Heald's Pre-Posterous

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The New Boss is Hot

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Well, it is a great thing when you get surprised by a pony. It’s especially satisfying when, instead of being a 9-year-old girl at a birthday party (and it’s a 1-horsepower horse), you’re old enough to have a driver’s license and the equine surprise is a Mustang with 444 ponies under the hood.  Ford’s new Boss 302 allowed me to channel my inner 9-year-old girl (a strange experience for a male of my advanced years), as I was both giddy and surprised because to be honest I’ve never been a hard-core pony car kind of guy. Oh, they’re fun, sure, and the latest crop of retro hosses are well done. Of the group I’ve preferred, in this order, the Challenger SRT8 (wonderfully over the top) the Mustang (something just seemed to be missing, somehow) and then the Camaro (too claustrophobic). 

But Ford’s new 5-liter has altered this ranking, for it is one of those cars that they just got right from headlight to trunk and ends up being a wonderfully integrated, entertaining package. First there’s the engine, which has the right power curve, makes all the right noises, and, wonder of wonders, is even dressed properly out of the box to invite those who appreciate such mills to gaze upon it. True story: I guy approached me at the gas station and asked to if I would crack open the hood as he had to leave his beloved Mustang in Puerto Rico years ago and was homesick. These days I would be uncomfortable with such a request, as opening the hood on most cars reveals a sea of plastic shrouds that might cause the enthusiast to not only be disappointed, but sink into a deep depression. 

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Not the might mill of the ol’ Boss 302, though. It looks great, with plenty of detail work and even the spring tower bridge strut is properly finished so as to welcome inspection. The Mustang fancier approved, and went into detail as about modifications he’d done to his car including fabricating his own spring tower strut years before it was a factory item. So kudos to Ford for sweating the details on this one. It actually should be an important part of the allure of a car like this, and they came through impressively.

This attractive V8 is bolted to a really sharp 6-speed manual transmission, which whether called upon to cruise for burgers or play Bullitt turned out to be a true snickity-snick delight. Great ratios, nice shifter action, and a really well-balanced clutch. Perfect, really, except for the placement of cup holders just behind the shifter which cause ergonomic interference when occupied. Man, I seem to encounter this foible a lot on new cars, as if the interior designers forget that certain models actually come with manual transmissions. You don’t suppose some of these folks have never actually driven a car with a manual gearbox, do you? Nah . . .

 We continue our trip aft and find the same old funky live rear axle, which is still a straight non-independent beam of a thing (as if borrowed from an F150) that is not exactly stellar on bumpy corners but is as well-managed as such a design gets. All the suspension rates are spot-on for aggressive driving and manage to avoid beating you up on rough stuff, which is very cool. The car feels both balanced and solid, with its 3600+ lbs. pretty much negated by light, responsive steering (probably the best weighted electric-boost steering I’ve encountered, excepting the Honda S2000). Also most excellent are the Brembo brakes, which are easy to modulate and hauled the car down from 60 MPH in an average of 114.5 feet. That’s an excellent performance from any car, especially something like this that isn’t priced like an exotic. 

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Other great parts choices include superb Recaro seats that are so typical for the brand in that they offer peerless support and comfort wrapped in attractive, durable style. They work better from an ergonomic standpoint that their pony car competitors, and really tie the whole machine together. The hot fudge on this ‘Merican sundae is exterior styling that’s pretty understated, with Boss 302 graphics that walk right up to the mountain, think about going over the top but doesn’t quite get there. The Competition Orange finish on my (Sorry. Wishful thinking. Ford’s) test mule was pretty much flawless with a rich, deep quality to that was very striking. Again, it’s not flashy or overstated; just executed with what appears to be great care. This great coupe was a pleasant surprise in that it’s such a home run in terms of what it’s supposed to be, and easily the best Mustang I’ve ever driven by a margin. Remember, this is coming from a guy who’s really not that into the genre, too. But hey, when push comes to shove who doesn’t like a pony, especially one that can run like the wind?