Faults:

It is a new car, but considering our experience in the past with Fords, it will most likely be like new 10 years from now.

General Comments:

The car was purchased by a family member in October of 2011. We also own a 2007 4.0 V-6 Mustang as well.

The 2011 is slightly more powerful, has a smoother ride, and handles extremely well for a basic model.

The 2011 has a nicer quality interior, although I personally prefer the more retro-style dash of the 2007. The use of softer plastic gives the car a more upscale feel.

Although Ford strayed from the retro look with the 2010 model year, the car still looks sporty, and the interior visibility is far better than the 2011 Camaro we also looked at. The Camaro was so claustrophobic we didn't even bother with a test-drive. Ford deserves credit for providing enough glass area to make the car feel more open, and providing a safer view from inside.

For a reasonably inexpensive car, the Mustang offers an incredible value. More than ample power, amazingly good handling, and a ride that has improved a lot in the past few years. Although the bare-bones basic stick-shift 2011 cost almost to the penny the same as our fully loaded automatic 2007 Pony with leather and every option, it was still an incredible bargain in today's car market. When you can blow away Japanese and European cars costing twice as much (or more) in a basic Mustang, you can understand why Ford is the new standard in performance and quality.

Faults:

Nothing. New car.

General Comments:

I had been in the car market for a good 10+ months. I was looking to get rid of my 2004 V6 Mustang, who's mileage was getting a bit up there. Having driven all sorts from Subaru's to BMW's, I came back to Ford. When they announced the 5.0 was coming back, I couldn't take it any longer, and immediately test drove a GT once they had them in stock at a dealership nearby.

The 5.0 32V V8 is incredible. It literally makes power no matter what RPM you are at, which is a nice change of pace from the German counterparts I drove where the power-band is really high 6-8k RPM's at times. For typical American roads, pushing 390 ft/lbs torque at such a low range is exactly the practicality most people look for. Start out 2nd gear, 2k RPM, and just floor it and wait for the laughter turning you into an 8 year old child.

I opted to get the 6-speed automatic, which is incredibly smooth. A kind of nuisance I find is that it attempts to shift very quick to 6th gear, trying to grab every bit of gas mileage. But open up the taps a bit, and it finally rears and growls. I would like to have some sort of middle ground with the shift points, since there are no adjustable gearbox settings.

Interior is actually rather classy coming from Ford. Plush leather and 6-way power seats all keep the driver and passengers quite comfortable, even on 200+ mile journeys. The Sync system is easy to use after you learn the voice commands, and unlike most Bluetooth hands-free systems, you can actually hear the person speaking and vice-versa. 6 months of free Sirius Satellite radio isn't a bad deal either.

The ability to change the colors on the dials and such with the Premium package are a little distracting at night. I finally settled for a white background with blue halo on mine, since my eyes seem to have a hard time adjusting.

Handling is much improved over the 2004 I previously owned (yes, I know it was a V6), and an even greater improvement over the 2005-2009 GT's I have driven. Not exactly the sportiest handling, but you get a sense that it trusts you to make the right decision. Traction control is there, but hardly invasive.