First Drive
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Bullitt Member
Joined: September 28, 2004
Posts: 431
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I hope it isn't bad form to talk about someone else's car so much, but I got my first drive in a new mustang. Kellerina and I exchanged emails, as she was local to me, and had gotten one of the first in my area. She offered to let me check her new ride out, so I promptly accepted.
For her, I think it was an excuse for a drive and showing off her fantastic new car -- and for me it was door-to-door delivery of a vehicle, and getting to see how good one would look in my driveway. I think I got the better end of that deal.
Anyways, it is Torch Red with the black leather interior, IUP, and upgraded wheels. Fantastic looking car. She was a little concerned because it was a little dusty from all the driving she's been doing -- but it looked great all the same.
My first impressions, beyond "nice looking car", was that it was slightly smaller than I expected. I'd heard all the things about how it was bigger than the other mustang -- but it was still a well sized car. I have the 3 series BMW, and the back seat in the stang was a little smaller -- but I climbed in and it was comfortable but cozy (I'm 5'10" but with short legs and a long torso). I wasn't rubbing and it wasn't hard to get in -- and there was an access handle on the back of the seat to get out. I had no problems with my head rubbing. And while I wouldn't want to do an hour or two in the back seat, for regular short trips it was no problem at all.
The IUP was bright and nice. The front seats were about the same in comfort and space as my current car (which was plenty). The controls were easy to get to, and the whole car felt good. (Nice fit and finish, good design). It had cup holders -- 2 of them, one regular size and one large. They were stable and much better than the excuse for cup holders that the Germans like to put in their cars. It had lots of cubby's. The openable armrest had a change holder, wallet holder, and power -- and it closes up. A definite improvement over my car. And a good solid "whump" of the car door. (No tinny sounds there).
Steering wheel was good position for me, and had cruise control in the wheel, instead of having a separate stalk. (I preferred the in-wheel). Controls were positioned well. And Kellerina had got it with the Shaker 1,000. I didn't have to turn it up to 11 to realize it was more stereo than I need -- and she demo'd the MP3 capabilities. I have an iPod, so probably would want to figure out a way to get that hooked in. (Normally I use the cassette adapter things -- but with CD only, that will be trickier). I'm sure there's an easy enough way. The front leather seat was really nice. I found it comfortable with good bolstering and support.
I popped the trunk and looked around. Reasonable space. They tell me it is bigger than older stangs. A little smaller than what I have -- but not bad at all. The hinge brings the trunk out of the way, and the way the back drops down, you don't have to lift things over as much. The shaker 1,000 takes some space -- but there's a price for a kilowatt of thumpin bass. ;-) Still it was out of the way to the side, and left the trunk clear.
We popped the hood -- which took a little learning. (Little finger thing that goes to the left). But there's a nice big juicy motor under there that looked good. Not as good as the concept cover, but nice none the less. Everything was easy to get to, and logically layed out. With fluilds the thing I look for first, and all of them where they should have been.
I was a little surprised when I was offered the keys on a car that had less than 100 miles on it. That's quite some test drive. I turned the car over, and you can tell it had an 8. Grrrroooom. Nice throaty burble on it. That's one heck of a power plant for a sub-$30K car. I wasn't going to take someone else's baby on a wild ride, or for a long trip. And Kell went along for the ride, and to keep me honest. (It would have been tempting to roll down the windows and just head for California). But they've tuned the car to let the bass rumble of the car in, so you can feel the motor -- but not annoying at all. The car has a lot of pull. I wasn't going to gun or go crazy in someone's new baby, but even modestly stepping on it (in an auto), you felt the pull and saw the speedo climb quickly. It's hard to tell without a side-by-side, but I'm pretty sure it would comfortably out-pull my car, which sold for a good $15-20K more. I test drove the Dodge Magnum (Hemi), and felt this was a better motor, pulling a lighter more nible car (to say the least). Though in truth, the Magnum's intererior is impressive; I like the Mercedes control and it was plush. But you don't get a stang for plush, you get it for its edge.
The suspension was tuned well. It gave the right amount of feedback, without being corse. The steering was responsive, much better than older mustang's I'd driven. (That was 20 years ago -- so like an '84 or '86 so it's from memory -- but it felt very tight). I didn't hammer the brakes; one of my usual tests -- but you don't grab someone's new baby and pry it's mouth open. It felt responsive enough.
Kell was a little concerned with winters here, and talking about sand-bags in the back.... but it has good tires and I doubt it will be much of a problem. It has traction control, and I doubt it will be very bad. I've only had a couple difficult experiences in my car, and both times it was because I'd let the tires go bald. With reasonable wear, and driving sanely, I've passed by plent of front drivers or others.
I didn't notice the little, "up-down" on the window thing when you open and close the door -- but I'm sure it does it. Mine does too, but it is annoyingly obvious -- so I'm surprised I didn't notice it on the stang.
All too soon it was over, and I didn't want to take any more of Kell and her Fiance's time. So we parted company (after she gave me her dealers card -- being the good customer that she was). All in all I was very impressed. My Mother-in-Law and wife both liked the car. My wife just wants me to shut-up-about it. My MIL said she thought it reminder her of hers exactly. But I think the lines are much more modern and cleaner, with it's retro flair.
There was little in the car that gave me any hints that it was not a higher end vehicle. The lack of an engine cover maybe. Also the rear trunk. When I open mine, the top (the sheet metal of the trunk) is covered with plastic and has a built in tool kit -- whereas the trunk is naked (painted) metal and ribbing. Somehow, I don't think that toolkit it worth the $20K price differential. ;-)
Seriously, fantastic ride. And lots of thanks to Kell for de-virginizing me in driving a 2005 mustang. (Get your minds out of the gutters you pervs, she was young enough to be my daughter -- if I had one). I only wish I'd had such a hot ride at her age..... or mine for that matter.
For her, I think it was an excuse for a drive and showing off her fantastic new car -- and for me it was door-to-door delivery of a vehicle, and getting to see how good one would look in my driveway. I think I got the better end of that deal.
Anyways, it is Torch Red with the black leather interior, IUP, and upgraded wheels. Fantastic looking car. She was a little concerned because it was a little dusty from all the driving she's been doing -- but it looked great all the same.
My first impressions, beyond "nice looking car", was that it was slightly smaller than I expected. I'd heard all the things about how it was bigger than the other mustang -- but it was still a well sized car. I have the 3 series BMW, and the back seat in the stang was a little smaller -- but I climbed in and it was comfortable but cozy (I'm 5'10" but with short legs and a long torso). I wasn't rubbing and it wasn't hard to get in -- and there was an access handle on the back of the seat to get out. I had no problems with my head rubbing. And while I wouldn't want to do an hour or two in the back seat, for regular short trips it was no problem at all.
The IUP was bright and nice. The front seats were about the same in comfort and space as my current car (which was plenty). The controls were easy to get to, and the whole car felt good. (Nice fit and finish, good design). It had cup holders -- 2 of them, one regular size and one large. They were stable and much better than the excuse for cup holders that the Germans like to put in their cars. It had lots of cubby's. The openable armrest had a change holder, wallet holder, and power -- and it closes up. A definite improvement over my car. And a good solid "whump" of the car door. (No tinny sounds there).
Steering wheel was good position for me, and had cruise control in the wheel, instead of having a separate stalk. (I preferred the in-wheel). Controls were positioned well. And Kellerina had got it with the Shaker 1,000. I didn't have to turn it up to 11 to realize it was more stereo than I need -- and she demo'd the MP3 capabilities. I have an iPod, so probably would want to figure out a way to get that hooked in. (Normally I use the cassette adapter things -- but with CD only, that will be trickier). I'm sure there's an easy enough way. The front leather seat was really nice. I found it comfortable with good bolstering and support.
I popped the trunk and looked around. Reasonable space. They tell me it is bigger than older stangs. A little smaller than what I have -- but not bad at all. The hinge brings the trunk out of the way, and the way the back drops down, you don't have to lift things over as much. The shaker 1,000 takes some space -- but there's a price for a kilowatt of thumpin bass. ;-) Still it was out of the way to the side, and left the trunk clear.
We popped the hood -- which took a little learning. (Little finger thing that goes to the left). But there's a nice big juicy motor under there that looked good. Not as good as the concept cover, but nice none the less. Everything was easy to get to, and logically layed out. With fluilds the thing I look for first, and all of them where they should have been.
I was a little surprised when I was offered the keys on a car that had less than 100 miles on it. That's quite some test drive. I turned the car over, and you can tell it had an 8. Grrrroooom. Nice throaty burble on it. That's one heck of a power plant for a sub-$30K car. I wasn't going to take someone else's baby on a wild ride, or for a long trip. And Kell went along for the ride, and to keep me honest. (It would have been tempting to roll down the windows and just head for California). But they've tuned the car to let the bass rumble of the car in, so you can feel the motor -- but not annoying at all. The car has a lot of pull. I wasn't going to gun or go crazy in someone's new baby, but even modestly stepping on it (in an auto), you felt the pull and saw the speedo climb quickly. It's hard to tell without a side-by-side, but I'm pretty sure it would comfortably out-pull my car, which sold for a good $15-20K more. I test drove the Dodge Magnum (Hemi), and felt this was a better motor, pulling a lighter more nible car (to say the least). Though in truth, the Magnum's intererior is impressive; I like the Mercedes control and it was plush. But you don't get a stang for plush, you get it for its edge.
The suspension was tuned well. It gave the right amount of feedback, without being corse. The steering was responsive, much better than older mustang's I'd driven. (That was 20 years ago -- so like an '84 or '86 so it's from memory -- but it felt very tight). I didn't hammer the brakes; one of my usual tests -- but you don't grab someone's new baby and pry it's mouth open. It felt responsive enough.
Kell was a little concerned with winters here, and talking about sand-bags in the back.... but it has good tires and I doubt it will be much of a problem. It has traction control, and I doubt it will be very bad. I've only had a couple difficult experiences in my car, and both times it was because I'd let the tires go bald. With reasonable wear, and driving sanely, I've passed by plent of front drivers or others.
I didn't notice the little, "up-down" on the window thing when you open and close the door -- but I'm sure it does it. Mine does too, but it is annoyingly obvious -- so I'm surprised I didn't notice it on the stang.
All too soon it was over, and I didn't want to take any more of Kell and her Fiance's time. So we parted company (after she gave me her dealers card -- being the good customer that she was). All in all I was very impressed. My Mother-in-Law and wife both liked the car. My wife just wants me to shut-up-about it. My MIL said she thought it reminder her of hers exactly. But I think the lines are much more modern and cleaner, with it's retro flair.
There was little in the car that gave me any hints that it was not a higher end vehicle. The lack of an engine cover maybe. Also the rear trunk. When I open mine, the top (the sheet metal of the trunk) is covered with plastic and has a built in tool kit -- whereas the trunk is naked (painted) metal and ribbing. Somehow, I don't think that toolkit it worth the $20K price differential. ;-)
Seriously, fantastic ride. And lots of thanks to Kell for de-virginizing me in driving a 2005 mustang. (Get your minds out of the gutters you pervs, she was young enough to be my daughter -- if I had one). I only wish I'd had such a hot ride at her age..... or mine for that matter.
Nice write up David. IUP sounds is nice from all the reviews I've read... Can't wait until I get my license!
Team Mustang Source
Joined: June 28, 2004
Posts: 3,069
Likes: 2
From: Fort Worth,Tx
Great write up David! Kudos to Kellarina for being brave enough to let a fellow enthusiast drive her brand new baby! The window closure dance is pretty cool. I got to check one out today and you don't even notice it unless you are staring at it. I was very impressed with the interior and I did't even ask to drive it since it's the only one they had. I'm going to the Innovation drive next week anyway, can't wait! Thanks for sharing the fun!
Bullitt Member
Joined: March 23, 2004
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Yeah, I notice the windows. But it's so quick and quiet that you hardly notice. Hey, it's kinda neat reading a review of my car. But I'm glad you got the chance to test it out. I know if I still didn't have mine yet, I'd die to drive it/or see it. Ever since that auto show in Cleveland it's been nothing but obsession. Let Matt drive her today. He had the BIGGEST smile on his face. I named her Shelby BTW. Hope to put a good coat of wax on her tomorrow too. My cars are usually immaculately clean, I'm just ashamed cause she wasn't perfect...
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Bullitt Member
Joined: September 28, 2004
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Good name. (Is her last name 350 or 500 ;-) --- I know her middle initals are GT.
Glad you enjoyed the review, and thanks for letting me drive your ride. Seriously. I get a little quiet and unexpressive when I'm taking in a new experience -- trying to digest all the new information. So I apologize if I was a bit robotic when I go into data acquisition mode. (My wife teases me about that).
I'm guessing Matt knows how lucky he is to have a hot chick, with a hot car, who lets him drive now and again ;-)
A couple other things. I'd driven the older mustangs, and the nose had seemd "long" and like I wasn't really sure where the front ended. (You get the same feeling in the Dodge magnum or Crossfire, Vette, etc.). Other cars you get it in the back (where does the car really end). You get none of that in the stang. I felt I knew where all the corners were.
I'd also seen pictures of the guages and wasn't completely sold. (A little too much retro). In person they were easier to read and it fits the car much better than the pictures had led me to believe. It was nice. It wasn't dark so we didn't play with the color thing (or get to see brightness).
And we all enjoyed the glow in the dark rear trunk inside release in case you're ever a kidnap victim in your own car. It reminded me of my younger days; I was driving around with friends, one in the front and one in the back. The one in the back was a commedian. He used the seat access to get into the trunk, then somehow popped the trunk without that (at stoplights) to scare the people behind us. But it was nice to know that I could get two bodies into a stang if I needed to (if they were small), and if I was one of them (and still kicking) that I could get out ;-)
I also love that style of door handle -- the integrated, painted the same color as the car type. Looked and worked good.
The whole car was nice. I think Ford Engineering has done an excellent job in making this can better than the previous generation, and figuring out how to compete with much more expensive cars for a fraction the price. And thanks again for letting me experience your car (and for taking that time).
Glad you enjoyed the review, and thanks for letting me drive your ride. Seriously. I get a little quiet and unexpressive when I'm taking in a new experience -- trying to digest all the new information. So I apologize if I was a bit robotic when I go into data acquisition mode. (My wife teases me about that).
I'm guessing Matt knows how lucky he is to have a hot chick, with a hot car, who lets him drive now and again ;-)
A couple other things. I'd driven the older mustangs, and the nose had seemd "long" and like I wasn't really sure where the front ended. (You get the same feeling in the Dodge magnum or Crossfire, Vette, etc.). Other cars you get it in the back (where does the car really end). You get none of that in the stang. I felt I knew where all the corners were.
I'd also seen pictures of the guages and wasn't completely sold. (A little too much retro). In person they were easier to read and it fits the car much better than the pictures had led me to believe. It was nice. It wasn't dark so we didn't play with the color thing (or get to see brightness).
And we all enjoyed the glow in the dark rear trunk inside release in case you're ever a kidnap victim in your own car. It reminded me of my younger days; I was driving around with friends, one in the front and one in the back. The one in the back was a commedian. He used the seat access to get into the trunk, then somehow popped the trunk without that (at stoplights) to scare the people behind us. But it was nice to know that I could get two bodies into a stang if I needed to (if they were small), and if I was one of them (and still kicking) that I could get out ;-)
I also love that style of door handle -- the integrated, painted the same color as the car type. Looked and worked good.
The whole car was nice. I think Ford Engineering has done an excellent job in making this can better than the previous generation, and figuring out how to compete with much more expensive cars for a fraction the price. And thanks again for letting me experience your car (and for taking that time).
FR500 Member
Joined: June 12, 2004
Posts: 3,071
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from my driving experiance i would have to agree with david. except i drove the manual and it threw me right back into my seat. it woulda been cool if some effects coulda been added like some slow-mo wind in the hair and crazy wavy cheek motion to spice up the moment but that wasnt the case. i had a salesman(who definitely kicks behind), my bro justin and fellow mustang boy peter. they all loved it i loved it and i cant wait to get it. well they say u shouldnt buy a car w/o testing it. i knew i woulda tested it but the car was mine either way. its a matter of getting the folks to co-sign.....in case u didnt know im a 17-goin-on-18-year-old who worked like crazy to save for this car and come feb when i order its gonna be awesome. see?? ive become independent already and did my own test drive without my mommy. anyways the car is totally amazing the ONLY thing i dont like is the dam antenna haha but we can over look it even tho its a monster and the rest of the car PICTURES DONT DO IT JUSTICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bullitt Member
Joined: March 23, 2004
Posts: 281
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Well I'm glad that I got to show you her. I love her more and more each day. I think Shelby fits her, and I think she likes the name too. I'm taking more pictures and I'm trying to take small videos too. I got ones of the windows and how they close slightly. Got good a coat of wax on her too, Meguiars Gold Class. Now she looks ten times better. No water spots. 
I love how the cars lights dim on and off and how the Shaker 1000 will stay on for about 3 to 5 minutes after turning the engine off (till you open the door). Also the speed compensated volume. Everything's perfect about the car. No complaints.
I love how the cars lights dim on and off and how the Shaker 1000 will stay on for about 3 to 5 minutes after turning the engine off (till you open the door). Also the speed compensated volume. Everything's perfect about the car. No complaints.
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