet to have seen a picture in a magazine or online that really does it justice, you just have to see one up close and personal. Ford really got it right with the exterior design. They have managed to strike the perfect balance between retro and cutting edge design, and the build quality advances are evident from afar.

Opening the door the interior (this V6 lacked the IUP and leather) was even better than expected. As a matter of fact, my only complaint about the car was the windows which seemed a little loose in the door while it was open. The look is clean and manages to capture of essence of the original interiors while looking 100% contemporary, again Ford nailed it. From a quality perpsitive, comparing the feel of the plastics and fabrics to those found in other Ford automobiles, I was again duly impressed.

The drivers seat was comfortable, and at 6' 4" I had no problem with headroom. Would have been nice to have the power adjustments on the seat, but I had little trouble finding a sweat spot where the controls fell in the right places. To my surpise, my 14 year old daughter even commented that the back seats were more comfortable than those in our Saab 9-5 or Acura TL. Considering their size, and that both of these automobiles are much higher on the luxury scale, this was an unexpected compliment for Ford's interior design team.

Sitting in the drivers seat the view was different than I expected after reading some comments about a high seat position. I found the cockpit to have a very intimate feel and the view out the windshield, and the position of the seat and dash, made it feel like you were in a low slung sports car with a rather large engine hiding under an expanse of hood out in front. In short, the view was perfect.

If I had to score the interior on a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to give it a 7. Now before everyone complains, let me just say that the addition of the IUP, leather, and power seat adjustments would bring that number up to a 9 or 10 easily.

Pulling out of the dealership I was surpised by the exhaust tone and immediate throttle response from the V6. I am not sure how Ford managed it, but they sure did make the V6 sound an awful lot like a throaty V8. Kudos Ford. And, the moment you hit the pedal it really feels like you have an abundance of torque and horsepower at your disposal. Only wish I could have aired it out, but the salesperson was neverous about wet roads and a test drive in his only 2005 Mustang.

While underway it became immediately evident that this car was nothing like the Mustangs produced for the last 20+ years. The steering was tight, the suspension taut but forgiving, and the brakes superb if not a little grabby. Although I would not be surprised if the car did not have high handling thresholds, on account of the rear axle, I would be surprised if it did not handle very well right up to those limits. It feels that tight. Confidence inspiring, and quite frankly (even though I had read some reviews) better than I expected.

Overall the car was EVERYTHING I expected it to be and then some. Now of course, I may not be entirely objective, but then again who is. All I can say is, I am not sure how I am going to manage waiting the next 6 weeks for my red 2005 GT with the red leather accent package and IUP to arrive!!!!!!!

My only other wish, that Chevy was still building the Camaro. How nice it would have been to be pulled up next to one at a stop light in this car!!!!