 | 2000 Ford Mustang The first ponycar is still the dominant player.
By Jim McCraw,
New Car Test Drive .com |
Overview
Ford's Mustang was completely redesigned and re-engineered last year (1999), with improvements to every single system under its brand-new skin. But all the best traits of the Mustang, the original pony car, remain. There's plenty of torque. The engine sounds great at full song, urging you to keep your foot in it. Excellent handling response keeps you involved. Yet it burbles along when cruising, attracting lots of attention from those around you. The Mustang has only two true competitors, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird. There are Japanese and Korean coupes that compete with Mustang on price, but they don't offer pony car performance. Model Lineup
Like the GM pony cars, the Ford Mustang comes in many guises. There are V6 and V8 versions in both coupe and convertible body styles. There's also the Cobra, a super-performance model (available as a coupe or convertible) that competes against the Camaro SS and the Firebird Ram Air. You also get a choice of transmissions: 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. The base Mustang is powered by a 190-horsepower 3.8-liter V6. Mustang GT models come with a 4.6-liter overhead-cam V8 that produces 260 horsepower. Both engines offer substantially more power this year. The limited-production SVT Cobra and Cobra convertible models come with special 32-valve double overhead-cam engines. Prices for the Mustang coupes: base ($16,520), GT ($21,015), Cobra ($27,605). Convertible prices: base ($21,370), GT ($25,270), Cobra ($31,605).
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