06 Mustang GT 5 Speed

[trey.hutcheson]

My best friend's wife(he drives an srt4) just picked up a new 06 Mustang GT 5 speed two months ago. It was kind of funny. She had been going to the track and autox events with us for a while, and wanted to join in. Her requirement for a new car was something that was faster than her husband's.

So I finally got to drive it Saturday night. I was extremely impressed with how nice it was, and quiet. The stock exhaust sounds pretty good, but it's almost unnoticible in the car while driving. The materials felt nice, and the seats were extremely soft. It felt completely planted; it weighs roughly the same as my car, but my car is much more lively and twitchy. I still think my car feels more nimble, but the GT isn't the hulking beast that every one makes it out to be.

Now to the performance/driving aspects. I know those things make massive torque. Especially looking at dynos. But it wasn't there. I just don't get it. When I drove it, it just felt weak. It actually felt slower than my car. I don't think it is, but that's how it felt. And up top it seemed to give up.

Maybe I'm confusing throttle response for torque. I don't know. But when I drive my car, the response is immediate. To push her car, I really had to get on the gas with much more pressure than I am accustomed, and the response is delayed.

The clutch pedal is feather light. Almost makes my pedal feel overly stiff(which is already lighter than stock). But I swear it feels like a cable-driven clutch. There is absolutely zero feel. I had no idea when it was starting to catch. I had to just guess. It catches high in the pedal travel, much like our cars stock, yet just a bit higher. And pedal travel is huge. After I got back in my car for the first time last night, I realized just how short our pedal travel really is.

The shifter is just aweful. Extremely rubbery, with no feel. The throw from 1>2 is better than my car, but 2>3 and 3>5 is just crazy. The lateral movement during the shift is just way too far. I really didn't like it's shift pattern.

The last thing that drove me nuts was the weight of the flywheel. I'm not the world's fastest shifter, and most of the time I'm fairly slow and lazy. But when I was shifting her car normally, it just took forever for the revs to drop. For-ev-er.

I determined two things: first, I had the exact inverse impression of her car than I expected(performance, handling, and comfort). And second, I need to go drive a stock 6speed g.

Now keep in mind that the car only has 3 thousand miles on it. And I'm sure that once we get to the track and she gets some experience, that her car will be faster than mine. But it sure didn't feel like it.

[Texan1]

Its a given with mustangs that you put an aftermarket shifter on anyway(pro 5.0, steeda, bbk, hurst or whatever).

Glad to hear the clutch is light, my gt mustang's clutch was so heavy..my knee would get sore

I guess every car has its own feel and its own throttle response...I am sure after a few days of driving it...you would have that thing bangin' thru some quick shifts (w/after market shifter) and having lots of fun. They can also take a wheel upgrade with a negligible performance loss...if any at all. The avg. mustang gt..is ok...but when they have some cool wheels, springs, tint, exhaust, shifter, vortech supercharger...drool........

Now the spoiler could be a little bit more low-profile..but other than that...I think this gt is hot especially if it was blown

[trey.hutcheson]

Originally Posted by Texan1

Its a given with mustangs that you put an aftermarket shifter on anyway(pro 5.0, steeda, bbk, hurst or whatever).

Glad to hear the clutch is light, my gt mustang's clutch was so heavy..my knee would get sore

I guess every car has its own feel and its own throttle response...I am sure after a few days of driving it...you would have that thing bangin' thru some quick shifts (w/after market shifter) and having lots of fun. They can also take a wheel upgrade with a negligible performance loss...if any at all. The avg. mustang gt..is ok...but when they have some cool wheels, springs, tint, exhaust, shifter, vortech supercharger...drool........

Now the spoiler could be a little bit more low-profile..but other than that...I think this gt is hot especially if it was blown

I realize that my initial review had a very negative tone, and I did not intend that. I actually enjoyed the car very much. I still prefer my own car, but that's a given; I bought a g sedan and not a mustang after all.

Also, I think I know why I was so disappointed in the performance; I had my friend, his wife, and myself in the car, all with a/c on. I'm sure my car would feel abnormally slow under the same conditions.

And I don't like the spoiler in that picture; otherwise it's quite nice. I've noticed a few prior-gen gt's running around without the spoiler, and I must admit, they're sexy with the naked rear deck.

[Texan1]

Know what you mean. I think the spoiler should be toned down, like a lip spoiler or whatever.

My complaints on the gt stang were always the fixed radio antenae, unpainted side mirrors, not an agressive enough ride height and wheel offset, shifter, and a heavy clutch, too restrictive exhaust. These things are minor and any aftermarket perf. shop and body shop can take care of all these things.

know what you mean about the xtr weight with the people on board

[harley01]

My friend has a 99 GT Mustang and he was disappointed in the 05. With a 0-60 time of 4.9 you would expect gobs of torque. He had the same feeling you did...the car just felt slower at launch than he expected. I really like the new look of the stang, but sitting in one is almost clostraphobic.

[Z06ified]

The first time I sat in an '05 Mustang convertible (rented it), what struck me as odd was how tall the hood is. The hood seems to be above the dashboard, and pretty much goes straight out for a while. It made me feel short sitting in it, and took a while to get used to driving it. It drove nice, and was fun to drive, even in V-6 form. The car isn't perfect, but it is hard to beat for the money, and it looks great, especially with the top down.

[Skaterbasist]

Originally Posted by harley01

My friend has a 99 GT Mustang and he was disappointed in the 05. With a 0-60 time of 4.9 you would expect gobs of torque. He had the same feeling you did...the car just felt slower at launch than he expected. I really like the new look of the stang, but sitting in one is almost clostraphobic.

4.9 stock?!?

Wow this must be the world record for a stock 05-06 GT

Most reviews rate it from 5.2-5.4 for MT

[Jeff92se]

Ya gotta love domestic V8s. 6 na bolt on mods and it's doing 12s in the 1/4. The aftermarket has arleady cracked their drive by wire ecu software and has the torque management delete option already.

[Texan1]

Originally Posted by skaterbasist

4.9 stock?!?

Wow this must be the world record for a stock 05-06 GT

Most reviews rate it from 5.2-5.4 for MT

actually the auto was rated at 5.1 sec., so he is off by 1/5 of a second

[harley01]

I thought I read 4.9 somewhere when it first kicked off....Motorweek gave 5.0 0-60 times.

[2006_G_coupe]

I think that car doesn look bad at all.!!

[Skaterbasist]

Originally Posted by Texan1

actually the auto was rated at 5.1 sec., so he is off by 1/5 of a second

I dont buy it.

My brother owns one... and I have to say its probably over rated because like Trey said it just doesnt feel like its fast.

I really like the Mustang GT though, so dont get me wrong. Its such a performance- bargain.