Boston Globe 2005 Conv. Review
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http://www.boston.com/cars/articles/2005/0...a_softer_touch/
A Mustang with a softer touch
By Royal Ford | September 3, 2005
The phrase, uttered in warning, was always, ''You're cruisin' for a bruisin,' " as if the two were inextricably linked.
But could you make a choice? Go cruisin' on the one hand, or bruisin' on the other? With the new Ford Mustang GT, you can. Think coupe and convertible. Instill in each the power to bruise, but give one a softer touch for cruisin' and the other a stiffer ride for bruisin.'
We drove the coupe almost a year ago and were blown away. All that power, all that stylin', all that handling, under $30,000. Lately, we've been in the born-later convertible Mustang GT, aimed at a somewhat different audience (with heavy emphasis on female buyers).
No one will ever mistake it for anything other than a romping Mustang. It's got the rear spoiler, looming fog lamps, horizontal mesh grille atop a fascia-embedded air scoop. It is scalloped down the sides, and has the high, chopped trunk.
Granted, with its droptop down, it does shed a bit of the hinted ferocity that the sloping roof of the coupe exudes, but with the top up, not too much of the sporty look is sacrificed.
There are always key questions about a convertible: Is it quiet inside? Is the top easy to put up and take down? Does the wind whistle in tiny quarters where raised roof meets the rest of the car? Do road imperfections set dash or passengers to shimmying when they are transmitted into a vehicle that lost some of its structural integrity when the roof went away?
The answers: Mostly, yes, just a bit, and some, but not as bad as you'd expect.
Yes, even though the roof is insulated and the back glass is thick, some road noise does make its way in and so does the deep burble of the exhaust (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Flip two hasps, push a button near the rearview mirror, and the top is down and mostly tucked away (it needs a boot to properly cover it; see Annoyances) in about 15 seconds. Yes, there are little whistles of complaint along some notches of window/rooflines but after a while you don't notice them. And potholes, pavement cracks, washboard gravel roads, and even certain expansion joints in bridges can be felt in the butt. Considering this is a stiff convertible, it's acceptable.
The suspension is definitely softer than in the coupe and in hard corners I noticed understeer that wasn't present in the coupe. It also had a heavier feel.
Unless you opt for the 210-horsepower V-6, the convertible gets the same smooth power plant as the coupe at high end: a 4.6-liter, 300-horsepower V-8. Both can be hooked to five-speed automatics or manuals. (We tested the manual.) The transmission's throws felt short, yet they were not as internally crisp as the quick flicks I've made with certain European hot rods. Maybe something lost in the transmission, so to speak.
Inside, as with the coupe, wonderful touches of retro design carry this rig back to the future. Sure, occupants sit in four firm buckets of leather far superior to anything that late '60s or early '70s Mustangs could offer. And yes, the backlighting in the gauges can be made to do a colorful dance. But think back to chrome circles defining gauges and air outlets on an almost flat dash face. Grab the three-spoke wheel and appreciate the wide aluminum band that bisects the dash.
The convertible starts at $30,550; that includes, among other standard features, ABS, power driver's seat, traction control, 17-inch cast aluminum wheels, and variable intermittent wipers. With a handful of options -- upgraded audio system, antitheft protection, front seat side air bags, upgraded interior -- we were bumping up against $34,000. That's still a fine price -- whether you're going cruisin' or bruisin'.
A Mustang with a softer touch
By Royal Ford | September 3, 2005
The phrase, uttered in warning, was always, ''You're cruisin' for a bruisin,' " as if the two were inextricably linked.
But could you make a choice? Go cruisin' on the one hand, or bruisin' on the other? With the new Ford Mustang GT, you can. Think coupe and convertible. Instill in each the power to bruise, but give one a softer touch for cruisin' and the other a stiffer ride for bruisin.'
We drove the coupe almost a year ago and were blown away. All that power, all that stylin', all that handling, under $30,000. Lately, we've been in the born-later convertible Mustang GT, aimed at a somewhat different audience (with heavy emphasis on female buyers).
No one will ever mistake it for anything other than a romping Mustang. It's got the rear spoiler, looming fog lamps, horizontal mesh grille atop a fascia-embedded air scoop. It is scalloped down the sides, and has the high, chopped trunk.
Granted, with its droptop down, it does shed a bit of the hinted ferocity that the sloping roof of the coupe exudes, but with the top up, not too much of the sporty look is sacrificed.
There are always key questions about a convertible: Is it quiet inside? Is the top easy to put up and take down? Does the wind whistle in tiny quarters where raised roof meets the rest of the car? Do road imperfections set dash or passengers to shimmying when they are transmitted into a vehicle that lost some of its structural integrity when the roof went away?
The answers: Mostly, yes, just a bit, and some, but not as bad as you'd expect.
Yes, even though the roof is insulated and the back glass is thick, some road noise does make its way in and so does the deep burble of the exhaust (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Flip two hasps, push a button near the rearview mirror, and the top is down and mostly tucked away (it needs a boot to properly cover it; see Annoyances) in about 15 seconds. Yes, there are little whistles of complaint along some notches of window/rooflines but after a while you don't notice them. And potholes, pavement cracks, washboard gravel roads, and even certain expansion joints in bridges can be felt in the butt. Considering this is a stiff convertible, it's acceptable.
The suspension is definitely softer than in the coupe and in hard corners I noticed understeer that wasn't present in the coupe. It also had a heavier feel.
Unless you opt for the 210-horsepower V-6, the convertible gets the same smooth power plant as the coupe at high end: a 4.6-liter, 300-horsepower V-8. Both can be hooked to five-speed automatics or manuals. (We tested the manual.) The transmission's throws felt short, yet they were not as internally crisp as the quick flicks I've made with certain European hot rods. Maybe something lost in the transmission, so to speak.
Inside, as with the coupe, wonderful touches of retro design carry this rig back to the future. Sure, occupants sit in four firm buckets of leather far superior to anything that late '60s or early '70s Mustangs could offer. And yes, the backlighting in the gauges can be made to do a colorful dance. But think back to chrome circles defining gauges and air outlets on an almost flat dash face. Grab the three-spoke wheel and appreciate the wide aluminum band that bisects the dash.
The convertible starts at $30,550; that includes, among other standard features, ABS, power driver's seat, traction control, 17-inch cast aluminum wheels, and variable intermittent wipers. With a handful of options -- upgraded audio system, antitheft protection, front seat side air bags, upgraded interior -- we were bumping up against $34,000. That's still a fine price -- whether you're going cruisin' or bruisin'.
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