There may be some serious discussion about whether Ford’s1964 ½ Mustang or John DeLorean’s 1964 GTO was the original pony car, but make no mistake about the fact that while that question may rage on, there’s no doubt that the Mustang has had the best run over the last almost 45 years, and the 2010 GT is better then ever. With a base price of just under $31,000 you get quite a bit for your money. Case in point, the test car with $1800.00 in extras and $850.00 in destination charges the total came to only $33,725 and that is a lot of form and function for the money.
When I first saw the Sterling Gray GT sitting in my driveway, my first impression was that less is definitely more because the styling cues are pretty subtle, yet what was done made a dramatic difference. So much so that I was stopped many times in parking lots with “is that a 2010 model?’” from people, which as I say somewhat surprised me because the changes are pretty understated.
The front end does have a much more belligerent look but the most noticeable change is in the rear fascia and tail-lights. That along with 19-inch wheels, wide tires and a power bulge on the hood contributes to a better looking aggressive stance and gives the Mustang a chiseled, no-nonsense appearance that epitomizes the muscle car look. By the way, Ford brought back the sequential tail lights that first appeared on the 1967 Cougar so if you were a fan, well there you go.
Inside is updated, without losing the appeal of the original, with very nice premium trim package stitching, a new smooth one-piece albeit retro-looking instrument panel, ice blue ambient lighting, leather trimmed seats and some nice aluminum accents. The seats are firm yet comfortable and convey a sense of oneness with the car. The ergonomics are well laid out and easy to understand and use and I really like the retro looking gauge package. The Shaker 500 Audio System has all the expected technologies and the Sync Voice Activated System is very cool and easy to use however, I was plenty happy leaving the sound system off and listening to the sweet music coming from the throaty exhaust system that you only hear from good old American V8 power plants; more on that in just a bit. The Mustang GT comes with a pretty complete compliment of safety equipment including a post-crash alert system.
Power to the wheels comes for the proven 4.6 liter overhead cam V8 that develops 315 horsepower and gets to the rear wheels through a 5-speed manual transmission. I would love to see a 6th gear for better highway mileage but alas, we have to live with what we get and the 5-speed manual is certainly more fun than the 5-speed automatic. The tester added the 3.73 rear axle package which helped move the tester off the line quickly but didn’t really help the fuel economy. Fuel economy or performance….hmm, the good news is you have a choice. As I mentioned earlier, this has one of the best exhaust notes I’ve heard in a long time so I know Ford engineers spent hours working on it to get just the right sound in the cabin. It works just fine.
But let’s talk about driving this car. There are a lot of cars out there with more horsepower but I can tell you that very few of them are as much fun to drive as the Mustang GT is. There is plenty of power at your command to get on freeways and pass traffic effortlessly. The thing I found very interesting was that because it was “only” 315 horsepower, I didn’t have the urge to rip the tires off the car moving away from stops and that’s a good thing and regardless, this car will scoot off the line with the best of them.
This new Mustang is well balanced and makes handling quick and sure with wonderful flat cornering that makes driving it a blast. I don’t get to put these cars through the paces I’d like to but I will say that the little bit of “pushing” I did was really fun and I have to say I really enjoyed my week in the Mustang GT. Anyone that’s followed my reviews over the last 14 years or so pretty much know that in my heart I’m a bow-tie guy but I will say, the 2010 Mustang GT would definitely be on my wish list to own. It’s a truly cool car and again, just one of the great cars coming out of Detroit. Check it out; I think you’ll like it as much as I do. For more info on the Mustang GT click here……
