Man, talk about bad timing. Just days after the Leftlane garage scheduled time to sample a 2010 Ford Mustang GT swathed in wow-look-at-me Grabber Blue paint, the Blue Oval crew officially announced that the 2011 ‘Stang would get a Camaro-challenging 412 horsepower, 390 lb-ft. 5.0-liter V8.
We haven’t driven the 2011, but we’ve poked around under the hood, slapped the new six-speed stick through the gears and quizzed Ford’s engineers; the five-oh Coyote will unquestionably be one hell of a powertrain when it reaches production later this year. Sure, it doesn’t top the Camaro’s 426 horsepower or 420 lb-ft., but the 2011 Mustang weighs a comparatively lithe 3,600 lbs., giving it a power-to-weight edge.
So it was with some trepidation that we accepted the keys to our 4.6-liter 2010 Mustang GT test car. The evergreen modular V8 is nearing its 20 year anniversary, and while it got a modest pony upgrade for 2010, the reborn Camaro is clearly the spec sheet champion in the pony car class – for now.
Still, a shiny blue, refreshed-for-2010 Mustang beckoned, so we settled into the redesigned interior and made a nostalgic journey through all five forward gears. It’s kind of like going out on a date with a cute librarian tonight when Eva Longoria is coming over for dinner tomorrow.
Solid bones
While next year’s car gets a new engine and transmission, the basic Mustang refresh that debuted about a year ago as a very early 2010 model essentially carries over – and that’s no bad thing.
When this platform arrived for 2005, Ford took a decidedly retro approach. Stylistically, the then-fresh look clearly emulated the groundbreaking first generation Mustang fastbacks. For 2010, Ford updated the Mustang with a snarling front fascia and trick tail lamps designed to make us recall the 1969’s design language. The nose is tighter and visually lower, while the head lamps take on a pair of inset orange turn signals. Out back, the tail lamps are more heavily styled and the rear bumper and trunk lid jut out more. Mercifully, Ford has shrunk both the size and the availability of the rear spoiler; previous spoilers added nothing to the Mustang’s style.
A year after it first hit showrooms, the Mustang continues to draw stares. Our tester didn’t garner near the attention of the more daring Camaro, but the Grabber Blue paint scheme received plenty compliments and thumbs up (for once, that was the only extended finger we saw all week).
When the Mustang first got its current underpinnings back in 2005, the retro-styled interior was less-than-impressive. It combined rock hard plastics with mid-1990s-style Ford switchgear to create an atmosphere about as inviting as a Soviet checkpoint. The 2005 Mustang was a looker on the outside only.
For 2010, Ford kept the same basic dual cowl theme insie but added in soft touch materials and higher quality controls for the center stack. The look isn’t as imaginative as the Camaro, but it’s screwed together with nicer materials and it’s way more convenient to use. Only a tricky-to-open center console lid and some laughably cheap plastic on the tops of the door panels really let the Mustang down inside.
Unlike the Camaro, the Mustang makes a genuinely comfortable daily driver. Visibility is good for a low-slung sports coupe and the seating position is more like “shallow bowl” than the Camaro’s “deep hot tub.” Throw in the redesigned and firmly supportive front seats and the Mustang makes a perfectly acceptable daily driver for those who don’t need space for more than one copilot.
The Mod Squad
Without a doubt, the Mustang GT is down on torque and power compared to its rivals. But if you absolutely must buy a sports car with a V8 today, we won’t talk you out of this one. The 2010 Mustang is the final swan song for this powertrain – well, you can keep buying a detuned, two-valve 4.6 in the Mercury Grand Marquis, Ford’s rear-drive hot rod sedan offering.
The 4.6-liter three-valve unit in the Mustang is smooth and sonorous thanks to a trick tube that pipes intake noise into the cabin, and while it won’t provide the rush of performance found in the Camaro, the Mustang is still plenty quick. Moreover, it’s a genuine pleasure to drive thanks to the re-engineered five-speed manual transmission. Clutch takeup was predictable and sufficiently light for traffic driving, while the transmission itself was much improved over previous Mustangs. It’s not quite as “snick-snick” smooth as a more dedicated sports car, but it suits the Mustang’s more brutish character.
But it ain’t 412 horsepower and it doesn’t have six speeds.
It also won’t outrun a Camaro, but it’s way more fun to drive in the twisties. The Mustang weighs in at about 3,533 lbs, about 300 shy of that dastardly Camaro, but the difference felt even greater. With precise steering and a well-damped but firm ride, the Mustang was positively a blast to throw through the corners. It exhibited predictable but tossable handling and almost never reminded us that it uses a solid rear axle out back. On the highway, our media test car had some excessive gear whine, but that was probably attributable to 9,000 miles of hard driving by our fellow auto scribes.
Leftlane’s bottom line
Buy a Mustang GT today and we promise you’ll be happy – just don’t read our review of the 2011 model. And, for that matter, skip our review of the 2011 Mustang V6, since it offers just about as much power and torque with better fuel economy than the current GT.
We can only imagine what these new powertrains will do for the Mustang. The basic platform is darn near perfect for a modern day ponycar, and it’s one we’ll take over the Camaro for anything other than a straight-line acceleration challenge.
Our only question: Why didn’t the 2010 Mustang get the new powertrain? This isn’t the first time Ford has launched an “almost there” car only to follow it up the next year with something even better.
2010 Ford Mustang GT Premium base price, $30,995. As tested, $33,830.
Rapid Spec 401A, $395; 19-inch alloy wheels, $1,095; 3.73 rear axle, $495; Destination, $850.
Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.
Special thanks to the Cavanaugh Flight Museum for letting our Mustang mingle with their Republic F-105F Thunderchief, one of the many amazing aircraft on display. Contact them at 972-380-8800.
01/27, 1:49 PM
posted by:
Auto X
I wonder how much the sticker on these will drop when the 2011 comes out
01/27, 2:00 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
I suppose I’m going to have to get Grabber Blue on my next ‘Stang so that my Grabber Orange Ranger doesn’t get lonely. My only reservation is that it’s definitely one of those cop-magnet colors.
01/27, 2:04 PM
posted by:
The Realist
I feel bad for all of the utter fools that were suckered into a 2010 Mustang appliance.
But, why is Ford slow and lazy? Why didn’t they introduce the new engines in the 2010 model like they should have?
This sort of inexcusable foolishness is why Ford needs to get rig of Big Al. He is incompetent. Look at the Fiesta…it’s like GM and the Camaro. Release the car and then take another few years actually getting it into production. And they are making the same mistake with the hideous 2012 Focus.
01/27, 2:05 PM
posted by:
Andrew Ganz
Sorry about the formatting when we first published the article… the intertubes are clogged up today.
01/27, 2:23 PM
posted by:
Borat
@Andrew, my urologists suggests cranberry juice.
01/27, 2:26 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Andrew, I’ve found that a few jalapenos work better than most over the counter medications in those situations.
.
.
… wait, we’re not talking about the same thing are we?
01/27, 2:34 PM
posted by:
AMERICAN_#!
this is real AMERICAN power baby! step aside nissan gtr, go back to japan, your not welcome on our roads.
01/27, 2:45 PM
posted by:
Andrew Ganz
@Borat/johnnycanuck So I should shove tamales into the LLN server’s fan and then pour cranberry juice on top? Back in a few….
01/27, 3:14 PM
posted by:
muttonchops
GM benefits from having loads of Corvette engines lying around that they can just throw into anything they feel like. Ford however, had to completely design all new engines. Understandably this took some time and required a delay before the new engines were available. You can argue they should have started development sooner since the 4.6 is pretty long in the tooth, but the car business is pretty complex. They may not have had the MONEY to start development sooner.
It’s also a sneaky way to get people to buy 2 Mustangs in 2 years if they really want to upgrade. The double edged sword of this is the people that want to wait for the new engine and let the Camaro eat into the Mustang’s sales lead for a year.
01/27, 4:06 PM
posted by:
Car_guy 001
Sounds like it will be a great little car. However, the torque numbers aren’t what I expected. It’s not bad but I thought they would have been in the 420 range.
01/27, 4:14 PM
posted by:
howsmydriving
Nothing in this review disabuses me of my opinion that Ford produces boring cars and as a car company, sucks. Camaro still reigns supreme — always has, always will.
01/27, 4:16 PM
posted by:
tyler_is_aero_tt
Am I the only one who thinks this Mustang is really ugly? I’m a huge Mustang fan and I want the new 5.0L but I can’t wait until the next restyle. Way too much plastic, the rear is awkward, the dark plastic inserts between the grill and headlights looks weird. I prefer the simpler and way clean look of the 2005-2009. I do like the new interior and side hump though on the new Mustang.
01/27, 4:17 PM
posted by:
leftwingagenda
mr. ganz, very nicely written piece, and nice pics too…i got a few honest lols out of it…
as for recommendations for tube-blockage, i’m going to go with chinese food…a big helping of general tso’s will put you back on course, guaranteed…
01/27, 4:18 PM
posted by:
Me
Wow, the forthcoming new engines make me want one but the next model gets IRS. It better come in grabber blue then, too.
01/27, 5:50 PM
posted by:
anyclearer
tyler, I do to, and I hate the interior also, dont like the look of it at all. My biggest question is to alllllllll of you who said the GT and SS werent in the same league and the SS should be compared to the Cobra…… are you stillllll going to say that now the GT has a power pump. Of course not!! Now that the mustang isnt soo old and underpowerd, now your going to change and say the SS shouldnt be against the Cobra but the GT…..Like it always should have been.
01/27, 6:02 PM
posted by:
ICUH8N
“Nothing in this review disabuses me of my opinion that Ford produces boring cars and as a car company, sucks. Camaro still reigns supreme — always has, always will”
Stop smoking crack.
01/27, 6:05 PM
posted by:
JakeK66
I wonder if the Mustang and that Vietnam era fighter jet share the same solid rear axle?
01/27, 6:10 PM
posted by:
JakeK66
All joking aside – “The 2011 Mustang is the final swan song for this powertrain ” – you mean 2010 right?
Also – how did you package your Mustang to get it at under $34,000? I went to a Ford dealer and all I saw were GT’s with the base 18 inch wheels and they were all at least $36,000. You guys must have had been missing an option or two, even though it doesn’t look like it from the pictures.
01/27, 6:14 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Just for that Jake the ‘Nucks will have to punish your blues tonight!
So how’s ol’ Hank treating you in your fantasy picks? Like I have to ask.
01/27, 6:57 PM
posted by:
Andrew Ganz
@JakeK66 Thanks for the correction, it has been fixed. Damn internets, all clogged up. We need a Toyota accelerator pedal to push everything through. I double checked the press car’s Monroney and our listing is correct. I did check with Ford and it turns out that the GT Premium msrp increased $400 at some point during the 2010 model year. Mid-model year price increases both common and unfortunate. Our tester was a relatively early build, but Ford says lower msrp cars like it are still on dealer lots. Personally, I’d pass on the 19s – the 18s look great and don’t have an adverse effect on handling.
01/27, 8:17 PM
posted by:
torquemonster
Heh, way to sell the 2010 GT there at the end with the 2011 V6 comparison reminder.
I wish mfr.’s published torque curves for these motors. For example if the new V6 provides better or equal torque within normal driving RPM’s and just stops increasing at some stratospheric point where the 4.6L has a little more to give, it would be mostly the same driving experience but $aving on the V6->GT diff.
01/27, 10:10 PM
posted by:
reedfast
i do like the color, but the car is meh.
01/27, 11:55 PM
posted by:
RICERisNICER
Did AMERICAN_#! really just say step aside gtr? I think it’s safe to say that no one will ever read his posts again.
01/28, 3:57 AM
posted by:
Troll Killer
You know….I REALLY hate the color light blue, but for some reason it doesn’t look that bad on this car.
01/28, 11:35 AM
posted by:
saabaru1
@AndrewGanz: Laughed my tail off on the accelerator pedal comment. Too funny.
I wonder if the 4.6L will build up a nostalgic fan boy base like the 5.0 has. 2010’s might someday be in demand like the 1993’s (or 1995’s depending on how you count) are, being the last available with the 4.6L. It was never a great motor, but you know how people tend to build a fondness for things they can no longer have…
02/02, 11:21 AM
posted by:
tonkatoytruck
Me,
Sorry, Ford can not afford to design a chassis change until 2014. That is when the Mustang finally gets a suspension change.
Maybe the “slowest accelerating 500HP+ cars in the world” title will finally change.
02/11, 4:49 AM
posted by:
Jehnavi
This Mustang V6 Performance package will be ideal for the inevitable comparison tests against the Camaro V6, with all the stuff that’ll help post the best possible performance at the test track. Something tells us that we won’t have as much trouble getting hold of a 2011 Mustang V6 Performance Package model as we did a plain old 2010 Mustang V6. http://www.automotivecraze.com
03/14, 1:27 AM
posted by:
wagon
I wonder if Ford fixed the water leak issues when they redesigned this new model. If they didn’t, DO NOT buy a Mustang. If you do buy a Mustang do not drive or park it in the rain or this will happen sooner or later http://editpacific.com/mustang.html. It took my Mustang four years to start the water fall that causes all kinds of electrical problems. This is not my car in the video, my car’s leak isn’t that bad yet.