- Feb 1, 2004
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Exclusive First Track Test
We've got the numbers...and they're good
Don't ask us how, but we had our way with a 2005 Mustang GT five-speed automtaic just long enough to gather real test numbers and send this pony back to the barn wet. To say we're please with the results would be like saying it'd be cool to have Jay Leno's garage keys for a day.
Here's the deal from our man behind the wheel: From a stop, the 2005 GT launches with unexpected ferocity at under two seconds to 30 mph. Normaly, this king of urgent getaway is reserved for cars with clutch pedals and DIY gear boxes. Using a brake-torquing technique at over 2000rpm, the new Pirelli tires favor a liberal amount of wheelspin, easily modulated with the throttle. The P Zero Neros hook up more readily than the Goodyear Eagles on previous Mustangs, which tend to alternately spin in vain or bog-'n'-go depending on launch rpm. The new engine revs quickly pas the indicated 6000 rpm readline and shifts just shy of the "real" 6200 limit. First, second, and third gearsl are tightly spaced and snap off upshifts nearly as rapidly as a Mercedes AMG SpeedShift automtaic. Forth and fifth gears, however, are performance-stinking black holes slowing hte otherwise energetic acceleration curve.
The 2005 GT is quicker than all but the current supercharged SVT Cobra, and, even so, only by a 0.2 to 0.3 second margin. With a 5.1 second run to 60 mph, the new Mustang outruns a compareable 1999-2004 GT four-speed automatic by nearly a full second. A same-gen five-speed manual GT managed only a 5.4 0-60 , and an automatic Mach 1 mustered a 5.6 second best. Similar story in the quter mile: THe new car's 13.6 second time is about half to a full second better. It's 99.9 mph trap speed is just shjy where most current-gen Mustangs run. We suspect the new car's deep, high-fuel-milage fourth and fifth gears are to blame.
What would a manual trans GT be good for? Estimates on automatic-to-stick-shift conversion factors vary, but this auto's close 1-2-3 gearing keeps the engien boiling, so the difference may not be as much as you think. It's safe tos ay a self-shifting GT is a sub five second runner, likely in the 4.8-4.9 second range.
In the salom, the new Mustang feels altogether more precise, predictable, and stable than the car it replaces. The firmer platform is better suited to allowing hte suspensions and tires to do thier jobs more effectively. Where the old car slides as a whole past each cone (unpredictably at that), the 2005 bites hard on intial turn-in, transfers weight in the blink of an eye, and manages rear roll-steer better. Just a hint of opposite-direction wheel input brings the rear end back in line with an authoritative snap ready for the next cone. The best run was over 66 mph, better than any previous Mustang except the race-ready Cobra R of 2000. In typical Mustang fashion, the new car lapses into terminal understeer in the slower-speed skidpad test, but still managed a Cobra like 0.84g orbit.
In case you're wondering how the new Mustang stacks up agaisnt the GTO: The American pony is faster and nimbler than the Australian-bred goat-automatic or manual-but a retest will be in order as soon as we can get our hands on the upcoming 400-horse Pontiac-Chris Walton.
We've got the numbers...and they're good
Don't ask us how, but we had our way with a 2005 Mustang GT five-speed automtaic just long enough to gather real test numbers and send this pony back to the barn wet. To say we're please with the results would be like saying it'd be cool to have Jay Leno's garage keys for a day.
Here's the deal from our man behind the wheel: From a stop, the 2005 GT launches with unexpected ferocity at under two seconds to 30 mph. Normaly, this king of urgent getaway is reserved for cars with clutch pedals and DIY gear boxes. Using a brake-torquing technique at over 2000rpm, the new Pirelli tires favor a liberal amount of wheelspin, easily modulated with the throttle. The P Zero Neros hook up more readily than the Goodyear Eagles on previous Mustangs, which tend to alternately spin in vain or bog-'n'-go depending on launch rpm. The new engine revs quickly pas the indicated 6000 rpm readline and shifts just shy of the "real" 6200 limit. First, second, and third gearsl are tightly spaced and snap off upshifts nearly as rapidly as a Mercedes AMG SpeedShift automtaic. Forth and fifth gears, however, are performance-stinking black holes slowing hte otherwise energetic acceleration curve.
The 2005 GT is quicker than all but the current supercharged SVT Cobra, and, even so, only by a 0.2 to 0.3 second margin. With a 5.1 second run to 60 mph, the new Mustang outruns a compareable 1999-2004 GT four-speed automatic by nearly a full second. A same-gen five-speed manual GT managed only a 5.4 0-60 , and an automatic Mach 1 mustered a 5.6 second best. Similar story in the quter mile: THe new car's 13.6 second time is about half to a full second better. It's 99.9 mph trap speed is just shjy where most current-gen Mustangs run. We suspect the new car's deep, high-fuel-milage fourth and fifth gears are to blame.
What would a manual trans GT be good for? Estimates on automatic-to-stick-shift conversion factors vary, but this auto's close 1-2-3 gearing keeps the engien boiling, so the difference may not be as much as you think. It's safe tos ay a self-shifting GT is a sub five second runner, likely in the 4.8-4.9 second range.
In the salom, the new Mustang feels altogether more precise, predictable, and stable than the car it replaces. The firmer platform is better suited to allowing hte suspensions and tires to do thier jobs more effectively. Where the old car slides as a whole past each cone (unpredictably at that), the 2005 bites hard on intial turn-in, transfers weight in the blink of an eye, and manages rear roll-steer better. Just a hint of opposite-direction wheel input brings the rear end back in line with an authoritative snap ready for the next cone. The best run was over 66 mph, better than any previous Mustang except the race-ready Cobra R of 2000. In typical Mustang fashion, the new car lapses into terminal understeer in the slower-speed skidpad test, but still managed a Cobra like 0.84g orbit.
In case you're wondering how the new Mustang stacks up agaisnt the GTO: The American pony is faster and nimbler than the Australian-bred goat-automatic or manual-but a retest will be in order as soon as we can get our hands on the upcoming 400-horse Pontiac-Chris Walton.
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