2006 Ford Mustang GT

Welcome to the Driving Range with Dave Jordan - Your Auto Guide to the South Shore of Nova Scotia. All you need to know about Nova Scotia's South Shore Auto scene.

This week, Dave Jordan checks out the 2006 Ford Mustang GT:

When we think about muscle cars, we tend to look back to the late '60s and early '70s when cars produced by the "big three" such as the Camaro, Barracuda and Mustang roamed the countryside and frightened women and children with their powerful, loud, large displacement V8 engines. Chrysler dropped out of this market many years ago but is strongly considering a rebirth of the Challenger, and Chevrolet is bringing back the Camaro after a short recent departure. Ford, however, has never let the Mustang die. The last-generation Mustang was a pretty good car even with its at-the-limit handling woes. For 2005, Ford went back to the drawing board to bring us a Mustang that can once again wave its muscle-car banner proudly. The Mustang GT maintains the heart and soul of the genre but in a modern-day, retro-styled package. Even though the cost and fuel-efficient conscious may opt for the more economical six-cylinder model, the throbbing V8-powered GT is the one to get if you want those memories of yore to come flooding back.

I have the pleasure this time of tooling around in a black-over-red leather 2006 Mustang GT convertible. Thanks to the kind folks at Mahone Auto for the opportunity to relive a part of my youth.

The Ford design staff has done an excellent job with both the convertible and coupe by bringing back that retro look with some modern-day styling cues. The front and rear fascia treatments are especially reminiscent of that '69 to '70 era. For example, the headlights are contained in their own housings separated from the upper grill by distinctive vertical bars, with the driving lights on either side of the classic tapered nose section. And those trademark trilight vertical taillights hearken back to the Mustangs of old. The roofline and side window of the coupe are instantly recognizable as trademark Mustang traits as well. The convertible holds firm on this overall retro theme but of course conveys a more conventional profile since the collapsible roof design holds a more generic but handsome look.

Inside. the retro theme continues, where you face a flashy interior with copious amounts of aluminum covering the dash surface and lots of chrome bright work trimming the gauges and vents. The tach and speedometer use classic tall, thin number graphics and short pointers just like the '60s-era Mustangs did. The steering wheel is a modern take on the old three-bar split-spoke theme and suits the overall interior retro feel well. The back seats, as usual, are more appropriate for children or very small adults but do offer that 2+2 arrangement that gives a level of convenience that is sometimes needed. After all, a Mustang will not likely be the primary form of transport for, say, your typical family of four.

The top itself is easily lowered by simply releasing two latches and depressing the power button above the rear-view mirror. Once down. the folded top sits flush with the rear deck and can be covered with the vinyl tonneu cover if you plan on leaving it down for extended periods of time. Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not co-operate, as we had one of our many damp, rainy weekends to deal with. I did manage a few short stints with the top down and I have to say that this is definitely the way to travel the roads of the world. The feeling is completely different and more exhilarating in a convertible than in a fixed-roof coupe. If you want to just listen to tunes while you drive, the excellent-sounding Shaker 500 stereo system should satisfy any audiophile's needs.

The heart of any sporting vehicle is its engine, and here Ford has done an admirable job developing its stalwart 4.6-litre power plant. By utilizing three-valve-per-cylinder aluminum heads, variable valve timing and a dual-mode intake manifold, this unit pumps out 300 horsepower at 6,000 rpm with 320 lb-ft of maximum torque available at 4,500 rpm. Crank this V8 up and the rumble from the dual exhaust can't help but bring back muscle-car memories of yore. You can enjoy the experience just sitting there idling.

But this car is not meant to sit still. Hit the go pedal and you reach 60 mph in just 5.6 seconds with the revs still climbing up through the gears while a wonderful, throaty exhaust note penetrates the interior. Said exhaust music is even more noticeable in the convertible than in the coupe. Bonus! I prefer a standard shift with my sports cars, so was a bit apprehensive about a five-speed auto that came with this GT. After only a few short minutes behind the wheel, however, I realized Ford made a quality choice with this auto box. Shifts to the next highest gear are aggressive but smooth, and downshifts occur when you want them during kick-down or when simply slowing down for corners when you need a lower gear for exit acceleration.

Suspension components are a carry-over from the previous generation in general, but have had a complete work over for a substantial improvement in cornering, stability and tracking. Turn in is crisp and direct and the disturbing rear-end hop that was so prevalent on many previous-generation Mustangs, due for the most part to their rear axle design, has been all but eliminated. This new pony car tracks true and sure under all conditions even when broken and disturbed paving surfaces are encountered.

I had a blast with this new 'Stang and came away very impressed with how much car you get for the money. Six-cylinder models start under $24,000, with the GT requiring $33,000 of your hard-earned savings, and around $37,000 for the convertible GT. Ford actually has some incentive deals on right now so these prices could be even less. If you want the ultimate Mustang, then see if you can get your hands on the Awesome Shelby GT 500, as in 500 horsepower!

With its classic proportions, muscle-bound skin and flashy interior trim, the Mustang convertible is a visual trip right back to that first decade. It looks just as good as the coupe and provides that open-air thrill that, once you experience it, will have you thinking you'll never want to put the roof up again.


Dave's Auto Archive - The first car built by the Ford Motor Company of Canada in early 1904 was the Model C. A total of 117 cars were made in the first year. Most were two-cylinder Model Cs, but a few four-cylinder Model Bs were also built. Both were made in 1905 along with the Model F, a new two-cylinder car.