I don't mean to get in the middle of this but I think a 300HP V8 for a car under $30,000 ain't that bad.Those who want more should look to tuners like Roush, Steeda, Saleen or get a GT500. I also own an 03' Cobra and was willing to part with the extra cash for a higher performance ride. Overall for a mainstream car the current GT aint to bad but I feel Ford needs to address the issue of the current SEs. Don't mean to offend anyone hear but I think the performance gains from the Bullitt and Shelby GT are a joke. Some of the more performance minded buyers may jump ship to GM or Mopar if we can get more bang for the buck

just my .02

 

I agree 100%. If they are serious about SE's, they need a serious improvement over the base GT. Hell look at the gap left unfilled between a GT and Shelby 500. Its unacceptle for Ford to "give us" a car like the Bullitt with only moddest improvements. What you said about loosing customers to Mopar or Chevy is certainly an issue, and Ford NEEDS to do something about it.

 

I would think that if Ford needs to address any weaknesses in the Stang's performance envelope, it ought to focus more on handling, braking and overall vehicle dynamics than just stacking on ever more power.

300 wide-band hp is very healthy and hardly the Stang's weakest point, indeed, its ones of its stronger points. Sure, more is always nice, and if rumors of a 400-425 5.0 come true, the power level issue is nicely solved. But I think there are other, greater weaknesses in the Stang's capabilities that would enable it to far better utilize its available and prodigious acceleration all while making it funner, more enjoyable and safer to drive.

Bigger, better brakes would be an obvious and relatively easy focus for an SE. The simplest expedient is simple to borrow the GT500s excellent Brembos. Problem solved. At the very lest, simply upsize the existing single-piton, sliding style design and pay a bit more attention on brake feel, dive and balance.

A bit more challenging would be to bolster the Mustang's, well, adequate but hardly stellar handling, particularly its yester-year live axle. That is certainly sufficient, even ideal, for the rather simple and non-challenging task of straight-line acceleration and even perhaps very smooth-road, steady-state cornering. But those adequate capabilities quickly evaporate in the face of more challenging, real world driving conditions, not to mention the disproportionate ride/handling cost a live axle exacts to provide competency in one OR the other area. A control-blade IRS, which is presumably stillborn in the back rooms of Ford's development center, would be a perfect solution, being inexpensive, light, compact, rugged and effective.

More attention to overall tuning, balance, control weighting and otherwise sweating the details of vehicle development would also yield great bonuses in actual driving pleasure and enjoyment, at either current or particularly elevated power levels.

I think redirecting the focus away from solely the engine bay to the rest of the car as a whole makes even more sense in the coming days of ever more stringent EPA and CAFE rules, never mind $3.50+ gas. As the saying goes, its not just how fast a car goes, but how a car goes fast that can really make it a joy to drive.

 

I am optimistic that the next redesign will be more of a complete car. Until then, increasing hp with the new GDI V8 is the obvious choice.