Buck_Nekid

Consumer Reports...

"But CR auto experts note that the Mustang lacks the finesse of the best sports cars in this price range, including the Subaru Impreza WRX STi and the Mazda RX-8."

Ummm the WRX sti's start at $32,295 and with a decent smattering of options I came up with $35,353 for the model I wanted. GTs range from what... $ 25,500 to $29,100? My wallet says, "A 20% higher MSRP ain't a similar price range!". And yes, the RX-8 starts ar $25K, but the cool model starts at $33K! Sorry, but I can do a TON of mods with 4-6 grand...

I was watching one of the early morning shows on Speed Channel (Auto Week or Sports Car Revolution or some similar...) that did a comparison of the RX-8 to the Mustang and the 350Z. They really liked the RX-8 in the corners, but commented quite negatively about the lack of power, specifically pointing out the impotent HP in the Mazda. (The Mustang won the camparo, BTW) But hey what do they know? Familycar.com said the RX-8 "cranks out a very impressive 238 horsepower."

CR is NOT a magazine of any interest to me. I'm obviously not their "Target Audience".

rex

Consumer Reports has about the same credibility as Dan Rather...

Best Buy...Recommended=Ford Mustang

Save Your Money...Not Recommended=Consumer Reports :notnice:

IWantMyNewGT

Lacks finesse? At first I thought that to them this might mean no IRS, but then I realized that CR probably thinks of IRS as where they send their 1040's every year.

Consumer Reports is good at what they do best--testing and evaluating dishwashers, laundry detergent and grocery getters for soccer moms. But I wish they would leave the testing of muscle and sports cars to the enthusiast mags!

freyke

If you want a new refrigerator, go to Consumer Reports... If you want a new blender, again check with Consumer Reports... They rate "things"... If you're not passionate about something i.e., photography, motorcycling, audio, video, yatta-yatta - and you just don't want to get screwed when you make a purchase decision; by all means consult Consumer reports and get yourself down to Wally-Mart or your nearest Toyota dealer. But if you're passionate about a given subject/hobby - Consumer Reports is not the be-all-en-all... They tend to treat things as inantmant objects (dispassionate and cold) and make attempts to judge products and services on only things that can be easily quantified (numbers/facts)... A true enthusiast considers the intangibles of touch, feel, sound, soul... these are things that can only be judged by the true enthusiast intimately involved in his or her passion…. What ever it is; wine, art, fine food, travel, etc.... Consumer Reports has its place, but not in this case…IMHO… of course…

Ars Gratia Artis. Art for art's sake

SuperCJ

I'll think my right foot will provide me with all the "finesse" I'll ever need in the corners.

RalphBullit

the quality is American and You Americans should be proud of it

05GT-O.C.D.

Japanese build has the reputation of being better, he's saying that the Mustang is built well. If we start arguing over whether that reputation is fact or not, this thread will get locked just like the 3 previous ones. Back to topic, please.

kcrw898

Yeah, I agree. I think it's about time this attitude changes that Japanese cars are FAR superior in quality. In the 80's, OK, maybe that was true, but the gap has been closed and the difference is not enough to make any difference whatsoever to me. Basically, styling is what is important to me and as we all know, Honda's and Toyota's are cookie cutter cars with no real excitement. They get far more credit than they deserve. Nissan is probably the most stylish Japanese brand, and they have the worst quality of Japanese brands by the way. Buy what you like, take care of it, you'll be fine. The differences in quality are not that great. The Subaru is a nice car, but I never thought it had much finesse anyway, and I'd take the Mustang's interior any day over theirs. Exterior too for that matter, Never liked the tailights on the Subaru.

BEACHBOY

I just went through the new C.R. car issue and felt the same way I did, way back in 1988 when I bought an 88 JEEP Wrangler. C.R. said nothing but negative things about the Wrangler. Did it make me feel like I bought a piece of crap, nope. I kept the Jeep for 10 1/2 years put 208,000+ miles on it with no major repairs, just regular maintenance. I took that thing down to Hatteras on the beach more times than I can count. SO back to the topic. This mag has its opinion on the 05 Mustang but doesn't make a difference to me, I love my GT and it is everything I wanted in a car including price.

PS.........maybe I should have bought a Honda Accord.......naaaaaaaa

Ranger

Gave up on these magazine folks a long time ago. Too poltical correct among other things.

MustangDan

Over the years in topics that I feel that I have expertise in Bicycles, Photography, and Technology. Consumer Reports have been simply wrong. I wouldn’t trust them to recommend a blender. Maybe blenders are what they were thinking about when they made their recommendations of the Subaru Impreza WRX STi and the Mazda RX-8.

The Mustang is a P O N Y CAR it is neither a true sports car nor a true muscle car. It has proven time and again that it can compete as either and win because it’s the best of both.

Dan

snkbtn99

You lost me the second you said consumer reports .... Magazines ... sheeesh ..

kevinv-6

UGH!!! Like soo many have said if it doesnt say Honda or Toyota, CR doesnt like or recommend it! Although I did see them recommend the litlle Susiki Aerio when it first came out over the Civic. They also like to test and rate products that are the "top-of the line" never really test base or mid-range products.
I remeber when I bought my 02 Altima and then read the review of it in CR they had the same complaints about the interior looking "cheap and plastic" that they have said about the Mustang now.
My father in law-swears by this magazine he will not make a purchase with out consulting it first! I cant wait to hear what he says about my Mustang now! Ohh yeah he now drives a toyota sienna! Aggrevating

bullitt3980

My parents used to subscribe to CR and back in the April 1979 issue they tested the all new Mustang. They refused to test a 302 model because they felt it was too much engine for the car-this is back when the horsepower was under 150! The did test a turbo and felt this was the future-the only future in turbo mustangs was warranty work.

kcrw898

Well, I'm anxious to read the entire review. They did say it's a major upgrade and scored higher in many areas than the GTO. I wonder if they think the GTO has finesse? I think the GTO would be a bit more cumbersome and have even less finesse, depending on what the heck they mean by not having finesse. I'd love to hear what their writer considers as finesse. Flashy? Sporty? Handles well? Athletic? Peppy? I just have no idea.

It's interesting to consdier this, if the same car was a Toyota or Honda would they say that? Seems they were really reaching to find something negative because it's a domestic.