Red__Zed

As promised:

5.0

This car was a real surprise to me, and it doesn't really surprise me that most people still don't accept it for what it is. Check out the Motortrend videos where they stack it up against an M3 for a pretty good idea of what the car is about...then take one for a spin to get a REAL idea of the beast this car is.

The power is the first thing most people talk about on the car, and rightfully so. Over 400 hp and nearly 400 ft/lb of torque is nothing to sneeze at, and the car is a power monster. We are talking no-problem power-on oversteer on demand, "go" power that is only traction-limited, etc...but it is really not the major story with the car, at least in my opinion....

Why?

The handling prowess of the new 5.0 is absolutely, disgustingly amazing. The car bites in sharp, corners flat, and exits with as much power as you could hope for. Balance is incredibly neutral, meaning you are using all four tires at the limit (side note: this neutral handling is awesome for actual track use, generating great feel and response, but costs on skidpad grip, since it is (misleadingly) done in a throttle-on state)

Even relative to my Z with the best alignment I could find for it (no front toe, 3* camber in the front, 2.5* in the rear), the Mustang holds its own. Against a stock alignment Z, the Mustang bites in far harder and seems much more eager to dig into a turn, belying its obesity.

The 6 speed trans is very impressive. The 5 speeds available in previous 'stangs got the job done, but never impressed me much. The trans in my 5.0 is a slick unit with fantastic feel.

Of course, as with any car, it is not all peaches and cream. The most obvious complaints with the mustang are the looks (subjective), interior(subjective), and the rear suspension.

I've got no problem with the first two. I don't mind either, and they are lower on my priority list anyways-- I'm driving the car, not looking at it. Other people who have different priorities may feel differently, and since they are subjective anyway, no sense giving you my opinion. Take a look at one and judge for yourself.

Now onto talking about suspension, where I bring up the issues created by the solid rear...wait....

The car catches a lot of flak for the SRA, but in my 6k or so miles, I've found it to be a non-issue, not having upset it once on the street. In contrast, the 07 mustang that I test drove a while back was a legitimately scary experience that resulted in me swearing off the S197 for a while. In my opinion (and corroborated by several other drivers), the mustang SRA is more stable than the bump-steer-prone 370z multi-link for street use, which means you won't run into any problems.

The real "issue" with the rear is a pair of floaty dampers that get flighty when cornering over 90mph. Swapping them out for Koni Yellow's seems to address that, although I am still on stock suspension and have no issues driving quite spiritedly (on the street). For high speed track use, swap them.

The Mustang also feels "big." I actually hated it the first time I drove it. The car is huge, and it is a completely different feel from the Z. I can say you do get used to it (and this is coming from a guy who wondered if he would ever get used to the ridiculous size of the 370z). Do I wish the car was smaller/lighter? Sure, but it notably outhandles a variety of lighter cars, so I am pretty happy with it.

Steering feel is pretty bland as well. Not impressed with it, but at the same time not tremendously bothered by it.




The brembo package is a must. In addition to the great looking wheels/brakes, the car stops faster than sport package Z, rocks some excellent Pzeros all around, and includes some slightly revised spring rates, traction control tuning, etc. It's freaking great.

Overall,* I freaking love this car, and it kind of annoys me that it was introduced without a lot of separation from the previous gen mustang-- it catches a lot of flak from ignorant people who don't understand the revisions that have been made....on the other hand, the community is full of enthusiasts (similar to the way the 370z community used to be), which is always a great perk with a car. Barring anything catastrophic, I see myself actually keeping this car for quite a while--which will be quite a change for me. Who knows how that will actually turn out though....

Cliff notes:
Neutral handling is sweet
tons of power
steering is bland
rear dampers are floaty