Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-52
It's still new, nothing has gone wrong so far.
I believe I have finally purchased a Mustang that is comfortable, and looks good inside and out. Performance is outstanding to say the least. Outside of the new V8 Camaro and Charger R/T and SRT, you won't find V8 powered cars this quick for anywhere near this price. The V8 Camaro of the same year has almost always been faster (and this is true today), but I always preferred the style of the Mustang.
I collect Mustangs. I own a '65 6-cylinder coupe, a '69 428 Cobra Jet, a 1969 Boss 302, a 1971 Boss 351, a 1986 GT Coupe, and a 1990 Convertible. This 201 will never demand the collector value of the Boss and Cobra- Jet models, but it may just be my favorite one yet.
Handling and ride is amazing, the Mustang has really come a long way in the past 10 years. No more jackhammer, teeth rattling, hanging on for dear life over every bump. Only the bumpiest harsh roads seem to upset it. It is a sports car, after all.
I test rove a V6 version, and I must say the car is fairly quick too. After riding in a GT I just couldn't resist. Except for city driving the V8 gets close to the same fuel mileage on the highway as the V6.
I liked the previous body style (2005-2009), but the interior just looked too cheap, gimmicky and chintzy for me. The newest body style seems to have added just the right touches to make the car look modern yet retain that bygone era of Musclecar flair. The rear seats are still cramped and useless. Some things never change.
Essentially this is the same car as the 2005, with different sheet metal, a slightly different interior and a few more horsies under the hood.
Fuel mileage is pretty good on the highway. I've averaged anywhere from 22 to 26 MPG, and the car is barely broken in yet. City mileage, unfortunately the majority of my driving, is maybe 16/17 at best. V8's are simply no good for driving around town, but I'm still smiling from ear to ear showing it off.
I do wish Ford offered a 6-speed in the GT, with a tall 6th gear. I bet my MPG's would soar. All of my previous V8 Mustangs have achieved amazingly good highway fuel economy, even my 1986 and 1990 GT's got close to 28 MPG highway at times. I boycotted the 1994 to 1998 Models, I wouldn't be seen in a car that looked to much like a Probe.
I wish that some cheap, modest performance upgrades were offered from the factory, like the Mach 1 from 2002 to 2003. If I were to spend over $45,000 on a car, I would opt for a Mercedes or Audi, not a Shelby or Barret-Jackson.
Also Ford, enough with the fake hood scoops and side scoops. If it's on a car, make it functional or don't bother. I would love to see a new Mustang GT with a Shaker Scoop.
"The V8 Camaro of the same year has almost always been faster (and this is true today), but I always preferred the style of the Mustang."
Only from 1993 up was the Camaro faster with the LT1 and LS1 engines, however the Mustang still outsold it 3 to 1. Funny thing about the current cars is the Mustang makes it to 60 in .1 seconds less than the Camaro... (4.9 vs. 4.8 seconds) which is pretty amazing since it is 111 hp less!! The Camaro is much heavier and bulkier and it is going to be really pricey with the SS package on it. The Mustang is still and always will be the best bang for the buck. I got quoted $28,300 for a 2010 GT premium so they even deal good on them compared to the inflated dealer mark-up prices on the Camaros. You are right about the drive though... best Mustang I have ever driven easily! Really hard to believe it is riding on a live axle when you drive it.
"Also Ford, enough with the fake hood scoops and side scoops. If it's on a car, make it functional or don't bother. I would love to see a new Mustang GT with a Shaker Scoop."
It's not Ford's fault people love putting fake plastic scoops and louvres on their cars. You can get the Mustang without the scoop on the hood as it has just a nice integrated raised center to cover the strut tower brace if you have one installed. You can even get the spoiler deleted which is a nice original look. I think the 2010 is a very clean looking car if you order it plain and straight forward. A shaker hood would be awesome and they may do it again, but the problem is the shaker doesn't really shake these days with the newer smoother running engines. Still a cool concept though!
"Essentially this is the same car as the 2005, with different sheet metal, a slightly different interior and a few more horsies under the hood."
Not so much. They stiffened up the car a lot, which is why it handles better than the '05-'09 models. More than just a completely new body and interior... which constitutes a pretty thorough design change in itself.
They are now offering the 2010 with shaker hood, but it just doesn't look right with the car for me, not like the 2004 mach one; now that really was nice. I had the shaker and the fake side scoops, I liked that. I would want to see a 2010 with the hood scoop, just can't seem to find a clear shot of one. I've seen the shaker and it looks lonely all by itself.
http://www.themustangnews.com/tech_09/0209-shaker-299.htm
There's a nice shot of a shaker kit for the new Mustang. The only problem with the shaker is you can't have the strut tower brace if you have the shaker, as it is in the way. Hopefully they will design around that issue soon. I think the shaker looks great, but might even be better with the blacked out hood like the old cars had.
First off, never been a fan of Mustangs.
The look is definitely nice to my eyes.
Curb weight is low for a modern car; the GT coupe is a bit under 3500lbs, very impressive.
The motors are laughable. The 4.0 V6 is crap, also a very old, low tech motor. The 4.6 V8 is not much different, low tech, and with very unimpressive power output.
Ford, stop being lazy.
"You can even get the spoiler deleted which is a nice original look. I think the 2010 is a very clean looking car if you order it plain and straight forward."
If you want a car "plain and straight forward". Why not just buy a Hyundai Accent? If you want a bland Mustang with plain steel wheels with hubcaps, no exterior trim, no spoiler and a flat, featureless hood, why even bother to buy one. Just buy a battle-ship gray Accent and no one will notice you then either.
"If you want a car "plain and straight forward". Why not just buy a Hyundai Accent? If you want a bland Mustang with plain steel wheels with hubcaps, no exterior trim, no spoiler and a flat, featureless hood, why even bother to buy one. Just buy a battle-ship gray Accent and no one will notice you then either"
What I meant was... from a designers point of view the Mustang stands up very well without all the add on and tack on crap. It looks very muscular and sleek all on its own. Why weigh it down with extras that clog the looks up and make it look cheesy when it looks good already... not to mention make it slower because it gets heavier with every tack on.
Also, if you look at the '10 Mustang, the hood is anything but flat and boring... and since they don't offer steelies on them these days, I am not sure why you'd try to rip me on that point.
Oh, and I stopped buying cars for people to notice me in a decade or two ago!! I prefer straight out performance to getting looked at by everyone. Go ahead and spend you money on good for nothing plastic add-ons because you think they are cool and will get you noticed. Then next year when every other Mustang has the same crap stuck on it, you'll be just one of many and then invisible. My plain Jane Mustang will then stand out as really cool looking and ORIGINAL and I still won't care!!
"The 4.6 V8 is not much different, low tech, and with very unimpressive power output"
Funny thing is... that "unimpressive power output" still puts the Mustang within .1 seconds in the 0-60 time against the Camaro SS with 111 more HP (4.9 vs 4.8). It then is down to the driver as to which car is faster on race day. Seems to me Ford really doesn't have to add any more power to make the Mustang perform. And what is low tech about a modular V-8? Chevy is still using a pushrod V-8...
Have you driven the '10 GT yet? Save your comments until you do. I agree the V-6 is better suited to the Explorer though.
"If you want a car "plain and straight forward". Why not just buy a Hyundai Accent? If you want a bland Mustang with plain steel wheels with hubcaps, no exterior trim, no spoiler and a flat, featureless hood, why even bother to buy one. Just buy a battle-ship gray Accent and no one will notice you then either."
Why would you assume that because someone likes a plain looking car, they don't want a plain looking performance car? So, just because they don't want tack on spoilers and hood scoops they should opt for a Hyundai?? Yeah, okay... Ever hear of flat out performance? Do you remember the Sportsroof Mustangs of '69 and '70. They were plain Jane cars with dog dish hubcaps and 428 Cobra Jet engines under the hood. The only concern was how fast they would go... not what they looked like (aside of their awesome original bodies that is). Some people just appreciate the performance side over the "hey look at me" side.
Who has bought into the whole marketing plan of "more is better?" Do those add ons make the car go faster or handle better? Actually no. Someone told you it would look cool to spend $100's or $1,000's on stuff you really don't need and you bought into it. Dealers love seeing your type coming onto their lots!!
"Stripper" Mustangs can be had. I've seen several bare-bones basic V-6's with no spoiler and the base 15" wheels left over from 2009 on dealer's lots. They're a real bargain too. I've seen them for as low as $14,999. A great price for a nice sporty car.
Wanting a Mustang without tack-on junk doesn't really mean I am looking for a "stripper" either. I'd opt of a premium GT with the upgraded interior, which is useful to me, and none of the spoilers and scoops that you see on every other Mustang out there. I just love the looks of this car without anything cluttering it up. I'd rather put the cash into other things like the 3.73 rear end and a super charger... you know the "go fast" hardware.
Every sporty car has so much tack on junk that you can buy. I used to hate the last gen. Z-28's with the plastic ground effects added to them. Just leave it as is. Let people guess which model you have. Who cares? The best Fox Body Mustang was the LX 5.0 because it was cleaner looking and a tad faster as it was about 300 pounds lighter than a GT.
To each their own. Like I said, I am not into being looked at as much as I am into performance.
I had a stock Fox 5.0 and did love the look. I'm currently looking for an affordable Fox (preferably '85 or '86) to restore. I like the 2005-2009 retro look best of all (I have a 2007), but the Fox was a nice looking car in coupe, hatchback or convertible.
I too would love another Fox body. The '85 or '86 is a nice looking car in GT or LX form. I would probably buy another, but I'd be looking for the mint example with super low miles on it. I regrettably passed up on a '91 Saleen a few years ago with 6,500 original miles on it. If I find that car for the price they sold it for again ($16,500), I will buy it in a heartbeat.
Like some others have already posted above, there is too much of the tacky add-on fake airscoops, stripes, etc. offered for this car. Dealers in my area love to stick this stuff on to their Mustangs in their inventory and then do big markups on them. A salesman explained it to me as meeting consumer demand... buyers want these things so that's what they get... no stripped down GT models unless you order direct from the factory.
As for the engine choices... meh. My only experience with the V6 was in a 2009 rental I had for the weekend and it was awful. The 2010 V8 GT 5 speed I test drove was okay, but the lack of a 6th gear in the transmission was noticeable, especially with the shorter FD that comes with the trackpack option. It's great for acceleration, but it's tiring at highway speeds and doesn't do the fuel economy any justice. I'm going to have to wait for the rumored Ecoboost twin-turbo V6 and the coyote 5.0 V8 that is supposed to come in 2011... fingers crossed!