2012 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Test Drive

Ford's iconic Mustang musclecar got a significant revamp for 2010, and a pair of new engines for 2011. While the 2005+ Mustangs have always been pretty nice cars with a decent amount of punch, for a while they were playing for customers without any real competition.  With the introduction of the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger, Ford needed to up the ante: the 315bhp GT just didn't have much to say against the 426-bhp Camaro SS.

The battle-tested 4.6L "modular" V8, which powered Mustang GT's from 1996-2010 has finally been retired, and replaced by a thoroughly modern V8.  The return of those oh-so-familiar 5.0 badges to the flanks of the Mustangs mean a nearly 100-horsepower bump over last year's model, but don't be fooled into thinking that's it.

The big story on the new GT is obviously the engine, and with good reason: it's world-class performance and technology at a reasonably affordable price.  If you don't check a single option box, you can pick up a GT 5.0 from your Ford dealer for $29,310 plus a $795 destination fee.  There isn't a way to go faster in a new car for $30k and change.

The cool thing about the new 5.0L is that it's actually a 5.0L.  The old "5.0" (302ci Windsor pushrod V8 of Vanilla Ice fame) had a total displacement of 4942cc, which using proper math rounds to a 4.9L engine.  I know this is a pedantic point, but it's always annoyed me.  The new 5.0 has a bore of 92.2mm and a stroke of 92.7mm, which in addition to making it an almost "square" engine, yields a displacement of 4951cc - which IS a 5.0L.

It's finally true!

Nerd terminology aside, the 5.0L is based on the 4.6L Modular block - it shares the same 100mm bore spacing and 227mm deck height, but that's where the similarities basically end.  While the only way to get quad-cam heads on the old Modular V8 was a Cobra or Mach 1, all Mustang GT's now employ twin-cam 32v aluminum heads mated to an aluminum block.  Ford's Ti-VCT system (twin independent variable cam timing) system is employed as well, varying cam timing on the intake and exhaust.  This allows the 5.0L to run an 11.0:1 compression ratio, port injection, and still run happily on regular old 87 octane gas (although output drops to 402bhp and 377lb-ft.)  Other changes compared to the 4.6 include a single-blade throttle body mounted low and in the middle of the V, which moves the alternator to the side of the block, a composite intake manifold, and revised exhaust manifolds.  Total power output for the 5.0L is 412bhp@6,500rpm, and 390lb-ft of torque @ 4,250rpm, with the redline set at 7,000rpm - a lot more high-end breathing power than the 4.6L's ever had.

Also new is the transmission - the 5-speed Tremec TR-3650 has been tossed in the garbage bin, replaced by a Getrag/Ford MT82 6-speed manual.  This is the same manual transmission that's also available in the new 3.7L V6 Mustangs, but beefed up for duty behind the 5.0L.  Some 2011+ Mustang owners have reported serious issues with the Chinese-built MT82 6-speed, but I have to say that my impression (albeit limited) was entirely positive.  From a shift quality standpoint, this has got to be the best transmission to ever grace a Mustang from the factory.  Sure, the Tremec TR6060 in the GT500 is rated to handle significantly more power, but you also need a Popeye forearm to shift it well, being a derivative of the T56.  Seriously, if BMW could get the shift quality of their manual transmissions up to this level, I'd be impressed.  Throws are super short from the factory, the gear stops are very positive, and there's little to no play in gear.

Another surprise: for a car with a huge V8 producing 390 lb-ft of torque, the clutch is surprisingly light - and the pickup is right off the floor, making the 5.0 an easy car to drive in stop and go traffic.  In fact, what's really surprising about the Mustang is just how refined as a whole it's become - it still offers superlative performance for the money and a slice of pure Americana, but no longer do you have to suffer a broken-chicken-leg shifter, Taurus steering wheel, and a Tupperware interior to get it.  The steering (now electric-power assisted for 2011) doesn't have a ton of feel, but it's very smooth and the rack gearing is spot on for a car the Mustang's size.

The interior (which was redesigned in 2010) is also a big step up over the 2005-2009 models, which had a smart pseudo-retro design, but not the highest level of interior quality.  The whole dash top is soft-touch material, all the controls are logical and legible, and the seats are a nice compromise of support and squish.  It won't pass for an Audi, but then again, you'd need to spend about as much as 3 Mustang GT's to get an Audi that can keep up - such is life.

Twist the key and the 5.0L V8 bursts to life with the high-idling rumble that even with factory pipes, can't be mistake for anything else.  Driveability around town with the 5.0L and 6-speed is slap-yourself simple - if you stall out in this car, it's your fault.  The surge of low-end torque means you can just short shift at around 1,800rpm when crawling along in traffic without ever bogging the engine.  The sound is distinctly different from the barrel-chested 4.6L 3v - there's more valvetrain noise, more intricacy and less staccato warble.  It's somewhat reminescent of an E39 M5 with an exhaust system, which is both a compliment and unsurprising (they're both nearly 5.0L 32v V8's with similar output).

Get on the gas, though, and you come to the biggest improvement over the 4.6L.  I can't stress this enough - yes, it's basically the same car, but anyone saying the 5.0L is just a "tweaked 4.6L" needs to drive both.  The last Mustang of this body style I drove - a 2009 GT C/S - didn't impress me at all in the "go fast in a straight line" department, even with 315 horses under the hood.  It seemed like more noise than power, even if the noise was nice - you put your foot to the carpet and once you got up and past 5,000 rpm, wondered "is this really it?  Let me go drive a GTO."  With the 5.0L, there's power everywhere. A 5mph rolling start in first gear with the throttle pinned to the floor doesn't induce any wheelspin (there are 255/40/ZR19 Pirelli PZero summer tires in the back), just the kind of thrust that you feel in your rib cage.  And unlike the 4.6L 2v or 3v (or especially the even old 302ci pushrod Windsor V8), it doesn't ever run out of breath - it pulls strong from low RPM's, but it's just as happy howling along near the 7,000rpm rev limiter.  As an added bonus, in addition to the extra 97 horsepower over last year's 4.6L, the GT gets better fuel economy - 17/26 with a 6-speed compared to the 2010's numbers of 16/24 for a 5-speed manual GT.

Unsurprisingly, this is the type of car you can find yourself speeding in without even realizing it - it will break every speed limit in America without breaking a sweat in 3rd gear - and the power is just intoxicating.  Whether banging off redline upshifts, or just rolling onto the throttle about 3/4's from 3rd gear at 45 mph, the 5.0L is always the most noticeable element to this car.  It's not an illusion of power, either: the 5.0 is a seriously rapid car by most any standards, capable of 60mph from a standstill in about 4.5 seconds, and a quarter mile in the mid 12's as equipped (with a 3.73:1 final drive ratio and summer tires.)

Furthermore, my particular test car was equipped pretty much exactly like I would option out my own GT from the factory - the Premium Package which includes niceties like leather seats and Sync, the 3.73:1 final drive ratio, and the Brembo Brake package - which includes 4-piston Brembo brakes from the GT500 up front, the Pirelli summer tires, and the gorgeous 19" split-five spoke alloy wheels.  Anything other than that is just gilding the lilly and adding unnecessary weight.  The suspension is inoffensive (more on that later), and the optional Brembos are certainly up to the task of slowing down the Mustang on back roads - and I've heard decent things about their track performance as well.

Obviously, the Mustang's biggest rival is the new-style Camaro (what with the Dodge Challenger catering less to those interested in speed, but looking good and being comfortable - personal opinion there) and I have a few observations as far as a comparison of the two.  I had a few issues with the Camaro, which is admittedly a pretty cool car: visibility is terrible, the interior is a cool design rendered in cheap materials, and it feels (and is) quite heavy.  None of which are failings of the current Mustang, which offers a much more traditionally-sized greenhouse, which you can actually see out of comfortably.  The interior might not be as exciting a design as the Camaro, but I've always been one for quality over flashy design, and the Mustang IS a lot lighter than the Camaro.  The GT weighs in at a pretty reasonable 3605lbs, with the equivalent Camaro (a 2SS) tipping the scales at 3860lbs.  For reference, the Challenger R/T (with a 376bhp 5.7L Hemi V8 and 6-speed) weighs in at 4078lbs.  And while both the Camaro and Challenger boast independent rear suspension setups (the Mustang still uses a live axle with coil springs and a panhard rod), even in fast driving on a challenging road, the Mustang remains planted and easy to drive, thanks to years of development of the live axle.  The Camaro doesn't handle badly, but if there's a noticeable advantage to it's technologically superior rear suspension, it's certainly offset by not being able to see out of it, plus the additional 200lbs of mass it's carrying around.  The rear axle never exhibits any of the traits that Mustang haters are sure to rattle off: no skipping around unpredictably on rough corners, or a clompy ride: it's planted and secure.

So maybe the GT's closest competitor as far as overall (not just straight-line) driving thrills per dollar is... The Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8L.  A 3.8L "Track" model weighs 3,384lbs, the lightest of the four pony cars (odd to think of a Hyundai being a competitor, but what else out there is similar?) - but the largest engine for the time being only has 306bhp and a relatively light 266lb-ft of torque; it's more of a corner carver or a 370Z competitor.  If they'd get around to putting the 5.0L Tau 32v DI V8 from the Genesis R-Spec into it, well... that'd be a different story.

With the 2011 GT, Ford has basically fixed almost everything people didn't like about 05+ Mustangs.  While GM and Mopar try to reinvent their muscle cars, Ford's never stopped making the Mustang, and never really changed the formula all that much - evolution, not revolution.  So despite having the smallest V8 of this class (a 5.0L vs the Camaro's 6.2L and the Challenger's 5.7L/6.4L engines), it's the fastest, it's the easiest to drive fast, it's completely tolerable as a day-to-day transportation appliance (17 city/ 26 highway even with 3.73 gears is not bad at all), and it's cool to boot.  What's not to love?