Nice write up, I'm glad you enjoyed the Mustang. I wish I could afford an M3, but then again I am aiming to lease a brand new 335i... I guess I could consider a CPO M3 (but gas + insurance might be a deal breaker). How was the transmission? My buddy said there was a recall on the "chinese" transmission. Were you riding in an automatic 5.0? If not, how was the 6spd?
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Originally Posted by BMRLVR
I have been driving a 2012 Mustang 5.0 GT Convertible that I rented on the 25th of August and will be driving it till the 9th of September when my holidays are over.
Here is what I think of the car:
I am not a fan of the styling inside or out but the car does feel like it is fairly well put together despite the fact that some of the materials they use on the inside of it are not up to snuff in my book(My 2001 VW GTI or my GF's 08 Civic Si used nicer quality materials and had much better fit and finish on the interior). Also considering that the Mustang is a relatively large car, it doesn't have very much space inside for a big guy like me and the back seats are pretty much useless for adults.
The Engine is excellent!!! It has great low end torque yet still pulls strongly to redline. I am a big fan of this new engine and I think Ford has done a good job on the development of this engine and they have a winner here!!! If I could ask for one thing with this powerplant it would be a higher redline...... if would be great to be able to spin this thing to 8K or so...... it sure feels like it has the lungs to turn much faster.
The Chassis feels very good (even in the convertible), it is well damped, rides well and is not what I was expecting. Steering feel and communication from the tire contact patches to the driver however, is nowhere near as good as in the M3.
The long and short of this review is that although I still am not interested in buying a Mustang because I am not too fond of the interior or exterior styling...... but...... I think it is an amazing bang for the buck where performance is concerned. It has a very good chassis, and amazing engine, and is a good car for the money.
If Ford was willing to use this engine/chassis combination for a sporty sedan/coupe that was a little more understated/elegant as far as styling was concerned I might be interested (My Fiance loves the Mustang so I may end up having one of these in my garage eventually anyhow)
Congrats to all you 5.0 owners you have a kick ass ride, but it is still not a true M3 competitor in my book!!!
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