No one under 40 was alive when this familiar face first bowed, but that hasn't stopped the new Mustang's immense popularity. Aside from the last-year's wheels, this is a total throwback to the 60s both inside and out. There's a big-diameter, heavy metal-ish steering wheel that looks like it's got no air bag (it does), old-style instruments, and splashes of chrome. The climate controls, radio, door handles, and center console are straight from the Ford parts bin while the vents were stolen from Mazda; none of them feel particularly refined. The speedometer's font is too skinny to read quickly and its off-center spacing lets the steering wheel block it from one of your eyes. And while the console and glovebox have decent pocketroom, the doors can't even hold one road map. The cruise controls are missing a "cancel" button. Get the GT's stunning double-spoke wheels (only $195) but pass on our test car's nauseating red leather.
I was able to get completely comfortable in this all-new Mustang - proof that Ford is learning. The seats recline upright enough for anyone's preference, they adjust for height, and there's max headroom above. A major limitation of the old Mustang was that the ancient stampings of its "Fox" platform screwed up the relationship between seats, steering wheel, shifter, and pedals. All that seems to have been cured, and though you still shouldn't throw anyone you like in the back seat, even that has improved. If legroom is pretty sorry, the seats are at least shaped right, and the ban on humans over 5'6" has been raised to 5'10".
The subwoofer from the Shaker 1000 stereo (whose awesome bass masks its average treble) takes up a quarter-piece chunk of trunk; without it, the Mustang's giant 13.8 cubic feet beats an Accord coupe's. Now you know where that legroom went.
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