jgsmuzzy

Now, please do not take offence at this message, but....

A lot of people on the forum (especially the lucky people that have actually driven an '05!) have said that the new Mustang is more refined, has a much better interior, sheet metal that fits and is a lot stiffer. All of this is good, but it brings to mind a good quality German car.

Now, I love the outgoing Mustang because of the power, the looks it gets etc etc. Also I love the car because of the quirks the car has. These include the loose handling (makes it a challenge!), also the slightly "Unfinished" look it has. The car just oozes character, "I'm a Mustang, rough around the edges, but could whip you in a race..."

I think that the new model might loose some of that character, and become just another high performance, quality saloon and be lost in the peer group it is in (Due to it's own success). I am not saying that this will happen immediately, but probably 3 years down the line.....

As i say, please do not get militant about my views, it is just a concern I have.........

Let the debate begin

Galaxie

James, great debate to pass the time

I don't agree that that the 2005 lacks character. In person, the car screams "Mustang" and has a really tough, chiselled look that is not portrayed in pictures.

The fact that the gaps, fit and finish and materials are much improved improves upon the legend. I think these things were badly needed. The actual character of the car is conveyed through the look of the car itself.

A good example of a car with really good power and handling, but no real "character", at least IMO, is the GTO.

97svtgoin05gt

I honestly couldn't disagree more. I feel that everyone knew and loved the cars of the past, but now we're beginning a totally new and extremely exciting time in Mustang's evolution. I was at a car show today and a guy had a Mach 1 that was of course pristine. Even still had the window sticker. He had louvers on the back of the car and it wore them well. But as I walked away, I thought to myself how awesome the '05 will wear them as well. This car will lend itself well even to the side window louvers. This is an exciting time for everyone who knows and loves the Mustang, and I'll go off the board for a thousand and predict that this car will attract tons of people who'd have never even considered it.

damian721

Ditto on the GTO comment....

As to whether the new Mustang has character or not....

It says "Mustang" without even saying Mustang! Anywhere on it....nowhere will you find the word Mustang....yet it would take an automotive dullard to not know exactly what kind of car it is....

...now that's character, in my book.

Damian.

Greywolf

I agree except the hood is just a little blah. NEEDS strips or intake or a redesign. One of the things I will do to my Stang.

mcomb

Hahahaha. Are you actually complaining that the build quality could be too good? Thats got to be a first

jgsmuzzy

I'm not complaining about anything on the car. I just think they have tried to stick to German Build Quality a bit too stringently, therefore losing some of the character of an American Classic......
I will most likely get an 05 in about 4 years, when the original owners start selling them on here, I am just interested to see if there will be as much interest here for the new model as there was for the old.
I think I am looking at the British market for Mustangs (very niche) and not the US market........

autothing

I agree up above that the hood is SOOOOO boring on the 2005 (concept hood will be one of my few changes, next to Summertime rims and maybe a new radio dash).

Otherwise, this Mustang is as unique as the last generation, which I own, by the way -- a 99' V6. I think both are "love it or hate it designs" like most medium priced sports cars. I HATE the Toyota MR2 since it looks gross, quite frankly... the Mitsu. Eclipse looks pretty nice though. So, you get my point.

IMPORTANT: People really do underestimate the new Mustang just from photos. I hated the new design around January, but then saw it in person at the 2004 Chicago Auto Show and loved it. Wait till you see it to judge quality and whatever else picks your fancy.

FrankBullitt05

I don't think the Mustang can carry through with the subpar development it has had for the last quarter century...sure it may lose some character in terms of being liable to defects, but it goes right back to the core of the original Mustang as a reliable sports car for everbody...

Now as for character, I'm thinking about getting an MG...that has character

scottie1113

My Alfa had character. So did my old XK-150. I'll take the Mustang. It's just got a different sort of character.

Ranger

This is a great discussion issue. Have not actually seen the car but......IMO Ford has done one heck of a job in retaining what a Mustang is all about. Just looking at it proves this point. The GTO got my attention when I first heard about it but it looked like a Cavalier. 95+% of what I am reading is positive not only from a looks but performance and handling basis (GT). The only "downside" selfishly speaking for those who intend to wait until the dust settles is that with the projected orders versus what they thought - the dust "ain't" going to settle for probably a good six months or so

Paris MkVI

My first Mustang ( see my sig) - now THAT car had character.

That is, if having to re-epoxy the door glass back in the channels twice a year counts as character. . .

Or having understeer turn into 270° ovesteer faster than you can say "unscheduled spinout". . .

Or if lower body rust-through on the sills, lower doors and rear quarter panels counts as character. . .

Or if replacing the starter relay switch every 4-6 months counts as character. . .

I LOVED that car, and more fun in it than I should probably be allowed to remember. But all those build and quality issues from the bad ol' 60's? Those were not the character of that car.

The true character of my '69 IMHO. . .

Long hood, short deck.
V8 with plenty of torque.
The forward-sloping front end shark snout.
The way it looked like it was moving even while parked.
The pony on the front grille.
The "hockey sticks" on the side panels.
The feeling inside the car of being in a special space Just For Me.

All those things are clearly present in the new 2005. And those are the character items that truly NEED to be there. THe other items - well, they had their moments, but let's leave them in the past.

The '94 - '04 models began the rejuvination of the Mustang, but (to me personally) the 2005 model signals the rebirth of the marque.

I have driven Mustangs more than 25 years. I cannot express fully how I look forward to the wonderful "character" that is the 2005 Mustang.

Just my humble opinion.

Dan

The 05 is the truest to the mustang lineage and mustang qualities since the original IMO.

I like this discussion a lot James, but I also completely disagree. This car has more character than any car I've seen. As a fan of the classic stangs, I recognize all the styling cues both inside and out and I'm absolutely in awe to be able to own something like this. Its like having those great 60's stangs with all the benefits of a modern car.

As many have said in the past, "there's no better time to be a mustang fan".

bob

Shaker baby, thats what it needs

Enfynet

How can anyone say the GTO lacks character? It screams "Pontiac!" louder than the new G6 even :P

As for the Mustang, I agree that it lost some of the "rough around the edges" character it had in the past, but now it's carrying the character that's been in the past for too long (IMO). This country needed muscle again. Everywhere I look I see an SUV or minivan.

frankswildyears

Are you a CITY supporter? Just kidding, great to hear from our mates over the big river. I understand your defense of the current stangs, and respect your opinion.
For me, the reason to purchase the 2005 Mustang was that it satisfied 2 criteria that no previous edition had to offer. The retro looks (wanted a 68 since I was 10)
and modern performance and safety features. This is a car I can store in the winter, drive all summmer and everything in between. The reports I've received since I ordered the car in May have been more than favorable.
As far as the character of the car, I don't think that it will be lost in the loose handling department. If we could get the car reduced by about 12" it would be awesome. Give up on the back seat ( under5's only) and give it 400HP as a SE wo0uld be fun but impractical. IMHO great job ford. cheers mate and if your ever in the colony let me know

MustangMan311

I agree with James. The car is 'finished' and smooth. The 04 Mach 1 is a good example of the tough look. The double cowl with shaker hood, slightly taller spoiler, grille delete; the car is 'rough and ready.' I'm not saying the car is ugly or lacking in looks, it just isn't a wild horse. It's more of a thoroughbred

cyoda44

I wish everyone would get off the "personallity factor" do yhou really want soneone to tell you what your car must look like? This car was designed to be a blank canvas for each individual to "modify" as they wish. Just wait until Sema, you will see the different possibilities of this new car. I personally want to make mine "individualized" for me not for the masses.

Ripstang

This mustang picks up where 1970 left off.If there ever was a mustang that was close to it's roots this is it ,with style, fit ,finnish of a modern day car with all around North American muscle that s hard to beat for the price.

MustangMan311

I like that analysis... Your exactly right.