1996 Mustang Review Expert Reviews By Jim Mateja chicagotribune.com August 27, 1995 The trouble with jumping on a bandwagon is that it's easier getting on than getting off. The Ford Mustang won media praise when the all-new body design appeared in 1994 as the greatest Mustang to ever set tread on the face of the earth. Many members of the press heaped superlatives on it, though some took a step back when the wagon passed, pointing out that though the Mustang might have had a new body, it had an old soul-a 5-liter V-8 in need of a gulp from the fountain of youth. Then, too, since its inception in 1964, Mustang never was the most solid, squeak- and rattle-free vehicle. The 1994 was no exception. You needed to turn the radio up a notch to avoid hearing sheet metal flex. For the 1996 model year, Ford has tweaked the Mustang, making minor changes that mean major improvements, the most important one being that the 215-horsepower version of the 5-liter pushrod V-8 in the GT has been replaced by a 215-h.p. version of the 4.6-liter, 16-valve, single overhead cam V-8 offered in the Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis. And the 240-h.p. version of the same pushrod 5-liter in the Cobra has given way to a 300-h.p. version of the 4.6-liter, 32-valve, dual overhead cam V-8 offered in the Lincoln Mark VIII. Ford boasts that the overhead cam is a smoother-running, quieter engine that delivers better fuel economy than a pushrod engine. The 4.6-liter, 16-valve obtains the same fuel economy as the 5-liter-17 miles per gallon city/24 m.p.g. highway, and the 32-valve, 4.6 gets even better mileage at 18/26. Ford says the 4.6 also spits out fewer pollutants. Rather than settle simply for more quickness off the line and more power into and out of the passing lane with 4.6 V-8, Ford also stiffened the Mustang body to make it more rigid and squeak-free. And it beefed up the suspension to accommodate more aggressive driving patterns by owners. With the 4.6 V-8, Ford responded to complaints that though Mustang added a new sculpted body in 1994, it failed to add a rival to the 5.7-liter, 275-h.p., V-8 in the Chevrolet Camaro/Pontiac Firebird. Ford officials said the 4.6 V-8 was scheduled for the 1994 Mustang but didn't make it because there wasn't sufficient engine capacity then, with the 4.6 being added to a variety of Ford products, especially luxury cars, where demand was greater for anew V-8. The 4.6 is robust, but General Motors still will enjoy the h.p. advantage. Though Ford has a 300-h.p. V-8, Pontiac is preparing to add a 305-h.p. V-8 for 1996. Ford officials say they can squeeze even more horsepower out of the 4.6 in the 16-and 32-valve versions-and eventually will-but for now they'll settle for bragging that the 4.6 delivers more power per liter than GM's 5.7. It's nice to have a boast to fall back on. While focusing on the 4.6 in the GT and Cobra for 1996, Ford didn't neglect the 3.8-liter, V-6 engine in th e base Mustang. It gets a 5-h.p. boost to150 for '96 plus the stiffened body for quieter ride. Ford made the 1996 Mustangs available for the media to test at the Road America track here. Unlike most automakers who unveil new offerings here by tossing scribes the keys and telling them to return when the tires melt or the tank runs empty, Ford brought in Bob Bondurant of racing school fame, to shepherd the masses. Bondurant set up a series of orange and yellow rubber pylons on the winding, twisting Road America course that marked where and when to brake and where, when and at what angle to turn. The plyons were useful. If you brake too late heading into a sharp turn, it takes longer to get back to speed coming out of the turn. If you take a turn too tight or too wide, a 2,500-pound machine feels like a 4,000-pound walrus getting back in the groove. But often at events such as this, the media tends to blame the car for being too heavy in and out of t urns or too sluggish getting back to speed out of a corner. When the course is driven correctly, the Unser wannabes have themselves to blame for poor performance. With the 4.6, the Mustang is much more lively, much more nimble, much more user-friendly than its predecessors. The steps taken to stiffen the body mean that even when you run over a rumble strip coming out of turn 5 in a GT, no earplugs are needed to tone down the flexing sheet metal; that the suspension forces the car to sit flatter (especially with the optional 17-inch treads) for more immediate and precise response going in and coming out of turns, as well as better control of the vehicle when traveling straight or snaking through corners and bends in the track; and that the engine is relatively quiet, though a little rumble has been built into the exhaust for the sound of performance in the GT, a lot more rumble in the Cobra. As for the Cobra with its 4.6-liter, 300-h.p., 32-valve, V-8, it should be called a "beamer" because as you nudge the pedal coming out of a turn you'd be hard-pressed not to let a smile run from ear to ear as the power builds rapidly. The standard 17-inch treads cling to the pavement. The Cobra sits even flatter and is more surefooted than the GT. The GT is offered with a 5-speed manual or a most pleasant no-groan 4-speed automatic, the Cobra with 5-speed only, the first manual teamed with Ford's 4.6-liter V-8. Ford boasts the Cobra's 5-speed has wider gearing for smooth shifting, but we found it a bit notchy. All Mustangs offer dual air bags as standard. Cobra adds anti-lock brakes as standard, but the others make it a $570 option to keep the sticker price down. ABS is a must in any car with 215 h.p. Also, traction control isn't available. But it's a must in a car with 215 to 300 h.p. that will be driven aggressively. Another gripe: For some reason Ford tends to put the most comfortable seats in its base models, the stiffest seats with the narrowest side bolsters in its top-of-the-line performance models. What's wrong with that picture? The GT and Cobra will be offered in coupe and convertible version but the Cobra droptop won't come out until March. Visible differences between the GT and Cobra mainly are a bulging hood with larger air scoops on the Cobra as well as metal Cobra snake logos along each fender. Mustang GT and Cobra names are etched in the rear bumper of each. Cobra also will offer a novel paint treatment called Mystic, a black pigment paint that changes color based on the amount and angle of light hitting the body panels. Cobra changes hues like a chameleon. In a walk around the car it went from black to lavender to purple to green and at times a mixture of all those colors. Only 2,000 will get the Mystic treatment. The GT also gets a new color-tangerine, an orange so brilliant that you'll never have to hunt for it in the parking lot-even an unlit pa rking lot. Ford sold 154,000 Mustangs in 1994, the year of the body change, but only 140,000 for 1995, the year many chose to wait for the 4.6-liter V-8 coming for 1996. Ford will make no sales forecast for 1996, but says it plans to build only 9,000 Cobras, 2,000 of them convertibles. For details on the Cobra, consumers can call 1-800-Ford SVT (Special Vehicle Team), which translates to 1-800-367-3788. Ford also doesn't say what feedback it has gotten from insurance companies over prospective premiums for the 300-h.p. Cobra. And Ford refuses to comment on speculation that the 3.8-liter, V-6 now offered in the base Mustang soon will be replaced by the 3-liter, 200-h.p., Duratec V-6 offered in the 1996 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. No one goes out of his way to deny such a plan. The Mustang GT coupe we tested starts at $17,610, up $700 from 1995, and the Cobra at $24,810, up $3,510 from 1995, though Ford points out that more standard equipment was added for 1996, such as the 300-h.p. engine, air conditioning, rear defroster, cruise control, remote key less entry and floor mats. --- 1996 Ford Mustang GT Wheelbase: 101.3 inches Length: 181.5 inches Engine: 4.6-liter, 215-h.p., V-8 Transmission: 4-speedmanual EPA mileage: 17 m.p.g. city/24 m.p.g. highway Base price: $17,610 Price as tested: $21,065. Two option packages available: air conditioning and AM/FM with cassette for $640, or a gamut of goodies, including power windows, power locks, power seats, power deck lid release, speed control, premium sound system, ABS, fog lamps, leather seats, dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors and deck lid spoiler, for $2,815. Add $500 for freight. Pluses: Quiet, peppy V-8. Suspension has improved road manners and sits flatter in corners. 16-inch standard tires good, but optional 17-inch tires better. More rigid body means quieter cabin. Taillamps now vertical. More focus on theft prevention. Dual air bags standard. Minuses: ABS a $570 option. Traction control not available. Side bolsters on seats a tad stiff.