max2000jp

I went and test drove a 2005 5 speed GT. I went to my local dealer to checkout the Black GT they had sitting in the showroon because my dad wanted to take a look at it in person. I gave the salesmen the exact vehicle I had printed out from fordvehicles.com and he noticed I wanted a manual. He said it was my lucky day, they had just gotten a 5 speed in about 30 minutes ago. The black car is the showroom had dark tints on it already and looked absolutely amazing. The whole car is put together very well and the interior is a huge inprovement over the previous generation stang. The salesmen had a hard time finding the keys and I was growing anxious, but he found them after about a 20 minute wait. The salesmen and my friend greg got into the back. My father was in the front passenger seat and I obviously drove. Here are my impressions below...

-The shifter is real nicely positioned and provides decent throws. I will get a Short throw shifter because I wanted them shorter. The shifter had a great feel though and wasn't notchy. The clutch pedal had a great feel to it. Kinda reminded me of a C5 vette.

-The exhaust is awesome. Best sounding exhaust on a stock car that I have ever heard. My friend and I think a catback might be useless, this is coming from a guy who likes loud exhausts.

-The power was very much like a German car. It kinda sneeks up on you and you dont realize how fast it's really pulling. The engine is really smooth and I feel this is why a lot of people think its not as fast as it is. The power delivery reminded me of the V8 in my dads Audi A8. Again, it had a great muscular sound.

-Handling/Braking was great. The brakes felt kinda mushy, but that could be because the pads hadn't been broken in yet properly. I pushed the car hard on an on-ramp and the car stayed flat and solid. The chassis is very solid and absorbed the bumps like a champ. The steering is fairly quick, but nicely weighted. I am going to be anxious to get this car out on a road course, but that will have to wait till spring.

I can go on and on praising this car, it's that good. This is coming from a guy who is accustomed to the best of the best. I grew up driving BMWs, Audis, Benz's etc. This car impressed the heck out of me. I will be ordering one next week. I actually think my dad was really excited about the 05 Stang. He doesn't like going to buy cars, but he had a smile on his face when he heard the exhaust. He said it kind of reminded him of his modded 66 289 he had when he was my age

CA Stang

Nice writeup max. I absolutely agree with your assessment of the vehicle. I'm really liking mine, and the attention that it is attracting on the road is amazing.

max2000jp

It definetly was drawing attention on the test drive. I can provide some more details on the car later on. My friend with me has an SCCA Pro license and had nothing but praise for the new chassis/suspension. I wanted him to drive it, but I think the salesman might of had a accident in his pants.

Highlander

Max, what dealer and what city? Thanks for the great write up.

max2000jp

Willowbrook Ford in Willowbrook, IL. They have 2 Auto GT's(one which is sold in the showroom) and the manual I tested. The manual one was a bare bone GT deluxe with spoiler delete. If anyones in the Chicagoland area and wants to test drive one before buying, stop by.

Falchion

Thanks for the write up! Your impressions are close to my own when I test drove a GT a couple of weeks ago. Here's a link to that review....

Mustang GT Test Drive

RaGsHoCkEy88

i definitely agree. the test drive i took i could tell u that it was the best car ive ever driven. and i valet soo theres alotta cars ive driven. i liked it better than any porsche or any BMW, mercedes that i have ever driven. they dont impress me. but the 05 mustang WOW. and the 5 speed manual shifting is short enuff for me!! and the acceleration and power were not what i expected. it blew me away!! and i definitely cant wait for mine

max2000jp

I would definetly take an M3 or any Porsche over the GT, if I could afford it. I really restrained myself in the test drive, I really wanted to see how the car performed at the limits. In the back of my head I was thinking to myself that this was going to be someones car someday and I shouldn't beat on it with 12 miles on the odometer.

Falchion

Yeah, I've also been looking at the German cars over the last couple of years, but it's a lot harder to afford a car that costs over 40K! The Mustang GT at 25K looks like a deal in comparsion......

ooooMustang

You've had BMW's and Mercedes? Don't tell me your dads rich and he's buying your cars...

jcopin

Cough>spoiled<cough>


"the best of the best" wow..get you nose down a little

the best car ever as far as im concerned is the shelby GT500...money doesnt make the car the best.. mustangs have personality that no other car has

ppl that love mustangs dont buy camaros whereas Japanese car buyers jump from toyota to nissan to honda etc.

sferrv6

<cough>jealous<cough>

Grantsdale

Can you take a few pictures of the tinted black one? Please?

max2000jp

I am buying this car myself,like I did my 2000 Maxima. My dad likes German cars thats how I got to drive them. He likes them because they offer a more dynamic experience than something like a Cadillac or Lexus.

max2000jp

Sorry I didn't mean "best of the best" the way you are interpretting it. I have driven lots of vehicles ranging from CLK55's to Shifter Karts. Many people with say that Audi's are the benchmark for interiors, BMW's suspension, Benz Luxury, you get my point. I was trying to infer that cars have to do a lot to impress me and the 2005 Mustang GT I drove did.

BTW, the GT500 is a sweet car, but it is no way ultimate. The engine of that car is powerful but the chassis, brakes, and suspension are archaic.

max2000jp

My friend Blake wants to check out the new stang, so I am going to stop by later. If the customer who bought it didn't pick it up yet, I will take some pics for ya.

FrankBullitt05

Well, I went to Willowbrook today, and they had sold two of the 3 GTs..I test drove the auto, and I am impressed...I only took it out for a quick run, as I have one on order and didn't want it gone for too long, so other people could enjoy it...

On the test drive, a group of motorcyclists stopped, pulled to the side of the road and enjoyed the view as I drove past ( very cool B) )

Basically, the dynamics of the car are awesome. Its tight, solid and very sweet. The view out of the windshield is perhaps the coolest I've ever enjoyed (better than a Rolls) and even the auto offers a nice exhaust note...

Badandy

Good detail about the windshield! You are right. When I look through the windshield on mine the hood is pretty high and looks great!