It's only March and Ford has announced they will increase production
of the 2005 Mustang to 142,000 unit this year, with expected
sales of over 80,000 more units than the 2004 model. But until
now the release of the '05 has been sluggish. Perhaps it was
a deliberate attempt by Ford to increase hype and demand, or
perhaps there were genuine supply issues (there was a stop-production
on the new 3-valve motor for some time in January.) Until
Dealerships are finally getting
good inventories of GTs, though some are still asking
way too much. |
just a couple of months ago many dealer lots were lucky to have
more than one GT in inventory. Needless to say dealerships had
been commanding outrageous
markups on the 05 Mustang. Those who wanted to be the Jones'
on the block shelled out the extra cash. Others have been waiting
patiently for the supply to increase and prices to settle near
the 25k MSRP for a base GT.
For some of us in the media it's also been a case of waiting
anxiously for the media test cars to make their rounds. Since
most of the grocery-store car magazines were first to review
these cars, we figured by now you've already read about how
the Porsche-reviewing, driving-glove wearing, editors of those
rags "enjoy the new seats" or "commend the trunk
space". Who cares. We're going to skip the token review
stuff and give you what you really want, actual impressions
and results from the street, track and dyno. We begin our review
with a smokey two tire salute. Let's go.
On the Street
If you take any previous model year Mustang, install subframe
connectors, chassis bracing, lowering springs, performance struts
and shocks, you still won't have a car as agile and well balanced
as the new
The FM review of this Windveil
Blue 2005 GT begins with a gratuitous burnout. The manual
trans car has no problems performing this task. We hear
the auto does it with even greater ease. |
Mustang GT. So many reviews of the '05 have said the same thing
that is now cliche to say that this car bears no resemblence
in handling to previous Mustangs. The previous generation Mustang
feels like it's made out of lead compared to the 05. In fact,
the new Mustang is at least 150 pounds heavier than its' predecessor,
yet it drives like it is lighther by twice that number. Previous
Mustangs all felt as if you drove the front and back end followed.
This car, with it's long 107" wheelbase and redesigned
unibody, feels as if you are driving it from the center. The
car snaps through lane changes with no sway or indeciciveness.
We can't get over the interior either. You can never go wrong
with a vacuum-chamber quiet, rattle free cabin combined with
leather, brushed aluminum, and recessed gauges in chrome bezels.
Give everyone on the interior design team promotions, except
for the guy who designed the obtuse parking brake handle. He's
fired. We also wonder if there was a big sale on Euro shift
knobs, because that's the only thing definitively un-muscle
about this car. For '06 let's give that plastic thing back to
Volvo and put in a billet aluminum ball, ala 2001 Bullitt.
At the Track
We track tested the car at our
local Wednesday night bracket event. There was one other
'05 Mustang running that night. |
Our plans were to spend a full day track testing this car with
sticky tires. Unfortunately Spring time in Northern California
means beautiful warm sunny days Monday thru Friday, followed
by torrential downpours on the days you have off or a planned
track event. We tried to extend our time with the car, but as
you'd know it there was already another media group clamoring
to take the keys. So we settled for taking the car to a Wednesday
night bracket event at our local track. Bracket events are not
the best place to determine the optimum ET a car is capable
of producing because you often are limited to two time-trial
runs before elimination rounds begin. The upside however is
there are hundreds of cars, enthusiasts and spectators. This
gave us a good opportuity to see what sort of interest the public
had in the 05 Mustang, and to scope out any other 05's that
maybe running.
The '05 has a magnetic personality,
attracting enthusiasts across all boundaries, from the
bow-tie camp to to sport compact fanatics. |
Our local track only allows DOT approved tires in the street
class, and not having enough time to round up a set of drag
radials on 17" rims, we were relegated to running on the
factory 235-55ZR17 Pirelli Nero's. We're not sure exactly why
Ford went to a smaller tire for the '05 GT, considering the
previous generation Mustang's came with wider 245-50's. We speculate
either they wanted a taller tire to fill the fender gap, or
perhaps it was to meet a fuel economy benchmark. The 235's give
up pretty quick when dealt a wide-open throttle blast off the
starting line. After some practice we got the sixty foots down
from a pathetic 2.40 to a respectable-for-radials 2.09 seconds.
Our stock 05 GT with 7000 miles and a filthy stock air-filter
ran a best of 14.3 at 99.8 mph. With a fresh air-filter as part
of a cold air intake and tune kit the performance improved to
13.8 at 102.5. We'll have more on this kit in a future article.
With the factory 3.55:1 gearing we were finishing the quarter-mile
run in 3rd gear.
This '05 GT was running 13.5 at
102.5 mph. His modifications were a K&N air-filter
and re-tuned computer. |
The driver of the black '05 GT (right) had been coming out to
bracket events regularly since purchasing the car. With consistant 2.0 short
times his car is running a consistant 13.5 at 102.5. His only
modifications were a K&N filter, removed carbon trap from
the intake duct, and a tune. As with virtually all previous
Mustangs, the factory air box and intake track are a severe
restriction to power.
Other '05 owners around the nation are also obtaining stellar
results. We're getting reports of bone-stock manual cars running
as high as 104 mph and mid to low 13's. With slicks, gears,
cold-air intakes and tune these things are running deep into
the 12's at as high as 107mph. Discounting the SVT models, there
is no previous Mustang in history running this hard in stock
form.
On the Dyno
Was our media test car a dud? Dyno
results showed lower than average power and very rich
air-fuel ratios. |
The new aluminum 4.6L 3V motor is absolutely nothing like the 4.6L 2V or 4V motors of recent years. It shares none of the torque-challanged low-end genetics. In fact
it is the variable cam timing (VCT) that makes driving this
car a unique experience that is somewhat like driving a big
cubic inch turbo car. The motor has great off-idle torque, and
pulls very hard up top. In fact we routinely found ourselves
running into the 6250rpm rev limiter because the engine showed
no signs of going flat in that range. The single over head cam
operates both sets of valves (two intake and one exhaust) using
low-profile roller-finger followers. Cam position is controlled
by an electronic solenoid that modulates oil pressure to advance
or retard the cam timing based on input from the engine’s
electronic control computer.
Ford rates the motor at 300 horsepower and 320 lb-ft. Peak horsepower
is said to be at 5750 rpm. We put the car on a Mustang Chassis
Dyno at Custom Dyno Tuning in Hayward, California. In as-delivered
form our test Mustang spun the wheels to 255 horsepower at 5150
and 277 lb-ft of torque at 4300. Granted we expect about 8-10%
lower numbers on a Mustang dyno than a Dynojet, our power curve
did not match that of other 05 Mustang's. Examining the air-fuel
ratio revealed a conservative 11.8:1 ratio up to 5100, then
a drop to 10.8:1 which continues to decline to 6000 rpm. As
a result of the rich tune, power suffers horribly, and where
we see 05's carrying a steady horsepower from 5000 to 6000 rpm,
our car drops from 255 a 5150 to 235 at 5800.
2005 Mustang GT - Manual Transmission
(Ford Media Test Vehicle)
Location: Custom Dyno Tuning Hayward,
CA (510)331-0608
Type: Mustang Dynomometer MD-1100 |
 |
The new 05's are looking to be
a huge hit amongst enthusiasts, racers and the aftermarket. |
Explanation? With a build date of August 2004 we suspect our
media car is one of the first 05's off the assembly line. Other
publications have also indicated observing very conservative
tunes on the early media cars - perhaps Ford was playing it
safe until they had more run time data on the production engines.
Whatever is the case, the dyno results hardly detracted from
our experience with the car, and the 05's coming from the dealership
seem to be holding nothing back. The dyno results we've seen
show the manual GT's to be pulling hard to 6000 with air-fuel
ratios in the 12.x range. With an aftermarket high-flow air
intake and tune they are picking up as much as 30 horsepower
to the rear-wheels. And there is more left. With Ford announcing
the new SVT GT500 Cobra
the furvor around the 2005 Mustang GT is just starting.
Like the vintage Mustangs and Fox-body Mustangs, the new S197
platform is destined to be another huge success for enthusiasts
and the aftermarket alike. 
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Every angle of this car has throwback
elements of the 65-68 2+2 Fastback. Personally, we think the
grill would look better completly blacked out. |
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The tri-bar lights and Shelby
GT-350 like sail panel window are a hit with old and new enthusiasts.
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Ford made slight changes to the popular
17" "Bullit" wheel, and it remains the standard
wheel for the GT. Though for '05 it comes wrapped in 235-55R17
Pirelli Nero's.
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The interior is a fusion of Euro
car luxury with retro blue-oval styling. You can never go
wrong with a vacuum-chamber quiet, rattle free cabin combined
with leather, brushed aluminum, and recessed gauges in chrome
bezels. |
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2005 Mustang GT
Base Price: $24,995
Price as tested: $27,995
Exterior Colors: Windveil Blue
Interior: Charcoal Leather
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POWERTRAIN AND CHASSIS
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Engine Type
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4.6L 90-degree V8; All Aluminum |
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Bore x stroke
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3.55 x 3.54/90.2 x 90.0 mm
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| Displacement |
281 cu in / 4,606 cc |
| Compression |
9.8:1 |
| Horsepower |
300 @ 5,750 rpm |
| Torque |
320 lb-ft @ 4,500 rpm |
| Redline |
6,250 rpm |
| Throttle body |
55 mm dual-bore electronic |
| Valvetrain |
SOHC, 3 valves per cylinder,
variable camshaft timing |
| Valve diameter |
Intake: 33.8 mm
Exhaust: 37.5 mm |
| Pistons |
Hypereutectic aluminum |
| Connecting rods |
Cracked powdered metal
with floating wristpins |
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Ignition
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Coil-on-plug, high-thread-insert
spark plugs. Dual knock sensors |
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Intake
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Composite shell-welded single
runner, charge motion control valves |
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Oil pump
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High-flow gerotor |
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Fuel injection
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Electronic returnless sequential |
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Oil capacity
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6.0 qts |
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Fuel capacity
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16.0 gal |
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Fuel economy
(mpg city/hwy)
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Manual: 17/25 Auto: 18/23 |
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Driveshaft
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Two-piece aluminum |
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Rear axle
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8.8-in.
3.55:1 (man)
3.33:1 (auto) |
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TRANSMISSION
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(Tremec 3650)
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I
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3.34:1
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II
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2.00:1
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III
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1.32:1
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IV
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1.00:1
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V
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0.68:1
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Reverse
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3.38:1
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5-speed automatic (5R55S)
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I
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3.25:1
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II
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2.44:1
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III
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1.55:1
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IV
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1.00:1
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V
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0.75:1
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Reverse
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3.07:1
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SUSPENSION
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Front
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Reverse-L independent MacPherson
strut, 34 mm tubular stabilizer bar |
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Rear
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Three-link solid axle with
coil springs, Panhard rod,
20 mm solid stabilizer bar |
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