First Drive: 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt - Day 1


click above image to view some gorgeous high-res live shots of the Bullit

Just as Autoblog announced the debut of the 2008 Bullitt Mustang, Ford was allowing a select number of journalists to drive the car in San Francisco, a fitting location for the car's debut. We were fortunate enough to receive an invite, and are fresh out of the driver's seat ready to report. Read on after the jump...


Ford provided the vehicles for testing. Autoblog does not accept travel or lodging from automakers when attending media events.

Live Photos Copyright ©2007 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

While we had a good idea of what the Bullitt would look like, we examined closely all of the new visual details – the new grille, wheels, spoiler delete, etc. It's definitely understated, but that will most likely appeal to its buyer. The San Francisco fog didn't help the car stand out, unfortunately. On the road it didn't attract too much attention – it almost looked like a de-badged V6 Mustang trying to pose as a GT. Still, there was the occasional person we passed who knew what they were looking at.


The outside of the car is certainly understated, but the inside is as well, though in a different way. The details are what really help spark up the interior, like the new shifter, the GT500 seats that have been reupholstered just for the Bullitt, the leather-wrapped steering wheel with the Bullitt logo, the unique gauges, and the engined-turned metal dash that looks fantastic. Those seats are quite comfortable yet supportive and felt much better than the stock GT. We didn't complain at all after several hours in the car.


Much of that praise should also be shared with the new suspension. The setup is somewhere in between the stock Mustang GT and the Shelby GT. It feels more planted than the GT, but not as harsh as the Shelby. It's a good compromise that makes for a better daily driver – it soaks up bumps in the road quite nicely and still stays planted under hard cornering.

While some might have been hoping for more performance, the 3:73 gears along with the extra 15 ponies make the Bullitt feel quite a bit faster than a stock GT. We're guessing that it will break the five second mark from 0-60 mph, and run the quarter mile in the very low 13s. The exhaust note is rather quiet from inside the cabin, but actually sounds aggressive from outside of the car. This is another factor that would make it ideal as a daily driver.

We will be driving the Bullitt again tomorrow, and will conclude our driving impressions and bring you additional photos from Day 2. Stay tuned...

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.








Autoblog Podcast #152: Paukert Enhanced!

Eddie Alterman wades in with Sam, Chris, Dan, and Jonny to talk about SEMA and other recent events.

 
 

Featured Galleries

  • BMW Concept 6
  • Zenvo ST1 Details
  • SEMA 2009: HPP Daytona Challenger
  • LA Design Challenge 2009 Competitors
  • SEMA 2009: 1962 Chevrolet Corvette C1-RS
  • SEMA 2009: Bigfoot
  • SEMA 2009: Black Bison Toyota Alphard
  • Ford's Inflatable Seat Belts
  • 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder
  • Shelby Turbocharged Mustang
  • Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition
  • SEMA 2009: Ringbrothers 1964 Ford Fairlane

AOL Autos

Find Your Next Car

Autoblog Video


Autoblog Green

Daily Finance

Download Squad

Engadget

Joystiq

Autoblog Spanish

Switched.com

FanHouse

Asylum