With almost as much hype as when the original was launched in 1964, to say the new Ford Mustang has been an instant sensation is like saying it can get cold in Canada during the winter.
Already the cheapest way to get your bum into a new car with 300 horsepower, adding the convertible to the line-up last spring only added to the sales boom helping make Mustang the number one selling sports
car and convertible in Canada. And just like déjà vu all over again, the Mustang's success has caused The General and Chrysler to scramble together their own modern pony-car competition in the forms of a future Camaro and Challenger, respectively.
But the new thoroughbred that came into this world in October 2004, and also happened to win the 2005 Canadian Car of the Year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, is now coming upon its first birthday. So maybe it's a good time to see if the pony-turned-yearling still deserves such bouquets.
One of the breakthroughs with the new 2005 'Stang was the light-years leap ahead in cockpit ergonomics. To me, it looks like the same levels of fit and finish that you'll find in an F-150. Not a bad thing (and a huge improvement from the last Mustang), but it does remind you of my
Mustang GT test car's $32,999 base sticker price. Additionally, it also had the $635 Interior Upgrade Package that applies a swath of faux aluminum across the dash and other parts of the interior. The $895 for the lipstick red leather seats is your call, but the seats themselves are supportive and comfortable, if not a little flat. The steering wheel tilts but doesn't telescope, but the $225 Interior Sport package makes sure it's covered in cowhide. Also hugely improved is the relationship between seat, pedals, and tiller. You now sit sport-coupe-low, not Fairmont-sedan-high. The brake and throttle pedals still need to be closer if you want to heel-and-toe. The tach and speedo are found deep in the bowels of the dash. Ford, in its attempt to go retro, made the lettering late-'60's narrow, in other words: hard to read. Wedgied in between are gauges for oil level, fuel, volts and water temperature.
The 2004 Mustang Mach I drove last year was compromised by a stiffer
ride and more road noise than a BTO tour, mainly due to a 15-year-old live-axle suspension. At the time I wrote that if you wanted a modern handling rear drive 2+2, keep in mind Mazda's RX-8, BMW's 325 Ci or Infiniti's G35 coupe.
The 2005 Mustang still doesn't surpass those competitors in refinement, but there's way less crash and bang, less suspension noise, and less jitters over bad pavement.
Much fuss was made that the new Mustang lacked an independent rear setup. But out on the road, one never experiences that ol' live rear axle bugaboo of head toss. It's really only in sharp turns when you give it the gas that you can tell, but overall chassis movements are nicely controlled.
Already the cheapest way to get your bum into a new car with 300 horsepower, adding the convertible to the line-up last spring only added to the sales boom helping make Mustang the number one selling sports
 |
| (Photo: John LeBlanc, straight-six.com) |
But the new thoroughbred that came into this world in October 2004, and also happened to win the 2005 Canadian Car of the Year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, is now coming upon its first birthday. So maybe it's a good time to see if the pony-turned-yearling still deserves such bouquets.
One of the breakthroughs with the new 2005 'Stang was the light-years leap ahead in cockpit ergonomics. To me, it looks like the same levels of fit and finish that you'll find in an F-150. Not a bad thing (and a huge improvement from the last Mustang), but it does remind you of my
 |
| (Photo: John LeBlanc, straight-six.com) |
The 2004 Mustang Mach I drove last year was compromised by a stiffer
 |
| (Photo: John LeBlanc, straight-six.com) |
The 2005 Mustang still doesn't surpass those competitors in refinement, but there's way less crash and bang, less suspension noise, and less jitters over bad pavement.
Much fuss was made that the new Mustang lacked an independent rear setup. But out on the road, one never experiences that ol' live rear axle bugaboo of head toss. It's really only in sharp turns when you give it the gas that you can tell, but overall chassis movements are nicely controlled.