Orange County Auto Show & The 05 Mustangs
10/30/04, 10:27 AM
#1
V6 Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: October 18, 2004
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yesterday I attended the Auto Show here in Orange County and I thought some of you might be interested in my thoughts and impressions of the 05 Mustangs that were presented at the show.
Ford had an impressive display set up just as you enter the convention center. The centerpiece was an 05 Saleen revolving on a large stage. They also had a great video of a 05 GT chasing a Ford GT around the streets of downtown LA. If a member can get to the show and video tape that display, then somehow post it on this site, that would be way cool.
Ford had a V6 that the public could touch and sit in, then a GT that was roped off. Why rope of the GT? Why not let the public sit in and "get the feel" of this car as well as the V6? I have no idea, but I did sit in the V6 car.
It was quite roomy for a 2 door coupe, and the car actually had headroom! With the seat all the way back, the pedals were placed far enough for a 6 ft man to fully extend his legs. The steering wheel was comfortable and well padded. (I hate skinny steering wheels, can't grip 'em when you need to steer quickly.) The large side mirrors offered exelent rear / side visability.
The standard interior was all plastic, and it gafve the car a cheap feel. The upgraded interior with the aluminum dash is the way to go. The GT had the upgraded interior and one could peer through the closed windows at the bright aluminum panels, but Ford thought that this perticular GT was too special to let us commoners sit in the car and touch the dash, so I can only report what I saw through the CLOSED, LOCKED door.
The cloth seats in the V6 were comfortable enough, but nothing beats the feel and smell of leather seats in a sports car. So I did'nt pay too much attention to the cloth seats, leather is the only choice for me.
Shutting the door on the V6 resounded with a solid "THUD". This car feels solid when the doors and rear deck lid are shut. This is a good sign. Speaking of the rear deck lid, this car actually has a trunk. I peered into the rear cargo area and it had more room thasn I expected. This was a common theme throught the car, It "feels" bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. Ford certainly maximized the space inside the car by lengthening the wheelbase and pushing the wheels out to the corners of the car.
One thing I did notice, these cars seem longer in person than in pictures. The photos of the car (and like you all, I have studied alot of photos), make the car look kinda fat and squat. But in person, the car looks longer.
The wheel and tire combo does nothing for me, In pictures or in person. There is too much space between the wheelwell and the tire. So the first thing to do to a new car is 86 those wheels and put on a set of 18" or even 19" wheels and tires (fatter ones too!). The Saleen car was right on the money with this spacing issue. The tires filled the wheelwells nicely.
There were other cars there as well, the CS-1 and the Ford GT (which I could'nt stop stareing at. It is the most beutiful car I have ever seen.) But the Mustangs were getting all of the attention.
I also ambled over to Pontiac and checked out the GTO. I have no idea why someone would spend over 30K dollars on a car that looks like a Cavalier. The GTO may have a V8, but the styling is an absolute zero. No thanks, I'll wait patiently for my Mustang.
I think Ford has build a fabulous car worth of the Mustang name. Now, if we can just wait for the dealier price gouging to settle down a bit........but that's another story!
Ford had an impressive display set up just as you enter the convention center. The centerpiece was an 05 Saleen revolving on a large stage. They also had a great video of a 05 GT chasing a Ford GT around the streets of downtown LA. If a member can get to the show and video tape that display, then somehow post it on this site, that would be way cool.
Ford had a V6 that the public could touch and sit in, then a GT that was roped off. Why rope of the GT? Why not let the public sit in and "get the feel" of this car as well as the V6? I have no idea, but I did sit in the V6 car.
It was quite roomy for a 2 door coupe, and the car actually had headroom! With the seat all the way back, the pedals were placed far enough for a 6 ft man to fully extend his legs. The steering wheel was comfortable and well padded. (I hate skinny steering wheels, can't grip 'em when you need to steer quickly.) The large side mirrors offered exelent rear / side visability.
The standard interior was all plastic, and it gafve the car a cheap feel. The upgraded interior with the aluminum dash is the way to go. The GT had the upgraded interior and one could peer through the closed windows at the bright aluminum panels, but Ford thought that this perticular GT was too special to let us commoners sit in the car and touch the dash, so I can only report what I saw through the CLOSED, LOCKED door.
The cloth seats in the V6 were comfortable enough, but nothing beats the feel and smell of leather seats in a sports car. So I did'nt pay too much attention to the cloth seats, leather is the only choice for me.
Shutting the door on the V6 resounded with a solid "THUD". This car feels solid when the doors and rear deck lid are shut. This is a good sign. Speaking of the rear deck lid, this car actually has a trunk. I peered into the rear cargo area and it had more room thasn I expected. This was a common theme throught the car, It "feels" bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. Ford certainly maximized the space inside the car by lengthening the wheelbase and pushing the wheels out to the corners of the car.
One thing I did notice, these cars seem longer in person than in pictures. The photos of the car (and like you all, I have studied alot of photos), make the car look kinda fat and squat. But in person, the car looks longer.
The wheel and tire combo does nothing for me, In pictures or in person. There is too much space between the wheelwell and the tire. So the first thing to do to a new car is 86 those wheels and put on a set of 18" or even 19" wheels and tires (fatter ones too!). The Saleen car was right on the money with this spacing issue. The tires filled the wheelwells nicely.
There were other cars there as well, the CS-1 and the Ford GT (which I could'nt stop stareing at. It is the most beutiful car I have ever seen.) But the Mustangs were getting all of the attention.
I also ambled over to Pontiac and checked out the GTO. I have no idea why someone would spend over 30K dollars on a car that looks like a Cavalier. The GTO may have a V8, but the styling is an absolute zero. No thanks, I'll wait patiently for my Mustang.
I think Ford has build a fabulous car worth of the Mustang name. Now, if we can just wait for the dealier price gouging to settle down a bit........but that's another story!
10/30/04, 10:47 AM
#2
FR500 Member
Join Date: June 12, 2004
Posts: 3,071
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
well i havent bought the car YET but ive sat in quite a few v6's and 2 GT's. one pre-production GT at the pony drive and one production model. ive seen the interior upgrage package and color accent. they r both amazing i got to change the colors for mycolor thats amazing. i got to start the car and the salesman took us for a ride then was like to me, its ur turn. I GOT SOO EXCITED soo i hopped into the drivers seat and got to drive a black premiun manual GT. it was more powerful than i expected. it blew me away. i drove an a8 last night and the mustang feels more powerful than that thing and the mustang is 60,000 cheaper HAHA
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
ssjbuu
Repair and Service Help
6
8/28/15 08:55 AM
Michael Follett
2005-2009 Mustang
4
7/24/15 06:58 AM