2013 Ford Mustang GT

What is it? About 10 years ago, your author's then-coworker purchased a relatively new V6 Ford Mustang convertible. When he stopped by the house of a caustic French helmet painter to show it off, the first words out of the Gallic artiste's mouth were something to the effect of, “Why did you buy a car with a fake hood scoop?” The Mustang's proud owner was suddenly a little crestfallen. Since Ford did away with their ponycar's unfortunate styling in 2005, Dearborn's tack has been one of incremental improvement, save for a modest restyle for 2010 and a major upgrade in the available engines. Ford's modular V8, introduced in the Mustang GT for 1996, was never really the paragon of factory-hot-rod virtue that the venerable and versatile 302-cubic-inch pushrod Windsor had proven to be until the introduction of the stellar Coyote. Plus, the base car saw its first truly excellent powerplant in the form of the 305-hp, 3.7-liter V6. For 2013, the updates to the Mustang are slim. The front and rear fascia both get revisions. Depending on the grille treatment and the color--we like the California Special's offset galloping pony the best--the rhinoplasty either adds a slight meltiness to the proceedings or imparts it with a mite more menace. The rear's new LED taillights retain the trademark sequential blinkers, while little LED bars in the headlamp assembly both echo the 1970 model's front-end accents and act as daytime running lights. On the Premium-level cars, a little program suite that Ford calls “Track Apps” comes standard, allowing you to measure quarter-mile time, acceleration and lateral loads. Those who want that John Force feeling without the inconvenient flopper bodywork and gland-stinging nitromethane fumes can even take advantage of a drag-strip-style Christmas tree displayed on a 4.2-inch screen between the tach and the speedo. What's more, the excellent Recaro seats from the Boss and the GT500 are now available across the line. Vegans will be pleased to note that they're even available upholstered in cloth. Faced with limited time for a spin, we chose a Mustang GT loaded with the important accoutrements--Brembo brakes, a 3.73 differential, Recaros and the all-important manual transmission--for a morning of motoring northeast of the Beaver State's Rose City. What is it like to drive? One could deploy plenty of florid verbiage about the revamped 'Stang, all of it justified. But one could also just flat-out state that the thing is an utter joy to wheel around in nearly any situation and basically sum it up. The manual transmission splits the difference between American muscle-car chunkiness and Mazda Miata-like snick. The gates might be a bit close together for hamfisted antics, but dial in the right amount of force and finesse, and the shifter becomes a welcome ally in the tight stuff. Not that you'll need to shift much with the fat, torquey powerband of the willing and revvy V8, uprated this year to an even 420 hp. We've found the six to be of similar character in the past, even if its numbers are 115 hp shy of the V8's. Handling is predictable and taut. On wet roads, even some impudent (and possibly imprudent) throttle inputs didn't bend the car out of shape. If the car has a weak point, it's a lack of life in the steering wheel, leaving one feeling slightly isolated from the surface beneath the front wheels. The electric power steering is, however, firm and direct, making it easy to point the car into a corner. Do I want it? The GT we tested, with the aforementioned Brembos and leather Recaros, rang in at $39,475. If that's a little eye-watering, a manual 5.0 with Recaros and Brembos can be had for a smidge less than $35,000 by forgoing the GT Premium trim level. It means dumping the Track Apps and the bumping Shaker sound system, however. Still, if we were going to lay out about 40 large on a Mustang, we'd go for the Boss 302, which starts at $42,200. On the other hand, an entertaining six-cylinder car could be put together with the cloth Recaros, the V6 Performance package with the GT's brakes and suspension bits, plus a set of 19-inch wheels, for $26,585. In essence, Ford's covered a more than $30,000 spread. From the bare-bones V6 car stickered at $23,395 up through the Boss and on to the 200-mph-or-die-trying GT500 at $54,995. In between, feel free to play with the options, seasoning to taste and budget. For about a decade, the Mustang was a rather unfortunate-looking pile that appealed to the rabble with its low price, plenty of aftermarket support and a storied heritage. The 2005 reinvention and subsequent upgrades mean that it's now simply an excellent car regardless of genre, an appealing balance of price, refinement, handling and brutish verve. Plus, those new hood vents on the GT? They're actually functional. 2013 Ford Mustang GT Base Price: $30,595 As-Tested Price: $39,475 Drivetrain: 420-hp, 390-lb-ft, 5.0-liter V8; RWD, six-speed manual Curb Weight: 3,618 lb (est) Fuel Economy: 18/25 mpg (manual), 15/26 mpg (auto)