People Who've driven both the 03 and 07

[colin450]

My father has an 03 Cobra and I just picked up my GT500 today. I feel like I know the '03 well enough to compare them. Both cars are 100% stock and I really can't think of anything that's better about the 03. Looks are obviously subjective so I'll leave that out.

I think the interior on the GT500 is alot better than the one in the Cobra. The leather dash is a really nice touch. It's more roomy, which is good for me cause I'm 6'4. The gauges are awesome, the shifter and the way it shifts is awesome, and the stereo is pretty good too. Unfortunatley, it was raining when I picked it up so I didn't get on it too much. But from what I did do, I can definatly tell the GT500 is much faster and the torque is just awesome.

I'm trying to be as un-biased as possible but I would take the GT500 over the Cobra everytime.

 

[ON D BIT]

if anyone cares, probably not though i will post it anyway, this was my initial review of the gt500 after a saw it in person at the 06 bj auction. short and to the point post on 1-26-06.

to be honest in person the gt500 looks like a mustang gt with new front end new wheels and attached spoiler. in other words nothing special. inside of this mustang is where the beast lies. the engine, drivetrain, brakes, and suspension is what you will be paying for. and for sure all of these items will stand out from the crowd in terms of performance.

my view of the gt500 is as above. nothing has changed since my first honest review of the car over a year ago.:beer:

 

[MADGREEK]

I have both. I also drive them and they are both great cars. 03 engine looks 100x better then the gt500. While the GT500 is much bigger looking then the 03.

 

[try03venom]

I basically got rid of my 03 Terminator because of the poor paint quality.After 3,000mi on the car I noticed lots of chips all over due to thin paint.So that being said how does the 07 paint compare to the 03-04's??

 

[Posi]

I basically got rid of my 03 Terminator because of the poor paint quality.After 3,000mi on the car I noticed lots of chips all over due to thin paint.So that being said how does the 07 paint compare to the 03-04's??

Yeah my 04 has rock chips on the front end with only 3500 miles on it. Also I don't follow people to close on the interstate or anywhere else. This really pisses me off!

 

[eichisama]

They did turn over a new leaf in the Mustang chassis department with this new S-197 chassis though! oke:

...Including an all-new assembly plant...

 

[Angel]

Somethings not right. Ford stated that the SN197 is something like 37% stiffer in torsion and 56% stiffer in deflection then the SN95. That's a healthy increase (and why it's heavier) but that car will bend and twist just like every car does.......just 37/56% less then an SN95.

Even with all that stuff you are still having problems? Try 6 mm lower fendor screws.

S197 is 30% greater torsional strength; balance 47/53 with the yaw center just behind the center of the two front seats - very good for a car that price which allows for great handling on the corners. 31 spline axels; improved gearing and design of the 5-Sp T3650 with advanced syncromech and double syncroed low gears; still OEM Valeo clutch - but at least larger - 0.2" in smaller diameter than the Cobra and kevlar coated to reduce friction heat;- liquid filled engine mounts to better handle vibration when under heavy load; reverse L suspension with coilovers to aid in hard lauches with improved LCAs - still factory stamp outs, but they did a better job this time;

In regards to balance and handling; which, i have the most interest in once the power is at a sensible level for the weight of the car; the S197 Roush (based of the S197 GT with slight modifications) i run around the corners better than in the Shelby. Shelby needs to be lower and stiffer to accomodate for the understeer as well as the engine being further forward; some mass needs to be reduced from the front end of the car to help with the balance issue.

As many have commented, there is a lot of plastic in these cars, better fitment and finish than the previous generation, i agree, but there is still much room for improvement. Albeit, i appreciate the larger engine and better drivetrain of each of my S197s than the high class instruments of perfect leather. Ford apparently spent most of the money where the average Mustang Enthuiast liked it most; within the price limitations of the market.

 

[Stripe Delete]

No doubt the 07 over the 03-04's because you can change the dash light colors to one of a hundred million color combos!:banana: Ha

My paint job is not too great if you check it out in the right light. Lot of metalic runs. Do like the seating/shifter position on the 05s up better than the previous generation.

 

[ac427cobra]

No doubt the 07 over the 03-04's because you can change the dash light colors to one of a hundred million color combos!:banana: Ha

Yeah, of all the colors to choose from, I picked green so it matches the rest of the instrument cluster! :bored:

:-D :lol:

 

[GT Shadow '03]

It's good to see that everyone who own's a Shelby is happy w/it, and can notice an overall improvement.

I own an '03 DSG Cobra convrt. and must admit, the body panel fitment is not good! What I don't understand is how over the yrs. of building the '99 - '04 body, the quality didn't improve but appears to have gotten worse. I owned a '00 GT Vert. for 6 yrs. before purchasing the Cobra and the gaps on the doors / fenders / hood were better on my GT then the Cobra w/4K miles!

Personally, I still like the look of the '03 - '04 Cobra better then the Shelby, but as previously mentioned, that's subjective to personal taste.

Happy modding!

GT

 

[P49Y-CY]

Somethings not right. Ford stated that the SN197 is something like 37% stiffer in torsion and 56% stiffer in deflection then the SN95. That's a healthy increase (and why it's heavier) but that car will bend and twist just like every car does.......just 37/56% less then an SN95.

something's not right.

currently, ford markets the s197 as 37% stiffer than the sn95 platform.

in 1994, ford marketed the sn95 as (edit: ) 44% stiffer than the fox platform.

does ford gradually decrease the chassis stiffness over the course of a chassis run (say 10 years) so that they can make amazing claims in comparision to the outgoing model? :shrug:

:idea:

more: The basic chassis however, shares many parts and components between the previous generation and itself. But various improvements resulted in a 44% increase in torsional rigidity and 56% increase in bending resistence in Coupe's and an 80% torsion and 40% bend resistence for the Convertibles, when compared to the 1993 model.

 

[chuckstang]

My father has an 03 Cobra and I just picked up my GT500 today. I feel like I know the '03 well enough to compare them. Both cars are 100% stock and I really can't think of anything that's better about the 03. Looks are obviously subjective so I'll leave that out.

I think the interior on the GT500 is alot better than the one in the Cobra. The leather dash is a really nice touch. It's more roomy, which is good for me cause I'm 6'4. The gauges are awesome, the shifter and the way it shifts is awesome, and the stereo is pretty good too. Unfortunatley, it was raining when I picked it up so I didn't get on it too much. But from what I did do, I can definatly tell the GT500 is much faster and the torque is just awesome.

I'm trying to be as un-biased as possible but I would take the GT500 over the Cobra everytime.

Hey Im in MA as well. Any chance we could meet up some time, Id love to see the GT500 up close because I am hoping to get one when the ADMs go away. Let me know! thanks :beer:

 

[03SBSVT]

I basically got rid of my 03 Terminator because of the poor paint quality.After 3,000mi on the car I noticed lots of chips all over due to thin paint.So that being said how does the 07 paint compare to the 03-04's??

it is 100x better than the 03 paint. read the link i posted in the first post, my review of the GT500, the paint is VERY nice for a mustang

 

[jshen]

Gas Mileage

What is the gas mileage difference between the 03-04 Cobra and the Shelby? Presently I get 16.5 city 25.5 hwy in my 03.

 

[CobraRed01]

Arguably....new 5.8L Aluminum BOSS>GT500>Terminator>New Edge>SN95>Fox>.....Mustang I

...but a logical progression none-the-less. Now throw in new body style on the BOSS and I'm in.

Lighter is better.

 

[JiggaStyles09]

Lighter is better.

pontiac always told me that wider was better :shrug:

 

[wildosvt04]

Screw the weight. In day to day driving you don't even notice. I'll take the comfort of my 07 over the 04 anyday. The ride is superior in the 07 vs. the IRS in the 04. I do not miss my 04 at all.

 

[dgussin1]

What is the gas mileage difference between the 03-04 Cobra and the Shelby? Presently I get 16.5 city 25.5 hwy in my 03.

it's pretty much the same. it all depends on how you drive. I drive fast, often. I get 8-12 in the city and 16-23 on the highway.

 

[chuckstang]

Its too soon to say 5.8L aluminum boss motor is better than current blown 5.4 because who knows what the compression ratio will be, bore/stroke, forged bottom end?

 

[CobraRed01]

Its too soon to say 5.8L aluminum boss motor is better than current blown 5.4 because who knows what the compression ratio will be, bore/stroke, forged bottom end?

So why build it?...'cause the Mod's tired.