Every day in the new Mustang seems to go by without a hint of trouble. That's a strange feeling as I'm uber-critical when I test new vehicles. But the Mustang is winning me over by not putting up much of a fuss. There are usually a number of trade-offs when driving a car that is so performance based, annoying habits that owners have to live with to get their speed habit satiated. Not so with the Mustang. It remains a civilized ride.
The car is a nice mix of practicality and performance. Despite the low profile glass and seemingly small rear quarter glass, visibility is exceptional. Huge rear glass of course is the biggest factor in keeping drivers aware of what?s going on behind them (click on the picture for a larger view). There are also features like a reminder if you leave your blinker on too long. This freaked me out when I first heard it, but with the stereo turned up and the sometimes hard to notice blinker in the center of the gauges it?s not a bad idea.
Obviously fuel economy is big on everyone?s mind these days and the GT doesn?t win any conservation awards. The trip computer is telling me I?m averaging 13.6 mpg after over 100 miles of mixed driving. That?s pretty poor. Our test vehicle has less than 3,000 miles on it so it?s not appropriately broken in, but these numbers are still low. Luckily the GT does take regular 87 octane gas. That computer in the dash is also a handy device telling drivers how many miles until empty, gallons used, average speed etc. You can even do a system check before leaving the driveway that tells you if all the doors are closed, fluids are full and the gas cap is on.
A decent sized trunk with flip down rear seats gives a fair amount of cargo space for a sports coupe. But the back seat, as mentioned before, is still widely unusable for passengers.
The Shaker 500 stereo with 6-disc changer is definitely loud and has tremendous range in the low end. Play some Black Sabbath or Fu Manchu and cruise freely. After a trip to Best Buy my fianc?e put in an acoustic Maroon 5 CD and even it sounded good. Punk CDs don?t come through, as the bass is too overwhelming. Hard rock though seems to be the system?s forte. For the hip-hop inclined the Shaker 1000 system is for you with its trunk mounted subwoofer.
Yesterday I tackled the performance but feel I?m not enough of a gearhead to do the car justice. Out of all the reviews I?ve read I?d say Road & Track?s Matt Delorenzo does the best job of accurately painting the car?s strengths and weaknesses.
Also this is my last day in the Mustang. If you think I?ve missed something or want to see a close-up photo please post a comment to let me know and we?ll address it in the wrap-up tomorrow.
Read about Day 0.5, Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 in the Mustang.
Day 5 has now been posted.
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue