Notes From the Parking Lot: 2009 Roush Mustang 427R
by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide
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1.
Notes From the Parking Lot: 2009 Roush Mustang 427R
2.
Consumer Guide's editors spent over 600 fast and furious miles behind the wheel of the 2009 Roush Mustang 427R.
Base Price: $43,679
Options: Mustang White Face Gauge Cluster, Dark Charcoal w/Blue Insert Leather Seats, Short Throw Shifter and Black Shift Knob with White Letters, Roush Mustang Interior Trim Kit, Locking Lug Nuts with Key Bag, Roush Mustang Rear Quarter Window Louvers, Mustang Trunk Mounted Tool Kit, Mustang Door Sill Plates, Sport Brake Kit (Slotted Rotors and Painted Calibers), Front Strut Tower Brace
Price as Tested: $50,946
Total Miles Tested: 620 miles
Fuel Economy: 14.6 mpg
Editors' Notes Tom Appel:
It's easy to argue that for Corvette money, you may as well go buy a
Corvette. And yes, a base Corvette is about this fast, and probably
handles a little better. But the Corvette comes nowhere near matching
the sense of mechanical engagement you derive from driving the Roush,
nor has any Corvette ever made me giggle like this. From its heavy but
accurate shifter to its top-fuel dragster exhaust note, the Roush
rewards drivers with visceral thrills that few cars under $100,000 can.
Think of Corvette as the super car you can drive like an Accord. Think
of the 427R as a roller coaster for the street. If I were rich, I would
own both. Damon Bell:
Yes, $50K is a LOT to spend for a Mustang, but this car feels very
special. Roush Performance infuses the 427R with plenty of serious
upgrades where it counts, and they change the whole character of the
base Mustang GT. More importantly, all of these "aftermarket tuner"
upgrades meet and sometimes exceed the refinement levels of the OEM
car. If you missed the glory days of the muscle car, this is as close
as you can get in a modern production vehicle. For actual
by-the-numbers performance, you'd be better off in a Corvette, but for
that bare-knuckled muscle car aura, it's hard to beat the Roush 427R. John Biel:
Years ago, intrepid "garage rats" personally would hop up Detroit's
standard offerings to whatever degree their funds and skills would
allow in order to get the kind of car they wanted. The growing
complexity of modern cars has made that difficult, so tuners like Roush
fill the need for enthusiasts who lack the time or expertise--though
not the cash. The 427R is hardly the Mustang for Everyman, but for that
subgroup of hard-core Mustang partisans, we suppose it scratches a very
pesky itch very well. Jennifer
Geiger: I appreciate the image and attitude of this ridiculously powerful car,
but I'm clearly not its target audience. I was approaching this car
with dread in the parking lot, but it's actually easier to drive than
it looks. The short-throw shifter is very stiff but it grew on me by
end of my turn. What I never did get used to was the noise factor. The
buzzy, sinister sounding growl at around 2,000 rpm drove me nuts. This
Roush was fun for about 10 minutes, but is by no means daily-driver
material. Tim Healey: This car offers the sound and feel of the 1960s muscle-car
era while offering today's creature comforts and safety features. It's
not as civilized as a Corvette or Challenger, but it's far more refined
than a Viper. If you can afford the $50K price tag, and high gas prices
don't bother you, this could be an excellent second car--or even a
decently livable daily driver. Harry
Kapsalis: In a world where owner modified Mustangs are extremely
common, the Roush 427R is an incredible value. Such a well balanced and
wonderfully engineered package would be hard to replicate for the price
by any hobbyist. Ed
Piotrowski: The Roush 427R is a rip-roaring throwback to the good old
days of the muscle-car era. Subtlety is not in this car's vocabulary,
with its big hood scoop, bright blue paint, and thunderous exhaust
note. While one could certainly tolerate it as a daily driver, it's
best savored as a weekend treat, one that Mustang aficionados will love
and gear heads in general, will appreciate. Don Sikora:
The Roush 427R Mustang is not about subtlety or restraint. The
excellently executed conversion of a Mustang GT into a Roush 427R has
dramatically altered the personality and performance of the base car
and the whole package functions surprisingly well. Clearly a car for
extroverts, the Roush name is plastered everywhere, and the exhaust
system generates the type of sounds that guarantee attention. If you
like your performance cars to prowl the streets with stealth, this is
not your car.
Our tester was powered by a supercharged 430-horsepower 4.6-liter V8 engine and 5-speed manual transmission.
07.24.2008
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