I guess I'm one of those crusty ol Americans that still believes the US is supposed to take the lead... not be followers of the herd of cows and flocks of sheep.

A Mustang is 45+ years of American muscle.

If I wanted Japa/Euro I would buy those cars. (And I had a Brit for 15 yrs.)

But I don't. I don't want their style. I don't want their morph.

I want American muscle without Japa/Euro cues. I want that choice.

But that's crusty ol me.

Enjoy the day!

 

You crusty ol' fart! Ha ha!

 

****, you mean there are more like me!!!!

 

It seems for Camaro it is the opposite

 

Interesting that the V6 STILL outsells the V8, even with this "big deal" motor. I suspect that this commercial helped..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAX550biM7c
Seriously bad azz.


BTW, am I the only one who doesn't think that the 5.0 badge deserves this "holy grail" status like "Hemi" might? The 4.6 had just taken over at the time I got my license and by that tine, 5.0s, while well liked, were pretty common, pretty well spanked by the LT1s and blown away by the LS1.

In my memory, the 5.0 was best known for being common, durable, moddable and small enough to drop into most sports cars. Was it ever that big of a deal in its own right?

 

Yeah I am surprised at the 3.7 V6 sales numbers. But it is a strong V6 for sure with great mileage - and after what we went thru in 08 with $4 gas, its understandable so many are choosing it.

As for the 5.0 I understand what you are saying. I never got it. 302 vs 289? Bid deal. Just a bore job that wasn't that big of an improvement. I mean I love the small block V8's for their power to weight ratio. But for me when they went to the 351, now we were finally in the game. Sure the 428/429 were better, but 351 was in the pack. And for some reason Ford has always seemed to drag its butt for displacement.

I think the original 5.0 was kind of a cult following and the big deal because of the 74 gas crunch. The Fox body finally had a big engine (compared to the II). And of course Mad Max.

But the new 5.0 with modern tech and TiVCT... is the real thing.

 

Quote "BTW, am I the only one who doesn't think that the 5.0 badge deserves this "holy grail" status like "Hemi" might? The 4.6 had just taken over at the time I got my license and by that tine, 5.0s, while well liked, were pretty common, pretty well spanked by the LT1s and blown away by the LS1."

I'd rather have a "GT", manual, or "GTA", automatic, badge than engine size or 40th anniversary, etc. It just say's it all. It's old school, but then, I'm old.

 

Getting back to the original topic of this thread, I'm still waiting for my GT to come in but I got to drive my cousin's 2011 V6 for about 20 minutes yesterday. It has the Premium Package, Comfort Group, manual transmission, and standard axle ratio. While it didn't throw me back in the seat, it's faster than it appears. I'm used to driving high-performance cars, yet I was surprised to look down at the speedometer and see I was going 85-90 mph when I thought I was going about 70. The engine was smooth and did not feel like it was gasping for breath as redline approached. If I've ever driven anything with a nicer shifter, I don't remember it. Replacing the factory shift **** with a ball-type would make it even nicer. I would have loved to thrown in my radar detector and gone for a 2 or 3 hour drive, but we had work to do. The only sad thing is they had the car for 1 or 2 days before some idiot put a scratch in it in a parking lot.

 

Ford has been seriously pushing the V6 in marketing because they want to focus on gas mileage. They spam 300+ Horsepower 31 MPG like a bot net. The 5.0 itself has not gotten the same marketing attention, I mean has anyone seen a commercial for the 5.0 yet? All I've seen are the V6 ones.

With the Camaro there's a larger number of factors which I feel contribute to the SS outselling their V6. First, there hasn't been a Camaro for several years, so the performance enthusiast Camaro fans have nothing but 8 year old cars that have since become largely outdated. With the 2011 GT, I'd suggest it's going to lose some potential sales to its own model due to incentives to sell the 2010 GT. Next, the Camaro SS has the highly respected and proven LS3 engine, which has been used in the Corvette for the past few years. The 5.0 engine is entirely new, unproven in the eyes of many, with no developed modding market, nor proof in the field that the engines won't be prone to exploding after six months (or be maintenance nightmares, etc.). This is something that even the V6 Mustang can partially claim to, as the "new" V6 existed in a couple cars prior to the Mustang.

So, my opinion, sales numbers may not be the best indicator at this stage, but I bought it.

 

Um, hello. If those percentages above are accurate, then the 11s ratio of V6-V8 is 50/50 if you factor in the GT500 with the V8. The 6-cylinder Mustang has outsold the V8s since, hmm forever? I think the preorder/sales figures are just fine...

 

That's true, too, but I think their point is if it were a "Holy Grail" it would be selling better. As it is it seems to be selling about like every other recent model year of Mustang GT in relation to the V6.

 

No I don't think "The 6-cylinder Mustang has outsold the V8s since, hmm forever? "
But nobody knows anything about future

 

While I still contend Mustang enthusiasts look at the 5.0 as "The One", I concede that the V6 sales to this point surprise me.

However, the large sales of the V6 still add to my point that the sales figures don't say anything about the 'body style' driving 2011 sales. Its the NEW power plants. And the V6 adds to my point because it is such a better engine compared to the old 4.0 (truck) 6 banger. A Mustang with a 412HP V8 with great mileage or a 305HP V6 with 30mpg are both substantial leaps in performance.

With those NEW engines & transmissions I can understand why some (not me) would hold their nose over the stinky diaper.

 

The first time I saw an '05, they weren't even at the dealers yet and I had to explain to my sons the retro styling reminiscent of the '65, but it never really caught my attention either. It just did not look right to me.

The first time I saw a '10, I wasn't aware that a new body style was being introduced. It was on display being raffled off. But it did get my attention and I instantly liked it, from every angle. I never noticed the "diaper" until I started hanging out on TMS. And despite others' opinions, I still like everything about the car. Based on the number of questions "what is the diaper", I think most people don't really notice it either.

I also like the entire rear end better, it's not as blocky and square. But it's all a matter of tastes.

I don't fully understand the "holy grail" crap about a '5.0', I just wanted the newest powertrain and that's why I cancelled my order for the '10 to get an '11. Personally I'd rather have the GT badges than the 5.0.

Whew, was that $0.02 or am I up to $0.04