Having
just spent some time in the Nissan 370Z, we were thinking about other great
automotive performance icons and—voila—another great favorite appeared, the
2010 Mustang GT.
Freshened
Styling
The 2010
Mustang isn’t entirely new, but it does have a fresh new look, and a big step
up in interior quality, refinement and performance.
On the
outside, a new front end features a shorter grille, a more prominent power
bulge in the hood, and a slightly chopped rear tail. The look is still pure
Mustang, just a little more up-to-date.
While
making things fresh, we were pleased with one retro feature—the fun-to-watch
sequential taillights. Our tester was a beautiful Harvest Gold and, along with
handsome 19-inch alloy wheels, featured a new panoramic glass sunroof that not
only lightened up the interior, but gave our pony car the looks of a show car.
Interior
Mods
Inside,
the serious upgrade includes a new seamless, soft-touch Thermaplastic Olefin
skin that stretches across a one-piece instrument panel—much nicer than the
previous hard plastic. New, round instruments are retro-handsome. Making our
Mustang even nicer were options including a leather-wrapped steering wheel with
aluminum spokes, aluminum trim throughout the cabin, and Ford’s Microsoft/Sync
telematic audio system, featuring a jumbo eight-inch screen, voice-activated
navigation and rear view camera. This was no bare-bones muscle car.
Driving
Impression
The
driving experience reinforced that GT stands for Grand Touring. We found our
tester’s 5-speed automatic to be smooth and comfortable in the daily grind, but
more than responsive when the urge to let loose hits. And when you do, the
315-hp engine moves you with real urgency, with that deep, rich, spine-tingling
growl that only an American V8 can make.
Most
impressive is the Mustang’s newfound chassis refinement. Stiffer rear springs
and recalibrated shocks make for a vehicle that’s not only much more
comfortable and controlled, but easier to drive quickly. The steering is also
more precise, which easily adds to the driving fun.
It all
adds up to the best Mustang yet: Plenty of power and performance for those who
want it (and who doesn’t?) and real world livability for those who need it. And
it’s all wrapped up in a handsome, masculine package that does the Mustang
history proud.
Our
loaded-to-the-gills tester came in at just over $39,000. With some judicious
use of the options list, you should be able to design a GT that can fit just
about any budget.
By Ben Lewis,
Contributing Editor, autoMedia.com
Here are more
Mustang stories and reviews plus new car shopping information:
2010 Ford Mustang Review
2010 Ford Mustangs @ SEMA
2010 Ford NASCAR Mustang
2009 Ford Mustang New Car Buyer's Guide Photo Gallery, Prices and Specs