New cars: 2011 Mustang GT 5.0

AutoWeek

Last year the Mustang got an extensive retuning and restyling. This year it’s been made “more powerful, more economical, better balanced, and more refined.” Aficionados will also rejoice that options for the “rowdy yet refined 2011 GT” include not just a smooth new 305-hp V6 engine but a 5.0-liter, 412-hp V8.

Edmunds.com

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For fans who have been longing for a Mustang that delivers on just about every level, “the wait is over.” The new Mustang GT 5.0 is “a vastly improved performance coupe,” offering driving enthusiasts plenty of personalized options “to match its iconic styling and high-performance capabilities.” Although seat comfort and support are excellent, an odd-looking interior features “large swaths of hard plastic.”

Car and Driver

True, the base interior “is a bit impoverished,” but the Premium upgrade costs only $3,200, and the chief pleasure of this car comes in driving it. “Everything about the new 5.0 smacks of racing hardware—and sounds like it, too.” Its aluminum 32-valve engine “generates incredibly smooth, linear thrust,” while an optional Brembo brake package provides equally impressive stopping power, with four-piston calipers gripping 14-inch vented rotors. “This is unquestionably the best Mustang in a long line and probably the best car Ford sells in the United States.”