When the 2005 Ford Mustang GT convertible pulled up to my office painted the seductive red shade of Marilyn Monroe’s lipstick, I knew I was in for a treat.
Like its fastback sibling, the new convertible is a visual knockout, retaining the design DNA of the iconic 1967-70 Mustangs.
Redefined in fresh ways are the classic Mustang long shark nosed hood, short deck, deeply recessed round headlights, and tri-bar taillights.
On the GT model, round driving lights flank the galloping chrome pony in the center of the honeycomb grille.
Both the Mustang coupe and convertible ride on a 6-inch longer wheelbase than past models, for better stance, balance and overall interior package.
After just a short time in the car, it’s very apparent just how solid the vehicle rides, completely absent of cowl shaking, body creaks and groans that are often prone to ragtop models.
Ford accomplished this by designing the convertible alongside the coupe and not as an after thought that undergoes reconstructive surgery.
Through intelligent engineering, Ford was able to design body joints and rocker panels that helped the convertible attain stiffness goals without tacking on extra steel braces that could have added hundreds of pounds and cost.
This new platform also has twice the torsional stiffness of preceding models.
Living up to its muscle car heritage, the rear wheel-drive GT convertible is a blast to drive, hammering the 300 horses and smoking the tires via the 315 pound-foot torque V-8.
The Tremec manual transmission is first class, allowing smooth power shifts through the five forward speeds, without ever missing a gate.
Another of the 2005 Mustang improvements, long sought after by Ford fans, is the solid rear axle.
Not only does this feature keep body roll well under control, its robust design maintains constant track, toe-in and camber relative to the road surface, for crisper handling at all speeds.
Disc brakes are fitted front and rear, and on the GT model, the rotors are the biggest and the calipers the stiffest ever used on a mainstream Mustang.
A four-channel antilock braking system with traction control is standard on the GT convertible.
Ford’s engineers must have studied at the Julliard School of music, because the exhaust tones emanating from the 4.6-liter V8 engine croon in a deep baritone with perfectly pitched growls through every shift. Those beautiful sounds are played out of 2.5-inch-diameter dual pipes with stainless steel tips.
Mustang’s rich design heritage is carried into the modern interior, with a twin hooded dash pad, and large, circular, chrome-ringed speedometer and tachometer.
Also reminiscence of the original Mustang cabin is the shape of the door trim panels and the perforated leather trim upholstered seats.
Up front, the bucket seats are comfortable, and there is excellent head, hip and legroom.
All controls are in easy reach, and with the roof and windows up, there was only a whisper of outside noise. Rear seating is very limited, best for kids and packages.
For 2005, the Mustang convertible features an all-new "floating" five-bow power top with Z-fold construction that provides a finished top-down appearance, even without the boot. This is accomplished by the front 14-inches of the convertible roof composed of a hard material, which forms a partial cover over the folded top.
The three-layer fabric roof, with its upright profile, features a wide glass rear window with defroster, full quarter windows and a trim C-pillar for improved rearward visibility.
Operating the top begins with unlocking two header-mounted latches, and with the touch on a button located on the windshield header, all four-side windows are lowered, and the roof folds gracefully into the well.
An optional boot is stored in the trunk, and is easily installed over the folded roof, using a tongue and groove design.
While cruising topless around town, there was minimal wind-related buffeting, which Ford accomplished by making the windshield header more steeply raked than on the coupe, and modifying the rear seatback shape.
Those built-in elements eliminate the need for add-on devices to block the wind.
Audio sound quality was as crystal clear with the roof down as up, partially due to the optional Shaker 1000 (1000 watts) system with MP3 disc playback capability.
Standard on the GT is a Shaker 500 watt system, but the test vehicle had the $1,200 optional Shaker 1000.
Only drawback, is the dual sub woofer box mounted in the truck, eats-up over a foot of width, and over two feet of length in the small four-foot wide by 32-inch deep cargo area.
Base price for the GT convertible is $30,550.
The test car with options had a manufacture’s suggested retail price of $34,080, which included delivery.
With world-class quality and performance, the devastating handsome, and affordable 2005 Mustang GT convertible begins another successful chapter to ongoing epic of America's original pony car. |