The New Vehicle

2012 Ford Mustang V6 Premium

color: Lava Red Metallic

I got a good price after borrowing my 80 year old mother to play "bad cop" for me at the dealership. She was perfect. I'm financing, and have already made the first payment. A good mount must have a name. This one does not, yet. I must think of a name that is suitably equine.

The new V6 engine,  rated at a believable 310 horsepower, really feels like a V8. The car I drove for 20 years "only" had 210. The black 60's muscle-car like interior makes you say "oh, yeah, I forgot what these were like on the inside". The hood is long and the dash is high. It was actually quite intimidating on the first test drive, like finding myself behind the wheel of a 1969 again. Allegedly, it gets about 30 MPG highway. I haven't seen that yet. City mileage is somewhat short of 20. The back seats are mostly theoretical, but they both fold down, so I can really stuff the back with skis, luggage, or items from the garden shop. The extra cargo space is a nod to practicality.

The interior is old school muscle car black with chrome and metallic trim. There are a lot of flat surfaces compared to most modern cars, which is fine, it feels traditional, The A pillars are huge, they take getting used to, but give a sence of solidness. The electrically powered steering means no worrying about power steering fluid, and the steering feel can be changed between three options "sport", "normal", and "easy". The car does not have the center touch screen, which all new cars seem to have, and I don't feel that I need. The "premium" package puts the pony car into personal luxury car territory. it's more touring car than sports car. The leather seats are heated, fully electric, and the drivers seat has adjustable lumbar support. The sound system still has a CD player and a USB port is hidden in the center console.

Now for the things that need getting used to. No spare tire, The standard fix-a-flat kit will be useless if I bend a rim going over a new jersey pothole. The truck-like hood has a serious bulge and it's tough to find the front corners when parking. The chin spoiler is a real ground scraper. I certainly can't jump curbs and plow through snow like the big old bird that I used to drive. The live axle seems a little twitchy at first if you are used to independent rear suspensions like I am. On the whole, I'm pleased, though.