FINALLY…THE VANCOUVER TEST DRIVE!
11/13/04, 04:54 PM
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First off, a thank you to John Lippold, e-commerce manager at Richport Ford in Vancouver. Great guy, total gearhead (knows his cars) and easy to chat with. Anyone in Van looking to buy ANY Ford in Vancouver should definitely go see him.
Here’s what I drove: Black GT with charcoal leather interior, IUP and Bullitt wheels. It’s the first time I’ve gotten a real good look at this car. First impressions on inspection:
Design is terrific – you’ve really got to hand it to Ford for recreating 1969 in a way that totally evokes the classic feel, yet gives the car a thoroughly modern updating.
The car is not as big as I expected. It’s got presence though, and has a chunky, muscular stance on the road.
Exterior fit and finish are much improved. When you pull on the door handle, it feels smooth and solid – not too stiff, but not feather light, either. Just solid, like on imports.
Rear wheel-well gap is too great. The car needs to be lowered a bit, a problem that might also be mitigated with 18” wheels. And speaking of wheels, bigger wheels and wider tires will really work wonders on completing the overall look of the car.
The rear trunk lid is well designed. It swings up and out of your way, giving one clear access to what is a fairly small area. Nice that you can lower the rear seats, though.
Moving to the interior. Pretty much what I expected, and the only major knock against the car. The actual design aesthetic is great…the materials, however, are disappointing. “Acres of cheap plastic” as my buddy said. I’ve said it here before, and at the risk of getting flamed, I’ll say it again: Ford needs to bring the plastics into the 21st century. I’d happily pay an extra $3K or so for a world-class interior. Here’s a good example of what I mean: I sat in the new Ford 500 and was very impressed, overall. The plastics and nice soft-touch textures in that car are what Ford should have used in the Mustang. When I twisted the temperature gauge, there was NO resistance to the dial…no click stops…no weight. You wonder if turning it will even change the temperature. It’s so light you feel that the dial might turn by itself if even a stiff wind blew in through an open window. A baby could push it around with a pinky finger!
After that little rant, would it keep me from buying the car? No, but it stinks to feel like you’ve got to apologize for your interior every time an import driver gets in your new car. Ford dropped the ball on this, big time.
On the upside, the IUP design (especially the gauges) looks cool, and the layout is well organized. I think adding the ICAP, which is what I plan to do, would vastly mitigate the “cheapness” of the interior. Everything is legible and well laid out, however, and I like how one can turn the fog lights on without having to have the headlights turned on. Oh, and yeah, the gauges automatically illuminate white when the headlights are OFF. ‘My Color’ only works when you turn the headlights on.
Now to the drive: No doubt about it, folks, this is the best part.
The car strikes a nice balance between firm ride and smooth ride. Exterior noise is minimal for this type of car, much better than the outgoing model. The chassis feels taut and well controlled, and bumps are nicely damped for a car with a rear axle. You could drop this thing into 5th gear and cruise all day down the freeway and not feel exhausted when you arrived at your destination, but…
…when you drop the hammer and hit the corner, the car comes to life! I didn’t pound on it (good thing, too, cause I found out later that John used to be a cop!) but what I did notice prominently is that when you get the tach above 4000 and put your foot into it, there’s an IMMEDIATE rush of power…not a sudden lurching thrust, but a smooth and VERY rapidly increasing build in speed. Like all variable, multi-valve engines, this one needs to be revved to give you the ear-to-ear flatbush.
The shift is fairly short, but solid. Not notchy, so much as “weighted.” Clutch effort, as others have noted, is lighter than last year – just about right, I’d say.
Frankly, it’s hard to believe that an M3 is technically four tenths of a second faster. I’d like to see that for myself, cause I think in a 40 mph to 80 mph acceleration test, the Mustang would walk the M3.
As others have said, the exhaust note is on the quiet side, especially in the car. Outside, however, if a driver puts his foot into it, it has a nice, satisfying growl that takes you back to the movie, Bullitt.
I obviously wasn’t going to drive their new baby hard (no burnouts or power slides) so I can’t comment on the how the car will behave under extreme conditions – like when you’re being chased through San Francisco by a Dodge Charger – but it’s definitely a fun ride, and challenging 350Zs and M3s at stoplights (not that I personally would ever behave so wrecklessly on public roads, John!) will probably produce many happy grins.
No squeaks, rattles or noises in this car. Again, I was impressed by the balance it strikes between sedate daily driver and *****-to-the-wall road rocket.
Overall, an awesome car only in need of upgraded interior materials and a bigger wheel/tire package.
Here’s what I drove: Black GT with charcoal leather interior, IUP and Bullitt wheels. It’s the first time I’ve gotten a real good look at this car. First impressions on inspection:
Design is terrific – you’ve really got to hand it to Ford for recreating 1969 in a way that totally evokes the classic feel, yet gives the car a thoroughly modern updating.
The car is not as big as I expected. It’s got presence though, and has a chunky, muscular stance on the road.
Exterior fit and finish are much improved. When you pull on the door handle, it feels smooth and solid – not too stiff, but not feather light, either. Just solid, like on imports.
Rear wheel-well gap is too great. The car needs to be lowered a bit, a problem that might also be mitigated with 18” wheels. And speaking of wheels, bigger wheels and wider tires will really work wonders on completing the overall look of the car.
The rear trunk lid is well designed. It swings up and out of your way, giving one clear access to what is a fairly small area. Nice that you can lower the rear seats, though.
Moving to the interior. Pretty much what I expected, and the only major knock against the car. The actual design aesthetic is great…the materials, however, are disappointing. “Acres of cheap plastic” as my buddy said. I’ve said it here before, and at the risk of getting flamed, I’ll say it again: Ford needs to bring the plastics into the 21st century. I’d happily pay an extra $3K or so for a world-class interior. Here’s a good example of what I mean: I sat in the new Ford 500 and was very impressed, overall. The plastics and nice soft-touch textures in that car are what Ford should have used in the Mustang. When I twisted the temperature gauge, there was NO resistance to the dial…no click stops…no weight. You wonder if turning it will even change the temperature. It’s so light you feel that the dial might turn by itself if even a stiff wind blew in through an open window. A baby could push it around with a pinky finger!
After that little rant, would it keep me from buying the car? No, but it stinks to feel like you’ve got to apologize for your interior every time an import driver gets in your new car. Ford dropped the ball on this, big time.
On the upside, the IUP design (especially the gauges) looks cool, and the layout is well organized. I think adding the ICAP, which is what I plan to do, would vastly mitigate the “cheapness” of the interior. Everything is legible and well laid out, however, and I like how one can turn the fog lights on without having to have the headlights turned on. Oh, and yeah, the gauges automatically illuminate white when the headlights are OFF. ‘My Color’ only works when you turn the headlights on.
Now to the drive: No doubt about it, folks, this is the best part.
The car strikes a nice balance between firm ride and smooth ride. Exterior noise is minimal for this type of car, much better than the outgoing model. The chassis feels taut and well controlled, and bumps are nicely damped for a car with a rear axle. You could drop this thing into 5th gear and cruise all day down the freeway and not feel exhausted when you arrived at your destination, but…
…when you drop the hammer and hit the corner, the car comes to life! I didn’t pound on it (good thing, too, cause I found out later that John used to be a cop!) but what I did notice prominently is that when you get the tach above 4000 and put your foot into it, there’s an IMMEDIATE rush of power…not a sudden lurching thrust, but a smooth and VERY rapidly increasing build in speed. Like all variable, multi-valve engines, this one needs to be revved to give you the ear-to-ear flatbush.
The shift is fairly short, but solid. Not notchy, so much as “weighted.” Clutch effort, as others have noted, is lighter than last year – just about right, I’d say.
Frankly, it’s hard to believe that an M3 is technically four tenths of a second faster. I’d like to see that for myself, cause I think in a 40 mph to 80 mph acceleration test, the Mustang would walk the M3.
As others have said, the exhaust note is on the quiet side, especially in the car. Outside, however, if a driver puts his foot into it, it has a nice, satisfying growl that takes you back to the movie, Bullitt.
I obviously wasn’t going to drive their new baby hard (no burnouts or power slides) so I can’t comment on the how the car will behave under extreme conditions – like when you’re being chased through San Francisco by a Dodge Charger – but it’s definitely a fun ride, and challenging 350Zs and M3s at stoplights (not that I personally would ever behave so wrecklessly on public roads, John!) will probably produce many happy grins.
No squeaks, rattles or noises in this car. Again, I was impressed by the balance it strikes between sedate daily driver and *****-to-the-wall road rocket.
Overall, an awesome car only in need of upgraded interior materials and a bigger wheel/tire package.
11/13/04, 05:06 PM
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Thanks for the review Robert...... I think an argument of some sort could be made on any car..... I think for the cost of the Mustang, coupled with what you get = a big HOMERUN for Ford Motor Co. 
Hail to the Pony :worship:
Hail to the Pony :worship:
11/15/04, 12:00 AM
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Great review robert.I met john in person for first time yesterday and he is first class all the way.He invited me too tuesday big event,but not sure if i can swing it with work and all.But i will definately be buying my mustang from him.I didnt have time to take out for test drive,so i would be interested in what you thought of the ride.Its been posted on other threads that some feel its a bit too harsh.The car does seem smaller in real then in pictures dont it,but for me this was a rather nice surprize.I have to agree that the interior plastic does seem cheap,but maybe a cloth on non black leather interior would help to break up this feel.Also the Iup is a must have or the car looks way to plain.I sat in the V6 silver one they had there without the Iup but with black leather,and it felt like i was sitting in a cave.
btw: check your messages...
btw: check your messages...
11/15/04, 02:04 AM
#6
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Originally posted by tom_vilsack@November 15, 2004, 1:03 AM
Great review robert.I met john in person for first time yesterday and he is first class all the way.He invited me too tuesday big event,but not sure if i can swing it with work and all.But i will definately be buying my mustang from him.I didnt have time to take out for test drive,so i would be interested in what you thought of the ride.Its been posted on other threads that some feel its a bit too harsh.The car does seem smaller in real then in pictures dont it,but for me this was a rather nice surprize.I have to agree that the interior plastic does seem cheap,but maybe a cloth on non black leather interior would help to break up this feel.Also the Iup is a must have or the car looks way to plain.I sat in the V6 silver one they had there without the Iup but with black leather,and it felt like i was sitting in a cave.
btw: check your messages...
Great review robert.I met john in person for first time yesterday and he is first class all the way.He invited me too tuesday big event,but not sure if i can swing it with work and all.But i will definately be buying my mustang from him.I didnt have time to take out for test drive,so i would be interested in what you thought of the ride.Its been posted on other threads that some feel its a bit too harsh.The car does seem smaller in real then in pictures dont it,but for me this was a rather nice surprize.I have to agree that the interior plastic does seem cheap,but maybe a cloth on non black leather interior would help to break up this feel.Also the Iup is a must have or the car looks way to plain.I sat in the V6 silver one they had there without the Iup but with black leather,and it felt like i was sitting in a cave.
btw: check your messages...
I gotta say my ONLY knock against the car is the interior. And even with that, the design and fit is good...it's the FINISH that's subpar. Almost nobody (at least from any other country) uses hard brittle plastics for major surface textures anymore.
No complaints about the ride quality though, dude. I thought that was where Ford really did their homework. This baby has the perfect balance between comfortable ride quality and firm suspension, IMHO. In fact, it's one of the places the car is getting raves.
It's what I really dug about the car - Ford did a fantastic job of making it relatively quiet and comfortable when you're tired or just docilely driving about town in heavy traffic. The car won't punish you for lollygagging along when you're not in the mood to run. But put yer foot into it a little bit...and BANG, the suspension digs in and the exhaust starts to growl like it's 1968 all over again! Ya gotta love it. :worship:
So don't worry about the ride - you'll be happy. Suspension, chassis and torsional rigidity are light-years ahead of last year's neolithic design. But remember, it's still a sports car, and biased to be on the firm side. But certainly not jarring like a Nissan 350Z.
Aw, yer gonna love her!
11/16/04, 06:47 AM
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Robert:
What did you think of the idle speed? I drove a 5 speed GT and it seemed to idle high on start up and also to be slow to idle down between gears. I also read that when you decelerate, it wants to keep going like an automatic.
Your comments?
What did you think of the idle speed? I drove a 5 speed GT and it seemed to idle high on start up and also to be slow to idle down between gears. I also read that when you decelerate, it wants to keep going like an automatic.
Your comments?
11/16/04, 04:13 PM
#9
Originally posted by Montrose@November 16, 2004, 7:50 AM
Robert:
What did you think of the idle speed? I drove a 5 speed GT and it seemed to idle high on start up and also to be slow to idle down between gears. I also read that when you decelerate, it wants to keep going like an automatic.
Your comments?
Robert:
What did you think of the idle speed? I drove a 5 speed GT and it seemed to idle high on start up and also to be slow to idle down between gears. I also read that when you decelerate, it wants to keep going like an automatic.
Your comments?
High idle speed when you start it up is to quickly heat the cats so emissions are rapidly reduced.
If the throttle is quickly shut off a lot of un-burnt gas gets stinked out the exhast, so when coasting it is set up to drop RPMs slowly again to reduce emissions. Most new cars are like this.
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