[Curt2000]

Current Cars: V4 equipped E93 and my wife's JB3 Equipped 135.

I stopped by the local Ford dealership to see what all the hype was about over the new Mustang GT 5.0. I test drove a white on red GT premium, sticker $32K.

Impression of the exterior: The lines are dull but were enhanced by a front lip and rear deck spoiler, it also had a cool looking hood cowling which lost all its coolness when I realized it was not functional. The white was un-inspiring but they had a boss blue and black one in the inventory which were nice looking. The ride height is about 2 inches too high...there was a canyon between the tires and the fenders, the factory equipped 18's were pretty drab as well so one would have to equip the car with a serious drop and some nice 19's (the GT500 sports staggered gunmetal 19's front and 20's in rear which was really sweet). There is an optional Brembo brake upgrade which I would consider a must as well.

Interior: Typical Detroit design, not much better than any other Mustang I have ridden in, the red leather was comfortable but coming from a BMW it all seemed cheap and hallow. The hood cowling dominated the forward view and the rear spoiler blocked my view beyond the rear of the car...it really did seem pretty bad how much the spoiler was right in the way of seeing traffic behind me. The shifter was incredibly short and the notch was very weak making me think that it had not slipped into gear when it actually had. It also seemed to naturally guide into 6th on what should have been the 3rd to 4th throw even at WOT. There was a really cool full glass roof option that I would consider a must!

Motor: The new 5.0 motor has a lot of grunt, and was very spirited up top. The gurgle of the exhaust was pretty cool and it revved freely. The bog of power between shifts was pretty bad, coming from the boost holding auto n54. I could tell the car was slower then the E93 and a lot slower than the 135 (both tuned). Even for me coming from the E93 land yacht, the mustang felt incredibly heavy. It just felt like a massive presence all around me. I believe with I/H/E and tune to free up another 50 hp or so the car would feel lighter and more responsive, much like a tune compliments our cars.

Suspension: This was a big improvement! The car was very responsive even thought it felt heavy and floaty in a strait line. It pulled through curves very nicely and kept the power on the ground surprisingly well.

Overall Impression: While the suspension and motor are noticeably improved, the car still lacks much refinement. Spec'd out properly I would put the 5.0 around $35K and I would have to put a good $12000 into appearance and performance mods to be satisfied with it, at which point I might as well put down the cash for the GT500. It was fun to drive simply because of the novelty surrounding a redneck icon, every person and their mother I drove by was starring me down. But I believe that stigma will fade when every person and their mother owns one like with the Camaro. So while it is a great improvement and a great bang for your buck car...I just couldn't justify buying it when I am so used to the refinement and total car feeling you can get from a bimmer.

[J02 335i]

Good review, exactly what I expected.

[Kroy]

Great review. A bit disappointed to hear how the 5.0 feels heavier than your e93 though.

[ForTheD]

Agreed, that is about what I pictured it to be like. Also I love my 4 doors!
Was a good read, thanks Curt!

[Forcefed3]

Yea, it seems to be a big improvement over the old mustangs. They still come up short of the E9x though. Id like to try out a GT500, even though it ran a 12.3 in the 1/4 mile...

[zeenon53]

Originally Posted by J02 335i

Good review, exactly what I expected.

+1

[TheStigsTwin]

Nice write up, unfortunately I predict you will be called a fanboy in the near future. My favorite thing about my 5.0 was that the engine sounded like a beast and was so tried and true and easy to work on and modify. The rest of the car was well....... ( although I personally liked the 6 speed on my Cobra). I have been reading of similar shift problems that you identified but mostly slipping into 4th instead of 2nd. I have to say that I was thinking: if BMW is losing its edge as the premier sports coupe/sports sedan builder then who is the most likely candidate to step into that vacuum? Ford? Seems unlikely but it would be nice.

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by Kroy

Great review. A bit disappointed to hear how the 5.0 feels heavier than your e93 though.

I think it was a power to weight ratio thing...stock for stock the E93 would feel heavier, I'm sure with a few power mods it would overcome the sluggish feeling.

Originally Posted by gbreeE90

Yea, it seems to be a big improvement over the old mustangs. They still come up short of the E9x though. Id like to try out a GT500, even though it ran a 12.3 in the 1/4 mile...

They had a GT500 on the showroom floor, it was pretty sweet but they had it marked up $10,000 over MSRP LMAO...

Originally Posted by TheStigsTwin

Nice write up, unfortunately I predict you will be called a fanboy in the near future. My favorite thing about my 5.0 was that the engine sounded like a beast and was so tried and true and easy to work on and modify. The rest of the car was well....... ( although I personally liked the 6 speed on my Cobra). I have been reading of similar shift problems that you identified but mostly slipping into 4th instead of 2nd. I have to say that I was thinking: if BMW is losing its edge as the premier sports coupe/sports sedan builder then who is the most likely candidate to step into that vacuum? Ford? Seems unlikely but it would be nice.

I admit I am a little bias but was putting thought into offloading my E93, maybe the GT500 would have swayed me but not the 5.0.

[Forcefed3]

Originally Posted by Curt2000

I think it was a power to weight ratio thing...stock for stock the E93 would feel heavier, I'm sure with a few power mods it would overcome the sluggish feeling.



They had a GT500 on the showroom floor, it was pretty sweet but they had it marked up $10,000 over MSRP LMAO...



I admit I am a little bias but was putting thought into offloading my E93, maybe the GT500 would have swayed me but not the 5.0.

Ive heard the GT500 isnt that great even with the extra 100hp. I know its heavy, but shouldn't the 1/4 times be better than 12.3-12.5?

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by J02 335i

Good review, exactly what I expected.

+2.

[Curt2000]

I just re-built the car with all the options I wanted and it actually came out to $39K...starting to not be such a great deal after all.

[galahad05]

Depends on whether you're comparing it to a 335 (which is seriously down on power and track prowess compared to it) or an M3.

[Curt2000]

From a price point perspective you have to compare it to the 335i...the M3 should be taking on the GT500.

[dhowdy]

Originally Posted by Curt2000

not much better than any other Mustang I have ridden in

What other mustang? The new generation's interior is such an improvement over the previous mustangs.

The hood cowling dominated the forward view

lol?

There was a really cool full glass roof option that I would consider a must!

You say the glass roof is a must and complain about weight at the same time?

The bog of power between shifts was pretty bad

Sounds like driver error...

Even for me coming from the E93 land yacht, the mustang felt incredibly heavy.

It may indeed be heavier than a e93, but compare it to the titanic that is the camaro or challenger and it seems quite lean.

I would have to put a good $12000 into appearance and performance mods to be satisfied with it

Wow, that's a lot. What exactly would you plan on doing? Though it's the hot, new thing, mods for the mustang would be considerably less than that of your BMW. Also, I believe the GT500 still uses the old modular 4.6, which is pretty much capped out unless you want to go FI. If the plan is to mod regardless, the 5.0 is definitely the better bet.

I'm a huge fan of domestic muscle in case you couldn't tell, so please don't take anything I've said personally. Someone has to be the voice of "reason"

[galahad05]

One correction: The GT is about the same weight as an e90 (3605 pounds, with manual trans.). Lighter than an e93.
Note that I'm not saying that the GT didn't feel heavier, but that it actually is lighter.

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by dhowdy

What other mustang? The new generation's interior is such an improvement over the previous mustangs.

Ex Gf had an 04 then an 06, the interior is updated but by no means stunning.

Originally Posted by dhowdy

lol?

It really did, I'm a tall guy and I still felt like I had to lean up and forward to see less than 20 feet in front of the car, the hood is very high to begin with and the cowl made it even worse.

Originally Posted by dhowdy

You say the glass roof is a must and complain about weight at the same time?

it was cool enough to warrant the extra fat...certainly less than a hard top convertible which I am obviously a proponent of!

Originally Posted by dhowdy

Sounds like driver error...

As for the 'bogging' it can be attributed to the difference in feel between N/A and turbo. With my two tuned N54's the boost is held between shifts which gives you a steady power delivery between gears. The torque band is still coming on strong at the beginning of the next gear which always provides a great sensation of acceleration.

With the Mustang the shift was met with a quick grunt and chirp of the tires in lower gears and a disappointing feeling of loosing momentum until the RPMs built back up. From 6-7K the GT felt very strong but the lower RPM ranges left me wanting for a car with more area under the power curve.

Originally Posted by dhowdy

It may indeed be heavier than a e93, but compare it to the titanic that is the camaro or challenger and it seems quite lean.

Agreed, but you under-estimate the whaleness of my 3900 lb 3er...I'm pretty sure it leaves grooves in soft pavement.

Originally Posted by dhowdy

Wow, that's a lot. What exactly would you plan on doing? Though it's the hot, new thing, mods for the mustang would be considerably less than that of your BMW. Also, I believe the GT500 still uses the old modular 4.6, which is pretty much capped out unless you want to go FI. If the plan is to mod regardless, the 5.0 is definitely the better bet.

$2K on rims/tires, $1K Coilovers, header/exhaust ~$2.5K, various cosmetics ~1K, Ford Supercharger (keeps factory warranty!) $7.5K

[dhowdy]

I didn't bother looking up the weight on the e93, I just assumed it was light from your post. I'm not an expert on BMW's by any means. My little 325 is just meant to look good and be comfortable... not my go fast car.

And I guess if you plan on getting a factory supercharger, 12k is certainly within bounds.

Sounds good though man. If it were my money though, it'd be a GT over the BMW any day.

I think the biggest thing I hate about the new Mustang (and ford cards in general) is that awful brown leather they decided to throw in them. Looks terrible in my opinion, but to each his own I guess...

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by dhowdy

I didn't bother looking up the weight on the e93, I just assumed it was light from your post. I'm not an expert on BMW's by any means. My little 325 is just meant to look good and be comfortable... not my go fast car.

And I guess if you plan on getting a factory supercharger, 12k is certainly within bounds.

Sounds good though man. If it were my money though, it'd be a GT over the BMW any day.

I think the biggest thing I hate about the new Mustang (and ford cards in general) is that awful brown leather they decided to throw in them. Looks terrible in my opinion, but to each his own I guess...

It was certainly a great car for the price point...but unfortunately I'm a status seeking douche and just cant imagine getting in the GT after the 335i...the GT500 though...that may fit the bill, but I'll be hard pressed to get a test drive.

[Brey335i]

Originally Posted by dhowdy

Also, I believe the GT500 still uses the old modular 4.6, which is pretty much capped out unless you want to go FI. If the plan is to mod regardless, the 5.0 is definitely the better bet.

No. The GT500 uses the 5.4 liter V8 originally used in the Ford GT supercar...

[shockin330i]

The reason the 5.0 feels slower is because the n54 has a a lot of torque down low

[persian54]

drop top bro! don't lose it lol

get an e93 M3

though price difference is massive

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by shockin330i

The reason the 5.0 feels slower is because the n54 has a a lot of torque down low

Yeah there was a lot of talk about it having a new Aluminum block which saves 120lbs or so over the old version.