The first few weeks with any hot new muscle car are pretty predictable. You take the long way to work, run errands for stuff you don't even need and perform gratuitous burnouts at every opportunity.
But when the smoke clears, is owning a car like the Mustang worth it? Can you commute in it? Can you stuff groceries in the trunk? Is it good for anything else other than annoying your neighbors and dusting off the remnants of the local Camaro club?
Those are the questions we've been asking for the last two months and we have yet to find an answer we didn't like. Whether it's pulling diaper run duty or inching through L.A. traffic, we have yet to grow tired of the Mustang's V8 rumble, its 300 horsepower or its sweet shifting five-speed.
Another slice of satisfaction stems from our Mustang's price — just $24,995 in GT Deluxe trim. For a couple grand less than a stripped down Mitsubishi Evo RS, our Mustang is equipped with a power driver's seat, antilock brakes, traction control, air conditioning and a CD player. It also rides on a set of 17-inch, cast aluminum wheels that are dead ringers for American Racing's classic Torq-Thrust D's made famous by Steve McQueen's Mustang in the cinematic masterpiece Bullitt.
The rest of the car's style isn't lost on us either. With its retro profile, signature rear quarter windows, and radial gauges this Mustang borrows heavily from the past. Since McQueen's ride was without a rear spoiler we ordered ours without one too. Not everybody on staff is sold on its throwback looks, but we've seen enough jealous glances to know it's a shape that resonates.
It's a drive that resonates too, from the engine that Editor in Chief Karl Brauer called, "the single most compelling aspect of this car" to the quick steering that allows you to pitch it through corners like there's a black '68 Charger filling your rearview mirror.
Its straight axle rear suspension can be a little clumsy on the highway and there's too much body roll for our tastes, but as one of our editors noted after a long drive, "It doesn't beat you up like the older GTs. I could drive this car everyday." Our first suggested upgrade? Replace the all-season Pirelli 235/55R17 PZero Nero tires that give up way too easily with a real set of sticky summer tires.
Even without the right rubber this Mustang can still post respectable numbers in a straight line. We clocked a 5.7 second 0-to-60 time and 14.3 seconds through the quarter mile. It can hold its own around a road course too, but like the previous model it feels big and heavy and the brakes fade quickly.
We didn't order any interior upgrades so our GT's interior has all the warmth of a DMV waiting room. There's cheap black plastic from top to bottom and the steering wheel wears an even more unappealing coat of textured rubber. A few weeks of driving around in this black hole and the upgrade package that adds metallic accents and soft touch trim starts looking like a very reasonable expense.
So the cabin looks like a typical muscle car, so what. The cut rate appearance fades from memory as soon as you hear the perfectly tuned exhaust note and grab rubber going into second for the first time. After two months we have yet to grow tired of either, and a choppy ride on the way to work or lack of grocery hooks isn't likely to change that.
Current Odometer: 2,814
Best Fuel Economy: 22.4 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 10.3 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 17.7 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: None
But when the smoke clears, is owning a car like the Mustang worth it? Can you commute in it? Can you stuff groceries in the trunk? Is it good for anything else other than annoying your neighbors and dusting off the remnants of the local Camaro club?
Those are the questions we've been asking for the last two months and we have yet to find an answer we didn't like. Whether it's pulling diaper run duty or inching through L.A. traffic, we have yet to grow tired of the Mustang's V8 rumble, its 300 horsepower or its sweet shifting five-speed.
Another slice of satisfaction stems from our Mustang's price — just $24,995 in GT Deluxe trim. For a couple grand less than a stripped down Mitsubishi Evo RS, our Mustang is equipped with a power driver's seat, antilock brakes, traction control, air conditioning and a CD player. It also rides on a set of 17-inch, cast aluminum wheels that are dead ringers for American Racing's classic Torq-Thrust D's made famous by Steve McQueen's Mustang in the cinematic masterpiece Bullitt.
The rest of the car's style isn't lost on us either. With its retro profile, signature rear quarter windows, and radial gauges this Mustang borrows heavily from the past. Since McQueen's ride was without a rear spoiler we ordered ours without one too. Not everybody on staff is sold on its throwback looks, but we've seen enough jealous glances to know it's a shape that resonates.
It's a drive that resonates too, from the engine that Editor in Chief Karl Brauer called, "the single most compelling aspect of this car" to the quick steering that allows you to pitch it through corners like there's a black '68 Charger filling your rearview mirror.
Its straight axle rear suspension can be a little clumsy on the highway and there's too much body roll for our tastes, but as one of our editors noted after a long drive, "It doesn't beat you up like the older GTs. I could drive this car everyday." Our first suggested upgrade? Replace the all-season Pirelli 235/55R17 PZero Nero tires that give up way too easily with a real set of sticky summer tires.
Even without the right rubber this Mustang can still post respectable numbers in a straight line. We clocked a 5.7 second 0-to-60 time and 14.3 seconds through the quarter mile. It can hold its own around a road course too, but like the previous model it feels big and heavy and the brakes fade quickly.
We didn't order any interior upgrades so our GT's interior has all the warmth of a DMV waiting room. There's cheap black plastic from top to bottom and the steering wheel wears an even more unappealing coat of textured rubber. A few weeks of driving around in this black hole and the upgrade package that adds metallic accents and soft touch trim starts looking like a very reasonable expense.
So the cabin looks like a typical muscle car, so what. The cut rate appearance fades from memory as soon as you hear the perfectly tuned exhaust note and grab rubber going into second for the first time. After two months we have yet to grow tired of either, and a choppy ride on the way to work or lack of grocery hooks isn't likely to change that.
Current Odometer: 2,814
Best Fuel Economy: 22.4 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 10.3 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 17.7 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: None
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