A detailed review of "Rosie"
1/13/05, 08:32 AM
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Well it's 12:45 in the morning and I absolutely could not help myself!
At 11:15 this evening after fiddling with all the new gadgets, I fired up "Rosie" and went for a "Midnight Run".
One nice thing about living in the southwest is that even in a big urban area like Phoenix, there are plenty of places to safely wring out your car just outside of town.
That's just what I did...I wrung it out but good, and I even found some quirks along the way.
I'll back up a bit to this morning and delivery! It was great, Clint (luv2gofast) at Sanderson Ford did a great job getting me out of there as fast as possible to make my appointment with Discount Tire to remove the stock Pirelli P-Zero Nero's. I feel pretty adamant about the fact that Ford chose the WRONG tire for this car. I'm not going to totally diss Pirelli, they've been my tire of choice on a few other vehicles I've had, but these felt harsh on the Mustang...at least for the 5 miles I put on them.
I chose Nitto 450 High Performance all season radials in size 255/50 - 17.
It's a much wider tire and doesn't feel near as harsh as the car felt with the 235/55 Pirelli's.
This car is amazing! It brings back fond memories of the 66' Fastback I had so many years ago.
The car is very sure footed on the road, point it where you want to go and you're there before you realize it. The car is very "tight" feeling but not overly harsh for everyday driving. There's very little body roll in sharp 90 degree turns, it's a delight to approach a left hand turn at an intersection and not have to worry about slowing down. Just turn your wheel and give it gas in the apex and BLAMMO you're off like a rocket.
Acceleration? Oh yeah, there's plenty of that neck snapping, glue you to your seat action! It does not dissapoint in that deptartment. The exhaust note is pretty sweet stock, better than anything offerered straight from the factory that I've ever heard.
I chose the automatic transmission, and while I shouldn't feel the need to defend that decision, I will! I'll have to say this is the best automatic transmission I've ever had the pleasure of owning. There is none of the "slop" normally associated with auto's. It snaps off shifts at WOT very nicely just by leaving the gear selector in "D". Feel the need to provide some engine braking?
This auto downshifts manually quicker than any automatic I've ever known as well. Can you tell I like this tranny! The shorty "aircraft throttle inspired" gear selector is positioned perfectly and provides a nice handrest.
The interior fit and finish is head and shoulders above the previous generation Mustang. It is actually quite comfortable for me...and I'm a fairly large guy. I particularly like the power lumbar support, it's a lot more pronounced than the manual lumbar support in my Honda Pilot. It would have been nice to have power seatback adjustment, but considering I have arthritis in my lower back I'll give that up for the power lumbar!
I've got the Shaker 1000, and it's the BEST stock radio offering I've ever heard. The head unit could be better and the procedure to load CD's is kindy wonky and sounds like a bunch of gerbils running on treadmills inside that cavernous double DIN unit. Hopefully I'll somehow avoid the problems that have been reported with this unit. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Now some of you will think I'm crazy, but oh well. My "wring out" session included 3 short bursts up to 140 mph, just short of reaching the governor.
The car felt great up to 130, after that aeorodynamics started creating little "tornados" around the car and wasn't feeling as stable as I would like it to. But that's OK, I mean how many times will you be driving 140mph? Not too many.
At 140mph, I'd have to say it sure had lot's left in the tank and would probably have no problem getting to 155-160mph if left to it's own devices.
Oh and to set your mind at ease this high speed blast occured not on city roads or even a freeway, but on a little used four lane section of highway outside of town. The total number of people seen on this 34 mile section of road? ZERO. So I was putting nobody but myself in danger. (My attempt at keeping the finger waggers at bay)
Now the quirks, which I don't really consider quirks. But if you're used to more refined rides, you "might not" like this car.
This car makes noise! Lot's of it. It gives you the feeling of being on top of a big piece of raw machinery. Road noise at high speeds can be nerve racking after awhile, but is nicely supplanted by the monster stereo. I'm thinking there was a reason other than just creating deep bass for bass's sake on this car. It actually cancels out some of the resonating frequencies that occur between 80-140mph. Some of which is gear noise, tire noise, trannsmission noise....you name it, it's a mechanical symphony that isn't always pleasing.
BUT.....keep in mind that this is a "Mustang" and to me these things are normal, and I believe give the car it's character. Would I want to use this car for long trips? Probably not.....That's why I have a cushy SUV for. Don't get me wrong it's doable, crank up the tunes and you'll be OK, but givin other alternatives I'd use something else. Although I must admit my friends in further away places are itching for me to take this car to them and show it off, so it will get some road trip miles on it.....but it sure won't be a habit, and my in-laws in Kansas, well they'll have to come here, I gotta draw the line somewhere!
Hope you enjoy this review......
And a couple of bullit points I may have skipped.
MyColor...... Meh, cool but expectedly gimmicky
Message Center....... Rocks!
IUP Appearance ....... Tres Cool!
Leather.......Comfortable midgrade leather.
At 11:15 this evening after fiddling with all the new gadgets, I fired up "Rosie" and went for a "Midnight Run".
One nice thing about living in the southwest is that even in a big urban area like Phoenix, there are plenty of places to safely wring out your car just outside of town.
That's just what I did...I wrung it out but good, and I even found some quirks along the way.
I'll back up a bit to this morning and delivery! It was great, Clint (luv2gofast) at Sanderson Ford did a great job getting me out of there as fast as possible to make my appointment with Discount Tire to remove the stock Pirelli P-Zero Nero's. I feel pretty adamant about the fact that Ford chose the WRONG tire for this car. I'm not going to totally diss Pirelli, they've been my tire of choice on a few other vehicles I've had, but these felt harsh on the Mustang...at least for the 5 miles I put on them.
I chose Nitto 450 High Performance all season radials in size 255/50 - 17.
It's a much wider tire and doesn't feel near as harsh as the car felt with the 235/55 Pirelli's.
This car is amazing! It brings back fond memories of the 66' Fastback I had so many years ago.
The car is very sure footed on the road, point it where you want to go and you're there before you realize it. The car is very "tight" feeling but not overly harsh for everyday driving. There's very little body roll in sharp 90 degree turns, it's a delight to approach a left hand turn at an intersection and not have to worry about slowing down. Just turn your wheel and give it gas in the apex and BLAMMO you're off like a rocket.
Acceleration? Oh yeah, there's plenty of that neck snapping, glue you to your seat action! It does not dissapoint in that deptartment. The exhaust note is pretty sweet stock, better than anything offerered straight from the factory that I've ever heard.
I chose the automatic transmission, and while I shouldn't feel the need to defend that decision, I will! I'll have to say this is the best automatic transmission I've ever had the pleasure of owning. There is none of the "slop" normally associated with auto's. It snaps off shifts at WOT very nicely just by leaving the gear selector in "D". Feel the need to provide some engine braking?
This auto downshifts manually quicker than any automatic I've ever known as well. Can you tell I like this tranny! The shorty "aircraft throttle inspired" gear selector is positioned perfectly and provides a nice handrest.
The interior fit and finish is head and shoulders above the previous generation Mustang. It is actually quite comfortable for me...and I'm a fairly large guy. I particularly like the power lumbar support, it's a lot more pronounced than the manual lumbar support in my Honda Pilot. It would have been nice to have power seatback adjustment, but considering I have arthritis in my lower back I'll give that up for the power lumbar!
I've got the Shaker 1000, and it's the BEST stock radio offering I've ever heard. The head unit could be better and the procedure to load CD's is kindy wonky and sounds like a bunch of gerbils running on treadmills inside that cavernous double DIN unit. Hopefully I'll somehow avoid the problems that have been reported with this unit. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Now some of you will think I'm crazy, but oh well. My "wring out" session included 3 short bursts up to 140 mph, just short of reaching the governor.
The car felt great up to 130, after that aeorodynamics started creating little "tornados" around the car and wasn't feeling as stable as I would like it to. But that's OK, I mean how many times will you be driving 140mph? Not too many.
At 140mph, I'd have to say it sure had lot's left in the tank and would probably have no problem getting to 155-160mph if left to it's own devices.
Oh and to set your mind at ease this high speed blast occured not on city roads or even a freeway, but on a little used four lane section of highway outside of town. The total number of people seen on this 34 mile section of road? ZERO. So I was putting nobody but myself in danger. (My attempt at keeping the finger waggers at bay)
Now the quirks, which I don't really consider quirks. But if you're used to more refined rides, you "might not" like this car.
This car makes noise! Lot's of it. It gives you the feeling of being on top of a big piece of raw machinery. Road noise at high speeds can be nerve racking after awhile, but is nicely supplanted by the monster stereo. I'm thinking there was a reason other than just creating deep bass for bass's sake on this car. It actually cancels out some of the resonating frequencies that occur between 80-140mph. Some of which is gear noise, tire noise, trannsmission noise....you name it, it's a mechanical symphony that isn't always pleasing.
BUT.....keep in mind that this is a "Mustang" and to me these things are normal, and I believe give the car it's character. Would I want to use this car for long trips? Probably not.....That's why I have a cushy SUV for. Don't get me wrong it's doable, crank up the tunes and you'll be OK, but givin other alternatives I'd use something else. Although I must admit my friends in further away places are itching for me to take this car to them and show it off, so it will get some road trip miles on it.....but it sure won't be a habit, and my in-laws in Kansas, well they'll have to come here, I gotta draw the line somewhere!
Hope you enjoy this review......
And a couple of bullit points I may have skipped.
MyColor...... Meh, cool but expectedly gimmicky
Message Center....... Rocks!
IUP Appearance ....... Tres Cool!
Leather.......Comfortable midgrade leather.
1/13/05, 08:38 AM
#2
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Very cool! I was always paranoid driving fast at night in Arizona. Those watch for Elk signs are what did it. Would hate to hit one of those at any significant speed. Or is that just in northern Arizona?
1/13/05, 08:52 AM
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It's hard to sleep a night for a while knowing you've got something like that just waiting for you. I sure would like to "borrow" the 34 miles you have! Glad your waiting is over.
1/13/05, 08:57 AM
#6
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Originally posted by holderca1@January 13, 2005, 7:41 AM
Very cool! I was always paranoid driving fast at night in Arizona. Those watch for Elk signs are what did it. Would hate to hit one of those at any significant speed. Or is that just in northern Arizona?
Very cool! I was always paranoid driving fast at night in Arizona. Those watch for Elk signs are what did it. Would hate to hit one of those at any significant speed. Or is that just in northern Arizona?
You might hit one of those rare Desert Elk.
1/13/05, 09:00 AM
#7
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Originally posted by M1Rifle+January 13, 2005, 10:00 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (M1Rifle @ January 13, 2005, 10:00 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-holderca1@January 13, 2005, 7:41 AM
Very cool! I was always paranoid driving fast at night in Arizona. Those watch for Elk signs are what did it. Would hate to hit one of those at any significant speed. Or is that just in northern Arizona?
Very cool! I was always paranoid driving fast at night in Arizona. Those watch for Elk signs are what did it. Would hate to hit one of those at any significant speed. Or is that just in northern Arizona?
You might hit one of those rare Desert Elk.
[/b][/quote]Must of been Northern Arizona then, its been a couple years since I was there. I just remember seeing those signs as I was driving along at 90 mph.
1/13/05, 09:14 AM
#8
Cobra R Member
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B) Cool review 
I must agree on the road noise... especially in rain... but compaired to my Jeeps... I can atleast hear myself think.
BTW...Nice way to stretch Rosie's legs
I must agree on the road noise... especially in rain... but compaired to my Jeeps... I can atleast hear myself think.
BTW...Nice way to stretch Rosie's legs
, Tony. I,ve had mine four almost two weeks now, and like it more and more each day.
1/13/05, 09:29 AM
#10
So let me get this straight. You like a tranny. Hmm. 
Just kidding with you man. Great review and sounds like a fun drive. I wish we had somewhere safe and clear to drive like that. The only place we have that is almost always clear of traffic and cops is nicknamed "Blood Alley" (LOT's of fatal accidents for some reason) so um yeah we're not going to do that one.
Just kidding with you man. Great review and sounds like a fun drive. I wish we had somewhere safe and clear to drive like that. The only place we have that is almost always clear of traffic and cops is nicknamed "Blood Alley" (LOT's of fatal accidents for some reason) so um yeah we're not going to do that one.
1/13/05, 09:47 AM
#12
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I'm actually extremely happy with the road noise or lack of. Compared to my 98 and 01 Mustangs this one is really quiet. I'm sure compared to Sedans or SUVs it is noisy. But I've never owned a sedan or SUV so I wouldn't know. Not something that I'm concerned about either. I plan on taking this Mustang on as many road trips as possible.
1/13/05, 09:51 AM
#14
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Originally posted by Hellcat6@January 13, 2005, 10:34 AM
So I guess this means we don't have to worry about an engine break-in period?
Sounds like you are having a blast, good review! 
So I guess this means we don't have to worry about an engine break-in period?
Sounds like you are having a blast, good review!
1/13/05, 10:07 AM
#15
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Appreciate the feedback and makes me all the more anxious to get it! think I would need to go across the line to WV for those speeds. Curious, what are your thoughts on the stock exhaust?
1/13/05, 10:24 AM
#17
Originally posted by Ranger@January 13, 2005, 11:10 AM
Curious, what are your thoughts on the stock exhaust?
Curious, what are your thoughts on the stock exhaust?
1/13/05, 11:06 AM
#19
All RIGHT!!!
Congrats man - you finally got her!!
And I think with the amount of time you had to wait, your Midnight Shakedown is perfectly acceptable. (dang - wish I had some real open road to be able to do that.....)
More pics and info when you can!