Recently all the major America automakers have been remaking their classic muscle cars to offer an appearance that brings back plenty of nostalgia and memories of years gone by when gas was cheap and sheer muscle of a steel beast was king of the road. In a world where fuel efficiency and function are much more prevalent, it’s good to see some real muscle still exists for the road.
As the Mustang approaches a real milestone of its 50th anniversary in 2015, the 2014 model is virtually unchanged from 2013, but even without any changes, this is a fantastic and powerful car to own. Dealers and enthusiasts alike such as Indianapolis Ford are still excited about both models. Unlike some its competition, the Mustang offers a bit of comfort inside the vehicle to make it a great daily driver for anyone to show off every day instead of just when they feel the need to race down the blacktop. Anyone looking for some great power at an affordable price need look no further than the Mustang, but in the same breath a high powered Shelby GT500 will fetch a pretty penny, but really pack a ton of horses under the hood.
Offering three steering options, sport, comfort and standard, and packed with a highly tuned suspension made to keep the car kissing the pavement, the Mustang has a fantastic and sport steering that all will enjoy. The car offers plenty of power even in the standard ranges for drivers to show off why they purchase the pony instead of another sports car. As expected there is a lot of road noise in this crazy beast but if an owner wants a sports car, this is part of the experience of driving a car, to become one with the car and road.
Talk to any sports car enthusiast and they almost always start by talking about the engine, that is no different here in the Mustang which has three choices to choose from when going after some great power. The base engine for the Mustang comes in a 3.7-liter V6 that offers a great amount of power with 302 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque. Even though this is a sports car, with the use of modern technology the fuel efficiency is really good at 19 city/29 hwy mpg for the six-speed manual transmission and 19 city/31 hwy mpg for the six-speed automatic transmission. This model offers a great amount of power to enjoy without shelling out a lot of money in the process.
Next up is the 5.0-liter V8 found in the GT model. This engine comes in with excellent power numbers of 420 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque. The fuel mileage on this mean beast comes in still pretty strong at 15 city/26 hwy mpg for the manual transmission and 18 city/25 hwy mpg for the automatic. With a major increase over the base engine, this beauty will get anyone heading down the track fast and really strong.
Finally, the King of the Hill comes in the Shelby GT500 model packing a major punch with its 5.8-liter supercharged V8 engine that has a massive 662 horsepower and 631 lb.-ft. of torque. That makes this engine an unbelievably powerful monster on the blacktop. The only one transmission offering for this crazy horse is a heavy-duty Tremac six-speed manual transmission that has a fuel mileage of 15 city/24 hwy mpg. Even with this gas guzzling size the fuel numbers aren’t too shabby at all and this massively powerful power train can be taken to the track and expected to outperform almost any other street legal car.
Inside the cabin is actually fairly comfortable, not something often seen in a sports car. Offering metal accents across the front of the interior and soft surfaces to enjoy a bit more creature comfort than expected, the Mustang is an enjoyable car to ride in. All controls are well positioned offering a great deal of control and intuitiveness to the overall driving experience. Recaro racing-style seats can be fitted up front when desired, and the GT500 offers the addition of an eight-inch color touch screen monitor for entertainment and navigation needs.
On the outside the Mustang brings in the look and sex appeal that made it such a great vehicle in its early years and it continues to carry that look for 2014. The options of coupe or convertible are available for shoppers to choose from and the signature pony still adorns the front grill with pride. The wheels are heavily double star spoked and really say the car is ready to charge down the road.
Most sports cars don’t offer much in the way of equipment or additions because of the coefficient of weight to benefit. The Mustang isn’t completely different, but some of the equipment is great to have that comes in this pony. The standard offerings include air conditioning, power windows and doors, an audio system with an auxiliary port, 50/50 folding rear seats, and a remote keyless entry. The higher trim models add a 4.2-inch color infotainment system, ambient lighting, Recaro cloth seats, a Shaker audio system, and a universal garage door opener. The convertible models come with a power operated cloth roof.
The optional features for the Mustang are all package based to include heated front seats, leather trim, voice-activated navigation, side scoops, projecting side mirrors, Brembo brakes, a stiffer suspension, leather Recaro seats, and bigger wheels to all make the Mustang a fully loaded power machine ready to show off as it leaves onlookers in the dust.
A starting price for the 302 horsepower base Mustang comes in at a little under $23,000. The Gt model with all that added power starts at $31,500, both of these models are very reasonable for the car that is offered at these prices. The big daddy GT500 starts at $55,400 making it a lot more expensive, but this baby is fully powered up and ready to tear up the road.
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