So I loved it from the beginning, but then I'm from Europe and would prefer a slim, elegant vehicle over a box on wheels, especially one that looks this great and has a powerful engine with manual transmission at a price that only gets me a third of an equally powered Mercedes-Benz AMG of BMW M series. Some people may decry the morphing of the new Mustang look from retro Americana to sleek James Bond, but I think it remains the icon, only with a style and driving dynamics that finally caught up to discerning global tastes at a value proposition that's simply unbeatable. How the folks at Ford can give us this much power at $40k, I don't know. While its appeal should be global, the car still attracts traditional muscle car enthusiasts. Random guys on motorbikes and other sporty vehicles have shadowed me lately and some drove alongside the Mustang to check it out, to then accelerate and pass with a thumbs-up. By far the most impressive part is the handling, my Recaro seats hold me tightly when cornering, and the Pirellis push the dangers beyond my own driver limits. Acceleration is smooth and seems to redline way too early, a beautiful transmission is a pleasure to shift, the responsive steering has three settings from comfort to normal to sports mode, and the sound of the 8cyl is aggressive enough to make me smile every time I push the start button. Only thing I regret is getting the performance package. It requires a much smoother surface than Michigan roads can provide.

The 2012 Ford Mustang GT/CS Convertible is a dream to drive. It has a 5.0 Liter engine and 412 HP. The inside is beautiful with leather seats and a nice carbon finish to the door panels and instrument panels. It has a Shaker 500 audio system. You can make many different combos of lights with the MyColor system. It has four seats. When going around very sharp curves, it doesn't hesitate. It knows how to hug the curves quite nicely. It is not bad on the gas at roughly around 25 mpg. It is very comfortable to drive for long hours on road trips. The trunk is roomy enough for a big cooler and several overnight bags. It is a quiet but deadly beast. When driving next to cars who think they are faster, they get really surprised when you leave them in the dust. I would have to say that there aren't many things that I don't like about it. It isn't a car for short people with the manual option. I am 6ft and 3 inches tall and I can drive it for a 2 day road trip without any problems. My wife is only 4ft and 11 inches tall. It is a struggle for her to even press the clutch down all the way so I do all of the driving. I never had speeding tickets before. Than I unleashed the power of this car and also speeding tickets. Not even a month into getting the car, I had my first speeding ticket followed shortly after by two more. If you are tall, can control the lead in your foot, and love night drives with the top down ( or during the day for you people who don't mind the sun beating down on you) than this is the car for you.

It preforms well, I have had few problems out of it and the car still runs the way it did when I bought it.