Retro Mustang a kick to drive
This week, we’re behind the wheel of the 2006 Ford Mustang GT Premium Convertible, Detroit’s original Pony car. Redesigned in 2005 in a daring “retro” design that mimics the 1967 to 1969 look, the all-new Mustang debuted to much fanfare. The original canted nose, large grille and round single headlights were intact, along with similar design to the rear, including the fastback look on hardtops.
Mustang’s interior also plays host to a bevy of retro appointments, including the dual-hooded dashboard, large speedometer/tachometer instrumentation and aluminum accents. The seats are comfortable, and an interior upgrade package for $450 enhanced every aspect. Most impressive, visually, is the color accent package ($175) consisting of seats finished in crimson red, with matching red floor mats and door panel insert offset by dark charcoal dash and surrounds.
Under the hood lies GT’s motivation: a 300-horsepower, 24-valve, 320-pound-feet of torque, 4.6-liter V-8 hooked to a fine shifting and properly geared optional ($995) five-speed automatic transmission. Under acceleration, quick and direct shifts make this GT one of the best automatics we’ve driven. Best of all, if you keep your foot out of the accelerator (tough to do), you can end up with 17 city and 23 highway EPA averages. Of course, on a trip from Baltimore to Pennsylvania, we failed in our attempt to squeeze the best EPA numbers out of our tester, but did have a great time on the entrance ramps to freeways and passing when needed.
GT Premium standard features are many, including 17-inch Z rated tires, painted cast aluminum wheels, air conditioning; all the powers; cruise; 4-wheel disc ABS; traction control; fog lamps; rear spoiler; sport leather seats; and a Shaker 500 sound system. A 1,000-watt Shaker 1000 sound system is optional ($1,295), and our tester indeed had this great sounding option.
For those looking for lower pricing and less horsepower, V-6 Mustangs are very popular and come with a 4-liter V-6 producing 210 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. All Mustangs are rear-drive, just as they were when introduced in 1964.
Acceleration is excellent thanks to the V-8, with lots of low-end torque available. We timed our GT from 0-60-mph in about 6.8-seconds, which isn’t bad at all — especially for the heavier weight convertible model and its 3:31 rear gear ratio. (Five-speed manual hardtop GTs are lighter, have 3:55 gears and are much quicker.)
In the safety arena, Mustang scored very well. Front driver and passenger air bags are standard, although front seat side-impact airbags cost an additional $370, and are recommended. Full-length head curtain airbags are not available (an impossibility in the convertible but not so in the hardtop). Still, in NHTSA crash tests, the Ford Mustang earned a perfect five stars for front-impact protection and four stars for side-impact protection, so Ford has indeed addressed the safety concerns.
Mustang’s ride deserves special note, and is so much better than one of those 1968 “washboards” I remember well. In tighter turns, Mustang GT reacts well, and there is virtually no lean when pushed hard. You’ll traverse country roads in a flat and stable manner, even though Mustang still relies on a solid rear axle instead of a more modern independent setup. Hit a bump in a turn, and you’ll feel it.
The convertible top is trouble free and came with an optional boot cover ($115). Other notable options on our tester were 18-inch bright-machined painted aluminum wheels and corresponding ZR rated tires for $825 extra.
Important numbers include a wheelbase of 107.1-inches, 16-gallon fuel tank for regular 87-octane fuel, and 3,658-pound curb weight.
We really like Mustang GT, and rate it eight on a scale of one to 10. It’s truly a fun car and is waiting for you at your Ford dealership.
Likes: Retro looks, good power, regular fuel, great interior.
Dislikes: Ride could be even better with independent rear setup.