Had to go to a funeral this weekend, so I had the opportunity to rent a V6 2005 Mustang from Hertz. Had only 550 miles on it, and was built 4/05. Let me preface this by saying that I have owned a 1995 and 1999 GT, as well as a 2001 Cobra. I currently have a 2002 Z28 A4, but am still considering a 2005/06 GT 
At 700 feet elevation (compared to 5,280 where I live), I found the V6 to be pretty adequate. It was powerful, and sounded pretty good for a V6. Even though the 2005 Mustang and my Camaro both weigh about the same, the Mustang feels much lighter than the Camaro. The Mustang definitely handles better, rides better, and stops better (less nose dive). Generally speaking I really liked the car.
On the down side, I did find the driver's legroom to be a bit cramped, especially for my right leg. I also found myself kicking the door speaker every time I got in and out of the car. I was also very disappointed when I went to fill it up with gas from the 1/4 tank mark - it was almost impossible to put gas in this car. After about 3 gallons, the auto-shutoff constantly was going off. It was really embarassing hearing "click", "click" while standing there attempting to fill the car. My sister was giving me crap about not being able to put gas in a car. I finally remembered one of the tricks posted here about turning the fill handle upside down, and that got me to full (and then some as it splashed out and all over the side of the car). Why is a Mustang built in April still not able to be filled up?
My biggest dissapointment with the car however was the mileage. I drove it 225 miles (and much of this was highway miles, or back country roads at a steady 60 MPH) and it only got 19.3 MPG. While it may have been a tad shy of full when I got it from Hertz, the needle was pegged on "F" for quite a while when I started my trip, so I think it was pretty close. How is it with mostly highway driving this car can't crack 20 MPG with a V6? Christ, my Z28 with a 5.7L V8 and an auto transmission gets 22 MPG very reliably with 50/50 city/highway driving, and if I had driven it under the same conditions as the Mustang it would have hit 24-25 MPG.
Anyway, I am still seriously considering a GT, but I cannot believe that as of April Ford is still sending these cars out with defective gas tanks. I would also have to assume that the GT would get even worse mileage than the V6 (probably not by much though).
I may wait for the 2006, hoping that they at least get the gas tank situation figured out.
At 700 feet elevation (compared to 5,280 where I live), I found the V6 to be pretty adequate. It was powerful, and sounded pretty good for a V6. Even though the 2005 Mustang and my Camaro both weigh about the same, the Mustang feels much lighter than the Camaro. The Mustang definitely handles better, rides better, and stops better (less nose dive). Generally speaking I really liked the car.
On the down side, I did find the driver's legroom to be a bit cramped, especially for my right leg. I also found myself kicking the door speaker every time I got in and out of the car. I was also very disappointed when I went to fill it up with gas from the 1/4 tank mark - it was almost impossible to put gas in this car. After about 3 gallons, the auto-shutoff constantly was going off. It was really embarassing hearing "click", "click" while standing there attempting to fill the car. My sister was giving me crap about not being able to put gas in a car. I finally remembered one of the tricks posted here about turning the fill handle upside down, and that got me to full (and then some as it splashed out and all over the side of the car). Why is a Mustang built in April still not able to be filled up?
My biggest dissapointment with the car however was the mileage. I drove it 225 miles (and much of this was highway miles, or back country roads at a steady 60 MPH) and it only got 19.3 MPG. While it may have been a tad shy of full when I got it from Hertz, the needle was pegged on "F" for quite a while when I started my trip, so I think it was pretty close. How is it with mostly highway driving this car can't crack 20 MPG with a V6? Christ, my Z28 with a 5.7L V8 and an auto transmission gets 22 MPG very reliably with 50/50 city/highway driving, and if I had driven it under the same conditions as the Mustang it would have hit 24-25 MPG.
Anyway, I am still seriously considering a GT, but I cannot believe that as of April Ford is still sending these cars out with defective gas tanks. I would also have to assume that the GT would get even worse mileage than the V6 (probably not by much though).
I may wait for the 2006, hoping that they at least get the gas tank situation figured out.