Alec

Still

Joshspony

I haven't driven the 2011 yet, but I have read articles saying that the new motor comes alive in the mid range.

Again I haven't driven the 2011 so I am basing my info from things read.

heslekrants

My intent was to test drive a 2011 Mustang 5.0 which has the makings to be an awesome car but it ended up being a V6 (gotta love car salesmen that know nothing about cars).

I was still excited to drive the 2011 V6 to see what it has and my driving experience is what I posted.

If I bought a 2011 V6 Mustang I would replace the 2.73 gears with 4.10 and install a custom tune. That's what I did with my Wife's 06 V6 Mustang when it was only 6 months old.

Torque is what you feel when you accelerate. Gross effective power to wheels = engine torque X tranny gear ratio X rear dif ratio.

This is why my Wife's 4.10 geared 06 Mustang is faster with less hp at 0-60.

2011 V6 280tq X tg(1st=4.17/2nd=2.34/3rd=1.54) X 2.73 = 3,186/1,788/1,177
2006 V6 240tq X tg(1st=3.22/2nd=2.29/3rd=1.55) X 4.10 = 3,168/2,253/1,525

I haven't seen power curves for the 2011 V6 yet but with peak hp at 6,500 & tq at 4,250 the 3.7 likes the rpms. The 4.0 V6 peaks hp at 5,300 & 3,500 tq.

The 2011 V6 bogged feel going from 1st to 2nd is all in the gearing. Going from a 4.17 1st gear to a 2.34 2nd gear is too big of a spread with a 2.73 rear gear & a high rpm motor. Ford should of put a 3.22 2nd gear in that 6 speed auto.


Here's the 2011 Mustang I drove. The internet shows a lower price than the side sticker that was on the window. $30,762
http://www.mackenzieford.com/en_us/u...sp?Unit=308645

I dynoed my Wife's 06 V6 Mustang after installing the dual exhaust(only mod at the time) and ran 3 times. HP ranged from 203-206.4 & tq ranged from 210.8-216.1 at the wheels. I haven't taken it back since the other mods but it runs alot stronger now. I wish I would of dynoed it when it was stock for a baseline.

LostBoyz

I still think the biggest thing between the two is the shift map on the auto. With 2.73 gears and stock most form the auto is designed to get better gas mileage. If you put a more aggressively timed shift pattern it would be even closer. Again if you had a manual and 3.31 rear diff the 2011 would beat the modded 2006 even in the 0-60

heslekrants

A manual + 3.31 rear diff would be a much better combination and probably would beat most na modded 05-10 V6 Mustangs at any speed or road conditions.

As far as better gas mileage my Wife's 06 V6 auto was avg 11mpg city/27mpg hwy with the 3.31 factory gears. Going to the 4.10 gears it went to 15mpg city/25mpg hwy. 0-60mph it's a fun car to drive but falls flat on its face above 80mph.

Overall the 2011 Mustang is a much improved car. Really like the body lines except the ugly back which I'm starting to get use to. The interior is way nicer and less road noise. The cornering is awesome (really could of used that manual tranny).

Future plans are to get the new 5.0/6 speed to put into my 1st car, a 65 Mustang conv. I bought it 34 years ago and it's currently a work in progress. A 4.6L DOHC V8 should be in it sometime this summer.

heslekrants

Yesterday the dealer called & a 3.73 geared 5.0 Mustang with 6 speed manual just arrived so I went on a test drive full of 90deg curves in an unpopulated area.

The 2011 Mustang 5.0 lives up to all the hype! It felt like a high 12's car. The quality & performance improvement to this car are amazing. The dealer has a $6,000 market adjustment added to the price so the sticker was $42,949 but it was pretty easy to get them to remove the added $6,000.

The 2011 Mustang 5.0 is faster than the 2010 SSRS 6 speed manual that I drove. It also feels just a little bit faster than my Son's 2000 Camaro SS 6 speed manual that's stock, 78K miles and runs a 13.1 1/4 mile.

I plan on buying my wife a new Camaro or Mustang and after yesterday's drive I may be leaning more to getting the Mustang. The biggest thing holding me back is that freaking ugly back end of the Mustang.

Sorry for the crappy cell pics.

conejo172

The beauty of owning a 2010 v6 with dual exhaust is any one who realizes its a six might think its more powerful than it is! With my stock 331's I will spank a 2011 off the line to 60 that's all that really matters! The auto is a pig that is stuck in the mud with a six no matter what year or engine with the six!!!!

laserred02

So I haven't posted in a long time, but I owned a 2007 V6 w/manual tranny and I just picked up a 2011 V6 w/ 6 speed manual. There is no comparison in acceleration at any range. Absolutely no comparison. A better comparison is my brothers 2008 GT not my old V6. The build quality, handling, and power are hands down much better than in my 07 V6. Not to slam the original poster, but owning and driving both cars daily they don't compare. Gears don't make up for 95 hp and 40 ft/lbs of tq.

heslekrants

Have you driving the 2011 Auto V6 Mustang? The programing & gear spread is garbage just as the stock programming on the 2006 Auto V6 Mustang was.

Gears do make a big difference in how a car behaves.

lostnight

I ran 0-60 in my new 3.7 automatic in 5.46 seconds (according to my Dynolicious), I think that's pretty decent for stock. It does have the optional 3.31 though. Some day if one of the local rental agencies gets 3.7s in, I'd like to rent one for a day, and give it some 0-60 runs with the Dynolicios, see how they compare. And perhaps a trip to Kilkare Dragstrip. Mine ran a 14.5419 @ 97.95 mph there, I wonder what I could get with the 2.73s.