2005 Ford Mustang Premium review from North America

Dealt with a frozen parking brake twice.

- First time, no damage

- Second time, had to have the brake cable replaced because it rusted out.

One warped wheel when I bought the car.

Cracked another wheel after hitting a curb driving on ice during a snowstorm.

Bubbling under the paint on the edge of the hood from the factory, fixed under warranty.

No major issues with the car yet.

It is the Mustang V6 with leather seats and the Shaker 500 stereo; both are nice. The interior has a retro touch, but a cheap plastic feel. Then again it is just a cheap car, so I was not expecting an Audi interior.

No ABS or Traction control, which is fine 98% of the time, but as my daily driver in New England, some snow storms can be a slight hassle. I drove it last winter with factory wheels and Pirelli all season tires (from a GT Mustang) and a semi-locking differential. For the most part it was not bad in the snow once it was going, but initial takeoff and going up hill it struggled to find traction. If you know how to drive in the snow/ice, then it should be no problem.

Suspension is stiff but not unbearable. The handling is nice, but far from a European sports car. Still just has a live rear axle, which people either love or hate. After owning two front wheel drive cars prior to this, I never want to go back to FWD. I just love the classic layout: engine in the front, transmission in the middle and power to the rear. The rear wheel drive is just right.

It has a very simple 4.0l SOHC V6 with 210 HP and 240 Ft-Lb of torque. While this is under powered compared to similar displacement motors, it is enough for this car. While it does not have the sound of or ego boosting two extra cylinders it holds its own. Daily driving (mixed highway and city) I average 18-20 MPG but I do not take it slowly either. I have got it up to about 28 with long distant cruise control driving. The engine woke up with a true dual custom exhaust and Air Raid cold air intake, not to mention now it sounds a lot better than factory.

Biggest fault with this car is the automatic transmission. I just do not like that is never is in the gear I want to be in, and takes too long to down-shift for merging.

As for styling it is the best looking Mustang since the original fastback. A way to have the style of a 1967 Mustang Fastback with the modern technology all for a reasonable price. Still turns a lot of heads, and many people still commit on the car, especially an all black Mustang.