THERE'S no getting around it: The all-new 2005 Ford Mustang is one hot-looking automobile. Sexy as Charlize Theron in heels (or Hugh Jackman in a tuxedo, for the fairer sex), the '05 'Stang is the latest in Dearborn's "heritage" cars.
'05 Ford Mustang: '60s look - with power.
But unlike the Thunderbird, the new fastback captures the very essence of classic Mustangness, simultaneously moving the sport coupe forward while admiring its past. Gaze upon the '05 Mustang for the first time and you half expect Steve McQueen to step out from behind the wheel to check if the oil pan has survived the jumps through the mean streets of San Francisco. So convincing is the design that were the deep-green '67 Bullitt car passed through an ultra-high-speed wind tunnel, a 2005 GT would likely emerge from the other side.
Inside, there's more homage to Lee Iaccoca's original. A faux brushed metal appliqué stretches across the entire dashboard for an authentic '60s look. The gauges are surrounded by loud, where-are-the-Monkees-now chrome trim, and among the many variations available, there's a classic red-leather-on-monochromatic-black interior. And for those terminally fashion conscious, there's even an LED-illuminated gauge set that can colour-match the instruments to the interior. Or your hair colour, if you prefer.
Eventually, though, style only gets you to the street. You need power to rule it. And in listening to Phil Martens, Ford's group vice-president in charge of product creation, there's no question who the new Mustang's demographic is, or what they want from a sports coupe.
"Mustang is all about driving -- where the rubber meets the road," said Martin. "A pure performer. It (will be) the most affordable 300-horsepower car made."
The positive side of that performance/price ratio is the pony car's new engines -- a three-valve-per-cylinder version of the Triton single overhead camshaft V-8 that's also equipped with variable valve timing, and the 4.0-litre single overhead cam V-6 first seen in the Explorer.
The former is an impressive piece of kit for a base coupe, boasting 202 horsepower and an even more resolute 235 pound-feet of torque. It's the latter, however, that will grab the most attention as the GT's V-8 has 315 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm to back up its 300 horsepower at 6,000.
Neither number is going to make Corvette engineers squeamish, but judging by back-to-back 4,000 rpm-and-dump-the-clutch escapades with the '04 model at Ford's proving grounds, the new engine is decidedly healthier, willing to spin the P235/55WR17s well into second gear while the '04 could barely manage a chirp. And despite the newfangled multi-valve head and variable valve timing, the GT still sounds like a good ol' boy's V-8.
As does, surprisingly, the V-6. Far healthier than the current 3.8-litre overhead valve beast, the more modern 4.0L also manages to sound more authentic. Better not to challenge that pedestrian-looking Mustang convertible in a stoplight duel.
Even more apparent is the improvement in the GT's five-speed manual gearbox. Thanks to a new shifting linkage, the Tremec 3650 shifts with none of the cranky truculence of the current version.
Ford's conviction that Mustang owners are more drag- than road-racers is highlighted by the new car's one possible flaw. I say "possible" because the flat-as-a-pool-table 1.77-kilometre road course at the Blue Oval's proving grounds provided no opportunities to test the limitation of the Mustang's still-archaic live axle. Spruced up somewhat with an upper control arm and axle-mounted coil springs, the Mustang's solid rear axle will probably still be a limitation on bumpy roads. According to Hau Thai-Tang, chief nameplate engineer for the new Mustang, the solid axle is superior to an independent system for drag racing, something 30 per cent of Mustang owners participate in, said Thai-Tang.
Indeed, thanks to the new torque-control arm, there's virtually no wheel hop, even when the clutch is dumped at high revs. And with a new, shorter 3.55:1 rear axle ratio, the '05 'Stang is even more adept at quick launches. Nonetheless, it's worth noting that, according to Thai-Tang, engineering an independent rear system would have cost about $300 US, in the same region as the cost of the optional Shaker Audiophile stereo system with 1,000 watts.
You read that right: 1,000, ear-popping, nose-bleeding, parent-frustrating watts of hip-hop-blaring subwoofer. The Shaker system uses no less than four ported versions of the same (one in each door and two in the trunk) for a sound just a little less deafening than a 747 taking off from your living room.
What strikes me as off, though, is that most of your mobile boom-box aficionados are import-intenders, more attuned to Hondas and other relatively sophisticated sport coupes, while you hardly ever see a lowered, nitroused and Mickey Thmpsoned Mustang blaring out Tupac. So why, in fact, did Ford bother developing a 1000-watt system (when they already offer a perfectly-able-to-render-deafness 500-watt version) and not bother with the independent rear suspension? No doubt it's a question a focus group could answer.
Meanwhile, the new Mustang's interior is almost as improved as its exterior. I like the idea of being able to colour-customize the gauges, the aforementioned red-on-black interior is a classic, and the dashboard, thankfully, no longer looks like it was styled by Rambo. The rear seats are still oversized grocery-bag trays, but at least the front is somewhat roomier and the seats more supportive.
There is absolutely no doubt that this Mustang is going to be a huge hit for Ford. It's fast, relatively sophisticated (despite my reservations regarding the lack of independent rear suspension) and Ford promises it will remain affordable. And it's every bit as beautiful in the metal as it is in the pictures that have captivated us since the concept version stole our hearts.
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