Well I may as well add my 2 cents.. I sent a letter off to him as well.. I also copied the editor just for grins.. The text will speak for itself..
Mustang Bullitt..
After reading your review of the new Mustang Bullitt on Forbes online the only word I can think of to describe what I’ve read is “shocked”.
You seem to have no idea what this car is about much less who the target Audience is. Your facts are so horribly flawed that I can’t believe this was allowed to be released. First of all.. The Bullitt is a 2001 and not a 2002. The Color “Steel Grey” doesn’t exist in Ford’s lineup. The Color options are Dark Highland Green, Black and True Blue. True Blue is a metallic dark blue bearing no resemblance whatsoever to Grey, Steel Grey, Gun Metal grey or any other Grey up to and including Blue-Grey.
You’ve done your readers a great disservice by publishing this article in its current form. This car is far more refined than the regular GT and some would say even the Cobra. Your estimation of it’s performance is over a full second off. According to Ford the GT is rated 0-60 in 5.4 seconds the Bullitt in 5.3 and the Cobra in 5.2 seconds respectively. Where did you get your information? Obviously not from anyone within Ford nor according to anyone who’s actually tested this car. The Bullitt also runs the ¼ mile in 13.6 seconds @ 100+ mph. A car that runs 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, as you claim, would never come close to touching that number.
The target buyer for this car would consider a WRX as likely as gouging out his own eyes. Your choices and the cars you chose to compare the Mustang to blatantly show your bias to the import car segment. As with such a bias you could never give this car a fair shake. You should never have been assigned to do this article. With your blatant bias you would be better suited to testing the new Acura’s and Lexus sport convertibles. You could never, and will never understand the appeal of cars like the Mustang, the Camaro, Corvette or the Viper.
This is not meant to be a negative slam to your person. You are just so hopelessly out of touch with the people this car is intended to appeal to that you couldn’t understand or appreciate what this car has to offer.
Everywhere, I, and other members of our various boards go, get compliments on these cars. The seats in this car are the finest ever installed in a Mustang. And your claim that the only adjustment the seats have are “rake” is, again, incorrect. The seats are 8 way power adjustable seats with an inflatable lumbar adjustment.
This is the best handling and performing GT that Ford has ever produced. The suspension is comprised of Tokico shocks and Struts.. Not the MacPherson units you erroneously (again) said it was equipped with. In fact, through your entire review, the only facts you have straight, are the engine displacement, price and that Steve McQueen starred in the movie.
Also.. Ford’s target audience for the Mustang is NOT 20 something Males. In fact most Mustang buyers are 20 something women. The V6 Mustang outsells the V8 Mustang by a very large margin. That being said, the V8 Mustang appeals to a crowd that would NEVER consider an Acura, Subaru, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, or any other import car as a performance replacement. The WRX is a much slower car than the Bullitt, it’s seats are FAR more uncomfortable, it’s interior isn’t anywhere near as nicely laid out. The gearbox in the WRX is a nicer unit than the Mustangs and the WRX is indeed, weird looking. And as to where I got my facts about the WRX, I’ve driven 3 of them and one is owned by a co-worker.
In closing I have only these comments. I am, obviously, disappointed by your review as are a great many other people who know far more about these cars than you do. Your bias toward the import segment should have ruled out your being assigned to this review as you couldn’t give this car a fair comparison. And, finally, the Charger lost 5 hubcaps, the Mustang Fastback used didn’t have a “Cowl” and the Charger tried to “Outrace” the Mustang not the other way around. You need to watch the movie again to get your facts straight. I can loan you my copy. I have 2.
Steve Davlantis
[email protected]
Moderator
http://www.bullittclub.com
_________________
Blakwing
2001 DHG Bullitt #171
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Blakwing on 2001-06-23 18:28 ]</font>
