(about the v6 becoming a great car in its own right)Yea man, that's one of the reasons why I went this way instead of another offering. (From 1999) Until 2011 (it seemed that) anything but a v8 was an "orphan" car. But now because of Ford deciding to build the best (v6) motor they can and put it into many different models of their fleet, you get something that can kick serious a$$ at not a serious price.
You know when you buy a new car and after that first
serious jaunt you get that "shit burning off all the brand new hot components" smell? Oh yeah man, I just got in from that ride. :) The car handles really well for what it is. I have to get used to RWD characteristics and I think things will be good.
Touching on what you say about Ford really making the v6 a serious contender, how can you complain about 300+hp/280tq as far as raw power getting over 30 highway (i did a 100km highway jaunt and that 30+ is realistic I think)? Of course when I was really on it I burned gas fast but the power for a v6 is just UNREAL! The power delivery is so smooth and even as it hits its crescendo right around redline (which, btw, the gauge background turns red on all the gauges if you go into the redline... a nice touch of ambiance, IMO). No "bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaahangonaaaaagiveitasecaaaaaaaaaaaa AAAAAAAARAPEAPEEEEEEBWAAAAAA!" of the SRT4's turbo lag with a bigger turbo. That's something is still taking time to get used to- that I can be at about 2,000-2500 rpm and just hit the pedal and I'll go instead of having to downshift. I can chirp 2nd even with traction control on with no issues, and im a little over 100km/h (62) before having to shift into 3rd, so I probably could still do a 0-60 on 1 shift even with 3.73's (i want a stoplight to stoplight car in addition to a nice quarter, so I dont want a 2nd shift before 60).
Speaking of traction control, I didn't think I would be a fan of the computer trying to help with power delivery but you know what? Setting the steering into "sport" mode combined with the traction control on really lets me rip backcountry roads with confidence! The computer is absolutely outstanding at making the right decisions for a compromise between power and traction when the pavement is less than perfect. If the SRT4 had a traction computer like this I never would have sold it!
All in all, I can't believe the way that Ford cared about what used to be the "orphan" car of the mustang lineup. I just didn't have an extra 13k (the difference between my well equipped v6 and a stripper 5.0 factoring in taxes and incentives) to pull the trigger on a v8. Well, I probably did but I didn't want to have a payment that high. But you know what? With the fun I can have in this car thanks to the combination of power and control, I really don't miss having the 5.0. Since the 3.7 v6 is a fully forged motor thus opening up forcefed options, I probably never will.
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