[car fanatics]

Car Fanatics
Photo: Copyright 2012 Vic Handa / Car Fanatics Forum
June 26, 2012
By: Michael Stuart

For those of you that don't know, I've just finished a week and a half with two different versions of the Mustang V6. Now, many a gearhead will walk up to you, ask you if this is a V6 or V8, and when you say V6, they'll walk away. Coming from one who has driven big block V8s and my fair share of 'lesser' small blocks, I'll tell you point blank, those guys don't get it.

There are many ways to enjoy driving, and between current V6 cars and V8s I have to state the distinction as 'You can scare your passengers in a V6. You can have them in abject terror in a V8.' The other distinction is that you can have fun on public roads in a V6. You can lose your licence insanely quick with the V8. 'Nuff said, moving right along....

Exterior

Right off the bat, I have to say that I preferred the previous version of the 'stang to the latest iteration. That said, the new version is growing on me, as many new car designs are meant to do. The Coupe has a sleek 'fastback' look to it, and the convertible, in its grey with dark grey rims and black roof looked particularly wicked.

I saw a bit of Dodge Charger in the new front end, but it works, looks aggressive and the lighting system on the convertible made it look particularly menacing.

The coupe had the white with black 'over the top' stripe, and getting behind the wheel will remind any enthusiast of the good 'ol days of muscle cars with various stripe patterns which more or less said 'thank you officer, we'll get the ticket over with now.'

The rear, particularly on those models optioned with the sequential tail lights and LED's look absolutely wicked. The 'piece de resistance' is the convertible with all the bells and whistles, which throws a Mustang symbol (think the 'bat symbol' here) on the ground on the driver and passenger side when you're motoring in the dead of night. The symbol comes from projectors at the bottom of the side view mirrors. Really, really impressive.

Interior

Absolutely a tale of two different cars here, so I'll break it down further:

Coupe

This one was all business, no bells and whistles. The Recaro seats were the best I've ever sat in, bar none, and everthing else was meant to say, 'what are you looking at, you're supposed to be DRIVING.' The display and stereo were very basic, all business, functional, but nothing more. That is absolutely just fine for those in the market for what the coupe with the sport package offered.

Convertible

This one had 'surprise and delight' down. Slam dunk. Game Over. There wasn't one thing that I could wish for in this one, other than possibly head's up display. It offered any gauge colour you could imagine. The nav had everything including real time traffic incidents and construction information. The upgraded display had a 'track use only' setting that included 0 - 60 times and on, and on, and on. The only glitch I found is that once you told it you were going to try a 0 - 60 run, you couldn't reverse out of that option in the menu. Full disclosure, I was all set to try it, but do you think I could catch a single red light at that point in my drive? The only way to get it out of that function was to shut the car off - the 'reverse' button on the wheel didn't work.

As I alluded to in my initial thread. You have not lived until you've taken a convertible out at midnight on a summer day. In this one, the nav switched to a 'negative' display that even had stars in the sky of the screen. The gauges displayed a pale green, which instantly took me back to the cars of the '70's which I grew up in. Needless to say, I didn't change any of the colours and just soaked up the vibe of this incredibly well executed interior.

For those who haven't operated a convertible top, it's very straightforward. In this car, two latches, one on the drivers side, one on the passenger side, are pulled down, then rotated toward the rear of the car. You then push the button and the car does the rest (including rolling all the windows down if you forgot), folding the top neatly behind the rear seats. To fold it up, reverse the process and make sure you hear that 'click' when you rotate the latches and you're done. My only minor 'wish list' item would be an electronic sensor to let you know when you've got it latched, as I messed it up once. You'll also need to remember to roll the windows back up (including the small rear 'quarter' glass which operates by a single button on the doors).

The Convertible had metal pedals, while the coupe made do with basic pedals. This makes absolutely no difference in the driving experience and is purely there for aesthetic purposes.

Both cars had a reasonable 2 + 2 setup where rear passengers are o.k. if they're not too big (think somewhere around 5' 7"). Any bigger than that and they won't be your friends for too long...

Performance

Let's start with a comparison to a certain Pontiac that's near and dear to my heart. The G8 GT is around 3,995 lbs and has 360 h/p. That is 11.09 lbs/hp. The Mustang V6 coupe weighs in a 3,501 lbs and has 305 h/p. That works out to 11.47 lbs per h/p. Not a big difference there. Where the difference does show up is in torque, with the Ford 3.7 turning out 280 lbs/ft and the G8 cranking out 385. That being said, real world performance isn't that far apart. Mustang V6's have broken below the 14 second mark in the quarter with 0 - 60 times in the mid 5 second range. My personal best with the G8 in the quarter mile is a 13.64. A Mustang GT with the 5.0 will manage somewhere around a 13 flat. My point here is that you are sacrificing very little performance if you opt for the V6. In addition, it accomplishes these numbers on regular fuel, whereas the Coyote requires premium.

The 6 speed manual in both the coupe and convertible was excellent. Throws were short and you need to be assertive on the 1 - 2 shift, but the feel is excellent and the clutch bites hard when you really want to get on it. It's sprung fairly strongly to go toward the centre or the 3 -4 movement, which makes the 2 -3 shift a no brainer (just push forward - don't guide it and it'll slide right into 3rd) but requires a more deliberate movement when downshifting from 6 - 5 - you have to watch you don't go 6 - 3 in error. The clutch was linear and very easy to learn with both cars having 'hill assist' which allows you to be smoother when you're launching from an incline. The car will still roll back though if you just sit there with the clutch in.

The coupe with the sport option came with a 3.31 final drive, which really kept the engine on the boil and was easier to live with (think less downshifting) than the convertible with the 2.73 gears. Both cars were strong enough to pin the passenger to the seat and the sound of the V6 working up to its 7000 rpm redline was great to listen to. Once it was time to settle down and cruise the highway, both would loaf along the in 6th below 2000 rpm at real highway speeds. The fuel penalty between the two seems to be about 1 litre/100 km - pretty modest for the additional fun it provided.

The steering, as I mentioned in the main thread, is light and didn't communicate a whole lot, but was accurate and easy to get used to. A little more weight and feel would be nice, but overall, it was very enjoyable to zip through the twisty bits of road.

Brakes in both models were very strong, easily modulated and confidence inspiring. Ford has been criticized for its brakes in a few mags, but I found them to be just fine. We obviously can't test it for repeated panic stops from 80 MPH, but unless you're tracking this car, you'll have nothing to worry about.

The suspension on the coupe was really tight, just the way I like it, without giving you a headache. The convertible was softer and it also flexed and danced more over road imperfections - the price you pay for cutting off the roof. I preferred the coupe's ride in this regard, but the convertible was just so much fun you could easily forgive this very minor and probably inherent imperfection. Body roll was minimal and I never experienced anything for which I could criticize the solid axle. All my daily drivers have independent suspensions and you wouldn't notice a difference until you're on the ragged edge. What was really nice about this car, especially the coupe, is the 'lightness' of the whole thing. At 3,500 lbs it's not a featherweight, but it really felt light on its feet and ready for anything - another benefit for going with the V6. The convertible weighs in at 3,630 lbs. The 'stang is by far the lightest of the pony cars and benefits from this in the way it drives.

Both cars were wearing Pirelli P Zero tires - wider ones on the coupe (255 versus 235). These tires provided excellent grip, chirped nicely on the 1 - 2 shift then dug in for all they were worth. Their wet grip was good for forward bite, but felt iffy for cornering in the wet. Best to take it easy in those circumstances anyway right?

Conclusion

Without a doubt, this car was the most fun of any car I've tested so far. The convertible got a lot of attention and the coupe really made me feel like I was driving one of the old school pony cars. The looks of the car are definitely growing on me, the interior choices are fantastic - from the pure functionality of the coupe with the Recaro seats to the style of the convertible with the full electronics package. What Ford has done here is let you decide what you want your Mustang to be like, from bare bones to top flight luxury, with some of our posters remarking that it almost looked like a BMW.

All gripes that I had with the car were very minor and the fun of driving it made them seem even more so. If you're looking for a powerful, excellent handling and very fun car to drive without the penalty of the V8 to your pocketbook (and possibly your driving record), you will not feel cheated by opting for the V6. To put it simply, drive one before you dismiss it - I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised.

[jspookss]

:2thumbsup:

[lengnert]

Well what can I say, Mike, but great job again!

Despite the fact that you had such nice things to say about my favorite all around car of all time; I will say that the pictures are brilliant, the write-up concise but with enough info to be useful and the comparison you gave to your personal ride interesting to read.

Kudo's to you sir AGAIN!

And believe the emoticon here, if we ever get the chance to meet up this article alone earns you several rounds of brew from me!!

[vhanda]

lengnert;214539 Wrote:Well what can I say, Mike, but great job again!

Despite the fact that you had such nice things to say about my favorite all around car of all time; I will say that the pictures are brilliant, the write-up concise but with enough info to be useful and the comparison you gave to your personal ride interesting to read.

Kudo's to you sir AGAIN!

And believe the emoticon here, if we ever get the chance to meet up this article alone earns you several rounds of brew from me!!

Thank you so much, these pictures were the best i have done with CF. So far!

Again Mike, this is a great informative write up!!

[REVolution]

Great review yet again! Excellent pictures, great detail, vhanda! Excellent job, boys!

[ArtRiX]

Nice car, nice pics and nice review! :2thumbsup:

[lengnert]

vhanda;214569 Wrote:

lengnert;214539 Wrote:Well what can I say, Mike, but great job again!

Despite the fact that you had such nice things to say about my favorite all around car of all time; I will say that the pictures are brilliant, the write-up concise but with enough info to be useful and the comparison you gave to your personal ride interesting to read.

Kudo's to you sir AGAIN!

And believe the emoticon here, if we ever get the chance to meet up this article alone earns you several rounds of brew from me!!

Thank you so much, these pictures were the best i have done with CF. So far!

Again Mike, this is a great informative write up!!

My apologies, Vic, I lumped my congratulatories on the pics in with my salute to Mike himself.

The pics were brilliant and thank you for them.

Beers for you too! LOL

[G8mike]

Thanks guys. It's just too bad mother nature didn't cooperate with us during the photo shoot so we couldn't open the top. Once again - great pics Vic.

Now, about that Camaro test drive.....

[Gixser995]

The rain might have messed with your shoot, but the pics are fantastic!

Another great review, Mike!
Ford's done a great job with the Mustang V6. I'd take it over the Camaro V6 any day.

[All-Or-Nothing]

I have to say GREAT review, and GREAT pictures.

People wondered why "earlier" reviews got hassled because of poor pics, well this explains why.

[G8mike]

All-Or-Nothing;214794 Wrote:I have to say GREAT review, and GREAT pictures.

People wondered why "earlier" reviews got hassled because of poor pics, well this explains why.

Thanks AoN!

[McLovin]

Very, very nice job. Love the creativeness with the lens.

Oh, nice writeup too.
But come on, Mustang sells itself

JK

[G8mike]

McLovin;214809 Wrote:Very, very nice job. Love the creativeness with the lens.

Oh, nice writeup too.
But come on, Mustang sells itself

JK

Indeed! Does anybody know the proportion of V6 versus V8 sales for this car?

[G8mike]

Leapt past 1,000 views in the last few days I see!

Of all the cars I've tested so far, I miss the Mustangs the most.

Now, about that Camaro.....

[lengnert]

G8mike;219809 Wrote:Leapt past 1,000 views in the last few days I see!

Of all the cars I've tested so far, I miss the Mustangs the most.

Now, about that Camaro.....

OK, but there is a "Banker's Beast" out there that is waiting for an explanation from you, Mike! LOL

I would actually be curious to read your impressions on the Camaro too.

I know a slight part of your positive connection to the Mustang came from getting some immersion into the "Mustang World". Having owned (in part, with a friend many many years ago a late 60's 'Stang for a short time) a Mustang I can appreciate that feeling. To paraphrase Martha Stewart (of all people on a car thread, but...) here,"It's a Good Thing".