2010 Ford Mustang convertible
Consumer Guide spent 800 miles in the driver's seat of a Grabber Blue 2010 Ford Mustang convertible.

Model: 2010 Ford Mustang Convertible V6 Premium, 210 horsepower 4.0-liter V6 and 5-speed automatic transmission

Base Price: $28,995

Options: Premium Interior package, 5-speed automatic transmission, Comfort group (6-way power passenger seat, heated front seats, and Auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass), Bright rolled exhaust tip, White tape stripe, Black cloth convertible roof, and Performance seats

Price as Tested: $31,830 (This price is an estimation; Ford did not provide an official window sticker for this test car.)

Total Miles Tested: 800 miles

Fuel Economy: 20 mpg

Editors’ Notes
Tom Appel: The V6 Mustang may be more show than go, but it's a pretty good show. Mustang may also be the best four-passenger convertible under $30,000. Go with the Grabber Blue, it will make kids of all ages point and stare.
Damon Bell: The 2010 Mustang is more than the sum of its parts. On paper, the Mustang seems to come up short against its Camaro and Challenger rivals (neither of which, by the way, would likely exist were it not for the Mustang's triumphant "retro-rebirth" for 2005). Get behind the wheel, however, and the Mustang's fun-to-drive character and sheer charisma outshine its technological shortcomings and sometimes middling refinement. My hat is off to Ford for its astute fine-tuning of the Mustang's basic hardware.
Rick Cotta: Even the Base $26,000 Mustang convertible comes nicely equipped, making it a bargain among four-seat droptops. Tall front-seaters will render the rear seat useless for human habitation and patchy pavement induces more body flex than in most modern ragtops, but otherwise, a Mustang--in any guise--is hard to beat for fun-in-the-sun value.
Don Sikora: Ford did a great job on the 2010 Mustang updates. The resulting car looks great, compares very well with the competition, and offers good bang for the buck. In V6 form most of the Mustang goodness is present, but the 4.0-liter V6 puts up unexceptional horsepower and fuel economy numbers and feels little more than adequate. The price premium to move up to the V8-powered Mustang GT is steep, but the resulting package is more enjoyable, and arguably a better value.

09.17.2009