After a week-long examination of the newest and best 2011 cars by the entire editorial staff of Car and Driver, 65 vehicles in all, Ford Mustang GT was named to the prestigious 10Best list. This marks the sixth time Mustang has received this honor, more times than any other Ford vehicle in the history of the award.
You might wonder why we’ve left the Mustang GT’s equine siblings to snort in the paddock. It’s simple: The GT is the ideal blend of performance and value, serving up brutal muscle, daily usability, and the agility of an honest-to-Edsel sports coupe at an eminently fair $30,495. The V-6 model is less expensive, but it cedes more than 100 horsepower to the GT and lacks the V-8’s final measure of polish (the six goes gritty at high rpm, for example). The Shelby GT500 betters the GT’s 0.94 g of grip, 153-foot 70-to-0 braking distance, and 4.6-second 0-to-60 sprint, but those bragging rights cost an extra 19 grand—a nicely optioned five-door Fiesta, or just $4000 shy of a V-6 Stang—and it isn’t as livable besides. Yes, the Mustang’s interior still could use better materials, but the drive is the thing. From the how-the-hell’d-they-do-that? taming of the live rear axle to the tactile steering to the crisp six-speed manual, the 2011 GT is, save for the GT supercar, perhaps the most gratifying Ford ever made. But even better than the chassis is the five-point-oh! V-8 thundering away underhood: It’s a soulful marvel, smooth in its power delivery and mellifluous in its sound. Where the V-6 and GT500 are good—make that really good—the Mustang GT is greatness at a great price, and that’s why it alone grabs the trophy.
VEHICLE TYPE >
front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
BASE PRICE >
$30,495
ENGINE TYPE >
DOHC 32-valve 5.0-liter V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Power (SAE net) > 412 bhp @ 6500 rpm
Torque (SAE net) > 390 lb-ft @ 4250 rpm
TRANSMISSIONS >
6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting, 6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase > 107.1 in
Length > 188.1 in
Width > 73.9 in
Height > 55.8 in
Curb weight > 3600 lb
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving >
17–18/25–26 mpg
You might wonder why we’ve left the Mustang GT’s equine siblings to snort in the paddock. It’s simple: The GT is the ideal blend of performance and value, serving up brutal muscle, daily usability, and the agility of an honest-to-Edsel sports coupe at an eminently fair $30,495. The V-6 model is less expensive, but it cedes more than 100 horsepower to the GT and lacks the V-8’s final measure of polish (the six goes gritty at high rpm, for example). The Shelby GT500 betters the GT’s 0.94 g of grip, 153-foot 70-to-0 braking distance, and 4.6-second 0-to-60 sprint, but those bragging rights cost an extra 19 grand—a nicely optioned five-door Fiesta, or just $4000 shy of a V-6 Stang—and it isn’t as livable besides. Yes, the Mustang’s interior still could use better materials, but the drive is the thing. From the how-the-hell’d-they-do-that? taming of the live rear axle to the tactile steering to the crisp six-speed manual, the 2011 GT is, save for the GT supercar, perhaps the most gratifying Ford ever made. But even better than the chassis is the five-point-oh! V-8 thundering away underhood: It’s a soulful marvel, smooth in its power delivery and mellifluous in its sound. Where the V-6 and GT500 are good—make that really good—the Mustang GT is greatness at a great price, and that’s why it alone grabs the trophy.
VEHICLE TYPE >
front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
BASE PRICE >
$30,495
ENGINE TYPE >
DOHC 32-valve 5.0-liter V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Power (SAE net) > 412 bhp @ 6500 rpm
Torque (SAE net) > 390 lb-ft @ 4250 rpm
TRANSMISSIONS >
6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting, 6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase > 107.1 in
Length > 188.1 in
Width > 73.9 in
Height > 55.8 in
Curb weight > 3600 lb
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving >
17–18/25–26 mpg
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