Now the object of MotorWeek's Drivers' Choice Awards is to
give you our best picks for a wide range of vehicles. But the real test
of our metal is when we come together to pick one model as the Best of
the Year. And this year our MotorWeek staff cast a unanimous vote for a
car that was a winner in 1964 and for 2005.
It coined the term ''pony car'' and helped herald the muscle car age.
It is a world-renowned American automotive icon, reborn, in the all-new
Ford Mustang, our MotorWeek 2005 Drivers' Choice for the Best of the
Year!
Unanimously voting the new Mustang as the Best of the Year was all
about nostalgia. But to our MotorWeek staff, it was not just the
nostalgia of updating the Mustang's classic sporty coupe styling. But
rather the nostalgia for when cars from Detroit were the envy of the
world. The new Mustang embodies the looks, the total performance, and
the quality, for an amazingly affordable price, that warrants that envy
once again.
It was the long hood, short rear deck styling that made the original
Mustang such a looker 40 years ago. All that is back in today's fastback
car, but with a craftsmanship that was impossible in the 1960s.
There is little question of this car's timeless power. With both a
210-horsepower V-6 and 300-horsepower V-8, there is plenty of punch. But
to that add big disc brakes, the best handling solid axle rear
suspension ever on a production car, and one of the most advanced crash
structures available, and it is clear this Mustang concept is a totally
modern interpretation of the essence of the American car.
Inside, designers again revived the dream. But for all the
60's-style twin-hood dash and three-spoke steering wheel, packaging and
features are in step with today's constantly changing lifestyles. How
else can you explain giving the driver a choice of 125 colors to light
the classic numerals on the big round Mustang gauges or the monster
1,000 watt stereo option?
Then there is the long-term impact of this design. Ten years from
now, when car enthusiasts are asked what significant new cars were
introduced for 2005, we think the redesigned Ford Mustang will be the
first one on their list.
All that for a price that is barely more than some very plain
commuter cars will make the new Mustang a huge and enduring winner for
Ford and for the American auto industry as well.
With so much performance and refinement and good old American value,
we could only pick the 2005 Ford Mustang as MotorWeek's Drivers' Choice
Best of the Year!
