| Anyone who hasn't been in a Mustang for a couple of years will want to take a look at the 2011 model.
The interior was much improved for 2010 and there are even more improvements for 2011.
The front bucket seats are significantly more comfortable and better looking than the slabs used in the 2009 models, though they could still use more lateral support.
The aforementioned noise, vibration and harshness improvements have made what was once a rather loud car pleasingly quiet, though the Mustang's all-American pony car rumble is still audible to drivers and onlookers alike.
The interior design benefits considerably from the 2010 improvements.
The 2005-2009 Mustang was notorious for its poor interior.
What it lacked in soft-touch surfaces it more than made up for in cheap, hollow plastics.
This time around, the throwback look is very much the same but the execution is far better.
The dash top itself is now a one-piece soft-touch panel versus the hard multi-piece version of prior years.
Real aluminum is used on the fascias, pedal covers, scuff plates and shifter knob instead of plastic.
Interior ambient lighting in the door pockets, cupholders and footwells is a welcome interior feature, and the lighting colors can be changed through a range of 125 colors with the flip of a switch with Ford's MyColor system.
The look of the cabin is especially impressive when the Premium Trim with Color Accents package is ordered.
This includes leather-upholstered sport bucket seats with cashmere accents running down the middle, as well as a dark aluminum instrument panel and unique door inserts.
The available leather-clad steering wheel is a massive affair with six brushed metal spokes in three groups of two, with cruise control switches and controls for the sound system.
The Mustang also has a few options and amenities you might not expect, including a rearview camera, Ford's Sync voice-activated entertainment and communications system (which includes an iPod/mp3 player interface), Sirius satellite radio, and a navigation system with Sirius Travel Link.
The news isn't all good, though.
There are still elements of the interior that could benefit from sturdier materials.
The gauge surrounds, in particular, still look like cheap albeit chromed plastic.
Ford says it used Audi interiors as aspirational benchmarks for the Mustang.
If that's the case, they didn't clear the bar.
Audi interiors are among the best on the market, and the Mustang, while fun and much better than in the past, really isn't close.
Most drivers should find a comfortable seating position, though we would like a telescoping feature for the steering wheel.
There is plenty of head and leg room up front for most drivers, and the Mustang's sight lines are impressive.
The side mirrors add blind spot mirrors in their upper, outer corners this year.
We found this simple and cheap solution works quite well, and the mirrors are wide enough to provide a good rear view otherwise.
The coupe's rear pillars don't intrude much in over-the-shoulder visibility, but it's hard to see out the back in the convertible with the top up.
Coupe or convertible, the Mustang does not have the high beltline of its main competitor, the Chevrolet Camaro, and this is an advantage for the Mustang.
The lower beltline makes for better visibility to the sides.
This advantage became especially noticeable in an autocross.
We could easily see the cones from inside the Mustang, but not from inside the Camaro.
The Mustang's two-passenger rear seat is not a place for adults.
Head room is limited by the rake of the coupe roof, and leg room is minimal.
You could get an average size adult back there, but he/she won't want to stay there long.
It's a better place for the kids.
The trunk has 13.4 cubic feet of cargo space, which is pretty decent for a car this size.
The opening isn't particularly big and the liftover is rather high, but the coupe's fold-down rear seats allow owners to carry an impressive amount of cargo. |