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Chris S · 09-27-2010, 09:49 AM

I just finished a few days w/ an '11 Mustang V6, and thought I'd share a few observations/impressions. A couple friends and I (plus one of their dads) flew into Denver to attend the Motocross of Nations in Lakewood, CO this weekend. I was surprised to see us end up in a new Mustang for a rental car!

I only drove it briefly, but it had plenty of power, even w/ 900+ lbs. of passenger and cargo @ mile-high altitude. The auto transmission didn't really make an impression, which I'd say is a good thing by not bringing attention to itself. It handled respectably, though I didn't find the steering feel to be that great. I can't say the live axle ever made itself known, though we weren't exactly flogging it around twisty backroads.

The doorsills lit up w/ Mustang signage when the door was opened, and the instrumentation could be selected w/ numerous color options.

Now for the negatives: seating is tight for 4 adults. My head was often touching the rear window (I'm 5'11"), and when driving w/ the seat set humanely for the rear passenger, it was uncomfortable to drive. W/o moving the seats, ingress/egress is tight from either the front or rear. As in most coupes, the doors are looooooonnng, no fun getting in or out in tight parking spaces.

The seats were an attractive textured saddle tan, w/ nice stitching. Unfortunately, they felt cheap, and I couldn't determine whether it was nice vinyl or cheap leather. Other plastics looked and felt pretty cheap.

Overall, I'd think it's a great value, esp. for those who won't be carrying passengers regularly. The GT is getting all the attention, but the V6 offers respectable performance as well w/ great economy and likely better insurance rates. Given the compromises of the platform, I'd feel increasingly less enthusiastic about it as various models' MSRP increase.

Furthermore, there's no way I would cross-shop this against an M3. Mustang no doubt offers a better value proposition, but the M3 is superior in comfort, passenger/trunk space, refinement, luxury, and I could go on and on. The ironic thing about them is that them seem pretty similar sized on the outside, but the M3 has a much larger interior - I can only surmise that the live axle is what's eating into interior/trunk space.

09-27-2010, 09:49 AM	#115
Chris S Kneedragger Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Austin, TX Moto: '07 KTM Super Duke (for sale), '07 KTM 300 XC-W Posts: 171	2011 Mustang V6 I just finished a few days w/ an '11 Mustang V6, and thought I'd share a few observations/impressions. A couple friends and I (plus one of their dads) flew into Denver to attend the Motocross of Nations in Lakewood, CO this weekend. I was surprised to see us end up in a new Mustang for a rental car! I only drove it briefly, but it had plenty of power, even w/ 900+ lbs. of passenger and cargo @ mile-high altitude. The auto transmission didn't really make an impression, which I'd say is a good thing by not bringing attention to itself. It handled respectably, though I didn't find the steering feel to be that great. I can't say the live axle ever made itself known, though we weren't exactly flogging it around twisty backroads. The doorsills lit up w/ Mustang signage when the door was opened, and the instrumentation could be selected w/ numerous color options. Now for the negatives: seating is tight for 4 adults. My head was often touching the rear window (I'm 5'11"), and when driving w/ the seat set humanely for the rear passenger, it was uncomfortable to drive. W/o moving the seats, ingress/egress is tight from either the front or rear. As in most coupes, the doors are looooooonnng, no fun getting in or out in tight parking spaces. The seats were an attractive textured saddle tan, w/ nice stitching. Unfortunately, they felt cheap, and I couldn't determine whether it was nice vinyl or cheap leather. Other plastics looked and felt pretty cheap. Overall, I'd think it's a great value, esp. for those who won't be carrying passengers regularly. The GT is getting all the attention, but the V6 offers respectable performance as well w/ great economy and likely better insurance rates. Given the compromises of the platform, I'd feel increasingly less enthusiastic about it as various models' MSRP increase. Furthermore, there's no way I would cross-shop this against an M3. Mustang no doubt offers a better value proposition, but the M3 is superior in comfort, passenger/trunk space, refinement, luxury, and I could go on and on. The ironic thing about them is that them seem pretty similar sized on the outside, but the M3 has a much larger interior - I can only surmise that the live axle is what's eating into interior/trunk space.