Test drove a 2006 Mustang GT tonight.

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,542
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I was picking up my car but they were washing it when I arrived so I strolled up to the new car lot to look at the new Altima, nice car BTW, too bad it has a CVT instead of an automatic. I'll have to drive one of the manual tranny versions one of these days.

Anyway, I noticed two new Mustang GTs parked nearby so I asked if either of them were sticks and one of them was (a dark grey 2006 GT with black leather interior, 5 spoke polished 18" wheels about 3k on the odometer) so I go over and get in the drivers seat and the sales guy says go ahead and start it up. So naturally, being a car nut, I did. Sounded nice and throaty so I asked him if I could take it for a drive. I gave him my license and phone number, he made a quick copy of it and gave it back to me and we were off.

A couple things I noticed right away was how big the car feels inside. You sit kind of low in it and outward vision isn't the best. It's not bad but it isn't great either.

Fun car but the drivetrain feels like there is a bit of slack in it. Kind of clunky if you don't shift smoothly. Pedal placement is good and the brakes feel pretty good too for a car this size. I know what this thing weighs, hell, my 2k3 Maxima is lighter, but in all fairness it didn't feel as heavy as it is in driving it.

The engine has loads of torque and is quite a bit of fun to drive. Clutch take up is light but you can easily feel when it starts to engage. Shifts are fairly short and precise, which is a real plus and something I hated about the old Mustangs (first upgrade any SN95 owner should do is drop in a short throw shifter).

The engine pulls strong in the first 4 gears (never got into 5th) and the car really leaps forward when you get up past 4k in the revs. If you want to really get on it you'd better be well above 3k in the revs or it will bog the engine...I quickly remembered this from having owned two of them in the past but I had forgotten it. Still, the engine feels kind of raw and has a bit of vibration that I'm not used to in the Japanese cars I've been driving for the past 6 years...god, has it been that long since I've driven a Mustang GT? I guess it has.

The car also handles well. I've read quite a bit about this car and how Ford developed it to drive hard around a track yet still be comfortable and capable of driving home after a day at the track without wearing out the tires and brakes. I think this car could be pushed hard quite a bit and still be very maintenance friendly. It felt perfectly happy at full song or just cruising along at 3k in 2nd or 3rd gear in traffic.

Of course, it couldn't be all praise right? On to the things I didn't like...the interior, it seemed cheap to me, the dash vents were particularly cheesy and the hard plastic of the dash and door panels, while better than most GM vehicles I've driven, felt cheap compared to Japanese and German cars. The seats are comfortable but lack lateral support. I think Ford's idea was to go retro, obviously, but a car that performs as this one does needs some decent sport seats.

Oh, this car had the Shaker stereo system but I never bothered to even turn it on...who could with that wonderful exhaust note reverberating around the cabin! :p


The exterior is a really nice execution of retro design though, I think Ford really hit the nail on the head with this car. It's a design that marries the best of the old with the best of the new. Driving this car made me miss my old Mustangs yet reminded me of some of the things I didn't care for at the same time. Still, the new Mustangs are great cars...the best yet and they look awesome IMO.

Note to Ford: Improve the interior and put in some better seats and you'll have a winner...oh wait, you already have a winner. Think of this as an enthusiast's heartfelt request then. ;)

BTW-This particular dealership was asking $30k for this car. I think you could get a new one for less than that...which is pretty much what I told the saleman after my test drive.
 

Hyperlite

Diamond Member
May 25, 2004
5,664
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i'm probably going to make a thread about this sometime, but the under 30K RWD category is really heating up. 350z, Mustang GT, Upcoming Camaro, Possible Barracuda...theres going to be lots of fast, loud, raw, cheap competition in the next few years.
 

Stumps

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2001
7,125
0
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I haven't driven a mustang newer than the 2003 model, so I can't comment on the newer ones, but the ones I have driven have alway felt very flimsy...especially after you hop straight in one after driving a Ford Falcons.

sure they have plenty of power, but they always feel like if you push them too hard that you will break it in half...oh and the brakes suck ass compared to a Falcon.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,542
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Originally posted by: Hyperlite
i'm probably going to make a thread about this sometime, but the under 30K RWD category is really heating up. 350z, Mustang GT, Upcoming Camaro, Possible Barracuda...theres going to be lots of fast, loud, raw, cheap competition in the next few years.

Good, that'll just drive down the cost of these cars. Personally, I think they're overpriced...especially on the used market.

I bought my '94 Mustang GT in '96 with a bit over 26k on the clock for $14k. A real bargain IMO. $30k for a used Mustang GT is highway robbery.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,542
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Originally posted by: Stumps
I haven't driven a mustang newer than the 2003 model, so I can't comment on the newer ones, but the ones I have driven have alway felt very flimsy...especially after you hop straight in one after driving a Ford Falcons.

sure they have plenty of power, but they always feel like if you push them too hard that you will break it in half...oh and the brakes suck ass compared to a Falcon.

Well, I don't mean to undermine your post but you might as well compare a Mustang to the Space Shuttle...nobody here knows what the hell a Falcon's brakes or chassis feels like.
 

Stumps

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2001
7,125
0
0
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Originally posted by: Stumps
I haven't driven a mustang newer than the 2003 model, so I can't comment on the newer ones, but the ones I have driven have alway felt very flimsy...especially after you hop straight in one after driving a Ford Falcons.

sure they have plenty of power, but they always feel like if you push them too hard that you will break it in half...oh and the brakes suck ass compared to a Falcon.

Well, I don't mean to undermine your post but you might as well compare a Mustang to the Space Shuttle...nobody here knows what the hell a Falcon's brakes or chassis feels like.

oh thats right you guys don't get any decent Fords...my bad
 

bigdog1218

Golden Member
Mar 7, 2001
1,674
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I think the new Mustangs butcher the retro look and are an abomination, but that's just my opinion.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,542
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Originally posted by: Stumps
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Originally posted by: Stumps
I haven't driven a mustang newer than the 2003 model, so I can't comment on the newer ones, but the ones I have driven have alway felt very flimsy...especially after you hop straight in one after driving a Ford Falcons.

sure they have plenty of power, but they always feel like if you push them too hard that you will break it in half...oh and the brakes suck ass compared to a Falcon.

Well, I don't mean to undermine your post but you might as well compare a Mustang to the Space Shuttle...nobody here knows what the hell a Falcon's brakes or chassis feels like.

oh thats right you guys don't get any decent Fords...my bad

You always set us up for that but the punch line is just as meaningless as the bait. :p

Might as well compare mayonnaise to vegemite. ;)
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,549
5,595
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I don't need to hear that jules. I have a hard enough time resisting getting one:p
 

Stumps

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2001
7,125
0
0
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Originally posted by: Stumps
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Originally posted by: Stumps
I haven't driven a mustang newer than the 2003 model, so I can't comment on the newer ones, but the ones I have driven have alway felt very flimsy...especially after you hop straight in one after driving a Ford Falcons.

sure they have plenty of power, but they always feel like if you push them too hard that you will break it in half...oh and the brakes suck ass compared to a Falcon.

Well, I don't mean to undermine your post but you might as well compare a Mustang to the Space Shuttle...nobody here knows what the hell a Falcon's brakes or chassis feels like.

oh thats right you guys don't get any decent Fords...my bad

You always set us up for that but the punch line is just as meaningless as the bait. :p

Might as well compare mayonnaise to vegemite. ;)

no i can't...they both taste like crap....give me some form of hot sauce instead.

 

Stumps

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2001
7,125
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Actually Jules, now that I think about it the Ford Falcon is similar to the Monaro in handling...only with less boy racer in it and more...ummm sophistication in the handling, it feels very solid and tight....the brakes are probably a bit better...but I'm not sure what brake setup is used on the US spec Monaro (Ponitac GTO), we use Brembo's on our up spec Fords and GMH's and they work a treat especially for cars that weigh in excess of 1600kg's

The engines (V8's anyway as I can't find a yank engine that compares with the Inline 6) are very similar to how the Mustang engine behaves as they are very similar units although our base model V8's are less powerful (225kw), the gearboxes are the same as what is used in the monaro (different auto though but who cares...auto's suck), same as the diff's.

pretty much the Falcon is what the monaro should have been...but then again GMH cars have always been considered boy racer cars and Aussie Fords are for those boy racer when the turn 30....

 

Estrella

Senior member
Jan 29, 2006
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0
76
I'm glad the new ones drive well. My aunt's, the generation before this one, felt like a pos with wheels when I drove it. The new ones look much nicer except a lot of them have that crappy badging along the bottom of the doors that says "mustang" in this horrible large type. The horrible type just makes the car look cheap. Seriously, it is as if the people driving their cars are retarded, or anyone for this matter, is retarded and doesn't know what the car is; "OH yeah, I drive a Mustang" or "that is a Mustang."

IMO, the guy in my apartments who has a GT got it right. He got it without all the ****** badging in this beautiful black and beautiful after market wheels. I have never really seen a recent domestic that made me slober like his.

track testing ftw!
 

fbrdphreak

Lifer
Apr 17, 2004
17,555
1
0
Thanks for the post Jules. Now that I've got my GTO, I've been wanting to go drive some Chargers, Mustangs, and Legacy GT/STI (I know not quite the same, but was another option I was considering)

Didn't you say you drove a GTO, how would you compare the two?
 

Reckoner

Lifer
Jun 11, 2004
10,851
1
81
Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Thanks for the post Jules. Now that I've got my GTO, I've been wanting to go drive some Chargers, Mustangs, and Legacy GT/STI (I know not quite the same, but was another option I was considering)

Didn't you say you drove a GTO, how would you compare the two?

Stick with the beauty of all wheel drive
 

Gunslinger08

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
13,234
2
81
I'd say this is pretty dead on, though I do actually like the interior of my car. I got the red leather upgrade, so I have a unique look. I also got the Shaker 1000 system, which was probably slightly overpriced, but it's nice to not have to tear up your brand new car to install amps and subs.

My only complaint when I got the car? Red floormats. No one wants those.
 

foghorn67

Lifer
Jan 3, 2006
11,883
63
91
Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Thanks for the post Jules. Now that I've got my GTO, I've been wanting to go drive some Chargers, Mustangs, and Legacy GT/STI (I know not quite the same, but was another option I was considering)

Didn't you say you drove a GTO, how would you compare the two?

Stick with the beauty of all wheel drive

umm, no.
 

Gunslinger08

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
13,234
2
81
Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Thanks for the post Jules. Now that I've got my GTO, I've been wanting to go drive some Chargers, Mustangs, and Legacy GT/STI (I know not quite the same, but was another option I was considering)

Didn't you say you drove a GTO, how would you compare the two?

Stick with the beauty of all wheel drive

Screw AWD. I love turning off traction control and letting the rear end break loose.
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,380
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the hard plastic of the dash and door panels, while better than most GM vehicles I've driven, felt cheap compared to Japanese and German cars.
dashboard strokers anonymous is going to have a meeting soon, i suggest you come.

as for the brakes feeling 'pretty good' for a car of 'this size,' it only weighs 15 lbs more than that porker IS250 sitting in your driveway.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,542
921
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Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Thanks for the post Jules. Now that I've got my GTO, I've been wanting to go drive some Chargers, Mustangs, and Legacy GT/STI (I know not quite the same, but was another option I was considering)

Didn't you say you drove a GTO, how would you compare the two?

I have driven the GTO. In all fairness though the GTO I drove was an auto and it had aftermarket wheels on it that didn't work at all with the car. It had a lot of power but it didn't feel as confidence inspiring as the Mustang GT IMO. I never had the chance to really push it in the turns and I think you can set a manual car in a turn better than an auto if you know what I mean. I liked the seats in the GTO but the rest of the car was kind of meh...except for the engine. I would have liked to have driven a stick as I've never really driven a GM stick before.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,542
921
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Originally posted by: ElFenix
the hard plastic of the dash and door panels, while better than most GM vehicles I've driven, felt cheap compared to Japanese and German cars.
dashboard strokers anonymous is going to have a meeting soon, i suggest you come.

as for the brakes feeling 'pretty good' for a car of 'this size,' it only weighs 15 lbs more than that porker IS250 sitting in your driveway.

I got news for you...the brakes on the IS are waaay better than the Mustang. Since you brought it up.