2011 Mustang Review

2011 Ford Mustang More power, more refinement. By New Car Test Drive

Overview

The Ford Mustang just keeps getting better. After a redesign for 2010,
the 2011 Mustang gets two new engines, as well as new transmissions and
improvements to ride, handling, and noise. So the 2011 Mustang
represents a significant improvement over the superb 2010 edition of
America’s pony car, which was a large improvement over the 2004-2009
models, which was a major improvement over what came before that.

The Mustang has been in continuous production for 46 straight years, and
more than 9 million Mustangs have been built and sold to date. That
gives the Mustang the longest production run of any single model in Ford
history.

The 2011 Ford Mustang comes in three body styles: coupe, convertible,
and a glass-roof coupe. Each is available in both the traditional V6
model and the V8-powered Mustang GT. Both engines are much more powerful
this year.

The 3.7-liter V6 replaces the old 4.0-liter V6, the new one producing
305 horsepower versus just 210 horses from the older, bigger engine. The
new V8 marks the return of the 5.0. An new all-aluminum engine, the
5.0-liter V8 in the Mustang GT produces 412 horsepower, which is far
more than the 315 horsepower of the outgoing 4.6-liter V8. Both new
engines for 2011 get new six-speed manual and automatic transmissions
versus the five-speeds of 2010.

The Ford Shelby GT500 gains power for 2011, with a new aluminum version
of the 5.4-liter V8 producing 550 horsepower instead of the 500 ponies
from the 2010 iron-block engine. We have not driven the new Shelby
GT500. Yet.

The 2011 engines transform the Mustang, providing the type of willing
power pony car fans will love while improving fuel economy at the same
time. The engines are lighter and the car has more rigidity, so the
already impressive handling is that much better.

The 2011 Mustang is also quieter and more refined than ever, and, more
importantly, it’s an absolute blast to drive. It is quick off the mark
with a brawny sound, crisp handling, a tight suspension, and much
improved brakes. Put simply, this is the best Mustang ever, and it is
the model that other pony car makers should follow.

In addition to the new engines and transmissions, the 2011 Mustang gets
an additional front Z brace and a revised suspension to improve ride
quality while also improving handling; new safety features including
Ford’s MyKey system, power side mirrors with integral blind spot
mirrors, and fold-down rear headrests; electric power steering meant to
improve fuel economy while also aiding steering feel; and new features,
such as a Performance Package for V6 models and available Brembo brakes
for the GT.

Model Lineup

The 2011 Mustang is offered in V6 Base and Premium models,
V8-powered GT Base and Premium models, and the supercharged V8-powered
GT500, each in coupe and convertible body styles. V6 models use a new
3.7-liter V6 that makes 305 horsepower. GT models have a new 5.0-liter
V8 that produces 412 horsepower. The GT500s have an updated 5.4-liter V8
that produces 550 horsepower. A six-speed manual transmission is
standard and a six-speed automatic is optional ($995) on all but the
GT500.

The Mustang V6 coupe ($22,145) comes standard with cloth upholstery, air
conditioning, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, split folding rear
seat, power mirrors, power windows, power door locks, remote keyless
entry, AM/FM/CD player, auxiliary input jack, compass,
outside-temperature indicator, theft-deterrent system, limited-slip
differential, and P215/60R17 tires on alloy wheels.

The Mustang V6 convertible ($27,145) features a power convertible top
and deletes the split-folding rear seat, but it is otherwise equipped
the same as the coupe.

The Mustang GT coupe ($29,645) and Mustang GT convertible ($34,645) get
everything above plus aluminum interior trim, automatic headlights, rear
spoiler, fog lights, and P235/50WR18 front and 245/45WR18 rear tires. A
Brembo Brake package ($1,695) adds Brembo brake calipers, reprogrammed
electronic stability control that allows more leeway for performance
driving, a tire mobility kit, and P255/40R19 tires.

Premium versions of the V6 coupe ($25,845) and V6 convertible ($30,845)
and GT coupe ($32,845) and GT convertible ($37,845) upgrade to leather
upholstery, six-way power driver seat w/lumbar adjustment, aluminum
interior trim, leather-wrapped steering wheel, Shaker 500 AM/FM/CD/MP3
audio, Sirius Satellite Radio, Ford Sync entertainment and
communications system, iPod adapter, wireless cell phone link, MyColor
adjustable gauges, ambient lighting, and an automatic day/night rearview
mirror.

The Shelby GT500 coupe ($48,645) and convertible ($53,645) come with
leather/alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, leather/alcantara upholstery,
xenon headlights, sport suspension, Brembo brakes, and P255/40ZR19 front
and 285/35ZR19 rear tires. The GT500 does not have a split-folding rear
seat. An SVT Performance Package ($3,495) for the Shelby includes a
3.73 rear axle ratio, unique shift knob, special exterior stripes, rear
spoiler with Gurney flap, performance suspension with unique springs and
rear shocks, P265/40ZR19 front and P285/35ZR20 rear tires on painted
forged aluminum wheels.

The V6 Performance Package adds a 3.31 rear axle ratio; the front and
rear stabilizer bars, front struts, and rear shocks and springs from the
GT coupe; the rear lower control arm from the Shelby GT500; 19-inch
wheels with Pirelli performance tires; the brake calipers from the
Mustang GT with Performance Friction pads; a strut tower brace; and
electronic stability control calibration with a Sport mode for
performance driving. There’s a Sport Appearance package ($295) that just
has the rear spoiler and body stripes.

The Mustang Club of America Special Edition ($995) for the V6 Premium
adds P235/50ZR18 tires on sterling gray metallic-painted alloy wheels,
dark stainless painted billet grille with tri-bar pony badge, side tape
stripes, decklid tape, rear spoiler, carpeted floormats with pony logo,
and automatic headlights.

The California Special ($1,995) edition for the GT Premium adds 19-inch
painted alloy wheels, a chrome billet grille with tri-bar pony badge,
unique lower front fascia with foglamps, pedestal spoiler, decklid badge
with faux gas cap, instrument panel applique, carbon door panel
inserts, carbon inserts for leather seating surfaces, carpeted floormats
with logo, rear diffuser-style fascia, decklid tape and side scoops.

A navigation system with voice recognition and real-time traffic
information, and dual-zone automatic climate control come with the
Electronics Group ($2,340). The Comfort Group ($595) adds heated front
seats and a six-way power-adjustable front passenger seat. Other options
include remote engine starting ($345), a rearview camera ($385), xenon
headlights ($525), a convertible top boot ($160), Shaker 1000 audio
($1,295), polished alloy wheels ($495), hood and side stripes ($395),
racing stripes ($475), 19-inch alloy wheels ($995), and a glass panel
roof ($1,995).

Safety equipment includes dual front airbags, front side airbags,
tire-pressure monitor, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control,
and Ford’s SOS post-crash alert system that unlocks the doors, turns on
the four-way flashers and sounds the horn if an air bag is deployed.

Walkaround

The 2005-09 Mustang featured a modern retro design with a front end
that recalled the 1964-68 Mustang. With its 2010 redesign, Ford gave a
nod to the 1969-70 Mustang with a new face that features a wider grille
opening.

Other elements of the redesign could be seen as tributes to the past.
The coupe’s fastback roofline, unchanged from the last generation,
recalls the original 1964.5 Mustang. The chamfered three-element
taillamps, which house sequential turn signals that blink from the
inside lamp to the outside lamp, were first found on the 1964
Thunderbird, then the 1967-68 Shelby Mustangs and late ’60s Mercury
Cougars. And the hockey stick lower character line could be viewed as an
homage to the lower portion of the side coves found on Mustangs from
1964 to ’68.

Compared to the last generation body style, Ford said the 2010 Mustang
had 23 percent less aerodynamic lift at the front with a new slotted
panel installed under the radiator to direct air, 50 percent better in
front/rear lift balance, and seven percent less aerodynamic drag. For
2011, the company has lowered the front air dam and added a front
splitter and an underbody aero shield to improve aerodynamics by another
4 percent.

Ford took several steps to improve noise, vibration and harshness for
the 2010 model year, and the company has done even more for 2011.
Additional sound-deadening material on the instrument panel and a rear
wheel arch liner help drivers hear the sounds they want (namely the
engine) and avoid the sounds that can be a distraction (such as dash
creaks and tire noise).

The 3453-pound Mustang (3605 pounds for the GT) uses welded steel
unibody construction with front and rear subframes to mount the steering
and suspension systems, with almost half the body weight in
high-strength low-alloy steel. It is by far the lightest of the new
breed of pony cars, beating the Camaro by 300 pounds and the Dodge
Challenger by as much as 500 pounds. The weight savings are a definite
advantage.

The convertible comes standard with a power top with a glass rear
window. The top uses two latches that the driver must operate, but
they’re within arm’s reach and they latch and unlatch easily.

Interior Features

Anyone who hasn’t been in a Mustang for a couple of years will
want to take a look at the 2011 model. The interior was much improved
for 2010 and there are even more improvements for 2011. The front bucket
seats are significantly more comfortable and better looking than the
slabs used in the 2009 models, though they could still use more lateral
support. The aforementioned noise, vibration and harshness improvements
have made what was once a rather loud car pleasingly quiet, though the
Mustang’s all-American pony car rumble is still audible to drivers and
onlookers alike.

The interior design benefits considerably from the 2010 improvements.
The 2005-2009 Mustang was notorious for its poor interior. What it
lacked in soft-touch surfaces it more than made up for in cheap, hollow
plastics. This time around, the throwback look is very much the same but
the execution is far better. The dash top itself is now a one-piece
soft-touch panel versus the hard multi-piece version of prior years.
Real aluminum is used on the fascias, pedal covers, scuff plates and
shifter knob instead of plastic. Interior ambient lighting in the door
pockets, cupholders and footwells is a welcome interior feature, and the
lighting colors can be changed through a range of 125 colors with the
flip of a switch with Ford’s MyColor system.

The look of the cabin is especially impressive when the Premium Trim
with Color Accents package is ordered. This includes leather-upholstered
sport bucket seats with cashmere accents running down the middle, as
well as a dark aluminum instrument panel and unique door inserts. The
available leather-clad steering wheel is a massive affair with six
brushed metal spokes in three groups of two, with cruise control
switches and controls for the sound system.

The Mustang also has a few options and amenities you might not expect,
including a rearview camera, Ford’s Sync voice-activated entertainment
and communications system (which includes an iPod/mp3 player interface),
Sirius satellite radio, and a navigation system with Sirius Travel
Link.

The news isn’t all good, though. There are still elements of the
interior that could benefit from sturdier materials. The gauge
surrounds, in particular, still look like cheap albeit chromed plastic.
Ford says it used Audi interiors as aspirational benchmarks for the
Mustang. If that’s the case, they didn’t clear the bar. Audi interiors
are among the best on the market, and the Mustang, while fun and much
better than in the past, really isn’t close.

Most drivers should find a comfortable seating position, though we would
like a telescoping feature for the steering wheel. There is plenty of
head and leg room up front for most drivers, and the Mustang’s sight
lines are impressive. The side mirrors add blind spot mirrors in their
upper, outer corners this year. We found this simple and cheap solution
works quite well, and the mirrors are wide enough to provide a good rear
view otherwise. The coupe’s rear pillars don’t intrude much in
over-the-shoulder visibility, but it’s hard to see out the back in the
convertible with the top up. Coupe or convertible, the Mustang does not
have the high beltline of its main competitor, the Chevrolet Camaro, and
this is an advantage for the Mustang. The lower beltline makes for
better visibility to the sides. This advantage became especially
noticeable in an autocross. We could easily see the cones from inside
the Mustang, but not from inside the Camaro.

The Mustang’s two-passenger rear seat is not a place for adults. Head
room is limited by the rake of the coupe roof, and leg room is minimal.
You could get an average size adult back there, but he/she won’t want to
stay there long. It’s a better place for the kids.

The trunk has 13.4 cubic feet of cargo space, which is pretty decent for
a car this size. The opening isn’t particularly big and the liftover is
rather high, but the coupe’s fold-down rear seats allow owners to carry
an impressive amount of cargo.

Driving Impressions

The big news for 2011 is the Mustang’s new power. Gone are the
antiquated 210-horsepower, single overhead cam 4.0-liter V6 and the
heavy but effective 315-horsepower sohc 4.6-liter V8. They have been
replaced by two lighter, more modern, more powerful and more fuel
efficient engines.

The new 3.7-liter V6 is a dual-overhead cam engine that makes 305
horsepower at 6500 rpm and 280 pound-feet of torque at 4250 rpm. Those
numbers are close to those of the outgoing V8. Fuel economy is also
better, thanks in part to new six-speed manual and six-speed automatic
transmissions for 2011 to replace the previous five-speeds.

Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 19 mpg city and 31 highway with the
automatic and 19/29 mpg with the manual (versus 16/24 mpg and 18/26 mpg
for the 2010 V6).

Ford wouldn’t provide 0-60 acceleration times for either engine, but we
suspect the V6 can get there in less than 6.0 seconds, which is about a
second quicker than the old engine. The new engine sounds great, too,
emitting a muscular American growl. Both new transmissions work well
with the engine. An autocross course revealed that the automatic’s gears
are spaced a little tighter than those in the Chevy Camaro. The result
was more willing response in lower gears at low speeds. Basically, it
means that power is there when you want it. The manual works well, too,
but the shifter doesn’t have quite the satisfyingly positive action that
enthusiast drivers might like. We also found the clutch is a bit hard
to modulate in first and second gears, making for some jerky starts.

The Mustang GT is even better. The 5.0 designation is important in
Mustang history. The 1969-’70 Boss 302 displaced 5 liters, and in the
1980s, Ford resurrected pony car muscle with a 5.0-liter V8. That engine
later gave way to the 4.6 V8 that was used until last year. For 2011,
Ford introduces an all-new dual-overhead cam 5.0-liter V8 that puts all
of its predecessors to shame. Not only does this engine have 97 more
horsepower and 65 more pound-feet of torque than the outgoing 4.6, but
it also weighs about 100 pounds less to improve handling, and gets
better fuel mileage.

The 5.0 transforms the Mustang into a muscular pony car with power to
spare. It will easily smoke the tires with the manual or automatic
transmission and it provides a big kick in the pants when floored from a
stop. Passing is just a matter of a twitch of your throttle foot, and
the whole experience is backed by a glorious rumbling soundtrack that is
distinctly American.

With the new V8, Ford has caught and possibly surpassed the usable power
of the Chevrolet Camaro SS. While previous Mustangs just couldn’t keep
up with GM’s 427-horsepower 6.2-liter V8, the 5.0 makes the new Mustang
just as fast or quicker from 0 to 60 mph and in a quarter mile. At the
press introduction, Ford provided Mustang GTs and Camaro SSs with
automatic transmissions to drive in a 1/8-mile drag race. The Mustang
was consistently about a half-second faster than the Camaro.

Over the past two years, the Mustang chassis has been upgraded and
stiffened, which means it rides tauter, turns in quicker and has less
pitch, dive and body roll than any previous Mustang. A front Z brace was
added for 2011, helping to increase torsional rigidity by 15 percent.

Antilock brakes, traction control and AdvanceTrac yaw control are
standard on all models. For track work, both the traction control and
the yaw control can be turned off (but not the ABS), and there is a
Sport mode which allows higher handling limits before traction and yaw
controls are called in to save the day.

The Mustang GT is an absolute blast to drive. The car has a fairly
light, tossable feel and it responds quickly to driver inputs. It is
very willing to attack turns, with the new electronic power steering
providing a light but natural feel. The car is extremely quick to
transition from left to right and back again with a minimum of body
roll, dive or pitch in the suspension. The brakes are larger for 2011,
and the Brembo brake package adds larger brakes that should be the
choice for anyone who wants to take their car to the track or drive
regularly on twisty mountain roads. And the sound and power of the V8 is
fantastic.

Formerly a glorified rental car, the V6 model is now nearly as much fun
to drive as the GT. A new Performance Package for the 2011 Mustang V6
includes the GT suspension and an additional strut brace.

The convertible benefits from more structural rigidity for 2011. The
changes include a tower-to-tower front strut brace, a stiffened V-brace,
the addition of the aforementioned front Z-brace, added A-pillar
stiffening foam, and a stronger secondary crossmember. These changes
make the ragtop much more solid than in the past and even stiffer than
competitors from Infiniti and Lexus. That translates to competent
handling, though the stiffer coupe remains the choice for the ultimate
in handling and chassis rigidity.

In short, the Mustang is the best it’s ever been and is the model for
pony car sportiness and power. The only drawback remains the solid rear
axle, which can cause a busy ride on bumpy roads because jolts to the
rear axle are transmitted from side to side. An independent rear
suspension would deal with bumps much better as it would isolate road
imperfections. That’s a small price to pay considering how much better
the rest of the car is.

Summary

The 2011 Ford Mustang is at the front of the pack when it comes
to performance per dollar. The 2011 Mustang V6 handles quite well and
delivers power close to last year’s V8. The GT is quicker, faster,
quieter and more refined than any V8 Mustang ever. With its updated
engines, the Mustang no longer has to take a back seat to the
accomplished engines in the Chevrolet Camaro or Dodge Challenger SRT8,
plus it weighs less than those rivals and provides much better handling.
The 2011 Mustang has more features, more comfort, and more sheer
performance than any previous production Mustang, and it’s priced to
sell.

Jim McCraw filed this NewCarTestDrive.com report from Los Angeles. Kirk Bell contributed from Los Angeles.