2011 Ford Mustang V-6--A New Hot Rod!

By Anne Proffit

Anne Proffit

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871 views Feb 28, 2011

All Photos: Anne Proffit

Ford’s Mustang has been an icon since 1964 – and that means it’ll be 50 years old in just three years!  When most people think of getting this two-door coupe (or convertible), they mostly look at the V-8-powered GT version as the hotrod of choice, but now Ford has seen the light and taken its V-6 to new levels of performance that can thrill just about anyone that wants to drive this “pony” car.

The 2011 Ford Mustang V-6 Premium coupe is a handsome machine, particularly painted in Race Red trimmed with charcoal black leather seating.  Ford chooses not to slap chrome on this Mustang, thereby rendering young males hopelessly happy in its company.  I couldn’t drive two blocks without heads swiveling to take a look.

Or maybe it was the raucous stainless steel dual exhaust system that bleats, making those around the Mustang think it really has the big engine, not the all-aluminum variable valve timing 3.7-liter dual overhead cam V-6 mill that puts out 305 horsepower at 6500 rpm (redline is 7000) and 280 lb-ft of torque at 4,250, just right for overtaking maneuvers.  This car comes with a 160-mph speedometer and I’d bet, if the engine were not speed-limited, that it can do that kind of miles per hour without breaking a sweat.

At the same time, the 2011 Mustang V-6 premium coupe will easily burn rubber, unlike the boring V6 entries Ford put on the table before this one.  It’s hot – and not just because it’s red.  This particular car has Ford’s slick new 6-speed manual transmission and a not-too-light clutch, so it requires some leg effort to shift.  Even so, moving the shift lever gear to gear (and drivers can lazily skip a gear or two) is a two-finger exercise.  

While the rear suspension on the Mustang remains a solid live rear axle, Ford places MacPherson strut suspension on the front and stabilizer bars at both ends.  There’s limited slip differential and even a large tower brace under the hood.  Ford replaced the hydraulic power steering with an electric unit that feels nice and tight. and certainly not too light.  For 2011 – the Mustang was redrawn for 2010 – Ford’s beefed up the all-wheel ventilated antilock brakes front and rear.

As part of the sole option on this car, a $1,995 V6 performance package, Ford fits Pirelli PZero 255/40R rubber mounted on gorgeous 10-spoke black and chrome alloy rims.  The package also includes a 3.31 ratio limited slip axle and painted side mirror and ups the price on this car from $26,695 (including destination) to a total of $28,690.  

As befits a modern car, Ford has traction and stability controls, dual front and side airbags and a tire pressure monitoring system.  I didn’t see any head curtains.  There is, however, an SOS post-crash alert system and integrated blind-spot wide angle inserts on the side mirrors that certain help visibility – the rear quarter vision is minimal at best but that comes with the Mustang territory.

The interior is familiar Mustang, albeit with the new ambient colors that Ford is using on so many of its cars.  In this case the interior coloring was set to a perfect red, matching the exterior of the car and glowing on the floors and central cupholders.  The windows dip on entry, creating an excellent seal when closed.

There’s a full array of white gauges with gray surrounds that turn rosy when the lights are turned on.  Speedometer, tachometer, temperature, fuel, battery and oil pressure information is standard on this car.  There is a small central storage area that opens rearward and has 12-volt, auxiliary and USB plugs.  There’s a second 12-volt atop the center stack, which has a light matte satin black look to it that’s both retro and modern.  

The sport seats are extremely comfortable and the driver has full power.  This seat will hold the driver (and passenger) in place during hard cornering – and this car asks to be driven hard and put away wet.  To access the comfortable rear seats that have legroom for a flea, one uses a handle on either front seat that tilts the seatback forward.   

Audio comes from the Shaker 500 system that includes a single-CD player with MP3 capability, Sync voice activated system and Sirius satellite radio.  There are a total of eight speakers and two subwoofers included at no extra charge.  The leather-wrapped steering wheel has cruise on the left (no cancel button on this system yet) and audio controls on the right.

The Mustang’s trunk holds 13.4 cubic feet of cargo and there is a 60/40 fold to the rear seats in case the load is larger than that.  The trunk is finished okay, but the gray carpeting wasn’t the best I’ve seen.