I was thinking earlier, since the epic battle on here lately has been "Mustang live axle vs. every other competitive car with IRS", don't you think that since the car has only been out for a few months that maybe they are just going to give us a few of the things we want at a time, not all of them at once? C'mon now, I would almost bet that in the next 2-3 years we'll have a 6 speed manual and 5 speed auto for transmission choices, and the IRS will finally be affordable enough to be put into the production model, maybe just the GT, but still, its the IRS at around a 30,000 price tag. Just like any other car on the road right now, its almost unheard of to throw all of the goodies into the first year of a major redesign.

Granted, this is just my thinking, but doesn't it make you wonder.
2007 could mean IRS and 6 speed, and almost certainly satellite radio

 

SVT already confirmed that the NEW Cobra will be on a Live axle
NO IRS

 

Huh? :scratch: Did I miss something or is this

 

Thats not what im saying here. Ford will come up with updates and some type of refresh package in the coming years, adn that MAY include such things as an IRS and a 6 spd. As prices slowly and steadily increase, i'm sure that the capability of IRS in this car and the price to produce will meet up with that increased price and give the bean counters a green light.I havent heard anything about the cobra being on a live axle yet, and i've got a handful of people that are right in the mix with it. Could you post a link to your source.

 

 

As far as not "throwing all those goodies in the first model year" I think that is off-target. Nice idea, but I think the standard GT is going to stay just the way it is for quite a while (look how long the last "upgrades" took!)

Remember, all the other competitors have IRS and a 6-speed stock, from the very first year of production (Z, RX8, G35, GTO, et. al). They just bump up the power when they need to make some noise in the press. It is exceptionally risky to hold off on things like that which are potentially deal-breakers for potential buyers in hopes they will be lured back when it is released with IRS. And then, you have pissed off your previous buyers.

Also, the thing with the IRS isn't so much the cost (reportendly a $300 cost difference), but rather being able to handle the torque/etc. Although, I am not sure why that is an excuse considering the Vettes/Vipers/et al.

Ford is going to save all the "good stuff" for the SE models they can get more money for. That has always been their tactic in the past, and I can't see it changing.

 

uhmm,,,,,isnt their a 5 speed auto already??

 

There is very little fact to what I said, just an inclination on my part. I've heard little talk (and I mean little) about those things coming sometime around 2007 or 2008. It's a long way from now, but its possible.

 

Yeah, there is, but then the manual would still have that extra gear and a slight advantage over the auto IMO. Im a big fan of a manual in a car like a mustang. it just comes with the territory.

 

if they would add a 6th gear,,,chances are IMO they would compensate all 6 to equivlent to the current 5 speed,,,,just because it would have 6 gears,,,wouldnt really mean it would create a advantage. The idea does sound nice though if it would be a cruising gear for highway.

 

Where the heck did you get this info from? :scratch:

 

Fraid I'll have to call on this too. Either that or someone's been

 

Having a 6-spd and IRS on the GT would be very impractical from a sales perspective for Ford. The GT is at the bottom of the todem pole of all high-performance Mustangs. It is the meat and potatoes for the entire line of the V8 Mustang lineup and putting a 6-spd and IRS on the GT would turn many people way from buying, because most who buy the GT want both performance and affordability. With these options they will drive up the cost and unfortunatly defeat the purpose of affordable performance, that the GT is well known for.

Don't get me wrong...cuz it would be nice to have these options on a mid-level mustang, like GM did with the F-bodies (Camaro/Firebird) a few years ago. However, like I already said, it would drive up cost and like the Camaro/Firbird would be pricey even with just the 6-spd option alone. Unfortunately, that is also what killed them, because, if I recall a few years back, a new mid-level f-body (z/28 and Formula) would have cost what a new Mach 1 is today and for a GT to have the same price would be unreasonable and drive people away from buying a new GT.

If a 6-spd and IRS are what you are looking for, that's why we have the SVT Cobra and I for one will be awaiting its arrival in 06/07.

 

I agree with the first poster. It is not uncommon for companies to release functionality over time. Ford will probably have a tough time meeting demand for at least 6 months of this year. And they want to add things to keep the car fresh.

I expect IRS is coming in at least a couple SE's. Nor would a 6 speed be a shocker in the Cobra. Later, they might move down the line -- but we're probably talking over many years. (Not 2006). And it really matters how pounded in the press they are. Right now the LRA is not getting pounded -- so I doubt they are in any rush.

 

The reason I BELIEVE that these two features are going to make it into more than likely the 2007-2008 Mustangs is this - every year Motor Trend makes a listing of all the new model cars for the following year, and id say about 60% that arent going through a major redesign are getting something small as far as an upgrade goes. You may think this is a stupid reason, but its just MY thinking.

For example, the Explorer now will come with that Advancetrac RSC. Wasn't standard before, now it is. If i can find it, the motor trend from sept-oct had the listing for cars, and they mentioned quite a few changes in quite a few cars.

 

Dude...it all sounds like very resonable options that we would love to have, but we just have to face it....it won't happen....well, to the GT at least. That's why we have the Cobra for, to be the top dog mustang with more bells and whistles than you could shake a stick at. Unfortunately, with all these options, they do come at a price. If you can shell out between 30-40K then power to ya!

 

Pheh... you can keep the IRS and M6 for high end models, Give me something with real substance like a 5.7 liter 400hp 3v V10 called a Boss 351 Mustang for like 30k (live axle and M6 only if the M5 doesn't have the torque capacity to handle it.)

IRS like 4v is so over-rated and is more important to a bench racing discussion than real world anyhow.

 

The gear ratio spread in the 5 speed manual is wider than the 6 speed that the '03 - '04 Cobra uses, so what would putting that trannie in a Mustang GT buy you other than bench racing bragging rights?

T-3650 ratios : 3.38, 2.00, 1.32, 1.00, 0.62

T-56 Ratios: 2.66, 1.78, 1.30, 1.00, .80, .63

 

To answer your qauestion. No, I don't think so.

 

Fraid I'll have to call on this too. Either that or someone's been [/b][/quote]
Well, we had one report of that,

Here is another,

I ran into an acquaintance who works at AAI on the weekend and he confirmed that there will not be an IRS in the Cobra.

That's the bad news, it could likey be that they are putting a big motor behind it and it won't handle the torque along with potential packaging restraints (Yes I know, Viper and Z06 have IRS, but I am just speculating)

What I do see potentially happening though, is as the S197 chassis evolves, an IRS will probably be added to another model built off the platform. With that, I could see them offering the IRS in a mid range special edition model which would be a BOSS type car. Again this is me speculating

Take this all with a grain of salt, as we have no official confirmation, but this is 2 sources now.