I was leaning heavily toward a loaded V6 when I started looking for my 07. Test drove a V6 and can say that I was quite impressed with the V6's sound and power. Seemed to be every bit as quick as older SN95 5.0s. Of course I went with the GT in the long run, but the V6 is still pretty impressive and nothing to sneeze at performance wise for the price.

 

I can't comment on the power of the 6. Never drove one. I can say that the old 69 Fastback that I had with a 302ci had 210 HP and it was impressive, but was not in the same league as the current GT we now own. I would like to say that we drove the old 69 up on Pikes Peak for our honeymoon and drove it everyday in the winter on icy, snow covered roads in southern Missouri without limited slip, traction control or radial tires and disk brakes. It was a wonder I survived. Didn't know any better back then.

 

Well I'll be, me and Giddyup have something in common. I had a '70 Mustang Sportsroof with 302 2V, auto, and 220 GROSS HP in 1976 as my first car. I can tell you that todays V6hasmuch better power and handling than my old 1970 model.

I think todays GT's are morelike yesterdays Boss 302's.

 

Maybe they were sold out of V6s.
Seriously, when I went car shopping they had no manual V6s on the lot.....all were autos. The dealer called to it's sister store and said he found one like I wanted that just came in and is still on the truck.
For the amount of $$ I spent that day (Mustang V6 Pony Package & E-350 15 foot Truck) I could have bought a Saleen.

 

I never drove a Boss but I did drive a 67 with a 390. Bullit type. All I can say is............"MY GOD!!!"

 

I wanted an auto and they had 2 of them. The one we got and a black one that had scratches ALL over it. It was parked up on the roof of the place and it was FUBAR'd. I can't even believe they showed it to me.

 

I have an '05 V6 convert, auto tranny. I already have a lifted Dakota 4x4 (yes I 4x4, every weekend )5spd, and I like the auto tranny (too much "in town" driving going from light to light to light every single block). However, good to point out, my drive to work is 3.6km (that's about 2 miles), and I can drive from one end of my city to the other in about 8 minutes, I live in a small city of 25,000 people.

Anyways, the Mustang replaced my everyday street vehicle, which was a 1996 Ford Explorer, also a V6. I must say, after driving an old and tiredDakota, and my sumo-type heavy Explorer, the V6 Mustang has tons of "oomph" to it. The fact that I can hit 70 km/h in under 10 seconds is amazing, again, comparing mainly to my Explorer. Yes, I'm sure the V8 is a ton faster, and probably more fun to drive, but with that V8 comes increased insurance rates (I'm only 21 years old), more maintenance in the long run (6 spark plugs cost less than 8, as a very basicexample), and it sure will eat more gas. And since gas has increased more than 20% in the last 2 months (from 89 cents a liter to $1.20 for you Canadians/ metric people), the V6 was definately the preference for me. Afterall, I dumped the Explorer mainly because the $100+ every 2 weeks for gas was getting to be a bit much.

Anywho, my point is, I love my V6 convert. Yes, I agree it's probably not even close to as fast as the V8, but who cares, it's my first "newer" car, my first convertible, and I love it none the less

 

Yea, regardless it is a damn good looking ride. I'd challenge the mpg though. I get 29 mpg on the highway and 21 around town. Good point about the insurance rates. I no longer need to worry about that since I am 49 now.

 

Hi I'm new to this site - I've been a member about 10 minutes! I just got a new V6 with the Pony Package. I read this post and can't help but comment. I'm actively involved in a local Mustang club and have had different Stangs for the past 30 years... it's definitely in my blood. I just sold my 86 GT convertible and traded in my modded 02 V6 so I could get this new Stang. It's interesting to get other people's perspective on different Mustangs - especially now with this new generation. For me, it's all in good fun, not "my car's better than yours". I've been on 3.8mustang.com for a couple of years and sadly that's often the case there. Anyway, back to the original topic:

The original comparison really is "apples to oranges" because a stock V6 auto is not in the same league as a modded GT stick. The auto tranny is probably one of the best Ford has built to date, but it does change the character of the car quite a bit. My new Stang was not on the lot (came from some other dealership) so I essentially bought it without driving it, but I did test drive two base model 6's - one auto and one stick, plus a GT auto convertible (they did not have a GT stick). The auto 6 was definitely the most sedate of the three - although it was not slow, I knew immediately it was not the car for me, so the real comparison was the auto GT vs. the stick V6. This is really also "apples to oranges" but in the other direction. I found that the GT auto vert was not much faster than the V6 stick coupe. Maybe THIS is a surprise to some. In a real test on a track rather than a "test drive", I'm sure that GT would have posted superior numbers, but real driving is different. The 6 was actually more fun to drive than the auto GT. I was going to buy a GT when I went to the dealer that day, but after being quite impressed by the V6 and realizing I could get oneFULLY LOADEDwith all options for $3000 less than a "deluxe" (aka "stripped") GT, I changed my mind. True my daily driver was not a GT (but it was modded up to about 215 HP) but I did often drive my 86 GT and I can tell you the new V6 is definitely faster. I will also soon have a 53 mile commute to work, so I was a little worried about my gas cost. That was not enough to sway me by itself, but it is a consideration when you do a lot of driving. Also, the Pony Package with it's upgraded suspension gives the V6 nearly the handling of the GT. It is a noticable improvement over the basic V6. I did not know this for sure because I didn't drive a 6 with the Pony Package before I bought this one, but I had faith! I spent thousands of dollars over the four years I had my 02 modding it and with the Pony Package, 90% of that is already done for you. This car is a blast to drive and it has all the creature comforts I never had in a Mustang before.Don't get me wrong, I never drove the new GT with a stick, and it will always be the "king" of performance (not counting Shelby's ,etc) in my mind, but the V6 stick with the Pony Package was a great choice for me. FYI, between the loan, insurance and projected gas usage (yes, the V6 really does get 28 mpg on the highway) I would be spending about $200 more a month. Again, this would not have been enough to sway me by itself... the surprising performance of the V6 stick was the final straw.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. I just wanted to add another perspective and share my enthusiasm. THANKS!

 

i have a gt and i think it is underpowered.