3.55, Brembo, and HID packages.

1) 3.55's are the perfect gear set for everyday use. You get a usable 1st gear, and still have plenty of push in 2-3-4 and 5.

2) Not sure if im going to go with the premium interior package anymore. I definitely liked the 400A seats better, i'm neutral on the dash color, and I can always add the 401A shifter later.

3) Car still rides nicely over bumps and potholes with the Brembo package. I think this is due to the large amount of suspension travel and the fact that even at 19 inches, 40 series tires are not terribly low profile.

4) Seating position is better than that of the Camaro which i drove last week, shifter is in a better spot as well.

That's the good.

Here's the nits...

1) This transmission has some oddities. There were times it was reluctant to make the 2/3 shift, and there was a lot of noise generally seen when a slave cyl is going bad. So I'm not sure what's going on there.

2) There is a serious lack of vision in between the hood and the rear view mirror. I measured only about an 8 inch window in between there. Not a big deal, but it took some getting used to.

3) I'm interested in knowing why Ford decided to use a mast antenna AND a sirius bump. Their competitors both use a single sail antenna, and there is definitely a cleaner look with that. It's not even like they could say it was a carryover design, they spent the R&D to move the antenna, and left what looks like a Circuit City installation job. Poor form, and not what id expect in a 40k car.

4) The center console is cheap. There is no way around it. Whats suprising is with the lengths ford went to increase the quality of the materials in other spots, that they would leave such a glaring F-U in the 1 spot in the interior where your arm actually touches. Would it have killed the bean counters to pad the cupholder door in a piece of leather? Again, nitpicking, but something that should be there in a car with this price point.

Really that's all. Overall a great car. I just fear it suffers from the WIDE price point range that it covers. What I find unacceptable in a 40k version of this car (or 50k if you are talking cobra), someone might find perfectly acceptable in the 25k version of the same car. A victim of trying to make something for everyone. So not really the car's fault there.

 

BMW didn't have the muscle car I wanted. I 100% that arm rest was hard plastic like muscle cars had. So I found a great cover, no perm intsall, my elbow thanks me. GL

 

Didn't the 05-09 interiors have an option for leather covering of the console? Maybe so few people added it that they chose not to offer it on the 10+.

 

I bought the leather center armrest cover for $99 or so for my '08. It is a little bit nicer than stock, but it is really hard to tell the difference between the stock plastic vinyl/plastic armrest and the leather one.

 

Nice review. Thanks.

 

One other thing I noticed...the clearance between the wheel, and the brembo caliper is incredibly small. Is that how it is on the GT500 as well?

 

I'm still waiting for a Center Console mode to clean it all up.. I'd pay a grand for something nice looking in the middle, that kept the USB and lighting.

 

Couple other good points I forgot. The clutch is awesome. Totally linear in its weight, with a short engagement midway down. In contrast the camaro's clutch seems to be 2-stage in its weight, which made engagement a lot sloppier.

The $10k question. Is it worth gambling on a 2012 offering a real metallic black (tuxedo black metallic seems to be catching on across the lines), and the possibility of a redesigned antenna system, or order one now and hope there's a better deal?

Also, are the heated seats worth it?

 

I think even a padded cover for the cupholder would make a big difference.

 

Heated seats are def. worth it. I've used mine a lot even when it's down in the 50s, and I'll leave the fan off.

I don't think you'll see any antenna changes for MY12. Possibly in MY13, but nothing next year. I think the decision was done for cost savings and flexibility. The spots chosen work for coupe, glass roof, and vert models, so tooling for others isn't needed. At least it's not on the front fender anymore.

The armrest could use some tweaking. I've seen people bump it with their elbows and open the compartment, and, while it's in a good spot for me, I would like to see some other design on how that opens.

 

Don't hold your breath. I believe one reason for this may be the fact that the shark fin antenna is not compatible with the convertible, of which Ford makes a fair amount. The current antenna arrangment works equally well with either coupe or vert, altho I must point out that my previous Accord V6 had no visible radio antenna, and the satellite lump was painted body color. THIS is how I wish it was with the Mustang, but that's farther down my wish list, below the HomeLink garage opener and something other than $3 sun visors with cheap non-lit mirrors. Oh and cup holders not in-line with the shifter.

 

I love everything about this car. I have had numerous Foxes, a 03 Mach1 and now the 11. The interior may not be perfect but it is a huge step forward compared to my past mustangs. FWIW I like the fox interior better than the new edge, the new edge just felt cramped.

 

One thing I realized I'd like to see today was a metal dead pedal to match the pedals in the Brembo package.

 

I got a dead pedal from stangdeadpedals.com. It looks great, is nice and firm, and was very easy to install. Matches well with the aluminum pedals.

 

I personally think that's something that should be a factory standard. Lots of other cars have them and it's a relatively inexpensive part that could be added in for a premium package like the BBP and be std. equipment on the GT500.

 

How about this product for under $500. It at least looks more expensive than the gray plastic.

http://jlttruecoldair.com/ZenCart/in...roducts_id=324

Easy to install as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-cu5efYlUw

 

Hmmm...not bad. Now if it was only just a regular piano black and not rice-tastic carbon fauxber.

 

That's actually pretty nice, matches the rest of the interior. I don't know about $500 though. That's a bit steep.

 

Surprising how easily that all comes apart.

 

Yeah it's pretty interesting how easily he removed everything. I think they set that up for demonstration purposes. Also, I don't think it's "rice". I think it's pretty much the same as the upper dash above the console. At least mine is.