Subtlety. Some strive for it, while others light their hair on fire and run into traffic screaming. Consider the Roush 427R. At first ogle, it’s nearly indiscernible from a standard-issue Ford Mustang GT, especially finished with black paint and flat-black decals, as was our test car. But turn the key, and this Mustang does its best impression of one of Jack Roush’s NASCAR sleds. The noise is intoxicating. We were addicted. The throaty, hairy-chested exhaust (a $710 option you can’t afford to skip) changes the entire character of this pony car when you get on the gas, counterbalancing subtle aesthetic mods to help the Roush strike a balance between hey-look-at-me and I’m-just-an-average-Mustang.
World’s Greatest Mustang GT
To be fair, the rest of Roush’s upgrades have a positive effect on the already improved-for-2010 Mustang GT, too, and they all work to improve the car’s characteristics in a balanced way. The 4.6-liter V-8 gets new breathing equipment, a supercharger, and a reprogrammed computer that yield 435 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, increases of 120 and 75, respectively, compared with the stock GT. (The 427 in the name is for nostalgic purposes, as the car’s output is now undersold by the decals on its flanks, and the V-8 doesn’t displace 427 cubic inches.) A suspension package goes beyond that of Ford’s Track pack and includes new front struts, different rear shocks, and new springs and anti-roll bars at both ends.
Then there are the details: A darkened pony logo nestled in the grille. A body kit that includes new front and rear fascias, a front splitter, side skirts, and a wing on the rear deck. Interior touches like aluminum pedals and our tester’s Jack Roush–besignatured seats. None of this is too much, but we could certainly do without the window louvers and a boost gauge that monopolizes space originally meant for the driver's air vent; thankfully, both items are optional. And did we mention the glorious sound the thing makes? Yep, we’re still addicted.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE AS TESTED: 53,716 (base price: $47,296)
ENGINE TYPE: supercharged and intercooled SOHC 24-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 281 cu in, 4606cc
Power (SAE net): 435 bhp @ 6250 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 400 lb-ft @ 4250 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 107.1 in Length: 188.0 in
Width: 73.8 in Height: 54.4 in
Curb weight: 3700 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 4.7 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 10.8 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 18.8 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 5.3 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.0 sec @ 111 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 155 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.94 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
C/D observed: 14 mpg
Obvious-Comparison Time: What of the GT500?
For about the same price as this tricked-out GT, Ford will sell you its in-house-massaged Shelby GT500, which now boasts 540 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque from its supercharged 5.4-liter V-8. It’s an easy choice, right? Not so fast. In adding horses, the Shelby also adds more than 300 pounds over its front axle compared with the Track pack Mustang GT. The Roush adds 105.
Yes, the 427R is at a power deficit, but what’s there is ample. Blasts to 60 take 4.7 seconds, 0.2 second longer than the GT500, and the quarter is traveled in 13 flat at 111, 0.3 and 4 mph off the Shelby’s pace. Shifts in our 427R were accomplished by the regular GT’s five-speed manual, and the optional short-throw shifter makes the distances between ratios feel toggle-switch tight, minimizing the downtime between raucous exhaust honks. Skidpad grip of 0.94 g edges out both the Track-packed GT (0.92) and the Shelby GT500 (0.91). The handling is the best we’ve experienced in a 2010 Mustang, and the reworked suspension gives the Roush a planted feel where the GT500 is a bit too spongy. Seventy-to-zero-mph braking performance is also better with the Roush—155 feet versus the Shelby’s 165.
(All of that said, Roush will build you a Stage 3 Mustang with GT500 output for a package price of over $28,000, double that of the 427R. But we can’t see needing to spend more when the 427R feels, sounds, and looks as good as it does.)
The Sound of Unsilence
This Mustang got plenty of looks of admiration from spectators who first heard, then saw, the all-black stallion. At the same time, it drew some disapproving looks from fellow motorists and pedestrians who seemed to assume by its tone that the Roush must be up to no good—and quickly. (We weren’t always flooring it; it’s loud at times even when you’re trying to crawl through traffic.) This author would like to apologize to his neighbors—let’s say those within a one-mile radius—for any late-night arrivals or early-morning departures.
The basic 427R package includes the modified powertrain and most of the looks for $15,056 on top of a Mustang GT Premium with California emissions and a 3.55:1 rear axle ratio ($32,240). You can, of course, add things to the base Mustang—like the newly available nav system—and then pile on the options from Roush. Our tester’s Roush options amounted to an extra $6420 on the tab, but we’d happily knock that total down to $1120 for the short-throw shifter with black knob ($410) and God-sent exhaust ($710). Our car also had a $1450 brake kit that includes slotted rotors and some caliper paint, but we’d probably opt to move up to the $2877 big-brake kit (14-inch front rotors and four-piston calipers). So, after scrapping the unnecessaries and adding the bigger brakes, our personal 427R would ring in at $51,293. GT500 territory, yes, but this is a far more balanced package.
Building on what many of us believe to be the best Mustang ever, this Roush is the choice for those who want a well-rounded Stang that combines extra power with decent handling. It might not carry the flash of the Shelby or, for that matter, a Camaro, but people will certainly hear you coming, and you’ll even be able to have fun when the road goes curvy.
