Love the new design but..........

SoonerJoe · Feb 18, 2004

The aerodynamics seem like they will be pretty bad. My question is how much does that affect performance, noise levels, and MPG?

Z28x · Feb 18, 2004

It should effect top speed, but I don't think it will be a big deal with the other too. It's not like it is shaped like a brick.

SadbutTrue · Feb 18, 2004

Z28x said:
It should effect top speed, but I don't think it will be a big deal with the other too. It's not like it is shaped like a brick.

until 140 or 150 it won't really be a factor...

yellow5.0cobra · Feb 18, 2004

I personally think the front end IS shaped like a brick... but im sure aftermarket will take care of the aerodynamics.

I personally would have like a SLEEKER vehicle, something like a Vette... but we all have our dreams.

I am still nevertheless very anxious to see/drive the car!

shatner saves · Feb 18, 2004

The new car has a top speed of 145 MPH, and it elecronicaly limited to be there. More than respectable.

While the front end does look a bit blunt, the lack of ornamentation (i.e. fake hood/brake scoops) probably makes up for that.

The wheel to fender gap is closer on the new car. This is also beneficial.

No one knows what the underside of the car looks like compared to the old. This probably has just as much of an impact on aero as the top.

The greenhouse on the new car looks slicker than the old. I don't know for sure but it looks like the front and rear glass has a bit more rake on the '05.

All in all, I'd say Cd's are probably comparable.

65conv50 · Feb 18, 2004

shatner No one knows what the underside of the car looks like compared to the old. This probably has just as much of an impact on aero as the top. [/QUOTE said:
Actually, it has more of an effect, as the air is compressed there. Few car builders take this into account, but that's why the low air dams in front of NASCAR cars... to keep the air out from underneath.

Ron Jeremy · Feb 19, 2004

You don't want the new 2005 Mustang to be too rounded. Then it will look as ugly as the Corvette. The new 2005 Mustang looks just fine. It looks like the 65,66, 67,68 and 69 Mustang retro design. All the Mustangs built during those years were fast and nice looking. This new 2005 Mustang will be just as fast and just as nice looking as the ones which were built in the mid and late 60's. If you want a rounded looking car go buy the Corvette or any of the other ugly looking rounded cars that are out there. But leave the Mustang alone. This new design is the BEST design built within the last 35 years since 1969. Let's keep it looking nice. A rounded Mustang will look ugly. Rounded cars look ugly in general. I don't know why the new generation of people in here like rounded looking cars so much. You don't want the car to look like a brick, but you want it to have nice curves on it as well as nice linear lines to it. A car which is too rounded all around does not look as nice as a car which has nice curves and lines to it. Stop liking rounded cars. They aren't anything good to look at.

Wylde · Feb 19, 2004

IMO rounded cars lack style, like they did in the pre 80. I happy to see style coming out of these cars again. I wouldn't go as far as saying the Corvette is ugly though but it doesn't float my boat. The Cobra concept is very rounded, It's very much like the 60's one but again...not a fan. I seen (on the web) Chevy concepts for the Nomad -puke: and a few others that looked like crap to me. I like the new Mustang design for obvious reasons.

shatner saves · Feb 19, 2004

Rounded cars lack style?!? Like every single Jaguar ever built?

Malcolm Sayer is doing 10,000 RPM in his grave right now.

I'm sorry but if it's your opinion that 50's and 60's era Jaguar's, which were very "rounded" by the way, either looked bad or lacked style, then your opinion doesn't hold water IMO.

The Chevy Nomad concept (and Pontiac Solstice for that matter) is a perfect example of a "rounded" car that has oodles of style. You might not care for it, but I think to dismiss it as "having no style" is wrong. The Pontiac Aztec had style coming out the a$$, and it was far from "rounded" and look at how well it did.

And Ron, take a real look at the new Vette. The C6 has a lot of details that are far from "rounded", especially when compared to the C5. Granted, the front end treatment looks a little off to me, but overall I think it's very well done. It's instantly recognizable as a 'vette yet it's easily distinguished form the previous gen car. I'll pass final judgment when I see it in person next week.

falchulk · Feb 19, 2004

Hmmm thats the first time I have seen the Aztec mentiond in the same sentence with style. Body styles change every decade or so. Angular cars dont have that much of a problem with drag or we would all be driving perfect ovals 1 inch off the ground.

shatner saves · Feb 19, 2004

falchulk said:
Hmmm thats the first time I have seen the Aztec mentiond in the same sentence with style. Body styles change every decade or so. Angular cars dont have that much of a problem with drag or we would all be driving perfect ovals 1 inch off the ground.

Before I get a million posts lambasting me for my apparent love of the Aztec, let me clarify.

Styling is a very subjective thing. If it wasn't, we'd all be driving the same car. Obviously, the Aztec is staggeringly hideous, having essentially replaced the Edsel as being the textbook definition of styling gone bad. But to dismiss it as having no style is wrong. Actually, it's the exact opposite. The designers just didn't know when to stop and they ended up with something that had such aggressive styling that it totally offended everyone.

It's also a good example of more rounded styling being better IMO. I think the Buick Rendevous, which the same vehicle except for the sheet metal and trim, actually looks pretty good. It certainly looks a hell of a lot better than The aztec. I dunno, you be the judge.

Getting back to the aerodynamics of the mustang, consider this; the car would look a lot sleeker, and not any more aerodynamic if the grille were leaning back instead of forward. The grille is just something the air passes through so it doesn't matter what it looks like or how it's oriented. What would a Lincoln LS look like if you took the grille off it? The other thing is that if you look at the car in plan view, the front is actually not as square as the current car, which implies that the air hs an easier time spilling to the sides of the car.

SoonerJoe · Feb 19, 2004

I think the design is awesome, I own a 68 coupe, which looks to me to be the car that ford based the current design on. Anyways I wasn't questioning the look, only the effect it has on performance. How much different would the 1/4 times be if it was more aerodynamic?

spanky442 · Feb 19, 2004

It's hip to be square. I think the back looks kind of bulky.

Wylde · Feb 19, 2004

shatner saves said:
Styling is a very subjective thing. If it wasn't, we'd all be driving the same car.

After my last post I went to bed and I was thinking about it more. This is exactly the problem. It is hard to distinguish one car from another at a quick glance or at a distance. So many look the same because they have the shame exact shape. Unlike the cars of the past, there was no way you make a mistake as to what was what. Pre mid 70's I could tell what a car was even the year only at a glance, even at night when only seeing the lights I could tell most of them. My wife says I had too much free time on my hands to have memoried that sort of stuff. You can't do that anymore with today's cars, they have style, it's just they all have the same style and it's very bland.

Ok...you are right about Jaguars, they looked good as do so many others but I don't look at them as "Rounded" and I don't like door stop wedges either like the Lambo Countache, I love the Diablo though and the Enzo. Keep in mind, the exotics are in a totally different class and 90% of them are awesome. I am talking about your mainstream cars, Cavaliers, Sunfires (actually most of the new GMs), Neon, Chrysler 300M (1st gen), Intrepid, most of the imports. A tiny bit of mods and you can't tell them apart. Aztec would have looked better had they not put that stupid cladding on it, Avalanche is another example, stupid cladding again! I haven't liked the Corvettes looks since 1983. SSR has a lot of style, some love it, some hate it. It may be considered "rounded" I think it looks cool, it's the price of it that makes me want to puke. Anyone remember the AMC Matador or Pacer? oodles of style, so ugly! Very distinguishable though.

Now the Mustang, it will be very distinguishable and any distance and it looks totally cool. As for airdynamic, I think it is. The grill is full of holes, it's not like it's a flat suface like a windshield, how can that affect the air dynamics at the speeds it will be driven? On average never over 80 mph?

IWantMyNewGT · Feb 20, 2004

Wylde said:
"...It is hard to distinguish one car from another at a quick glance or at a distance. So many look the same because they have the shame exact shape. Unlike the cars of the past, there was no way you make a mistake as to what was what. Pre mid 70's I could tell what a car was even the year only at a glance, even at night when only seeing the lights I could tell most of them. My wife says I had too much free time on my hands to have memoried that sort of stuff. You can't do that anymore with today's cars, they have style, it's just they all have the same style and it's very bland."

I agree completely! Cars had not only more style then (good or bad) but also more personality. I am glad Ford is finally recapturing that with the '05.

awalbert88 · Feb 20, 2004

While over 150 the aerodynamics will start to come into serious play, I suspect that it wouldn't be hard for a company to build a new front grille/bumper/airdam setup that was smoothed out enough to remove that problem. I'm just curious as to how stable the car will be above 170, which was a problem for the current Mustangs (the only reason the 03+ Cobra is a bit more stable is because it's quite a bit heavier in the nose).

MrMorden · Feb 20, 2004

Doesn't matter, I'll never get near 15omph once the 4.10s go in...

SnkBtn99 · Feb 20, 2004

What does it matter ?? How often do you take you r car over 130+ and need to be concerned about aerodynamics?

yellow5.0cobra · Feb 20, 2004

Drag Racing!

and track racing circuit.

I think the current body style is muscular, but sleek at the same time with some suspension work.

peyotesands · Feb 20, 2004

falchulk said:
Hmmm thats the first time I have seen the Aztec mentiond in the same sentence with style. Body styles change every decade or so. Angular cars dont have that much of a problem with drag or we would all be driving perfect ovals 1 inch off the ground.

i can't imagine when they unveilded the Aztec to the honchos at GM one of them actually said to himself "oh yeah, that's the stuff... build it" It just escapes me.

Love the new design but..........

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