2008 Ford Mustang Review
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...
