I feel, that since I have had my Mustang seventeen months and have put on just shy of 26,000 miles, I can make a fair assessment of this vehicle. I have a laser red 5-speed GT convertible with the premium package and a beige leather interior and beige top. I will review the following aspects of the vehicle: interior and exterior styling, performance, handling and driver and passenger comfort. Along the way, I will touch on the aspects of the vehicle that I don't like and those that I really enjoy.  
 
Exterior Styling  
 
I really like the way the car looks. After parking it and walking away, I often have the urge to look over my shoulder to take another look at the vehicle. The sharp lines and coordinating (in my opinion) bright red and beige top really stand out. While the fake hood and side scoops draw a lot of flack, they do add a certain amount of flair to the car, allowing it to stand out and look a little more muscular. The 17-inch Bullitt wheels with the three stripe Mustang logo in the center are classic and add a nice throwback to the styling of the 70's. One small weakness is the that wheel wells seem too large for the 17" wheels and give, what has been described by a friend as, a 4x4 look to the car. I couldn't agree more. 18" wheels really fill the wells and make the car look even better. The lines of the car provide the driver with a high hood and shoulder line but this is acceptable to make one feel more like they're sitting in the car, despite the flat bucket seats (more on that later). The dual, stainless exhaust tips accent the rear of the vehicle, my favorite aspect of the styling is the front fascia, headlights and grille with the chrome mustang. A good compromise was made, I feel, between aggressive and sleek design options. The wrap-around headlights and indicators provide a sleek, aerodynamic appeal while the fairly sharp-cornered bumper and raked grille add a slight harshness to the smoothness of the other details. Overall the car looks great. The only downfall I can see with the exterior design is the possibility that it may look a little dated in a few years, much like the mid to late 90's Mustangs do. On a slightly similar note, one problem with the exterior of my vehicle is that the driver and passenger doors don't seem to line up flush with the rear quarter panels. While this doesn't detract from the overall styling, it's annoying none-the-less. I'm really excited about the '05 Mustang styling and it may force me to buy another one a few years down the road.  
 
Interior Styling  
 
This really is a love-hate relationship. The beige dash, carpet and leather go really well with the red exterior and beige top. I have had a number of people comment on how nice the interior of the car looks upon entering the vehicle. And, for the most part I agree. The light beige with dark brown accents provides a comfortable atmosphere in which to drive. The symmetric gauge cluster is simple, clean and easy to read and at night, it lights up with pleasing green and red hues. The center console, where the HVAC., radio and miscellaneous buttons for fog lights, traction control and rear defrost are located, also light up in the same green glow. The three HVAC. knobs are simple looking but effective. The wrap-around dash and door panels provide a decent cockpit-like feel to finish off the styling. Another nice touch is the proliferation of the galloping mustang: on the steering wheel, stitched into the driver and passenger seats, in the floor mats and on the windshield. A nice touch to impress upon the passengers that this is in fact a true American icon.  
 
The problem is, like the exterior styling, I fear the interior will also feel dated in a couple of years. The "dual arch" dash with sloping center console that transitions to the shifter bezel and armrest seems cliched. Also, while some of the materials feel good to the touch and provide a soft, almost spongy feel, others, like the door handle inserts, shifter bezel, A-pillar covers and center console panels feel like, and really are, cheap plastic. The cruise control buttons also seem like an item that has been thrifted. A few months ago, the retainer tab that keeps the on and off button in place broke, causing the button to fall off. Fit and finish is also a bit below par. The A-pillar covers don't line up well with the dash, the center console panel doesn't sit flush with the shifter bezel and the door handle inserts bow out and leave a gap between the main door panel and the insert. The last problem, with the door panel inserts, causes an annoying buzzing issue when the radio is turned up or there is a large bass hit from the speakers in the doors. And lastly, the seats for this version of the Mustang could use some attention. They provide very little lateral support such that when cornering, one is inclined to slide around a fair amount. Further, they don't look like true pony or sports car buckets but instead they are flat and unappealing. The leather seems a bit hard and the "back seat" (in quotes because its best use is as a package shelf) is done in vinyl and not leather. The head rests on the front two seats are small and because of the seat back design appear almost worthless in preventing any sort of whiplash. I don't understand the oversight here because the other versions of the Mustang: Bullitt, Mach 1 and Cobra have better leather and head rests. I'm almost inclined to say that my friend's cloth GT seats are better than mine. Even though I like leather better than cloth, it makes it hard to overlook these shortfalls. Another such short fall was at about 10,000 miles some cracking in the driver's side seat back requiring a replacement of the seat cover started to appear. Additionally, I would very much like to replace my head rests with matching Bullitt or Mach 1 restraints but I'm not sure the same color is available.  
 
Performance  
 
Performance: one of the main reasons for the purchase of this car. Does it get any better than a V8 linked to a 5 speed manual transmission? While this is highly debatable, it probably doesn't get much better than the Mustang considering the cost of the vehicle and what it was designed to do. My GT is outfitted with Ford's 4.6L 2V SOHC V8 from their modular line of eight cylinder engines and the Tremec T3650 5-speed manual transmission (as I understand it, an original Getrag design, though I may be mistaken). Horsepower is rated at 260 hp at 5250 RPM and there is 302 lb-ft of twist available at 4000 RPM. While the car pulls pretty well below 2500 RPMs, the real acceleration and power is definitely felt in the 3000-5000 RPM range. The exhaust note adds the exclamation point to the power and acceleration making the car feel a bit faster than it probably is. However, it is very easy to chirp the tires in first, second and third gears when accelerating hard. The car possesses a willingness to go from a standstill and has no problems accelerating onto an interstate or overtaking a semi at highway cruising speeds. There's an addictive quality to downshifting from fifth gear into forth or even third at these higher speeds, and watching the revs ramp up eagerly while the engine responds appropriately. The car feels just as capable cruising along at 70 to 85 mph as it does between 35 and 45 mph. Surprisingly to me, it seems that the engine would not be out of its element to cruise along at 85 mph all day long, much like the machinery under the hood of a BMW. This aspect of the engine, while pleasing, was quite surprising and unexpected. I hope the durability and dependability will live up to this notion.  
 
Another surprising and pleasing aspect to the performance of the engine was the fuel economy. Most of my driving is conservative: shifting between 2000 and 2500 RPM, with the occasional high-speed shift. With this driving, I have been able to obtain an overall fuel economy of just over 22 MPG using standard 87 octane unleaded. On longer road trips, with expressway driving, I have been able to squeeze out 27.7 MPG! This provides a range of about 400 miles; for a V8, I was impressed.  
 
The transmission does an adequate job sending the torque to the rear wheels. First gear seems short and fifth seems quite tall. Overall, the ratios seem appropriate and the transmission doesn't seem over tasked with the power and torque being sent through it. It is not perfect though. The throws, especially from forth to fifth, are quite long. It feels good for going from first to second or from third to forth, but I feel a bit over extended in the last up shift. The shifter also seems a bit notchy. I understand that these two issues can be solved with a Steeda or similar aftermarket brand shifter but I wonder if the notchyness and sometimes the difficulty of getting into a gear is the fault of the shifter or some other problem. Perhaps I worry too much but I'm concerned about the longevity of the synchros. On cold days (less than 20F) I've also experienced a strange whistling/whining noise at about 2000 RPM that I believe to be gear whine from the transmission. I haven't heard it since the weather has started warming up but this is still a concern that I may have investigated. And lastly, there's a fair amount of driveline lash that causes a clunk in some accelerating situations from low RPMs.  
 
Overall, the performance of the Mustang GT can be defined as a smile inducing, great value.  
 
Handling/Steering  
 
Some of the best handling cars that I've driven include a 1997 BMW M3, a 1991 Jetta GLI with aftermarket Pirelli tires, a 2003 Mazda 6 and surprisingly a 2002 Focus (all models, including the wagon and SVT handle quite well). While the Mustang isn't among that list of cars, it certainly is no slouch providing MacPherson struts in the front and a variable rate, Quadra shock rear suspension with Traction Lok rear axle and stabilizer bar. Some of the most fun I've had in this vehicle has been entering the freeways from cloverleaf entrance ramps. Accelerating around these slightly banked curves as the car holds its line tightly, exhibits the fact that the car has a nicely tuned suspension. The Mustang has very little body roll when attacking corners and curves but unfortunately a large amount of dive and squat is apparent when braking (slightly or hard) and accelerating.  
 
With all the torque going to the rear, the GT can be pushed into a fun over steer condition (with traction control turned off) and I've rarely encountered under steer. Two times come to mind. The most surprising and least expected, due to the good weather conditions and low speed, was most likely the result of some glazed blacktop on a two lane road. The other time involved some sand. Under steer does not seem to be much of a problem in this car. On the whole though, steering is decent and boosted sufficiently at low speeds but not as much at higher speeds providing good road feedback. The steering is tight and linear: a steering wheel input provides an expected vehicle turning output. The wheel is appropriately sized and requires about two and a half turns to go stop to stop (I'm estimating because I've never really counted). The wheel has four spokes to provide a comfortable one-handed or two-handed grip. The tilting wheel puts it at the driver's preferred angle. Unfortunately for me, the top of the wheel slightly obstructs the top of the gauges at my comfortable tilt angle.  
 
The ride is a little rough over broken pavement, expansion joints, potholes and on dirt roads. This can be attributed to the low profile 245/45ZR17 tires and somewhat aggressive suspension tuning. There is a stretch of freeway on my commute that is so bad I sometimes fear the car will rattle apart. Sometimes, body flex is apparent in the convertible due to the suspension not absorbing all road abnormalities but this can be expected in any convertible. Some axle hop can be brought about when accelerating into a turn from a stop over broken pavement. This is a definite annoying aspect of the solid rear axle. While I still have the stock tires on my car (Goodyear Eagle ZRs) they seem adequate and provide decent grip in dry and wet weather. I probably have about 10,000 miles left on them and then it will be time to get new rubber. I haven't decided what tires I will go with but I probably will not get the OE. I would like a tire with a little better traction in wet and snowy conditions, if possible.  
 
Driver/Passenger Comfort and Miscellaneous Items  
 
When it comes to the quality of cars, I would be considered picky. Squeaks and rattles drive me nuts and unfortunately, since my Mustang is a convertible, various squeaks and rattles accompany every outing in this car. If I had to complain about only one thing in this vehicle, this would be it. The list is quite long: the vibrating door handle inserts, the center HVAC vents rattle, when the blower is on, there is a rattle coming from the passenger foot well, the two rear quarter windows squeak when they're rolled up, there's a squeaking/buzzing, on occasion, from the windshield/dashboard area at speeds around 70/75 mph, there's a rattle from the passenger side A-pillar, there is a rattle coming from the passenger side rear quarter glass area (sounds like it's inside the body), when the passenger window is rolled down all the way, the headliner buzzes and lastly when driving at about 40/45 mph with the top up, sometimes there is a buzzing noise that sounds like the vinyl from the top is loose. Maybe I'm picky but none of these things should occur; though, most of these NVH issues probably would go without notice to an average customer (which I don't consider myself to be).  
 
On the whole the car is fairly comfortable to drive, providing decent visibility and fairly comfortable seating with the lumbar support. My back can get a bit sore after driving for greater than two hours which leads me to believe the seats could be better designed. Despite this small annoyance it really is a fun car for long distance driving (longest nonstop drive I've had is about five hours) and I hope to get it down to Florida on a future vacation for an extended drive.  
 
Some small annoyances but not problems I've noticed in the car include the following: Absence of a floor vent mix selection on the HVAC system (a defrost floor option is available but I try to minimize my use of this to avoid the parasitic quality of the compressor on the engine during defrost use). I wish there was a built-in compass and thermometer in the vehicle; I think it would be nice to have it incorporated with the digital odometer much like the new Explorer; further, two trip odometers would be nice, as opposed to the one offered; the glove compartment is a bit small. So small in fact that the owner's manual will not fit; because of the space needed to store the top when it's down, the trunk is shallow and not very voluminous; and lastly, as eluded to earlier, the back seat is small and only good for small adults or children.  
 
Summary  
 
Despite the small nit-picky complaints I had in the previous section, I am very pleased with this vehicle. Considering the price, performance, handling, overall fun-to-drive quotient, styling and many nice aspects of the vehicle not yet mentioned including a in-dash 6-CD 400 watt sound system, convertible top, two power points, traction control, glass rear window with a very effective defroster, and decent front seat leg room, this is a great vehicle.  
 
If you're looking for a fun-to-drive, American icon with good power and acceleration, take a look at the Ford Mustang GT. And, with the looks of the 2005 concept, this vehicle line will continue its success well into the future.  
 
