Video: Ford Tests Mustang Cobra Jet Ahead Of SEMA ‘08 Debut

Last week, Ford Racing took their performance-tuned pony for its first run on the track at the Milan Dragway in Michigan. First engineered in 1968, the 2008 FR500CJ Mustang will hit Las Vegas next month for the 2008 SEMA show to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Mustang Cobra Jet. Preliminary speculations and lack of official releases from Ford peg the new Cobra Jet running with a GT500/Romeo 605 engine under the hood, producing 605-horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque. To meet NHRA guidelines, however, the ‘08 Mustang Cobra Jet will come factory detuned to produce 400-hp - allowing modded-CRX owners plenty of time to assemble their requisite white flags/change their underwear.

Ford receives grant to develop plug-in hybrids

Ford has been awarded a $10-million grant by the Department of Energy to research, develop and demonstrate 20 plug-in, fuel/electricity-powered hybrids. The grant covers 50% of the project cost; Ford will contribute the remaining $10 million.

The manufacturer delivered its first plug-in SUV hybrid in June, an Escape capable of functioning on E85 fuel. The Ford Escape is equipped with a 10-kilowatt lithium-ion battery allowing the vehicle to drive at 65 km/h over 50 km. The Escape's electric system works together with a small, 4-cylinder engine.


According to estimates, the plug-in Ford Escape produces 60% less CO2 than an identical vehicle with a conventional engine. What's more, this system could decrease emissions by 90% if cellulosic ethanol is used to power the vehicle.

A few of these plug-in, fuel/electricity hybrids are being tested in California, Michigan and Washington D.C. The first ones were delivered to Southern California Edison in December 2007.

Ford Flex, Mazda CX-9 Rank Among the Best Three-Row SUV's Tested by Consumer Reports

The New Ford Flex and the upgraded Mazda CX-9 (both available to subscribers) now rank among the best 3 row SUVs we’ve tested. They trail only the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, the conventional Highlander, and the Acura MDX in our Ratings (available to subscribers) of midsized models.

The redesigned Honda Pilot (available to subscribers), however, has slipped from being one of our top-rated 3 row SUVs. Although it scored only slightly lower, the Pilot drops back to midpack in our rankings, behind 10 other competitive vehicles.

We tested two large 3 row SUVs in addition to the three midsized vehicles in this group: the redesigned Toyota Sequoia and the new Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (available to subscribers). The Sequoia outscored all of its direct competitors among large SUVs but is far below the pricier Mercedes-Benz GL450. Even with the best fuel economy in the large SUV class, the Tahoe Hybrid ranks only midpack, slightly better than the conventional Tahoe. The GMC Yukon Hybrid is a virtual twin of the Tahoe Hybrid.

Prices of our midsized 3 row SUVs range from $35,830 for the Pilot to $38,615 for the CX-9. The large SUVs are priced at $54,005 for the Sequoia and $55,585 for the Tahoe Hybrid.

The CX-9, Pilot, and Sequoia are the only vehicles in this group that are recommended, thanks to their average or better predicted reliability ratings. The Flex and Tahoe Hybrid are too new for us to have reliability data.


EXPANDED OPTIONS

Photo by Tracey Kroll

Three-row SUVs have been popular in recent years. They have seating for up to seven or eight people, so many families now choose them instead of minivans. But the third-row seats in many midsized models have limited space, are cumbersome to access, and are best suited for children. Usually, larger SUVs have roomier third-row seats and extra towing and cargo capacity but are often more expensive to buy and fuel. Overall, minivans still provide the best balance of roominess, manageable size, and fuel economy.

Ford’s new Flex wraps a versatile, cavernous interior in a distinctly boxy styling. It is also lower and more wagon-like than others in this class.

The Mazda CX-9 has improved considerably since we last tested one in 2007, helped by a larger engine and improved braking. It is one of the sportiest SUVs we’ve driven and has a roomy, quiet, well-crafted interior.

The Pilot remains a very practical vehicle with seating for up to eight, slightly improved fuel economy, and a reasonable price. But pronounced road noise, so-so acceleration and braking, and interior quality that’s not as good as the model it replaces cost it points in our testing.


COMING SOON

More models are being released in this rapidly growing 3 row SUVs category. We could not purchase the Chevrolet Traverse, a twin of the GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, or the Kia Borrego in time for this test, but they will be in a future issue.

With consumers looking for better fuel economy, manufacturers are also bringing more hybrid and diesel SUVs to market as quickly as they can. Hybrid versions of the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango are due early this fall, and the Mercedes-Benz GL320 diesel is on sale now. Diesel versions of the Audi Q7 and BMW X5 are imminent.

And if you're looking for a vehicle that is pretty much the polar opposite of the SUV, check out our review of the Smart ForTwo car.

FORD Building New Mustang Cobra Jet For Drag Racing!

According to cnet reviews, Ford's Mustang FR500CJ Cobra Jet, will be the latest in a LONG line of Mustang variants.

If there's one thing Ford Motor Company does well, it's cranking out variants of its modern muscle car, the Mustang. You've got the GT, GT-H, the Cobra, the GT500, the GT500KR, the Warriors in Pink edition, the California Special, the Mach 1, the Bullit, the list goes on and on.

Now Ford has yet another 'Stang variant to add to the list: the Mustang FR500CJ Cobra Jet. So, what makes the Cobra Jet different from the rest? Named after, and inspired by, the 1968 Mustang Cobra Jet, the FR500CJ is a factory-built drag racing variant.

The interior has been stripped, which helps lower the vehicle's weight to 3,300 pounds. Skinny front tires and chunky, drag slicks out back replace the standard Mustang's street tires. The power plant is a supercharged 5.4-liter 32-valve V-8 based on the motor found in the GT500.

The engine will output 400 horsepower and an unknown amount of torque. I can't help but be a little disappointed that, with a name like Cobra Jet, there isn't a jet engine under the hood. I suppose NHRA doesn't allow jet engines in the FR500CJ's class. Pity.

Ford says there will be an initial 50 unit production run with the MSRP being $69,900. I'm not really sure what to think about the Cobra Jet. On the one hand, I can't help but wonder if perhaps Ford's energies could be better spent somewhere other than the drag strip. In a world where most automakers are researching and developing alternative fuels and electric/hybrid power, the FR500CJ seems a bit archaic.

On the other hand, the big engines and big power of drag racing are a ton of fun. I mean, the Mustang FR500CJ Cobra Jet may be a dinosaur, but what kid doesn't like dinosaurs?

Ford's Latest Safety 'Brakethrough' -- Collision Warning With Brake Support -- Coming in 2009

-- Ford to introduce new 'active' safety radar warning system -- Collision Warning with Brake Support -- in 2009 to help drivers avoid rear-end accidents. -- Collision Warning with Brake Support uses radar to detect moving vehicles ahead and warns the driver of danger with an alarm and warning light. The system also automatically pre-charges brakes and engages an electronic brake assist system to help drivers stop more quickly. -- Collision Warning with Brake Support is one of three new radar-based active safety technologies Ford is launching in 2008 and 2009. The others are Adaptive Cruise Control and BLIS(R) (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert.

Last update: 2:20 p.m. EDT Oct. 6, 2008

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct 06, 2008 -- Ford Motor Company, building on its safety and technology leadership, announced it will offer a new advanced "active" collision-avoidance technology, Collision Warning with Brake Support, on certain Ford and Lincoln vehicles next year.

Collision Warning with Brake Support uses radar to detect moving vehicles directly ahead. When the danger of a collision is detected, the system warns the driver with an authoritative beep and a red warning light projected on the windshield above the instrument panel. The system also automatically pre-charges brakes and engages a brake-assist feature that helps drivers quickly reach maximum braking once the brakes are engaged.

Collision Warning with Brake Support is one of three new radar-based active safety and driver-aid technologies Ford is launching across a range of vehicles in 2008 and 2009. The others are Adaptive Cruise Control, launched this year, and BLIS(R) (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert, which debuts in 2009. All three features use radar to detect the relative position of other vehicles and warn the driver with a combination of visual and audio alerts.

The new technologies build on Ford's leading number of top safety ratings, including the most 5-star government ratings of any automaker, and a leading number of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety "Top Safety Picks."

"The new Collision Warning with Brake Support technology puts us on the leading edge of active safety to help customers detect and avoid possible dangers," said Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president of engineering, Global Product Development. "Ford will be the first to offer this technology on mainstream models that many families can afford."

Unexpected detected

Collision Warning with Brake Support builds on the basic function of Adaptive Cruise Control, a driver-assistance feature that Ford introduced on the 2009 Lincoln MKS. Adaptive Cruise Control uses radar to detect moving vehicles immediately ahead and modify cruising speed if necessary.

"Adaptive Cruise Control really marked the beginning of pre-emptive driver-assistance systems," said Jerry Engelman, Adaptive Cruise Control supervisor, Chassis Electronics. "Ford was able to use the radar technology and experience to develop the Collision Warning with Brake Support system."

Research indicates that Collision Warning with Brake Support could be particularly helpful in warning a driver who is distracted or drowsy. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the majority of accidents involve driver inattention. The agency's research found that one extra second of warning could prevent up to 90 percent of rear-end collisions. CWBS offers three programmable alert settings ranging from approximately 1.5 seconds to 2.5 seconds.

"It depends on the user's preference, because one person's false alarm may be another person's near miss, and it's important that drivers are comfortable with the system," said Tom Pilutti, technical expert, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. "Some people have a slower reaction time, and the longer time setting may meet their needs better than the shorter setting. Our research shows that most drivers will prefer and feel more comfortable with the longer default setting."

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, forward collision warning systems like Collision Warning with Brake Support have the potential to help prevent the kind of rear-end crashes that occurred 2.3 million times per year from 2002-2006 -- almost 40 percent of the total crashes reported to police each year in the U.S.

Clearer sight with science

BLIS(TM) (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert can help provide extra confidence to drivers in parking lots by alerting drivers sooner of nearby traffic while backing out. It uses two multiple beam radar modules, which are packaged in the rear quarter panels. The radar detects moving objects within a 65-foot range from either side of the vehicle. The radar identifies when a vehicle enters the defined blind spot zone and illuminates an indicator light on the corresponding side-view mirror providing a warning that a vehicle is approaching. An audible alert is sounded as well.

Researchers at Ford's North American advanced driving simulator, Virtual Test Track Experiment (VIRTTEX), dedicated most of the past few years studying how active safety technologies in vehicles may better alert drivers of potentially dangerous driving incidents.

"New technologies such as radar, cameras, lasers and GPS may enable us to offer more safety and convenience features in the future," said Jeff Rupp, manager, Active Safety, Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford's Research and Innovation Center. "A key is identifying the kinds of warnings that drivers will find both more effective and easier to understand."

For Collision Warning with Brake Support, VIRTTEX researchers learned drivers respond more quickly to certain audible alerts that are more authoritative. Their research also shows some preference for a combination of warnings -- audio alerts backed up by a visual warning -- such as those that will be offered with Collision Warning with Brake Support system.

Safety in demand

Vehicle safety technology is second only to fuel efficiency on customers purchase consideration lists, according to a recent study by RDA Group Global Market Research of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. According to the research, among consumers' top desires for safety features are collision warning and prevention, greater traction controls, entrapment prevention, and vehicle-to-vehicle communications.

"Over the past several years we've seen drivers' attitudes change regarding safety technology," said Jim Thomas, senior vice president, RDA. "It used to be that they didn't want to release control of the vehicle at all, but now they're looking for the vehicle to be more proactive."

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 229,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

SOURCE Ford Motor Company

Ford introduces car-limiting MyKey for worried parents.

Ford announced today a new technology called MyKey that will be standard on the 2010 Focus Coupe and quickly spread to the rest of the Blue Oval's lineup. MyKey can do three basic things: allow parents to limit a vehicle's top speed to 80 mph and/or the stereo's volume up to 44% of its max, and set a sustaining chime if the seatbelts aren't being used. Clearly targeted towards worry wart parents, the MyKey system is meant to keep teens safe despite their protestation that a system like this curtails their kiddy freedoms. Ford did some polling and found that 67% of teens didn't like the idea, though that number fell to 36% if the MyKey system led to parents letting the kids use the car more.

The MyKey system uses off-the-shelf technology from within Ford, particularly the SecuriLock passive anti-theft system, to identify which keys are in the ignition and therefore which driving mode to enable. It's certainly feels a lot like Big Brother, but we suppose parents have the right to play Big Bro' when the safety of their children is at stake.

Other things the MyKey system can do is permanently enable the traction control system and set chimes for when the car reaches 45, 55 or 65 mph. This technology will likely make the Ford Focus Coupe a popular choice for both parents and teens, the latter of which may be appeased by the SNYC system that's also available in these cars.

[Source: Ford]

PRESS RELEASE

FORD'S NEW MYKEY SYSTEM HELPS TEENS DRIVE SAFER, CONSERVE FUEL; GIVES PARENTS PEACE OF MIND

• MyKey™, another innovation from the company that introduced SYNC®, allows parents to limit speed and audio volume to encourage teens to drive safer and improve fuel efficiency.
• Harris Interactive Survey shows that many parents would allow teens to drive more often if their vehicle was equipped with MyKey – helping young drivers build road safety experience.
  
• MyKey will debut as a standard feature next year on the 2010 Focus coupe and will quickly be offered on many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models.

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 6, 2008 – Ford Motor Company is introducing an innovative new technology – called MyKey – designed to help parents encourage their teen-agers to drive safer and more fuel efficiently, and increase safety-belt usage.

Ford's MyKey feature – which debuts next year as standard equipment on the 2010 Focus coupe and will quickly become standard on many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models – allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle's top speed and audio volume. MyKey also encourages safety-belt usage, provides earlier low-fuel warnings and can be programmed to sound chimes at 45, 55 and 65 miles per hour.

"Ford not only offers industry-leading crash protection and crash avoidance systems, we also are committed to developing new technologies such as MyKey that encourage safer driving behavior," said Susan Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. "MyKey can help promote safer driving, particularly among teens, by encouraging seat belt use, limiting speed and reducing distractions."

MyKey is appealing to parents of teen drivers, including 75 percent who like the speed-limiting feature, 72 percent who like the more insistent safety-belt reminder, and 63 percent who like the audio limit feature, according to a recent Harris Interactive Survey conducted for Ford.

About 50 percent of those who would consider purchasing MyKey also said they would allow their children to use the family vehicle more often if it were equipped with the new technology. The added seat time can help teens build their driving skills in a more controlled setting, complementing graduated licensing laws that give young drivers more driving freedom as they get older.

More than half of parents surveyed worry that their teen-age children are driving at unsafe speeds, talking on hand-held cell phones or texting while driving, or otherwise driving distracted. More than a third of parents also are concerned that their teens do not always buckle their safety belts when driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), teens are more likely to take risks such as speeding – a contributing factor in 30 percent of all fatal crashes. Teens also are less likely to wear safety belts than older drivers.

Teens surveyed by Harris said they are largely open to MyKey if it means they will have more freedom to drive. Initially, 67 percent of teens polled said they wouldn't want MyKey features. However, if using MyKey would lead to greater driving privileges, only 36 percent would object to the technology.

"We've upgraded an existing, proven technology – the SecuriLock passive anti-theft system – with some simple software upgrades to develop a new unique feature that we believe will resonate with customers," said Jim Buczkowski, director, Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering – the same team that developed SYNC in partnership with Microsoft. "We also developed MyKey's functions in such a way to quickly spread it across multiple vehicle lines, giving us the ability to go mass market in the spirit of other Ford innovations such as safety belts, stability control and SYNC."

Holding the key

The MyKey system allows the parent to program any key through the vehicle message center, which updates the SecuriLock™ passive anti-theft system. When the MyKey is inserted into the ignition, the system reads the transponder chip in the key and immediately identifies the MyKey code, which enables certain default driving modes, including:

Persistent Ford Beltminder™ with audio mute. Ford's Beltminder system typically provides a six-second reminder chime every minute for five minutes. With MyKey, the Beltminder chime continues at the regular interval and the audio system is muted until the safety belt is buckled. A message center display "Buckle Up to Unmute Radio" also appears on the instrument cluster.

Earlier low-fuel warning. Rather than a warning at 50 miles to empty, MyKey provides a warning at 75 miles to empty.

If MyKey is in the ignition, features such as Park Aid and BLISTM (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert cannot be deactivated.
Additional MyKey features that can be programmed through the vehicle's message center setup menu:

• Limited top speed of 80 mph
• Traction control system, that limits tire spin, cannot be deactivated
• Limited audio volume to 44 percent of total volume
• A speed alert chime at 45, 55 or 65 mph

Using MyKey to teach teens to avoid speeding can provide an added benefit – improved fuel economy. Ford research shows that driving 55 mph instead of 65 mph consumes 15 percent less fuel, and mastering other eco-driving habits such as avoiding jackrabbit starts and excessive idling can help improve fuel economy by more than 50 percent.

Safety is the key

MyKey is just one way that Ford is helping teens drive more safely. Ford Motor Company Fund's Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) program helps young motorists master four critical driving skills – hazard recognition, vehicle handling, space management, and speed management – that help address the majority of dangerous driving conditions. More than 3,000 teens have participated in DSFL ride-and-drive events. And more than 500,000 people have used the training course since 2003 on www.drivingskillsforlife.com.

Ford CEO says company assessing tiny car for US

DETROIT: Rising demand for small cars has pushed Ford Motor Co. to revisit its decision not to bring the tiny European Ka model to the United States, Ford's chief executive said Monday.

"We're assessing that right now," CEO Alan Mulally told a Detroit radio station, adding that a lot of people share the opinion that Ford should sell the Ka in the U.S.

A new version of the Ka was unveiled last week at the Paris Motor Show. It will be launched in major European markets by late this year or early 2009.

The Ka is far smaller than the Focus, which currently is Dearborn-based Ford's only U.S. compact car. Focus sales are up 24 percent through September, even though the U.S. auto market is down nearly 13 percent for the year.

Mulally said on WJR-AM's "Paul W. Smith Show" that Ford decided to give the Ka another look due to high fuel prices pushing up demand for small cars and the response to introduction of the Fiesta subcompact. Ford had said previously it wouldn't bring the Ka, sold mostly in Europe, to the U.S. because the markets are different, with European cities having more congestion and narrower roads than U.S. cities.

Ford plans to start selling the Fiesta global subcompact and the European version of the Focus in the U.S. in 2010, boosting its array of small cars as the U.S. market continues to shift away from trucks and sport utility vehicles.

U.S. small car sales overall are up 6 percent for the first nine months of the year, while truck sales are off 21 percent, according to Autodata Corp.

Ford spokesman Said Deep said the company is exploring whether or not Americans will accept a car that's even smaller than the new Fiesta, which the industry calls a "B" segment car. B cars are the size of a Toyota Yaris or Honda Fit, which now are selling well in the U.S. Fit sales are up 54 percent through September, while Yaris sales have risen 29 percent.

"Are people willing to go smaller than that?" Deep asked. "That's a big unknown, and I think that's what's got to be determined."

A diesel version of the Ka gets 42 miles per gallon (18 kilometers per liter) of fuel in combined city-highway driving under U.S. testing standards, Deep said, not much more than a gasoline-powered Fiesta will get in the U.S.

"There's not a dramatic difference in them to kind of give up the comfort package," he said.

The only vehicle the size of a Ka in the U.S. is Daimler AG's Smart Fortwo, a super-small car that has proved popular in the face of gasoline rising to around $4 per gallon. Smart has sold 18,156 of the models through September.

The new Ka has not yet been given a safety rating in Europe. A model tested in 2000 received a three-star crash test rating out of five stars from the Brussels-based Euro NCAP, an agency that assesses cars sold in Europe. Three stars is considered low under the group's standards.

Ford spokesman Finn Thomasen said safety results for the new model will come out next month, and he anticipates it will be better than the previous model.

Ford is looking to sell well-equipped, high-quality small cars in an effort to make up revenue lost when high-profit truck and sport utility vehicle sales tanked. Mulally said Ford will continue to adjust its factory capacity to match market demand. Overall, its sales are off 17 percent through September.

"None of us have seen a slowdown like we're going through right now," he said.

But he told Detroit station WWJ-AM that the $700 billion bailout of the financial industry is the right move to help stabilize home prices and deal with bad mortgages. The recent freeze in the credit markets has prevented some buyers from being able to get car financing as well.

Despite the deteriorating economy worldwide, Mulally said he's still confident Ford will survive the downturn.

"We knew this was going to get worse before it got better," he said. "And we went to the markets to borrow the appropriate amount of cash to fund our transformation."

Ford has burned through nearly $11 billion of its cash stockpile in the past year and reported a second-quarter loss of $8.7 billion. The loss included $8 billion worth of write-offs because tumbling truck and SUV sales decreased the value of Ford's North American truck plants and Ford Motor Credit Co.'s lease portfolio. The company has $25 billion in long-term debt.

2009 Ford Mustang GT Glasstop

In the fiercely competitive automotive market, the very existence of the Ford Mustang is a testament to its tenacity. The dictates of Darwinian development tell us that the car is fit because it has survived through at least four wars (or major quasi-war actions), eight Presidents of the United States, twelve Olympic Games and outlived two of its main rivals - the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger - despite their recent rebirth. And after spending a week in the latest panoramic-glass-roofed, snarling V8, premium-trimmed iteration of the original pony car, it’s easy to see why. This is a fun car.

Unfortunately, once you get past the fun, there’s not a whole lot left to enjoy. Like that Austrian girl you met one summer about a decade ago, the Mustang sure is pretty, but it lacks substance. Those are the perfect credentials for a summer fling, but when signing on for a 36, 48 or 60-month haul, you want something more than infatuation - you want love. The Mustang is, ultimately, hard to love.

But it really, really is fun. And this anachronistic dichotomy of spirit, at once a permanent and lasting edifice of the American automotive landscape and a sophomore crush, is what defines the Mustang. It is a dream made real, and like all fantasies, they are better kept in the mind than in the bedroom, or the garage, as the case may be.

So what does all of this have to do with 300 horses pounding their metallic hooves through eight cylinders of gasoline-scented fury? What relevance does it have to a pair of 9-inch-wide streaks of smoking, stinking rubber and asphalt? How does it relate to the shove in the back or the whooping yell in the throat that are the two primary sensations of driving the Mustang?

Really, it doesn’t relate at all. And that’s the point. The Mustang is a car founded on passion, on the emotive qualities of personal transport - from its humble roots as a stylish, go-fast car that the young could afford to its legendary status as a drag-strip king and main-drag cruiser, the Mustang is a car you buy with your heart. Sure, it’s practical enough for the daily grind - it has a back seat and a trunk and everything. But it’s not the choice your left brain would make.

Styling and Exterior
The classic lines of the Mustang are a make-or-break proposition for many people. You either love it or hate it. If you were brought up anywhere near the Midwest or the South, you probably already have a familial relationship with the Ford brand or its main rivals stretching back several generations, though, so the looks are a given.

To the rest of the world, the Mustang’s styling seems dangerously ignorant of the decade, let alone the year. It is a remarkably good mimicry of most of the best examples of the Mustang since its 1964 debut, but it is entirely derivative. Originality is tossed out the window and replaced with a double helping of tradition.

But if you know anything about the Mustang by now, you know that’s perfectly fine - that tradition, and how it makes you feel, is part of why people continue to buy it.

That said, there’s nothing here that will surprise anyone that’s at all cognizant of the last forty years of automotive design. It’s a middle-of-the-road look, sure to appeal to muscle car fans, but not quite sleek, svelte or modern enough to catch the eye of most sports car buyers. Fortunately, there’s a lot of truth in advertising here, so those sports car buyers won’t be lamenting the car’s looks for long.


Technical
Under the hood of the Mustang GT there’s a 4.6L V8 good for 300hp and 320lb-ft of torque, and under the skin is a chassis designed to handle that torque in a productive manner. The dual exhaust system helps maximize the car’s power but also yields a satisfying burble at low speeds and a thrilling V8 howl at wide open throttle. It’s also not too hard on the fuel if you keep your foot out of it, averaging about 17.6mpg around town and 24mpg on the highway. Romp on the loud pedal though, and you’ll be bordering on single digits in short order.

Its archaic solid rear axle and three-link suspension with panhard rod setup are literally holdovers from decades past. The McPherson strut front end isn’t the most advanced available, but in comparison to the rear end it’s space-age. These two combine for some surprisingly good handling characteristics, but more on that later.

The big V8 yields an EPA estimate of 15mpg in the city and 23mpg on the highway for cars equipped, like ours, with the five-speed manual transmission. Automatics lose 1mpg on the highway, but are otherwise on par with the manual versions. In the standard V6-powered Mustang the five-speed manual is a T5 unit, but in the GT models it’s upgraded to a Tremec TR3650.

Notchy, chunky and stiff are the best descriptors for this gearbox. It grunts from gear to gear when asked, but requires more force and more focus than it should.

On the Road
Coupled with a nice smooth road and a disabled traction control system, the Mustang GT offers a surprisingly agile ride. There’s body roll, and a good bit of rear-end skitter on rough or choppy pavement, and ultimately quite a lot of understeer at the limit because of the nose-heavy weight distribution. But taken altogether, these characteristics join in an alchemical mix to form a car that’s fairly balanced just below the limit.

All of this is more inspite of than because of its mechanical underpinnings, which should relegate it to the back benches of the performance-car ranks. Nevertheless, the Mustang proceeds as if totally unaware of this fact.

Straight-line acceleration is a blast, literally, and our quick-and-dirty testing on the street with the aid of a MaxQData TraQr device - itself up to some much more painstaking methodology, but also nice for a quick test in town - revealed real-world results of low-to-mid-6 second 0-60 times, and quarter-mile runs in the 14.5 second range around 95mph. Those are impressive results given the car’s roughly 3,500lb curb weight - not including a 230lb driver, street tires and the real-world test conditions. The panoramic glass roof on our example adds a good deal of weight at the highest possible point on the car - anathema to performance and handling - but the Mustang shrugs it off, glad to shoulder the burden.

Take the car into the tight and twisties, though, and you’ll quickly see this is, in fact, a muscle car. Not that it has any shortage of mechanical grip or any woefully frightening or dangerous handling characteristics - its’ at-the-limit understeer is probably the safest tuning choice. Before the limit, however, the car is quite balanced, with the rear and the front alternately losing traction in brief, gentle and totally controllable micro-slides.

Launch out of a grocery store parking lot into quick-moving traffic, however, and the archaic rear suspension arrangement will make itself known as the rear slides and shimmies around a bit searching for traction over the joints, seams and lips of the driveway-to-street transition. It’s nothing uncontrollable, but for the easily startled or those with no desire to get even moderately sideways, it’s probably best to leave traction control on.

Equipment and Features
The Mustang GT with Premium package is something of a study in contrasts. The vintage-looking leather seats are attractive, and the orange-tan shade accents the car’s Alloy clearcoat metallic paintjob and black interior. The retro-themed instrument cluster is handsome on its own, but the steering wheel is a study in ergonomic and styling don’ts and the rest of the cockpit appears to be hodge-podged from the corporate bin.

Exceedingly cheap is the best way to describe some of the materials, such as the hard and shiny plastic door panels, the carpets, and almost all of the switch gear. The ubiquitous Ford/Lincoln/Mercury door lock/unlock switch is present, and oddly looks more at home here than in any other application I’ve seen yet.

The Shaker stereo is adequate, but the bass-heavy balance tends to produce more vibration and distortion than quality sound, and its interface for the Sirius satellite radio system is somewhere between difficult and unusable.

But now for the piece de resistance of the 2009 Mustang GT interior options list: the glass roof. This is a really nice feature, and offers many of the benefits of a convertible without nearly as much inconvenience, hassle or reduced performance and security as the cloth top brings. The photos don’t do it justice: this is the one must-have option for the model year.

Underneath the silvered glass top, there’s a shade that can be drawn to reduce the sun’s strength further. It isn’t opaque, however - it’s a dense netting. On hot, sunny days, the glass-top model will offer plenty of opportunity to test its automotive egg-cooking skills. The leather seats found in our model seemed particularly adept at soaking up this heat and transmitting it to the occupants, but it’s a small price to pay for the really brilliant nearly-open-top setup.

Final Verdict
So which half of my Cartesian self has won this round of automotive experimentation? Am I trapped in my head, knowing the car is technologically and mechanically deficient? Or am I feeling the chemical cocktail of lust and vigor induced by the classic lines and squealing tires?

Oddly enough, the most honest answer is: both, but in the end, I couldn’t justify this as my primary car. As a second or third car, once I’d acquired a practical daily driver and a true corner-carving sports car, this car would have a place as an inexpensive V8 thrill. On the other hand, there are many cars out there that engender nearly as much or more nostalgia, emotion and passion - even if their lineages aren’t so long - in a person of my Generation X heritage, yet which do not suffer from the obvious and serious shortcomings of the Mustang. And in the end, I’d probably choose one of those for the $34,260 sticker price. But I’ll still smile whenever I see one, or when I hear its visceral call.