This is REALLY good news and I don't know why the original poster didnt bring it up in the other post. MT has a likely reason behind the 05's low trap speed of 99.9 mph. "It's 99.9 mph speed at the end of the quarter mile is just shy where most current-gen Mustangs run. We suspect the new car's deep, high-fuel-mileage fourth and fifth gears are to blame. They say "First, second and third are tightly spaced and snap off upshifts nearly as rapidly as a Mercedes AMG SpeedShift automatic. Fourth and fifth gears, however, are performance-sucking black holes slowing the otherwise energetic acceleration curve". They say the expect the manual to run in the 4.8-4.9 range 0-60 mph and I think you can also shave a good .02-.03 seconds off that quarter mile in a manual where you can control the shifts which would put it at about 13.3-13.4 in the quarter Just more proof that manuals are almost always faster then autos and to avoid an 05 GT auto like the plague if you plan on racing
More intresting stuff: "The 2005 GT is quicker than all but the current SVT Cobra, and, even so, only by 0.2-0.3-second margin. With a 5.1-second run to 60 mph, the new Mustang outruns a comparable 1999-2004 GT four speed automatic by nearly a full second. A same-gen five-speed manual GT managed only a 5.4-second 0-to-60, and an automatic Mach 1 mustered a 5.6 best. Similar story in the quarter mile" The new car's 13.6-second time is about a half to a full second better."
"In the 600 ft. slalom, the new Mustang feels altogether more precise, predictable and stable than the car it replaces. The firmer platform is better suited to allowing the suspension and tires to do their job more effectivley. Where the old car slides as a whole past each cone (unpredictably at that) the 2005 bites hard on the initial turn-in, transfers weight in the blink of an eye, and manages rear roll-steer far better. Just a hint of opposite-direction wheel input brings the rear end back in line with an authorative snap ready for the next cone. The best run was over 66 mph, better than any previous Mustang except the race-ready Cobra R of 2000.
More intresting stuff: "The 2005 GT is quicker than all but the current SVT Cobra, and, even so, only by 0.2-0.3-second margin. With a 5.1-second run to 60 mph, the new Mustang outruns a comparable 1999-2004 GT four speed automatic by nearly a full second. A same-gen five-speed manual GT managed only a 5.4-second 0-to-60, and an automatic Mach 1 mustered a 5.6 best. Similar story in the quarter mile" The new car's 13.6-second time is about a half to a full second better."
"In the 600 ft. slalom, the new Mustang feels altogether more precise, predictable and stable than the car it replaces. The firmer platform is better suited to allowing the suspension and tires to do their job more effectivley. Where the old car slides as a whole past each cone (unpredictably at that) the 2005 bites hard on the initial turn-in, transfers weight in the blink of an eye, and manages rear roll-steer far better. Just a hint of opposite-direction wheel input brings the rear end back in line with an authorative snap ready for the next cone. The best run was over 66 mph, better than any previous Mustang except the race-ready Cobra R of 2000.