2010 Ford Mustang GT
We are now in what must surely be the last golden age of the traditional muscle car.
Affordable, powerful, rear-wheel-drive coupes surely cannot have much of a future in a world defined by concern (or hysteria) about global warming, peak oil, urban crowding and the changed tastes of the many young people who would rather Tweet and Facebook than play with glass packs and headers. (And if you don't know about glass packs (mufflers) and headers, you probably aren't a muscle car nut anyway.)
Sure, there remains some interest in cars that deliver power slides for a low monthly payment - at least among a decent chunk of the driving populace. But muscle cars are heading for niche status once the current crop of aging baby boomers moves into the seniors centre.
We're already seeing the muscle car world evolving. The Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger are all new and very real muscle cars in a very traditional sense. But imports have also gotten into the act with their own take on a formula that dates back to the 1960s.
The Hyundai Genesis coupe is a muscle car of a sort, though there is no V-8 engine offered like with the Ford, Chevy and Dodge. Nissan's 370Z is surely something close to a muscle car, too. Perhaps the Nissan is more the sports car, but it is a two-door performance monster that is rear-drive, affordable and, well, muscular.
(By now I am sure you traditionalists are cursing me, calling me an idiot or a traitor to the cause. Get over yourselves. The world changes.) Now in a world of change, Ford has been (mostly) loyal to the muscle car cause. Ford has been selling Mustangs with the muscle car formula intact for the better part of 40 years. Yes, there was that sad period in the 1970s when the absurd Ford Mustang II offended us all, but for the most part Ford has been selling a smoking-hot Mustang for four decades.
The 2010 Ford Mustang GT is true to that cause. At $37,499 it is reasonably affordable for a coupe with a 315-horsepower V-8 engine that will do 0-100 km/h in less than 5.5 seconds. And the current Ford Employee Price is discounted to $34,244 - and that includes heated leather front bucket seats, a Shaker stereo and even Sync hands-free communication and Sirius satellite radio.
Performance options? On the GT the one to get is the very reasonably priced $500 Track Pack. It adds a racier 3.73:1 axle ratio and dual-piston front calipers with performance brake pads. A glass sunroof will set you back another $2,200, by the way, and a five-speed automatic costs $1,200.
Every body panel on the 2010 Mustang, save the roof, is new, though only the sharpest eyes will notice. Still, the cool grille lights are still there from the 2005-2009 model, but the new cowl-induction-style hood is different, as are new taillights. Call these exterior changes a freshening to keep the retro Mustang from getting just plain old.
The interior is different, too. The new dash is a throwback and is easier to use. The gauges can also change colour to suit your mood. That is something that is either nifty or unnecessary, depending on your temperament.
The 2010 Mustang is an easy car to live with every day, despite the over-boosted steering, soft brake pedal and comfortably-tuned suspension. If you push hard, the Mustang suffers from quite a bit of body roll. If you dive into corners aggressively, you'll quickly notice a fair amount of push or under-steer.
What I'm saying is that, in a straight line, the Mustang looks sharp and behaves quite well. But when you start carving snaky roads at any real speed, it's easy to uncover lots of body roll and lean, not to mention plenty of suspension squat and dive. And if you're in a performance car with power steering boosted to the point that one-finger steering is possible, well, it's not a full-on performance car at all.
At least the powertrain, modified with the short 3.73 rear end, is solid, though both Dodge and Chevy offer versions of their muscle cars with much more power. The 4.6-litre V-8 is a good engine and it starts making some serious power at about 4,000 rpm. There is plenty of jam here to attack the open road.
Yes, this Mustang is fast. And because of that, it's pretty satisfying. Ford sensibly tweaked the engine - added a cold-air intake plus a reprogrammed ECU that bumps the redline to 6,500 rpm - and it shows. Peak output is 315 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 325 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 rpm, just like last year's Bullitt.
Of course you have other choices here. The 2010 Camaro SS ($37,055) is one of them and it boasts a V-8 with 426 hp. The Dodge Challenger R/T($35,295) has a V-8 with 372 hp. Of the three, the Camaro is a better handling car and more powerful, but the cabin isn't as nice as the Mustang's. The Challenger is less expensive, but also lumpier in the corners than the Mustang.
The Genesis coupe ($32,995) is an interesting alternative with a V-6 making 306 hp. And the 370Z ($39,998) has a potent 332-hp V-6 and is race-track responsive.
All five are rear-drive drift machines that the average gearhead can afford.
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2010 Ford Mustang GT
Type: Rear-drive performance coupe
Base price: $37,499 (not including employee pricing promotion)
Engine: 4.6-litre V-8, SOHC
Horsepower/Torque: 315 hp/325 lb-ft
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Drive: Rear-wheel-drive
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 12.7 city/8.2 highway; regular gas
Alternatives: Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Nissan 370Z
Like
- Priced for the middle-class enthusiast
- Sharp cabin
- Powerful in a straight line
Don't like
- Too soft riding to be overly serious in the corners
- Overboosted power steering
- Soft brake pedal
jcato@globeandmail.com