![]() Ford Mustang | car review @ Top Speed. It’s official: the 2. After getting to see the myriad of preview pics, there’s now not a whole lot new to see. More Powerful, Turbocharged Mazda6 Likely, No Speed3: Camaro vs. Mustang June Update: Camaro Crumbles, Mustang Mopes: No Fixed Abode: Instrument (Panels. Dedicated to the Special and Limited Edition Mustangs from 1964 to the present. We have documented 87 general categories of Special Model Mustangs from the Mustang GT. When Ford revived the Mustang GT/CS “California Special” in 2007, who wudda thunk we would be here seven years later seeing this special edition continue. But it is refreshing to get a look at the full car. Ford has been stuck with a tough issue: how do you update a retro car? ![]() ![]() Do you follow the path of the original? If Ford did that then the 2. Mustang would bloated and on the path to have to be redesigned in 2. Focus- based Mustang II. Instead Ford let its retro design mature. In 2. 00. 5 the current Mustang burst on the scene with a childlike innocence that said to the world, “Hey I’m back!” Now five years later, the car has matured into a teenager. It still looks very much like the happy child you once knew, but now his brow has permanently furrowed, and he’s more aggressive. Everything on the outside of the car has gotten sleeker. The turn indicators have been incorporated into the design, the fog light fit in the grille better, the tail lamps have more curves, and the interior materials no longer have a shine that makes it look like it came from the dollar store. But these are minor improvements. What makes this a new car worth getting excited about is how it feels. Quick 0-60 run in my 2010 Ford Mustang GT (5-speed manual).-Borla exhausts-Steeda CAI (c) 2013 Kat the Foxtaur. Ford Mustang (fifth generation) Overview; Manufacturer: Ford: Production: 2004–2014: Model years: 2005–2014: Assembly: Flat Rock, Michigan: Designer: Sid. Ford had put the 2. Mustang on an all- new platform (it’s first in about 2. Mustang is Ford’s first chance at tweaking the chassis after five years of road development. The car still has an archaic live rear- axle, but now the set up is three- link rear suspension with a panhard bar. It’s not a rocket science leap forward, but it should keep the rear end in line while going fast on the streets. The interior doesn’t change much in appearance or layout. If you ever want to not feel special in a Ford Mustang convertible, drive one in Hollywood. That is where we tested this bangin’ yellow 2015 Mustang GT ragtop. We compare the 2011 Ford Mustang GT and 2010 Camaro SS coupes, two performance legends still locked in combat after 40 years. Includes performance data and. Ford has been stuck with a tough issue: how do you update a retro car? Do you follow the path of the original? If Ford did that then the 2010 Mustang would bloated. The California Special GT/CS package makes its return on the 2016 Ford Mustang, and we spent this week with it on our favorite back roads having fun, even. It’s tough to stray to far from the original in a retro car. But as mentioned before, the materials are significantly upgraded. While it may look nice, the simple feel of sturdy materials makes the Mustang feel less like an economy car. The 2. 01. 0 Mustang will be initially offered with a choice of two engines: a 4. V6 (carryover from the 2. V8 (upgraded from the 2. GT) with cold air induction that delivers 3. Both engines are mated to a standard 5- speed manual transmission. ![]() Pricing shouldn’t stray too far from the original car, which means sticker prices of a little over $2. Mustang GT. Full details in the press release after the jump. Press release. Lessons learned on the track and from specialty Mustangs mean even more fun for drivers of the new 2. Ford Mustang – especially those who want to customize their powertrains. Available for the 2. Mustang are a 4. 0- liter V- 6 engine, which is rated at 2. V- 8 engine, which is rated at 3. Each is mated to five- speed manual or five- speed automatic transmissions.“We have fantastic engines,” said Chief Nameplate Engineer Paul Randle. “Our 4. V- 8 engine has won ‘Ward’s 1. Best’ for our years in a row and is the most- accessorized engine in the marketplace. Plus, Mustang customers love to personalize their cars, and our engine platforms allow them to do that.”The Ford team uses advances gained through programs such as the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge and special editions to improve the 2. Mustang. Improvements inspired by the Bullitt program, for instance, are seen on the genuine polished- aluminum manual transmission knob and leather- wrapped shift knob, which support a short- throw, performance- based shifter originally launched on the feature car. Horsepower gains on the V- 8 are achieved by the cold- air induction system pioneered through Ford Racing Technology. The intake is tucked behind the driver- side headlamp, mounted in an air box specific to the Mustang. Extensive sealing modifications ensure cold air from the front of the Mustang feed the engine. A true ram- air system offered on a base GT vehicle is a first for Mustang. That means more horsepower and more torque in all driving conditions,” Randle said. The redline for the V- 8 is increased 2. Both the V- 6 and V- 8 engines have larger exhaust tips, growing to 3 and 3 ½ inches, respectively, up ½ inch from the previous model. The V- 8 exhaust features polished tips.“The 2. Mustang runs great on regular fuel, and that is where we quote our peak numbers, but we also have a great dual- adaptive knock calibration that allows the 2. Mustang to run on regular fuel as well as premium fuel, and the system figures it out itself,” said powertrain supervisor Chris Roxin. “It also improves the torque of the engine in the low- to mid- rpm range.”The powertrain feel also is enhanced by intake and exhaust sound tuning that delivers Mustang’s signature sound. “All the better to hear that famous Mustang roar that’s been inspiring customers for more than four decade,” Randle said.- -- -- Technology features. The Ford Mustang, America’s favorite muscle car for nearly a half century, offers a host of new available features for 2. SYNC system, Next- Generation navigation with SIRIUS Travel Link and a reverse camera system.“We know that Mustang owners love spending as much time as possible in their cars, and we wanted to offer them the best technologies to stay connected in a safe way,” said Paul Randle, Ford Mustang chief engineer. “Adding small features such as steering wheel- mounted audio controls and big technology breakthrough including SYNC and SIRIUS Travel Link make the Mustang driving experience even more engaging.”New technology features available on the 2. Mustang include: SYNC: The voice- activated hands- free in- car communication and entertainment system developed by Ford and Microsoft. The system fully integrates most Bluetooth- enabled mobile phones and digital media players, providing customers hands- free cell phone and music selection capabilities – plus new 9. Assist and Vehicle Health Report provided with no monthly fees. Assist: When a phone is properly paired, turned on and connected to SYNC, the system is ready to assist in placing a call directly to a local 9. The key advantage of SYNC 9. Assist is speed, as calls are placed directly to local 9. Vehicle Health Report (VHR): SYNC gathers relevant information from the major vehicle control modules and packages diagnostic data into a usable format in a matter of minutes. That data packet is sent to Ford via an 8. SIRIUS Travel Link™, an industry- leading technology that, when combined with the voice- activated navigation system will provide users with real- time traffic data with accident and incident information, coast- to- coast weather data including current conditions and five- day forecasts, and fuel price information for over 1. Travel Link also offers sports scores and schedules and a listing of more than 4,5. Voice- Activated Navigation, which integrates several functions including voice recognition destination entry, climate control and SIRIUS satellite radio into one easy- to- use system, displaying them on an 8- inch touch- screen display. The navigation system’s text- to- speech function calls out street names while in route to a destination and reads incoming text messages when the system is linked to SYNC. The integrated DVD player is capable of reading CD- Audio, MP3 CDs, DVD, DVD- Audio and DVD- ROM (for digital map updates). A music jukebox function stores more than 1. The screen even can be customized with personal photos. Reverse Camera System, which mounts a small camera on the decklid spoiler that is activated when the Mustang is shifted into reverse, providing a clear view behind the vehicle. The video image is displayed in the navigation screen on Mustangs equipped with that option or in the self- dimming rearview mirror on those without the navigation system. The screen image includes an industry- first centerline and colored guides giving the driver a better perspective of the vehicle’s center point and periphery. The rearview camera system will be available on the GT Premium, V- 6 Pony Express and V- 6 Sport packages. Ambient Lighting System with My. Color™ allows drivers to customize the interior lighting of the vehicle to suit their mood. The enhanced My. Color system features seven base colors – ice blue, purple, blue, orange, red, white and green. Customers also can create 1. The driver can individually set the instrument cluster gauge background, instrument cluster “halo” lighting and the ambient lights in the front and rear footwells, cup holders, doors and the “M U S T A N G” logo in the aluminum door sills to different colors, or easily coordinate them all to the same custom color. Another clever feature standard on the 2. Mustang is Easy. Fuel™ Capless Fuel- Filler System. This industry- exclusive feature helps to reduce evaporative emissions that create smog and global warming. When fueling is completed, and the fuel pump nozzle is removed, the system automatically seals shut. Additional refinements include a new center console mounted trunk release; lockable stowage in the center floor console; covered cup holders; steering mounted audio controls; dual electronic climate control; outside temperature sensing; and remote keyless entry integrated into the key. Class- leading one- touch up and down windows continue as well.“We listened to customers and made improvements to the 2. Mustang in every way we could,” said Keith Knudsen, supervisor, Mustang vehicle architecture. Interior. The 2. 01. Mustang introduces a modern interior – rich in the all- American heritage launched nearly a half- century ago and executed in a way on par with the most premium sports cars available today.“Everything about new Mustang’s interior is first- class,” said Peter Horbury, executive director of Design, The Americas. It’s a step improvement, like going from ‘dial up’ to ‘high- speed digital.’ Our designers and engineers have created a car that is both superior and affordable – a rare combination to delight our customers.”Muscle Tension Creates Dramatic Shapes. Ford Mustang GT vs. Chevy Camaro SS Comparison Test. It's not just 2. 01. Ford Mustang GT vs. Chevrolet Camaro SS. It's Mark Donohue's Z/2. Parnelli Jones' Boss 3. Trans- Am season finale at Riverside in 1. It's Jungle Jim Liberman's Camaro facing Raymond Beadle's "Blue Max" Mustang in a Funny Car match race on a Saturday night in the summer of 1. It's Super Cobra Jet, ZL- 1, SVO, IROC, Yenko, Shelby, 1. LE, Saleen, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Bob Glidden, Lee Shepherd, Mickey Thompson, Smokey Yunick, John Force and a billion impromptu stoplight- to- stoplight grand prix races. It's the longest sustained automotive rivalry in American history and it has just boiled over. Again. The latest development in this ongoing slugfest is the introduction of the 2. Ford Mustang GT with its new DOHC 3. V8. Thanks to the new 5. V8's 4. 12- horsepower rating and a new six- speed manual, the Mustang GT is now a solid match- up with the recently reincarnated, 4. Camaro SS. To some, what's missing here is the Dodge Challenger R/T or Challenger SRT8. But the Challenger is really in a different class. It's much bigger, nowhere near as raw- nerved and doesn't necessarily attract the same sort of buyer. And prior experience means we know it would finish 3rd in an ultimately unfair comparison. So this one is heads- up — mano- a- mano. It's IL's $3. 5,4. Chevrolet Camaro SS against a $3. Ford Mustang GT yanked straight out of Ford's freshest crop of vehicles. Both have manual transmissions with six forward gears, but only the Camaro has optional Brembo front disc brakes. Detached objectivity? That's for figuring out whether the Camry or Accord is a better lease deal. Camaro vs. Mustang is a war fought across the landscape of our vehicular souls. It's how these cars feel that matters as much as what sort of numbers they generate. The Camaro and Mustang have never been more different from each other than they are now. And yet they've never been more evenly matched. Go figure. The Big Pedal on the Right. There are those who will judge this match purely on drag strip performance. OK, fine. The Camaro SS is still quicker than the Mustang GT. But not by much. On the quarter- mile at Auto Club Speedway in lush, parklike Fontana, California, IL's long- term Camaro SS whomped to 6. The full quarter- mile went by in 1. Our red Mustang GT (on all- season Pirelli P Zero Nero tires) matched the Camaro SS's blast to 6. But the quarter- mile took another two- tenths to complete with a slightly lower trap speed, 1. That's a razor- thin advantage for the Camaro and, just to throw in some additional ambiguity, we also tested another Mustang GT (this one in blue and wearing summer tires), which ripped to 6. That's the kind of razor's edge that can be measured in microns. Yeah, the straight- line performance is agonizingly close (and apparently varies car to car), but that doesn't mean the power plants of the Camaro SS and Mustang GT are clones of each other. With its advantage of 1. Camaro's 6. 2- liter LS3 V8 makes big chunks of torque down low in its power band (it peaks at 4. It's a throwback engine with great bottom- end grunt and a pretty good top end. In contrast, the Mustang GT's 5. V8 puts its deep- breathing 3. This is a 2. 1st- century V8, combining pretty good bottom- end thrust with a great top- end thrill zone. Forward Motion. Both cars run six- speed manual transmissions, but where the Camaro SS uses the Tremec TR6. Borg. Warner T- 5. Mustang is equipped with the new Getrag MT- 8. This is all to the Mustang's advantage, as the new Getrag shifts more precisely and more easily, and its 1st- to- 4th fuel- sipping "skip shift" mode is less irritating than the Tremec's. Beyond this, the Getrag box stacks its gear ratios closely, as 5th is a direct- drive 1: 1 ratio, while 6th goes deep into overdrive with a tall 0. It's all very well suited to the 5. Ford V8's personality and talents. In contrast, the Camaro's Tremec box has wider- spaced gears, with 5th a 0. Mustang box with a 0. Further pushing the Mustang's gearing advantage is a set of 3. Camaro is geared notably taller with 3. Even though the Mustang takes more technique to launch or to run around a road course, it's easier to keep its engine boiling in its sweet spot because the transmission and gearing are so much more effective at this than the Camaro's. Conversely, that massive overdrive gear ratio and tall final drive in the Camaro mean that the torque- rich Chevy V8 is barely turning 1,5. Even so, the slightly smaller displacement of the Ford V8 helps the Mustang pull out a win in fuel economy. The EPA rates the Ford at 1. Chevy's 1. 6 mpg and 2. Your numbers may vary with the rate at which you incinerate tires.)That Big Round Thing in Front of You. The most obvious difference between the Camaro's and Mustang's respective chassis is out back where the Chevy has a multilink independent suspension while the Ford retains the same sort of solid rear axle that underpinned the chariots of the Roman Legion. Ford has never tuned the Mustang's suspension better than on the '1. GT. There's a certain eagerness to how the Mustang reacts to steering inputs, as if the car just can't wait to move. Even with the traction control engaged, the Mustang GT is always dancing, ready to pounce and excited to test the limits of its P2. R1. 9 Pirelli P Zeroes. It's flat fun. As well tuned as the Mustang's solid axle is, however, it's still not an independent system. The Mustang's rear end takes its time to calm down after knocking against a pothole or bump, and this sort of skittishness can be unnerving. On the rugged freeway surfaces of Southern California, the Mustang's rear end never quite has a chance to settle in completely. It's as if the coil springs are always working back there and they want you to know it. Meanwhile the Camaro SS feels as if its summer- spec 2. R2. 0 Pirelli P Zeroes are sutured to the pavement with steel cables. The independent rear suspension produces a poised, comfortable ride the Mustang can't match, and deals with pavement hiccups almost casually. If the Mustang feels like it's skipping over the road, the Camaro feels like it's a smothering steamroller. The steering doesn't have the same giddy, light feel that you sense in the Mustang, but it's precise and quick enough. It's reassuring where the Mustang is entertaining. On the slalom course, the Mustang GT waltzes through at a respectable 6. Camaro goes full blitz at 6. At the skid pad the Mustang orbits at 0. Camaro is slightly better at 0. The Camaro may not win the argument when it comes to the sense of subjective engagement by the driver, but its handling performance is undeniably impressive. The Brembo- equipped Camaro dominates the braking zone with consistent 1. The best that the Mustang can do on its all- weather rubber is 1. We should note, however, that the blue Mustang GT with the optional Brembos and summer tires did the job in just 1. Everything Else. It's been four years since the fifth- generation Camaro appeared in concept form, so familiarity has dulled the impact of its looks. We're all used to it now. But the Camaro is truly the most aggressively styled production car available for less than six figures. And, except for maybe the 1. Corvette, GM has never had a production car that looked more like its concept car progenitor. Problem is, the Camaro's showcar appearance produces some showcar compromises. The roof is so low that even not- so- tall drivers have to make sure they don't whack their heads against it while getting in and out. Inside the cabin there are blind spots to the rear quarters that are big enough to hide the national debt, and the A- pillars are so fat you have to look around them to find a corner's apex. And the list only gets longer from there: The side mirrors are too small, the tiny trunk opening is hilariously misshapen and the doors are thick and heavy enough to knock a hole in your garage's wall. The Mustang might not pack the Camaro's visual firepower, but it's an easy car with which to live. Outward visibility is good for a car with a sloped rear window, the roof is tall enough to make ingress/egress issues irrelevant, the trunk opens down to the bumper and the doors each weigh less than a linebacker. The Mustang's outside mirrors have convex elements to mitigate blind spots, but they give up too much reflective acreage — the sub- mirrors should be optional. This red Mustang had been equipped with the "California Special" package that includes a billetlike grille, restyled bumper cover, side scoops and some tape stripes. But when you order the package, it deletes the iconic "5. What's the point of buying a 5. Skip the "Cliché Special" stuff and go for the clean Mustang GT. Inside the cabin, the Mustang truly pulls ahead of the Camaro. The interior is, by far, the Camaro's weakest element. It's a riot of gimmick styling and cheeseball plastic in there and everything feels less than satisfying to the touch. It's easy to imagine standing there at GM styling and listening to the executives as material quality is sacrificed on the altar of showcar design. Maybe if the dash design had been simplified they could have splurged for some better- grained surfaces? Maybe not. While the appearance of the Mustang's interior is nowhere near perfect, it's clearly better. The instrumentation is all grouped in front of the driver (the Camaro puts its ancillary gauges on the center console) and can be quickly scanned, the materials feel better and every switch is nicely weighted. The contours of the Mustang's front seats also fit you better, too. The bling- blingy- blingier chrome instrument surrounds should be toned down, but otherwise it's a straightforward cockpit. Through the decades neither the Camaro nor the Mustang has ever had a usable backseat. They still don't. Picking Ponies. The numbers say the 2. Mustang GT squeaks out a thin win in this comparison test. But it's a win based mostly on the personal preferences of the testers.
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