BESTester: PERFECT BALANCE
DEEP FOREST TIME: 1.27.879
First thoughts:
To say the truth, I was surprised by this car as soon as I got to the first turn, I was expecting this car to be like all other american muscle cars, lots of body roll, bad brakes, huge amounts of understeer, and a big heavy chassis. But this car is a whole different story, it doesn't seem at all like a muscle car, it turns great, brakes good, and has no lack of power for those steep hills. At 1,58? kilograms, this thing weighs about as much as a skyline or supra. It oversteers just a little tiny bit when braking, but not enough to slide, in fact, I tried to drift this car and I could not get it to oversteer enough unless I did a huge fient, and then it still didn't drift, it just sort of slid. Think of the slight oversteer as a way to get the car to turn just a little better while braking. Also, it had almost no understeer at all when pressing the throttle. If you nuetral steer, then step on the gas, the change in car behavior is close to none, it just keeps on turning.
Supension:
The mustang is surprisingly stable, not much body roll, and a stiff suspension. The only time the suspension really gets compressed is while braking, where the front goes way down over the front wheels. This just helps with weight transfer, so if you go into a corner too fast, all you have to do is brake and the front grips and you just turn away from the wall, no need to worry about understeer in this situation.
Engine/Transmission:
The engine is pretty good, plenty of torque and horsepower, but a 6,000 rpm red line is something that could be improved. Plus, the big V engine sounds like some kind of tractor at low rpms. I don't really like American V engine's, so I wasn't too pleased with this one, although it is better than the majority of them. The transmission is good, the gear ratio is set at the right place, each gear gives steady acceleration without any really big changes in torque. 2nd or 3rd should be enough to get through most turns quickly and smoothly.
Looks:
I've said before, and I say again, I hate muscle cars, so the boxy shape of this car doesn't please my eye. I didn't really like the old ford mustangs, and this one just seems just like a modern version of it. The lights are better shaped, and the overall body contours are better, but I still don't like it. I aso wish it came with a bigger size wheel. They seem sort of small for a sports car.
Conclusion:
I think this is one of the best american muscle cars ever made, its turns great and has good brakes, but things like the engine and exterior have a long way to go before they get as good as some of the engines around today. If you don't really care about gas prices and saving the enviorment, then this is a great car for you. I think it would make a great drag car, I noticed I could not get the wheels to spin in second gear, so it has loads of grip. Then you could also make it into a track car, but I think it wouldn't be able to stay competitive for long with other cars in its class. But then again, you never know until you try.