Cars Worth Noting: 2005 Mustang GT

The classic knock on the Mustang had been that you could go plenty fast in a straight line but if you planned anything past that, you might be in trouble. That grievance can officially be tossed.

Ford chose a solid rear axle for the Mustang due to input from enthusiasts as well as its ability to help control body roll and camber relative to the road while maintaining a constant track.

The three-link rear suspension design features a panhard rod to control the rear axle, a central torque arm attached to the upper front end of the differential and trailing arms at the end of each axle.

Test drive routes that Ford mapped out for us featured some brilliantly winding roads.

The shifter is well positioned and has relatively short throws which made ascents through the gearbox as sporty as can be. The steering wheel has a nice retro styling, and more importantly, provided a great feel on turn-in and turn exit. The response of the vehicle, overall, amidst the twisties, was wonderful.

Mustang also provides the most essential part of this platform, a grumbling/torquey, classic American, V-8 with an exhaust sound (emanating from a true dual exhaust), that would please the devil himself. The 4.6L 8- cylinder in the pony produces a usable 300 hp applied to the pavement with traction control from TRW. While the traction control is very able and keeps the rear axle from hopping around during a classic Mustang clutch dump, the wheels will still spin and produce an ample smoky burnout, which some owners will consider mandatory.

Summation. This car delivers all the power you’d expect from a Mustang with a greatly reworked suspension/chassis that allows for proper dicing.