BTW, if the Mustang is such a poor handling vehicle, what does that make the GTO???

On to the skidpad, where the Camaro ran flat and stable to a stellar 0.90g lateral acceleration score. The higher center-of-gravity Mustang siffered more with understeer, but still returned a very good 0.88 g. In the 600-ft slalom, the Mustang surprised everyone by clicking off a 64.2-mph trap speed, beating the Camaro's best of 63.3 mph. In a given situation, the Camaro's chassis handles better, but the Mustang make up for a lot with its power, as it was able to do in the slalom.

Unlike most action heroes, though, the GT does its own stunts. The new SOHC, 4.6-liter V-8 romps with 300 horsepower--it'll kick the GT from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.1 seconds and through the quarter in 13.5 at almost 104 mph (leave cumulous tire smoke and stripes of melted rubber in your wake at your discretion). The five-speed shifter stirs up torque without slop. The steering is tidy. Cornering prowess is inspiring: the GT powers through the slalom at better than 65 mph. Yes, the Mustang's live axle has been roundly criticized for being a blatant cost-cutting measure, but all those sniffy "Independent Rear Suspension" badges won't do other drivers much good when your GT is already leaving exhaust echoes around the next bend.

600-foot slalom, mph 65.4

Praise was also forthcoming on the handling loop, where we found moderate body roll, manageable push and a tail that could be wrestled into oversteer with aggressive throttle input yet stayed obediently in place otherwise. Weaknesses are few: a brake pedal that sinks too far on hard application and the chassis' slight indecision on turn-in, which happily transitions to solid composure in steady-state cornering. The much-improved rear suspension really pays dividends here, proving that you can teach an old axle new tricks.

"This is a really solid car," said Patrick, "ripe for upgrades from the factory or tuners to kick it up a few notches." Let me add that it's pretty remarkable in stock form. But darn if Patrick's quote doesn't work as an excellent segue to the next two cars.

The Mustang now rides on a heavily modified version of the Lincoln LS and Jag S-type platform. Unlike those luxo-cruisers, America's favorite pony car retains its blue-collar solid rear axle. But now it's a three-link coil-over layout, abetted by a tubular Panhard rod.

...snip...

The next best thing about the Mustang is that it now rides like a modern car. Less jarring crash-through, fewer expansion-strip jitters, no lateral wango-tango over broken pavement, less suspension-borne road noise. Yet even with the far cushier ride, handling has improved. Not even the most recent independent-rear-suspension SVT Cobra can match the new GT's skidpad grip, which now also surpasses a Nissan 350Z Touring's, come to think of it. Pitched hard into corners, the Mustang is initially neutral, then tends toward understeer. If the push annoys you, just stab the throttle and you can induce power oversteer. Neutral, understeer, oversteer. Quite a smorgasbord. And the tail-happiness now materializes more gently, rather than in one heart-stopping twitch. Throughout, extraneous body movements are nicely damped.

Gone is the nervousness of Mustangs of yore, and gone is the oh-so-annoying head toss that has historically been the trademark of live rear axles. In fact, every C/D tester peered at least once under our GT's rump to ensure there weren't a couple of pricey half-shafts whizzing around in there. You only notice the live axle at step-off, when you turn 90 degrees while simultaneously applying major throttle. Then the rear end briefly binds and skitters ******d a few inches, feeling a trifle awkward, momentarily confused. It's amazing what conscientious engineers can do these days with solid axles. If you don't believe us, check out the latest Toyota 4Runner. Fact is, there's a precision to this Mustang's movements that makes the old car feel like Mr. Ed. Did we just say "precision" and "Mustang" in the same sentence?

The rack-and-pinion steering still isn't a paradigm of accuracy or feel. Road textures, in particular, are transmitted only vaguely. But at least the effort is light at all speeds, the power assist never feels artificial, and there's no kickback. Fortunately, the suspension is sufficiently adept at maintaining path control that you aren't dialing in many mid-turn corrections anyway.

The new Mustang turns in quicker, and holds its line through fast corners with minimal effort. There's also much less tendency for the tail to break loose if you give it too much gas mid-corner, and expansion joints are far less upsetting.

In every respect, the reaction of the new chassis is light years ahead of the old car, and finally brings the American pony car into the 21st century.

But the more dramatic improvement over the old model is in the handling: in spite of Ford's decision to save some money by sticking with a solid rear axle (rather than using a modern independent suspension) the car manages irregular pavement and hard cornering like an expensive sports sedan.