2007 Convertible Mustang GT

[kodos78]

Background
Well, I got rid of the SRT4 a few days ago.
Loved the car, but it was a one trick pony. Handled great, wonderful power due to the perfectly matched turbo and torquey 4 cylinder.

But I missed having a V8.
I also wanted a convertible.
I just finished paying off the SRT.
I needed new tires for the SRT.
Registration was almost up.

All those things conspired to give me 'new car itch'. Also conspired to give my wife heartburn I think. You see, she never did care for my choice of cars. Not even the Corvette which we had when we were dating up to the point where my son arrived.

She did like the CTS I got her, which we had to get rid of for the Explorer. She likes the Explorer as well.

The SRT4? Not so much. She hated going in that thing, even when my son (2.5) would beg to go in "Daddy's Fast Red Car" when we would go to Grandma's house.

Looking at the field (a recent pay raise didn't hurt) of vehicles I couldn't make up my mind. I was toying with the idea of keeping the SRT and leasing a 'fun vehicle'. Unfortunately the residuals on performance cars conspires to keep their lease rates in the stratosphere.

So buying it was.

I started looking at the SRT8 line. Problems? Gas guzzler tax (tack on another $2k), and lack of a stick shift.

I also started getting the itch for a drop top. I've had t-tops, targa-tops, sunroofs and coupes, but never have I had a drop top.

If my requirements were: V8 with a stick shift and a drop top, with two seats in the back for child seats that really only left one vehicle this side of $60k.

And thanks to the lack of a Camaro/Firebird. That one vehicle is the Ford Mustang GT.

I did a lot of research online and used Ford's handy vehicle locator to find one in the color and interior combo that I wanted.

4 hours later (oh, the joys of buying a new car) we got one after saying our goodbyes to the SRT. The test drive impressions are not terribly important, suffice to say I bought one.

The dealer had already tinted the rear windows and installed Magnaflows on it, so I never did get the chance to hear what it sounded like stock.

Equipment
4.6L 3V V8 making 300hp.
5 speed manual transmission.
Automatic convertible top with cloth headliner, rear window defroster.
Premier Trim.
Interior upgrade package (Leather wrapped dash, charcoal aluminum panel).
Chamois Leather Interior.
Shaker 500 sound system.
Dealer installed Magnaflow exhaust system.
Tinted rear window.
17" Wheels (they didn't have my combo with the 18" Wheels)
Manufacturer's Warranty: 5/60,000 limited powertrain. 3/36,000 bumper to bumper.
3.55 Axle ratio.
Heated Seats.
Convertible Boot Cover.
Front Seat Side Airbags.

MSRP: $34k
Paid: $32k

Impressions
After looking at a sea of Mustangs, the GT does stand out slightly. Most V6 Mustangs look like they have droopy eyes. The simple addition of the Fog Lamps helps with the GT. Not to mention the larger standard wheels and slightly more agressive rear end thanks to the dual exhausts, spoiler, and GT badging.

Still, I think the car looks worst from its side profile. Something doesn't quite 'click' for me. But overall, the look is great. It is a blank canvas waiting for personalization. No two customized Mustangs look alike. And I don't mean ricer style personalization. I mean, painted stripes, shaker hoods, exhaust systems, superchargers, meaty tires, etc...

The interior was a potential problem for me. I've seen lots of pictures on the net of the shiny upper half dashboard with its hard plastic and rough texture. With the bottom half being 'corporate Ford'. The T-Bar transmission lever on the automatics looked pretty bad, but fortunately I was getting a stick which looked great.

Fortunately the new Interior Upgrade package with leather wrapped dash and the charcoal aluminum panel fixed those problems. The black with Chamois interior is a real treat. Looks like a much more expensive car than it is. Really classy.

Getting into the car is less of an effort than getting into the late F-Bodies, but more of a chore than getting into your typical grocery getter. You sit relatively low to the ground compared to my memories of the previous Mustangs (94+). And the hood is a lot longer. It is more of a hybrid between the prior Mustangs and the F-Bodies.

The seats are nice, but they could do with more bolstering. The rear seats are actually very nice and comfortable (my wife sat in the back during the test drive) but are a pain to get into.

In fact, they are REALLY a pain if you have the electric power passenger seat as it takes forever for the electric motor to move the seat back far enough to get someone in the back. And then you have to move it back into position to get comfortable.

The speedo and tach guages are easy to read even with the chrome rings around them. The middle cluster of guages that display info about oil pressure, battery level, coolant and such are a little harder to read since they are squeezed in the middle of all that chrome. The Driver Information Center is easy to read as well.

Push in the clutch, hold down the brake pedal and start the engine. Wow! That is the nicest sounding V8 I've heard in a long time. And I had an LT1 (TransAm) and LS1 (Vette). No comparison. I don't know what this thing sounds like stock since the dealer added the Magnaflows but this is the sweetest engine note this side of a Ferrari. No bull.

No booming, no droning, no rattling, no thumping. Just a sweet tone with the hint of malice that only a V8 can provide.

Ford may not be able to make engines that make as much power as GM, but whoever tunes their exhaust sound deserves a prize.

And then you reach for the hand brake. WTH? It is wrapped in rubber. Honest to goodness rubber. Feels just nasty. It is bizarre, because the rest of the car with the upgrade package looks and feels fairly nice. But I've never been in a recent car with a worse handbrake feel. Weird. Fortunately you don't have to touch it but twice when driving.

The only other thing that felt a little cheap are the air vents. They look nice and are very functional, but they feel a little flimsy. Not that big of a deal, but there's room for improvement.

The retro cockpit looks great and is very functional. You almost don't mind the corporate radio (with Shaker 500 badging) and standard HVAC controls. The heated seats work very nicely.

And what's this? Both windows have both auto up and auto down? Great! Our '06 Explorer only has automatic windows on the drivers side, not passenger side.

And look, they added an AUX input so our iPod can hook up to it. That was a problem with the 06 Explorer and my coworker's 06 Fusion. The stereo supports AUX, but there's no line in connector in the vehicle. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Pulling out into first gear, I notice just how short the throws on the shifter are. The shifter on the SRT had tremendously long throws, so it takes a while to get used to the stubby shifter in the Mustang. Very nice, and very smooth. Not at all rubbery or mushy like the one in the SRT. It does take some getting used to however.

The V8 doesn't feel like a lot of torque is down low, but seems to explode at about 2.5k and pulls hard up to redline. I missed that with the SRT. Even though it wasn't a whole lot slower than the Mustang, the Mustang has a much higher "grin quotient".

There is a large gap between 4th gear and 5th gear. Such that at legal freeway speeds (65mph) you will have to downshift to 4th to get decent passing power.

Seems to handle fairly nice for a convertible. A little floaty (convertibles are softer than the coupes) and I am not sure yet about the limits. The brakes are decent, I've read they fade relatively easily however. But I'm not on a track. Just in the break in period for my vehicle, so no hot rodding around!

With the top up, this thing is quiet. Almost as quiet as my Corvette ('97) was. That's no lie. This thing is remarkable. With the top down, I can have a conversation with my passenger easily up to about 60mph. Then I have to raise my voice a tad, but it's still very quiet.

I am extremely happy with the convertible's performance in being a convertible. Best soft top I've ever driven in. The top goes up or down in about 15 seconds. Super easy latches.

The trunk is fairly wide but narrow. And the opening is a small shape, such that items that could fit in the trunk could never get into the trunk. It is fine for a day or weekend trip with a family or 4 however. We are able to get two umbrella strollers, and a couple of bags with a small cooler into it.

Perfect beach/picnic car.

Third Party Observations
We drove the Mustang back to Malibu where my parents were watching the kids for us. To show you just how well done the uplevel interior package is done, my mom was flabbergasted when I told her the price of the car. She thought it would be much more expensive. She drives an AMG Mercedes, and a Lexus SUV for the record. My dad was equally impressed, but I think he's always had a soft spot for Mustangs . So it was more impressive that my mom thought it was cool. When I told her I had a '95 Mustang (she's been in it many times) she didn't even correlate that these two vehicles were the same model!

I then took the vehicle to work on Monday, and I wanted to guage everyone's reactions to it. Everyone thought the car looked spectacular. The highest compliment however came from a coworker who has had his seat time in some spectacular automobiles who said that it reminded him of an M3 (engine wise).

They thought the interior was fantastic. And that the car was a lot of fun to drive. The two that I let drive it had a big grin on their faces.

Other Cars Considered
As mentioned before, the SRT8 vehicle line was considered. No stick, gas guzzler tax, and prices closer to $40k. I wanted a convertible as well, and they are only offered as sedans.

The Sky Redline and Solstice GXP were considered. I wanted to haul the family with me when we had fun, and the thoughts of leaving them behind didn't sit well with me. In addition, usable trunk space is a major concern. Plus I wanted a V8 again!

The Corvette (since I had one before) briefly tickled my fancy. But again, no rear seats and I really didn't want to spend close to $50k for a coupe, or $55k for a Convertible. I count myself as lucky to have had one before. And once the kids are older I hope to have one again.

I didn't feel like waiting for the Camaro, and then waiting for the hysteria (and gouging) to die down -- and whenever the convertible will be released, when the Mustang GT is here now.

Closing Thoughts
In short, the Mustang GT works because it hits a sweet spot that no other manufacturer has touched. Not even GM with the last two generations of F-Bodies.

While the press wails and gnashes their teeth over lack of IRS, and "only" 300hp compared to the LSx series engines, the public has responded enthusiastically. Why?

Well, Ford has a car for the mass market. If you want a "sporty" V6 Mustang with RWD and decent looks, Ford has one for around $20k. If you want a V8 coupe you can have one for $25k. If you want a convertible you can get one for $25k. A V8 convertible around $30k. AND, you can get them with stick or automatic. Unlike some *cough* Mopar.

Throw in some retro based good looks, and they have a winner.

Hopefully GM can follow Ford's formula a bit closer this time around. The prior F-Bodies were monsters in LS1 trim, but they weren't the best car for the mass market. And you have to make your money on the V6 models.

And this car has soul. LOTS of it. Maybe you don't feel it so much when looking at a modern Mustang from the outside. But while inside the car, especially with the top down you feel like you can go anywhere, do anything, and just let the cares of the world melt around you. It makes you feel like the horizons are endless, and brings back the optimism that is missing in our modern era.

Maybe that's why well done retro cars are 'in'. There's nothing cynical about them.

And when the realities of modern life (aka 405 bumper to bumper traffic) start to intrude upon you, you can get shelter by putting the top up, plugging in your iPod, feel the engine tremble through your shifter, and hear it purr and sing as you inch forward.

Just wonderful.

Snapshots
I have only taken a few photos of the car, mostly because I've been having a blast driving it, and well in two days a black car gets pretty dusty. I need to take better pics of the interior. In time, I may come back and add those photos to this gallery.

[ctaylorzl1]

awesome looking Mustang, I am usually not a fan of light colored interiors, but I absolutly love the tan on black interior! U need to post a vid so we can see the car & hear the exhaust! Cangrats on the car!

[TuffG929]

IMO definitely an upgrade

[E. Haskell]

You included pics - good job!! Enjoy the car.

[RWD60]

nice choice. can't go wrong with a black convertible with a V-8 sending 300 horses to the rear wheels.

[FoMoCo Fan]

NICE! I like the interior color combo.

[F14CRAZY]

How's the torque from this 4.6? I had a 2 valve in my '03 Mounty and I thought it sucked

[kodos78]

Torque is a lot better than I expected. The engine makes 300hp and 320lb/ft torque. So it is fairly torquey compared to the 2V engines.

I just went for a canyon carve -- and I must say that the car handles much better than my first impressions. I think I had the jitters since the car has more body roll than the SRT-4. But it seems to have LOTS of grip, and I haven't come close to an understeer (the default suspension setup is dialed in for understeer) or even have the tires grumble.

So there's a fairly large performance envelope, I just have to take my time to find the edge of it. Something hard (and stupid) to do on the streets of course.

I also launched the car for the first time this evening. Started at a stop sign, and revved to about 2.5k and slipped the clutch. Rear tires barked, the TC light blinked on for the briefest of time, and then I was off. Wow! This is the easiest RWD car in the world to launch! The suspension seems to be built for it! I compare that to my LS1 Vette which hated launching (probably the IRS + Automatic Tranny) and my LT1 TransAm (never had great tires on it, but it still didn't launch as cleanly). Shift into second, and that wonderful chirping sound follows.

The TC in particular was impressive. My last experience was with the '97 Corvette, and I understand that 10 model years have passed. But the Vette would very harshly cut off power and your car would bog down when you forgot to turn off the TC. Of course mine was before Vettes had Stability Control with Competition Mode.

*sigh*. Now I'm inside and have to finish up work, but my mind is stuck on having fun outside with the top down

Originally Posted by F14CRAZY

How's the torque from this 4.6? I had a 2 valve in my '03 Mounty and I thought it sucked

[powervette]

simply stunning, Americans know how to build cars.
I regret Mustang doesn't have IRS and interior of the recent Mustang concept, but if it had those features, it would cost 50 grand. But still, it's a beautiful car that will never get old. Very many people import themselves one to Europe, that means a lot. Kodos78 check themustangsource.com, it's a great site where you can find everything about Your car. Once again, congratulations, I am a true jealous guy!

[kodos78]

Thanks powervette. That's a great compliment coming from a continent that has discerning tastes in automobiles!

Thanks for the link, looks like a tremendous amount of information there.

[FordFan]

Love the American flag reflection on the Mustang's hood.

Nice interior color man! Love it!

Congrats and happy motoring!

[HashiriyaS14]

I thought those were 6-speeds, guess I was wrong.

Anyway, the Stang GT is one of the very best bargains in performance cars right now, you got a LOT of car for $32k.

Congrats on the nice new ride, wish I had one.