You picked a picture of a base interior. It's clearly not a 335. Notice the difference:



The proof is in the details. The Germans build some nice interiors. The only American car close is the new CTS.

 

How much below invoice did your dad and bro pay for their Volvos? Was it the same as A-Plan or X-Plan?

 

You are not taking basic economics into account.

You haven't taken inflation into account. Something that cost $24,555 in 2004 costs $28,152 in 2008 dollars. So actually the price went down between 2004 and 2008.

I am also not sure how you can say there were only minor improvements between '09 and '10. You get something standard on the '10 models that was a $3,000 option in '09 plus the huge improvements that took place on the inside. SYNC is also standard and was optional in '09. You get 18" wheels standard when 17" was what you had before. Plus just inflation alone would raise the price of by $1,000. I am not sure you have actually looked at what you are getting on the '10 model versus what you get on an '09. Also, the 2009 price for a GT Premium was $29,160. So your real complaint should of been when 2009 pricing came out 6 months ago.

I did a price quote before for loaded up cars before, so I will do one for an '08 model & '09 model with options that are standard in '10. Keep in mind these are not inflation adjusted.

2008
GT Premium - $27,420
Bullitt Pkg - $3,310
SYNC - $550 (not available as an option, using price for the 2009 option)
Ambient Lighting - $295
Destination - $795
Total - $32,370

2009
GT Premium - $29,160
Bullitt Pkg - $3,310
SYNC - $550
Destination -$795
Total - $33,815

2010
GT Premium - $30,995
Track Package - $495 (since the Bullitt came with 3:73 gears)
Destination - $850
Total - $32,340

Perhaps the only thing Ford is guilty of is forcing you to buy options that you don't want. I am not defending Ford on how they price things, but sometimes you need to actually do some research to see if the numbers do make sense and in my opinion they do.

 

I do notice the difference, but the basics are the same. The pic above adds the burled wood and NAV. Otherwise, the 3-Series interior is pretty bland; sat in plenty of them.

And the CTS interior is pretty much equalled by the new MKS interior - BOTH are nicer than the 3-Series, IMO.

BTW: BMW has fallen well behind Audi when it comes to interiors.

 

The Mustang interior is cheap and doesn't compare with an Infiniti G37 Coupe or BMW. Sure the BMW 3-series, including the M3, looks bland compared to the glitzed up domestic interiors. The domestic interiors use a lot of fake chromed plastic and cheap leather to make it look luxurious, but the domestic cars like the Mustang lack some serious ergonomic improvements.

Where's the telescoping steering wheel in the Mustang? When my 6-way power seats in the S197 are adjusted JUST PERFECT, my arms are stretched out to reach the steering wheel. The properly adjusted wheel position is that you're supposed to be able to bend your elbows with your wrists on top of the steering wheel. This prevents fatigue from long periods of driving. I'm 6'3" and 140 lb, and the cloth seat feels PERFECT to me. I get the proper support for enthusiastic driving. It's just the lack of a telescoping steering wheel makes my arms tired. Even a cheap 2007 Focus had a telescoping steering wheel (which they decontented for 2008-2009 Focus for some odd reason). Why did it take Ford so long to install radio controls in the steering wheel? GM had them in the Grand Prix more than 10 years ago.

Where's the factory optioned Homelink transmitter? Sure, you can buy a $400 compass/thermometer equipped mirror from the factory, but not a Homelink/compass/thermometer. Lack of attention to detail.

Germans traditionally DO NOT install cupholders because they're not like Americans. They don't drink their latte while reading the newspaper and chat on the cellphone while driving. They don't put on nailpolish while barreling down the unlimited sections of the Autobahn. They don't embrace the ghetto lifestyle with excessive chrome bling on the interior or exterior (like a new CTS or 300C). Audi engineers grimaced when they installed cupholders on the A4. They don't like them and I agree. I don't drink anything in the car, nor do I use a cellphone. When I drive, I drive (with the radio on a the most).

I looked at the E92 M3 and it is a beautiful DRIVER'S car. If you have to ask "why" when it comes to BMW, you just wouldn't understand.

The reason I bought my S197 GT in such a spartan condition was that I wasn't impressed with the premiere interior or the IUP/interior upgrade package. That's extra money to give a false impression of luxury and doesn't add any extra performance or comfort (still no Homelink or telescoping steering wheel). I'd prefer LED exterior lighting (Which Ford delivered on the 2010) on my Stang though because there IS an advantage: longer lifespan, better output, faster response (Safety), and lower power consumption. I consider my base GT to be a driver's car. No fuss, no mess - just a simple manual gearbox with a simple interior that is as comfortable as possible on the platform.

The M3 interior has "cheap" looking buttons, but the Germans pay attention to EVERY detail, down to the lb-force required to push each button on the steering wheel and console. The Pontiac G6, G8, and Impala LTZ "look" luxurious from afar, but when you touch the interior leather and buttons, it reeks of cheap crap from Detroit. Ford could shove the SYNC up their a$$, just give me more power, better handling, ergonomics, and better quality. SYNC is going to be heavily copied in the next 5-10 years and it's not revolutionary technology.

 

Well, the question or problem for Ford in 2010 is with 32,000$ you can buy a Camaro SS.

 

Well's Ford marketing - puting ads in papers showing the pictures now - getting folks interested?

 

But you can't for $28k, which is what the GT starts out at. Also, you do know that the Mustang and Camaro are direct competitors right? If they weren't similarly priced, they wouldn't be. At $31k for a Camaro SS you don't get leather seats, you get those with the SS that starts out at $34k.

 

The 300 hp V6 Camaro would be able to keep up with the Mustang GT and costs far less. The SS has a lot more horsepower than the GT.

 

The V6 Camaro won't come remotely close to keeping up with a GT. Its heavier and has a lot less torque. There is a lot more to cars than just the horsepower rating.

 

Last I checked it wouldn't weigh much more than the base GT and the engine is still pretty gutsy. With the right gearing, it would give the Mustang GT some competition. There's more to cars than torque or horsepower. Ford needs to learn how to gear its cars better like the Germans.

My Crown Vic's 4.6L 2V runs at 2500-2700 RPM on the highway with the overdrive engaged. It came from the factory this way.

 

The GT will weigh about 200 lbs less with 15 more horsepower and 52 more lb-ft of torque. Not much competition. You could also put better gearing in the GT, you can't say lets mod one and not the other and then say they are equals.

 

By gearing I am not talking about just the rear gears. The transmission gearing is much more important. Ford has the nasty tendency to just pick and choose a gearbox off the rack and stick it into a car without any tweaking to complement the powerband of the motor. It looks like the V6 LS/LT gets the AISIN 6-speed manual with a 4.xx 1st gear ratio, most likely to compensate for the V6 engine.

The V6 Camaro looks to have a 12.5:1 weight to hp ratio, which is bested by the current S197's 11.5:1 weight to hp ratio. I expect the V6 Camaro to run low 14s in the 1/4 mile optimistically. I don't have the specs for the 2010 Stang on hand, but assuming 3500 lb at 315 hp, that's about 11:1 and still slightly better than the V6 Camaro. The Camaro SS would just walk all over the GT, assuming GM lives long enough and people actually buy the V6 Camaro. The key is to sell lots of the base level pony car. You really have to compare the V6 Mustang with the V6 Camaro. The V6 Stang is just too slow compared to the V6 Camaro.

 

The '08-'09 Bullitt, which the new GT basically is, runs in the mid-13s. People buying the V6 models aren't buying them to race them. They don't care if it is slower than the Camaro V6. I don't care if my GT is slower than a SS.

 

The base 05 GT can run low to mid 13s stock. The problem is that when a person in the market for a V6 Mustang looks at a V6 Camaro, they're going to stop and wonder if they could pay a little more for a better car. No one is talking about our current S197s. It's the 2010-up Stang that will be compared with the 2010 Camaro. V6 for V6, V8 for V8, the Camaro seems to have the slight upper hand in performance and handling, well the V6 Stang has 210 measly hp while the V6 Camaro has 300 hp out of a V6. If I had to buy a V6 pony car, I wouldn't even consider the Stang. The question then becomes value or bang for the buck.

 

I thought this site was for Mustang lovers/enthusiasts, NOT Mustang Bashers. Hmmm, I guess I was wrong.
My '06 GT is my fifth one, and I love all of them (even my '78).
IMO, If you really love the Mustang, then you'll find a way to own one, and forgive it's minor shortcomings.
There's just something about a Mustang. It's the Original.
The Camaro is FUGLY (especially the Juke Box Interior), the Chally is a HULK, the Charger is a Friggin 4-Door !!
If you don't love the Mustang then go buy something else !! It's that simple.

 

Its the age of the internet and everyone can hide behind their computer screen and bash whatever they want, not just mustangs. It is hard to take sometimes I admit. And I do want to respond to a lot of the idiotic statements out there, but then I tell myself what would it accomplish? Most of these people disagreeing are doing it to simply argue without consequences. Most of these people would never say half the things they do if they were in person.

 

Disagree!!!!

I was at the LA show, and there were guys from all the car companies w/ nametags showing what companies they were working for. I saw guys from VW and Audi inside the new Mustang interior w/ rulers measuring stuff. They were in there a long time. Also saw Infiniti, Honda, Toyota, all over the Mustang interior. Could it be the new benchmark in interior design??? Also saw the interior designer Robert Gelardi from the AutoBlog video being interviewed up on the stand showing journalists the new interior. Everyone from the media and other companies seemed very interested in it.

I sat in it myself and it is like being in an Audi. Sat in the BMWs too ( 1 series because it I like the outside so much ) but the $40K 135i interior just looked and felt cheap and unrefined compared to the new 2010 Mustang interior.

I think it will surprise alot of people.

 

Bland is subjective. We are talking about different things. The 3 series interior uses better quality materials and is better engineered in terms of fit/finish. That's been my arguement. Some people might not like Audi interior layout, but generally they are amongst the best in the business. It's all personal preference.

FYI, I believe that the picture you posted is a european stripper model.

 

I'm not comparing the '05-'09 Mustang to the '10 Camaro, not sure why you thought I was. Apparently the only criteria you have for something being a better car is how fast it is and how it handles, so I see little sense in continuing this coversation. Never mind that the Mustang has a better interior and better options than the Camaro.