Ford Mustang and Mazda RX-8 are Among Car and Driver's 10 Best

DEARBORN, Mich. Dec. 3, 2004 -- America's muscle car scored a double this month, according to the editors at Car and Driver magazine. In the car buff's January issue, the annual 10Best Cars list honors the 2005 Mustang as the Best Muscle Car. In addition, the January issue features a head-to-head comparison of the Mustang and the Pontiac GTO, and the Mustang comes out the clear winner. Mazda also made the 10Best Cars list with the RX-8 being named the Best Sports Coupe.

DEARBORN, Mich. Dec. 3, 2004 -- America's muscle car scored a double this month, according to the editors at Car and Driver magazine. In the car buff's January issue, the annual 10Best Cars list honors the 2005 Mustang as the Best Muscle Car. In addition, the January issue features a head-to-head comparison of the Mustang and the Pontiac GTO, and the Mustang comes out the clear winner. Mazda also made the 10Best Cars list with the RX-8 being named the Best Sports Coupe.

In judging the 10Best cars, Car and Driver writers used three criteria. First, all cars must have a base price no higher than $70,000, which is 2.5 times the average U.S. new-vehicle transaction price as of August, 2004. The cars must be scheduled to go on sale no later than January, 2005. And finally, the automakers must make their vehicles available in time for the writers' evaluation process in September.

Cars meeting these criteria were then test driven by 15 automotive journalists who have, in the words of the magazine, "…collectively frittered away 357 years writing about cars." These writers evaluated the cars under a variety of actual driving and track conditions and judged the cars based on function, value and whether driving the car put a smile on the writer's face.

In its 10Best summary of the Mustang, Car and Driver wrote: "The first truly new Mustang in 26 years is on the street and it goes good, looks bitchin', and the GT version is an unbeatable performance buy: 300 horsepower for 25,000 bucks…The key to its eye appeal is obvious – an inspired revival of the late '60s Mustangs, arguably some of the best of the breed. Stir in bargain pricing, plus the absence of direct competition, and you have a formula that adds up to 'can't lose.'"

In its 10Best summary of the RX-8, Car and Driver said, "The chassis is as stiff as a double shot of Dewar's, the steering is laser accurate, the suspension hits the sweet spot between firm and punishing, and the weight distribution is about as close to perfect as perfect gets. We're talking about the ingredients that distinguish automotive athletes from the plodders – traits that make the car an extension of the driver's will."

In the comparison test between the Mustang GT and the Pontiac GTO, Car and Driver billed the contest as a "Goat and Pony Showdown." True to their animal namesakes, the retro-styled pony outpaced the goat in both performance and value.

Author Tony Quiroga wrote: "The Mustang wins because when you take it in, as a total package, the Ford makes better sense. Pick apart the Mustang's laundry list of simple components and it will seem to be less a car than the GTO, but drive the Mustang and it feels like far more than the sum of its parts. This is the draw of the Mustang: It makes the most of what it has, doesn't suffer for what it doesn't have, charges you less that you'd expect, and beckons from the showroom until you come and take it home."