After having the 05 GT a couple weeks now I have decided to rewrite the review with some additional thoughts and clarifications.
*********** Review of 05 GT ****************
The 05 GT is tight and sleek. The engine look is impressive. There is no longer a cone filter but rather a screen-type filter. The head covers are significantly smaller than on the 03 Cobra. Ford apparently opted to remove the chrome cover that fits over the variable intake tubes in order to cut down on the heat that can build up with the chrome cover on.
The power is certainly there in the 05 GT however it is not head snapping like in the 03 Cobra. Instead the GT's power creeps up as you accelerate. The exhaust looks real shiny and is quite quiet. It has a growl when you accelarate which quickly dies down as you reach cruise and it briefly gurgles when starting and stopping the motor. The mufflers are located at the back of the car with the chrome tips extending directly off them.
There are aftermarket cat-backs already available should one wish to replace the stock exhaust. Placing headers on this car would be significantly easier than when putting them on a Cobra since the engine is not shoe-horned into the bay like it is on the Cobra.
The inside is nicely done with very shiny bezel rings around the instruments and air ducting. The 05 has a lot more cushion in the seats than the Cobra or previous GT models. You actually set higher relative to the windshield in the GT. There is much more leg room in the GT. Though one may feel the lateral space from the GT's driver to passenger door is less than in the Cobra, you soon will discover that this is just a result of having higher mid-dash between the driver and the passenger seats.
As stated earlier driving the GT is like driving on air. When going over rough road surfaces you can hardly feel it because it is my understanding that the 05 GT has the same setup as the new Crown Victoria. There is no wheel hop when going over bumps even with the solid axle. This is just the opposite in the Cobra despite its IRS. The 05 GT handles curves much like the Cobra however the GT does feel like it has a slight bit more body roll than the Cobra.
The GT has much better response to the slightest turning of the steering wheel. The Cobra is a little less so but noticeable nonetheless. The GT is so responsive in fact that one tends to unconsciously waiver within the driving lane just from making corrections with the steering wheel. There is no comparison between the 05 GT and the 03 Cobra regarding handling and comfort. The GT wins hands down.
The paint is triple clear-coated and sealed with something called PROTEC weather guard. The buyer is provided a total body and interior maintenance kit which should last a good. The warranty includes free oil change maintenance during the life of its warranty and the buyer receives a book of 50% off maintenace parts and post-warranty services. Warranty on car is 3 years or 36000 miles but 60,000 on power and drive train. Upgrades on both to 100,000 are available.
As for mods I have put hood pins onto the 05 GT. I have ordered the complete brushed-aluminum dash bezel, the steering wheel brushed-aluminum insert spokes and a set of tri-spoked wheel spinners. One thing I have concluded after having the car for the last 2 weeks...this is not a car you want to really change around in terms of exterior or interior type mods...because the more you add to it the more removed from the 67-70 vintage look it will become. So the above mods are the only mods I will be making...the car just looks to good as Ford designed it to be.
One may be tempted to lowering the 05 however the Ford engineers warn that to do so will negatively impact the car's handling since its balance and handling were tuned around the new suspension design.
I prefer riding in the 05 GT over riding in my the 03 Cobra. The only thing the 03 Cobra has over the 05 GT is the power. If you like power then buy a Cobra. If you like looks and a good ride balanced with sensible power then the GT is the car to buy. I dynoed my stock 05 GT to establish a power baseline. It had 786 miles on the engine at the time of the dyno. The RAW dyno results are as follows:
* Opened airbox no filter - with cool-down
268.5 RWHP 295.0 TQ
* Crank HP (assuming 12% friction loss value as provided by Ford): 300.72.......
Torque: 330.4 ft-lbs.
It is making the HP/TQ per Ford's stock specification. I expect an increase in HP/TQ as the engine breaks in.
And finally a few words about Ford's decision to move to the retro look. Let me say that there was absolutely no direction in future design the 1999 to 2004 model New Edge look offered. The New Edge look is now part of the great past heritage the Mustang is known to have and should be considered as such by those of us owning 1999 to 2004 models.
Ring out the old and bring in the new.....it is time to move forward and the retro look does exactly that because it opens up a whole new spectrum of future designs that will in all probability lead to the actual Mustang concept car design we all first witnessed from Ford. In my opinion, the current looks of the 05 GT is really what the Mustang needed to and should look like and will provide a wealth of surprising possibilities that the New Edge just could not offer.
*********** Review of 05 GT ****************
The 05 GT is tight and sleek. The engine look is impressive. There is no longer a cone filter but rather a screen-type filter. The head covers are significantly smaller than on the 03 Cobra. Ford apparently opted to remove the chrome cover that fits over the variable intake tubes in order to cut down on the heat that can build up with the chrome cover on.
The power is certainly there in the 05 GT however it is not head snapping like in the 03 Cobra. Instead the GT's power creeps up as you accelerate. The exhaust looks real shiny and is quite quiet. It has a growl when you accelarate which quickly dies down as you reach cruise and it briefly gurgles when starting and stopping the motor. The mufflers are located at the back of the car with the chrome tips extending directly off them.
There are aftermarket cat-backs already available should one wish to replace the stock exhaust. Placing headers on this car would be significantly easier than when putting them on a Cobra since the engine is not shoe-horned into the bay like it is on the Cobra.
The inside is nicely done with very shiny bezel rings around the instruments and air ducting. The 05 has a lot more cushion in the seats than the Cobra or previous GT models. You actually set higher relative to the windshield in the GT. There is much more leg room in the GT. Though one may feel the lateral space from the GT's driver to passenger door is less than in the Cobra, you soon will discover that this is just a result of having higher mid-dash between the driver and the passenger seats.
As stated earlier driving the GT is like driving on air. When going over rough road surfaces you can hardly feel it because it is my understanding that the 05 GT has the same setup as the new Crown Victoria. There is no wheel hop when going over bumps even with the solid axle. This is just the opposite in the Cobra despite its IRS. The 05 GT handles curves much like the Cobra however the GT does feel like it has a slight bit more body roll than the Cobra.
The GT has much better response to the slightest turning of the steering wheel. The Cobra is a little less so but noticeable nonetheless. The GT is so responsive in fact that one tends to unconsciously waiver within the driving lane just from making corrections with the steering wheel. There is no comparison between the 05 GT and the 03 Cobra regarding handling and comfort. The GT wins hands down.
The paint is triple clear-coated and sealed with something called PROTEC weather guard. The buyer is provided a total body and interior maintenance kit which should last a good. The warranty includes free oil change maintenance during the life of its warranty and the buyer receives a book of 50% off maintenace parts and post-warranty services. Warranty on car is 3 years or 36000 miles but 60,000 on power and drive train. Upgrades on both to 100,000 are available.
As for mods I have put hood pins onto the 05 GT. I have ordered the complete brushed-aluminum dash bezel, the steering wheel brushed-aluminum insert spokes and a set of tri-spoked wheel spinners. One thing I have concluded after having the car for the last 2 weeks...this is not a car you want to really change around in terms of exterior or interior type mods...because the more you add to it the more removed from the 67-70 vintage look it will become. So the above mods are the only mods I will be making...the car just looks to good as Ford designed it to be.
One may be tempted to lowering the 05 however the Ford engineers warn that to do so will negatively impact the car's handling since its balance and handling were tuned around the new suspension design.
I prefer riding in the 05 GT over riding in my the 03 Cobra. The only thing the 03 Cobra has over the 05 GT is the power. If you like power then buy a Cobra. If you like looks and a good ride balanced with sensible power then the GT is the car to buy. I dynoed my stock 05 GT to establish a power baseline. It had 786 miles on the engine at the time of the dyno. The RAW dyno results are as follows:
* Opened airbox no filter - with cool-down
268.5 RWHP 295.0 TQ
* Crank HP (assuming 12% friction loss value as provided by Ford): 300.72.......
Torque: 330.4 ft-lbs.
It is making the HP/TQ per Ford's stock specification. I expect an increase in HP/TQ as the engine breaks in.
And finally a few words about Ford's decision to move to the retro look. Let me say that there was absolutely no direction in future design the 1999 to 2004 model New Edge look offered. The New Edge look is now part of the great past heritage the Mustang is known to have and should be considered as such by those of us owning 1999 to 2004 models.
Ring out the old and bring in the new.....it is time to move forward and the retro look does exactly that because it opens up a whole new spectrum of future designs that will in all probability lead to the actual Mustang concept car design we all first witnessed from Ford. In my opinion, the current looks of the 05 GT is really what the Mustang needed to and should look like and will provide a wealth of surprising possibilities that the New Edge just could not offer.
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