Around town, you'll find the Mustang GT easy to drive and just the right size for urban parking spaces. On a challenging drive through the mountains or backroads, the Mustang's tidy dimensions, precise steering, and torquey 4.6-liter V-8 make it one of the easiest cars to place on line; even at the edge of the tires' limits when the "fun button" has deactivated the traction control.
Practically synonymous to the name, the Ford Mustang began the "ponycar" category. In August 1964, MT said of the then-new car: "Barreling over winding mountain roads was great fun with the car's good road manners, precise steering, and instant throttle response." Today, 35 years later, the Mustang still fulfills its original purpose by remaining a no-nonsense, affordable, fun-to-drive, two-door coupe or convertible with an optional V-8 and sporting GT package. We're glad to report some things never change.
Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6
Mash Throttle, Smoke Tires-Now You're Having Fun/By Chuck Schifsky
A musclecar, by definition, is a powerful and sporty vehicle that must be able to spin its tires at will. The Firebird Trans Am is capable of laying down twin black streaks of rubber several hundred feet long. We wanted to be sure it could, so we did it a half dozen times in the name of automotive science.
For this test, we chose a 2000 Trans Am powered by a 5.7-liter (346 cubic inches, for you traditionalists) LS1 V-8 engine backed by a Borg-Warner six-speed manual transmission. It was fitted with the WS6 Ram Air performance package, consisting of functional front-end air dams leading to an underhood ram air system (a longtime Pontiac musclecar element), dual exhaust outlets, power steering cooler, Hurst shifter, P275/40ZR17 Goodyear F1 GS tires, and, new for 2000, 17x9.0-inch twisted-design polished-aluminum wheels. The WS6 mods boost horsepower and torque peaks to 320 and 345, respectively, up from the stock Trans Am's 305 and 320 figures.
On the dragstrip, our Trans Am ripped 0-60 mph in 5.0 seconds and cleaned up the quarter mile in 13.5 seconds at 107.4 mph. (Funny how it beat the same-engined, similarly weighted Camaro SS by 0.2 second and 1.8 mph.) In handling, it mercilessly matches its Bow-Tie relative by pulling 0.84 g on the skidpad and zipping through the slalom at 64.6 mph. Mash the brake pedal to the floor, and the large 11.9-inch front and 12-inch rear vented disc brakes bring the Pontiac to a halt in 121 feet (11 better than the Camaro). For purists, these acceleration stats also beat virtually every Pontiac musclecar, including the legendary '69 GTO Judge with its 370-gross-horsepower 400-cubic-inch V-8. And in handling and braking, it wouldn't even be a contest.
Around town, the Trans Am has a few quirks besides its rough ride. The Computer-Aided Gear Selection "skip shift" mechanism (required to help the Camaro and Firebird meet EPA fuel-mileage standards) is a major pain. It forces you to shift directly from first to fourth, if the engine isn't revved high enough in first gear. A second every-time-you-drive-it annoyance is the large rear blind spot that makes lane changes a crap shoot.
However, the T-A is loads of fun to drive on twisty roads. It has just the right amount of throttle induced oversteer, assuming you've deactivated the optional traction control system. And, oh, that perfect '60s exhaust note that's equal parts Woodward Avenue and Daytona 500.
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