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3.8L Mustang Convertible--egad |
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Written by JST
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Monday, 09 August 2004 |
Spent the past week and a half driving a couple of different rental
Mustang convertibles around Maui and Kauai (poor me). The standard
rental spec is the 3.8L, 190ish hp V6, 4 speed auto, convertible, vinyl
interior, and not much else.
Man, what a bad car.
It's really almost inexcusable how awful that car is to drive. The
steering is numb and leaden, the chassis flexes like wet toilet paper,
and the seats are like vinyl whoopee cushions filled with sawdust and
Jell-O. There's no bolstering to speak of, but that's actually OK,
given that the chassis is so devoid of any handling prowess that the
last thing you want to do is start pulling enough Gs to move you around
in the seat.
The engine and transmission are also pretty bad. The V6 makes decent
power, but moans an unholy banshee wail above 3K RPM. Unlike the GM
3800, the Ford actually feels llike it makes good power higher in the
rev range, but the moaning, thrashing sound that the engine makes
discourages you from ever venturing up there. The transmission always
seems to be in the wrong gear--I hate automatics as a rule, but this is
a bad example of the breed.
The 2005 can't come too soon.
Originally posted on carmudgeons.com.
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JST's Cornered Test Drives 