Review: 05 Mustang GT

[Perian]

Great idea with the review section!

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articl...mustang_gt.htm

[tom3]

Price as tested $35,865 ? Lots of cash for a Rustang. Leave most younger buyers out in the cold.

[Darc Requiem]

Originally Posted by tom3

Price as tested $35,865 ? Lots of cash for a Rustang. Leave most younger buyers out in the cold.

Well thats in Canadian dollars.

[MN12Fan]

Yeah, in U.S. dollars that number would be about 6,000 less.

[actionjack]

Originally Posted by MN12Fan

Yeah, in U.S. dollars that number would be about 6,000 less.

The base price is US dollars is $25,570.

[actionjack]

Originally Posted by Mags

Took a GT out last night- absolutely ATROCIOUS interior. The power is spectacular, the handling is suprisingly decent...even the trunk has quite a bit of useable space. But the interior uses some of the cheapest material I've seen in a car interior in my 10 years of driving- bearing in mind that my first car was an 87 Firefly. The dealer told me that the optional upgraded interior package was a lot nicer...but why the hell should someone have to option up an interior to get acceptable materials?

MF

When you are buying a car for $25,000 with a nice size V8 and all that goes with it you have to cut corners somewhere. Right?

Otherwise you have a $35,000 car instead.

Most people do not mind not having the top of the line interior for the Common 'Joe' when they can get a nicely styled and aggressive V8. If what you were saying about a nicer interior were SO important than they would do one of 3 things:

1. Buy a more expensive car with a V8 like a Corvette C6.

2. Buy an older car that is used like C5 for $25,000.

3. Not buy a muscle car and get something with a V6 BUT with a nicer interior (and join the masses).




If you understand that then you can understand why people bought the Z28 and Formula. You should also understand why someone would buy a Mustang GT.

[actionjack]

Originally Posted by Mags

Base price was 35k Canadian. To put that into perspective, down the street was an Altima SE-R for 36k Canadian with a much better interior and near equal speed plus 2 extra doors. I KNOW it's a sedan and we're talking about a pony car, but the argument of 'cutting corners' doesn't hold mustard, especially when you consider that the rest of the 05 platform isn't exactly cutting edge state of the art stuff (suspension, etc), and the 'optional' interior apparently consists of a lot of chrome (or fake chrome, I'm not sure) slathering the standard black dash. If the Mustang cost 25k Canadian, I'd agree with you wholeheartedly, but at that price, my impression was you were paying more for the exterior style than anything else...what was the previous generation GT base price?

MF

You are missing the point and I suspect you are not a Pony car fan.

I would not buy an Altima (ever). It does not have a V8.

All these blown V4s and V6 trying to be as quick as a V8 are not what I am looking for. Nor are many others. So, show me a car with a V8 for $25,000 US that has a great interior. I bet you can't. The V8 is the point.

Ever hear "No replacement for Displacement"?

My LS1 will walk all over any Altima and I could not care less about the interior and nor would 90+% of all the Pony car enthusiasts.

And the previous Mustang GT was about the same $24,000 US. And it sold as many as 120,000 units. The F-Bodies sold from 70,000 to 120,000 units.

BTW my WS6 was around $33,000 + US when new and the extra was because it is a Pontiac and it is a WS6. I love the interior also.

[Bvonscott]

Fat rear end of the mustang aside, that race would go like this:
WS6 with LS1: First
Mustang GT 05: Second
Altima SE-R:Third

Funny thing is the WS6 is several years older>!!

[syr74]

Through the 1/4 mile and through the twisties a Mustang GT is going to suck an Altima's doors and SE-R badge clean off. Enjoy the similar ride to 60mph because from there on out it is going to be all downhill for the Nissan, to the tune of a full seconds difference or more.

I have driven an Altima and my guess is somebody just wants to whine about the Mustang because the new Nissans have horrible interiors...period. The Altima is actually still one of Nissan's worst offenders in this regard in spite of it's new threads.

Somebody has a vivid imagination concerning base pricing too. In Canadian dollars the Mustang GT starts about 3k less than does the Nissan. This may not be a huge amount but it is larger than indicated above. A Mustang GT with leather and the 500watt stereo is going to run about 2k less Canadian than a base Altima SE-R.

It should also be mentioned that while the Altima offers two more doors it also offers it's hp in an ill-suited fwd chassis and is afflicted with bling-bling syndrome in the looks dept.

If 4-doors are what you need there are far better choices on the market than the Altima SE-R for similar money

[[Corporal Dan]]

Originally Posted by Mags

It'd be a good race with an SE-R which can do 0-60 in 5.5 from the reports I've read. My seat of the pants impression of the automatic SE-R says that the auto tranny is a bit slower. One bad shift from either driver in a real world situation would make the difference.

MF

0-60 in 5.5 is not realistic.

And you're forgetting the most important thing.... Altima is FWD.

FWD is reason enough to ignore.