2005 Ford Mustang Review

Specifications

A New Pony Ride for the Kid in All of Us

With a roar of its engine, a red Mustang GT burst onto the stage set up in Cobo Arena, as Ford Motor Co. introduced the latest pony car in its stable at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Out of the car stepped Bill Ford Jr., the approachable looking chairman of the board and the fourth member of his family to lead the company that has his name on the building.

“If I had only one car to drive for the rest of my life, it would be a Mustang,” Ford said. “And I think this Mustang makes me even surer of saying that. What I love about this car is that it is so true to the concept car that so many of us fell in love with last year.”

The Mustang has been an icon of Ford and American car culture since it was introduced in 1964 as a 1964 ½ model. Originally based on the good-selling, if bland Ford Falcon, the car was repackaged with a long hood and short deck and sold 1 million units in its initial 18 months, far beyond the original 80,000 that was forecast for the first year.

The Mustang helped spur the “pony car” segment that included the Plymouth Barracuda, Pontiac Firebird and Chevrolet Camaro, plus in some regard the American Motors (AMC) Javelin. Of those nameplates only the Mustang has survived, having been sold to 8 million customers in 40 years.

The car has been featured in songs–such as “Mustang Sally,” written and first sung by Detroiter Mack Rice in 1965, before the Wilson Pickett version was released–and in movies like “Bullitt” where Steve McQueen races through the streets of San Francisco in a 1968 Mustang GT 390, or the 2000 release of “Gone in Sixty Seconds” with Angelina Jolie and Nicholas Cage.

The 2005 Mustang was first shown as a concept vehicle to the members of the press during a product preview in the summer of 2002 and then publicly at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show, attracting a great deal of attention. The car takes many design cues from the original 1964 ½ model as well as some from the 67 fastback.

Mustang Sallies On

The 2005 Mustang is based on an all-new platform, rather than the heavy DEW/98 chassis used by the Lincoln LS and Thunderbird, which was rumored for years.

It has “design cues that have helped define Mustangs since the 1960s–C-scoops in the sides, three-element tail lamps and a galloping horse badge in the center of the grille,” said J Mays, Ford vice president, Design. “The Mustangs menacing shark-like nose imparts an attitude not seen since the 1967 model, while jeweled, round headlamps in trapezoidal housings.”

The new Mustangs front wheels have been moved significantly forward to the corners, reducing the front overhang by 4.6 inches. Meanwhile, the wheelbase is six-inches longer.

This change seems to visually and physically better anchor the car to the road, Mays said. And, the wheelbase gain allowed Ford engineers to increase the interior space for the driver and passengers. Overall, the 2005 model is 4.4 inches longer, 1.4 inches taller and almost an inch wider than the outgoing model.

The “C-scoops” are actually designs stamped into the sheet metal, just behind the two wide doors, rather than the ornamental scoops that had been placed on previous models.

The V6 Mustang has a uniform egg-crate grille and a swept back lower fascia, incorporating horizontal vents. The GT has a more aggressive nose, with circular fog lamps in the black grille in line with the headlamps, while the lower fascia is upright, with an “air dam” performance look. Both the V6 and GT grilles feature the classic galloping pony logo.

There are small windows cut into the C-pillar, something thats been missing on the Mustang since its last major redo in 1994.

Both models have tri-bar taillamps. Then, there is a circular chrome Mustang badge centered in the rear face of the decklid, reminiscent of the days when gas caps were placed on the rear of cars. On base models, the badge features the Mustang pony while the GT gets a special GT badge. The GT also has semi-circular cutouts behind each wheel to accommodate the cars large exhaust pipe tips and a raised spoiler on the decklid.

The 2005 model will launch either with a V6 engine that produces 200-hp or the GT equipped with a 300-hp V8 and available in 16-, 17- or 18-inch wheels.

“This is a new generation of pure American muscle… and only Ford can give you a Mustang,” Mays said.

Pony Gets Power and Punch

The 3.8-liter 90-degree pushrod engine that has long been standard in the Mustang has been replaced with a new 4.0-liter, 60-degree, single-overhead-cam (SOHC) V6. The new 6-cylinder provides a boost of 7 horsepower to 200, and an extra 10 foot-pounds of torque, to 235 lb-ft, than its predecessor.

The engine is inherently smoother and more compact too, said Terry Wagner, manager, Ford Modular V8/V10 Engines.

The 2005 Mustang GTs 24-valve modular all-aluminum V8 weighs 75 pounds less than its cast iron predecessor while providing 40 more horsepower, up to 300. Also, the company notes, the new engine delivers 50 percent more power than the small-block 289-cubic-inch V8 that animated the 1964 ½ Mustang.

Both engines are paired with either a five-speed manual transmission, which comes standard or, for the first time in the pony car, a five-speed automatic. The automatic transmission has new electronic controls, communicating with engine 10 times faster than previous model for better pep and mileage.

The V8 powered GT is equipped with a rugged Tremec 3650 gearbox, while V6 cars get a Tremec T-5 box.

Strutting Its Stuff

Up front, the Mustang gets a new MacPherson-strut suspension system with reverse “L” lower control arms that reduce weight and improved steering. But, in the back, the car retains its traditional solid-rear axle instead of the independent rear suspension many had hoped for.

“We talked to a lot of Mustang owners as we were developing this program,” said Hau Thai-Tang, chief engineer on the car. “They are a very passionate group, and a lot of them told us-very strongly-that the all-new Mustang had to have a solid rear axle.”

Thai-Tang is no stranger to Mustangs. He previously served as the vehicle engineering manager for the Mustang line, and led the development and launch of the 2001 Mustang GT, V6, Cobra and 2001 Bullitt GT models.

Not all rear axles are created equal, though, Thai-Thang said. The new rear suspension has a three-link architecture with a lightweight Panhard rod that stabilizes the rear axle side-to-side as the wheels move through jounce and rebound, or controls the axle during hard cornering, he said. The shocks are located on the outside of the rear structural rails, near the wheels, reducing the lever effect of a solid rear axle.

The standard four-wheel disc brakes have some of the biggest rotors and stiffest calipers ever fitted to a Mustang, providing improved stopping power. A new four-channel antilock braking system is available for even better braking control.

Ford Upgrades Interior

With a bigger exterior, the driver and three passengers benefit too. The 2005 model offers the driver half an inch more headroom and 1.8 inches more shoulder room, while rear passengers get an added 1.1 inches of legroom and 1.2 inches more shoulder room.

“The tallest drivers in our customer base have not been fully happy with previous Mustangs,” said Keith Knudsen, package supervisor. “Weve addressed that in this all-new car, while maintaining the cockpit feel essential to a drivers car.”

“But we wanted to improve comfort for passengers, too. The extra cabin space makes a world of difference on long drives.”

Aluminum panels span the dashboard, while the instrument panel large, circular, chrome-ringed speedometer and tachometer gauges. “Performance gauges” are located on either side of a panel that provides information on fuel level, battery, oil temperature and pressure. And, with a subtle nod to those who are used to customizing the colors on their computer screen, with a push of a button, owners can change the IP lighting, creating more than 125 different color backgrounds to suit their personality, mood, outfit or whim.

“During Mustang research clinics, we noticed that many of our customers already were customizing their interiors with different instrument panel features,” explained Dean Nowicki, Ford Mustang electrical engineering team leader. “The concept display was intended to offer choices, and we just decided we wanted all the colors.”

Chrome-ringed air vents are aligned vertically across the dash, precisely in line with the gauges, and the steering wheel has three spokes with a black center hub with the pony emblem.

“This is a $30,000 interior in a $20,000 car,” said Larry Erickson, Mustang chief designer. “The functional, contemporary look of this interior and its precise execution set a new standard.”

Wired for Pulse Pounding Sound

Another trait of Mustangs is having a pulse pounding audio system and Ford provides three choices. Theres the basic 80-watt system with a single-CD player and four speakers, or the buyer can get 500 watts of peak power. Optimally a customer can opt for a system with 1,000 watts.

Both the 500- and 1,000-watt systems have an in-dash six-CD changer/MP3 player and each door has its own subwoofer in a ported enclosure that allows them to produce more “thump” than if they were housed in the bare door. The 1,000-watt Shaker Audiophile system adds a dual 500-watt ported subwoofer enclosure in the trunk.

“Its sound can be heard, as well as felt, with two door-mounted subwoofers and, in the case of the 1000-watt system, an extra two subwoofers, in the trunk,” said George Kawwas, electrical systems supervisor.

Safety Features Add to Security

Auto theft by towing has become an increasing concern, so the new Mustang is available with a new active anti-theft package that includes an inclination sensor that detects changes in the cars angle after it has been parked. If the sensor detects the angle has changed, it will sound the vehicles alarm. Then, there is an intrusion sensor that also detects window breakage during “smash-and-grab” thefts.

Fords SecuriLock is standard on the all-new Mustang in order to stop thieves from hot-wiring the ignition. The car will only start and run when the electronic code in the ignition key matches a code programmed into the vehicle.

The powered windows are equipped with a “global open and close” feature that allows the driver to hold down on the unlock button to lower all windows while turning and holding the key in the lock raises them.

The chassis is also 31 percent stiffer, meaning that a twisting force of 15,500 foot-pounds can only deform the body by one degree, improving handling. And, the chassis front structure has been designed to absorb more energy in a collision and dissipate as much as possible before it reaches the passenger compartment.

Without a doubt the 2005 Mustang will be a giant seller, repositioning Ford among the more desirable nameplates for performance enthusiasts as well as those who just appreciate good sporty styling.