Automotive Reviews
Two Doors
2005 Ford Mustang GT
Dec 31st
The Mustang turned 40 in 2004, and for its birthday Ford has given it the ultimate present: a complete makeover. This long-overdue update of Ford’s pony car remains, if anything, truer than ever to the Mustang’s roots. The ancient chassis has been updated at long last; it’s still a rear-wheel drive car with a solid axle at the rear, but it’s been refined. And check out that face! With equal doses of modern and retro, the 2005 Ford Mustang is making a huge impression on buyers young and old.
The round lights, forward-thrust grille, blocky fender flares and three-element taillights are instantly recognizable. Ford’s designers took plenty of inspiration from the Mustang’s muscle-car heyday, and the new car has hints of just about every generation of Mustangs past. Even though the silhouette is a blast from the past, though, the Mustang’s smooth, powerful flanks are unmistakably a product of the modern era. It’s retro without being contrived. The Mustang wears its sheet metal with a chiseled flair (and bulging fender flares, too) that’s got one foot in the present and one firmly rooted in the Mustang’s illustrious past. This car drips attitude. Out back, the three-element taillights even flank a round chrome badge that’s reminiscent of the gas cap from a ’67 Mustang. Fastback coupe and convertible body styles are available; we like the looks of the coupe best, but ragtop aficionados will be glad to hear that the convertible is just as rigid as the hardtop. More >
2005 Ford Ranger Edge Tremor
Dec 8th
Consider the case of the Ford Ranger. It’s old. It’s outdated. Every other compact pickup truck on the market has grown larger, more powerful, and more refined in recent years, and some of them have gone through an entire generation or two since the last significant update to the Ranger in 1993 or so. And yet every time we slip behind the wheel of a Ranger, we’re struck by the just-rightness of it. Has Ford really been neglecting its compact truck for the past decade, or have they chosen not to mess with a good thing?
Ranger STX pictured.
For 2005, another round of evolutionary changes includes skid plates for 4×4 models and new 15″ and 16″ wheels. That’s it? Yup. The compact pickup market has softened in recent years, eaten up by SUVs and increasingly people-friendly full-size trucks, and the Ranger still manages to outsell its competitors. It’s been the best-selling compact pickup for seventeen years, so clearly Ford’s done something right. More >
2010 Audi TTS
Nov 13th
Let’s talk a bit about the Audi TT. Although it’s named for a famous motorcycle race–the Isle of Man’s Tourist Trophy–and it’s a compact sports car, it hasn’t made much of a mark as a racing car. The TT turns up on the track occasionally, but it lacks the racing connections of its big brother the R8. Considering that its competition includes cars like the Honda S2000 and Porsche Boxster, both of which have lots and lots of track time, the TT has always come across as a stylish but somehow incomplete sports car.
That changed for 2009, with the introduction of the Audi TTS. The addition of Audi’s “S” badge means performance, and the TTS is no exception. A comprehensive suite of engine upgrades serves to transform the TT from a sexy fashion accessory into a serious performer. With more power under the hood, the TTS manages to neatly split the difference between serious sports car and comfortable daily driver. Does it increase the TT’s street cred? Well, if it’s any indicator, the organizers of the Tourist Trophy race chose the TTS as their official cars shortly after its introduction. More >