mmcartalk
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At the recent D.C. Auto Show, Ford had its usual Test-Drive Program set up, not for the limited test-drive circuit there at the show, but at local dealerships. You register, give them your address and E-mail, and they send you a form to fill out, take to the dealer, pick out a vehicle, do a test-drive, and then register the dealer-code (which the salesperson there writes down after the test-drive) by phone or E-mail to get a pre-paid $50 Mastercard. It's a nice program. I use it every year for a Ford review or test-drive, and that $50 comes in handy at Starbucks for the ground French Roast coffee-beans I like so much (I brew it at home every morning). Lincoln also offers a similar test-drive program for $75.....but, this year, for the first time, they changed it from a $75 Mastercard to a charity-donation in your name. (I'll use the Lincoln program a little later to sample the new MKZ mid-generation facelift/mild re-design, which I static-reviewed last year but did not test-drive).
For the Ford program, I had wanted to test-drive one (or all three) of three upcoming new Ford products...the small subcompact EcoSport SUV, the mid-size Ranger pickup, and the 2-door Bronco off-road SUV. Yes, the discontinued Ranger and a (smaller) Bronco are both coming back to the American market, according to the Ford reps, but not for a couple of years. The EcoSport will debut this coming fall....and the time limit for the test-drive is March 31, the end of next month.
So then,.......what to test-drive in the meantime? I had already sampled (if not formally reviewed) many of the most popular newer Ford models....those that buyers are likely to choose. Then, I remembered that there was a lot of talk in the auto press (and in the forums) about the new 2.3L Ecoboost twin-turbo four going into new Mustangs, and how it would probably replace the existing normally-asprated 3.7L V6 (which is still available in base Mustangs and the convertible). I had sampled a 5.0L Mustang GT with the six-speed manual transmission a few years ago (and was not impressed with the transmission's general shift-linkage or its annoying 1-4 Skip-Shift feature, which forces the lever to by-pass 2nd and 3rd gears under light throttle for gas-economy. You had to more or less hammer the throttle to get 2nd or 3rd gear. Some V8-equipped Camaros also had the same annoying feature. Anyhow, I felt it would be interesting to sample a Mustang with this small but rather potent new powerplant. So, with my mind clearly made up that it would be a Ecoboost-4 Mustang this year, I headed to a local Ford shop.
I had wanted, if possible, for several reasons, to sample a manual-transmission Ecoboost (hopefully they've got rid of that annoying skip-shift feature)...but they are quite difficult to find, and many of them are already pre-sold to customers or on order, and not available for a test-drive. Almost all of the manual-transmission models on the lot were GTs with the V8. But I had a nice choice of Ecoboost automatics, so I picked out a nice Lightning-Blue one (blue, IMO, is a fitting color for a Ford product, as is silver for Mercedes, bright red for Italian cars, and dark green for British-badged cars). Outside, the Ecoboost models are pretty much the same as other non-Shelby Mustangs, except for minor trim differences and, of course, less-agressive 55-series Hankook tires. The twin outside mirrors are ridiculously small, though, as with most Ford products, a standard convex blind-spot extender in the corner helps to overcome that somewhat. Also standard, as with most Ford products, is a cap-less filler pipe for the fuel tank. (I got a good look at how that operated when we had to put some fuel into the almost-dry tank just for the test-drive).
Under the hood, the longitudinally-mounted 2.3L four fits in very well, with, except for the big plastic engine cover, plenty of room around it to reach components and work on things. This compartment, of course, was designed for much larger V8s, so there is plenty of room for the comparably small 4. I didn't see the battery, though, which apparently, is hidden away somewhere.
Inside the (IMO) rather unimpressively-trimmed interior (though the imitation carbon-fiber dash panel looked nice), you sit low, in typical pony-car style, with your legs jutting out forward. The front seats had a cloth that felt durable and well-made, but the rather sharply-bolstered seat were just bordering wide enough for my large frame. The console-mounted parking brake handle sits low, at an awkward straight-angle, and needs a Hulk-Hogan level of wrist/hand-strength to both release and engage it. The buttons and knobs are well-attached and of good quality, though the electronics and videos, like in other Ford products, are quite complex and frustrating to use. I won't dwell on the interior too much, as the main purpose of the test-drive was to sample the powertrain and chassis. And I won't even bother to cover the rear seats. As is usually the case with pony cars, the Mustang rear seats are clearly not intended for adults....or even older children (there is a little more room in the larger Dodge Challenger's rear seats, but even they are cramped by adult standards). In fact, in the Mustang, there is a delete-rear-seat option for those who want it, replacing the area with panels.
Start up the Ecoboost four with a engine start/stop button. It comes to life with a muted growl that is not as loud or nasal in tone as on the V8 Mustangs. While it's not as much of a burnout-special as the V8-powered Mustang GTs and Shelby Mustang Cobras, the Ecoboost four is clearly no slouch. With the twin turbos, on 93-octane Premium fuel, It packs a healthy dose of spunk for an engine this size.....310 HP at 5500 RPM and 320 ft-lbs. of torque at a relatively low 3000 RPM. Contrast that with the larger 3.7L normally-aspirated V6 and its 300 HP and 280 ft-lbs. of torque....both at higher, peakier RPMs than the Ecoboost four, which also brings its power on a little quicker. Yes, the V6 is probably smoother and more refined than the turbo four (I didn't actually test-drive it, but N/A V6s usually are)....but, in American pony cars, noise and power, not refinement, are the name of the game. That's why these cars exist. They are not funeral-hearses, nor do they pretend to be....though a number of the jocks who drive and ride in them DO end up on the wrong end of funerals (I'll get into that a little more below). Those who want refinement (yes, people like me LOL), can shop for a Buick LaCrosse or Lexus ES. The transmission shifts smoothly and seamlessly, whether in Sport/Manual or automatic mode.....though I didn't test it at full-throttle, where some pony car transmissions can get harsher, due to it being a brand-new engine. The shift-lever itself, with a nice fore/aft motion and a traditional PRNDS pattern (S for Sport) also worked smoothly and seamlessly....no annoying E-shifters, buttons, rotary-knobs, zig-zags, or stub-levers. Road noise wit the 55-series all-season tires was quite noticeable on a number of surfaces....but, of course, pony cars aren't designed to be quiet. Wind noise was generally well-controlled, but, as noted earlier, a fair amount of engine noise came through, particularly on acceleration. The view of the road immediately ahead of the car, from behind the wheel, even for a tall person my size, was not particularly good, due to the classic pony-car long and wide hood-line which sticks out quite far in front (the opposite, of course, is the short rear deck and small trunk-opening. Steering response was about average at first, but then sharpened up quite a bit as more input was dialed in, and body roll was minor at best...the low center of gravity clearly helps. Ride quality of the 55-series tires was reasonably good (even by my sensitive standards) over most typical bumps...the more aggressive tires on V8 models can probably be expected to ride somewhat stiffer. One of the car's best features was the brakes, which had a nicely-mounted brake pedal height for large feet (yep, those big size-15 clod-hopper shoes of mine), and a pedal that was as firm and instantly-responsive as, in my experience, what you will find on some of the best German sports-sedans. I could detect virtually no mushiness or free-play at all....just instant response.
Now, I'd like to close out this write-up today in a manner somewhat different from the way I usually do for most other vehicles, because of what I have personally seen happen to a lot of kids and young adults in Mustangs over the years....things that are not very pleasant. While people can, admittedly, be (and are) hurt and killed in virtually any type of vehicle, over the years, I've seen more young lives hurt, paralyzed, or snuffed out in Mustangs (particularly in V8-powered GT, Shelby, Cobra, or SVT models) than probably any other vehicle in the American market. This, even comparing them to other pony cars like the Camaro and Challenger. Perhaps (?) that may be partly to the numbers.....the Mustang consistently out-sold both the Camaro and Challenger until very recently. My personal observations, of course (and the local headlines around here in the news) are not necessarily indicative of official government statistics of injury or death-rates in specific vehicles. But, nevertheless, I've seen enough over the years to become convinced that there is something about Mustangs that, especially with immature or aggressive drivers, invites not only aggressive but also sometimes highly dangerous and irresponsible acts behind the wheel. I've narrowly avoided a couple of accidents myself because of Mustang jocks making last-second swerves, shoulder-passes, and other dangerous things right in front of me. It's obvious why insurance rates are so high for higher-powered Mustangs and immature drivers. Now, to make it clear (so that people don't jump on me for being biased), I'm NOT lumping ALL Mustang drivers into the category of street-drag-racing or aggressive-driving freaks........there ARE plenty of safe ones out there, too. And a young kid, a number of years ago, spun a brand-new Pontiac GTO into a big oak tree, killing himself and totaling the car, while drag-racing on a two-lane road with a sharp curve just a half-mile or so from my house...so it isn't just Mustang jocks that screw up. And I see a number of BMW 3-series drivers also doing irresponsible things behind the wheel....that car is probably second only to V8 Mustangs in the aggressive-driving department. But, to me at least, the message is clear....... with any car (and especially a Mustang), please drive it maturely and responsibly on the street, even if you sometimes use its healthy reserve of power. If you want to drag-race or time yourself around a track, you can probably rent time from the track's owner and do so legally, if at your own risk.
And, as Always, Happy Car-Shopping.
MM
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