A Wonderful Sports Car, the SVT product Still doesn't live up to a Saleen.
Written: Nov 08 '02
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Pros: Fast, powerful & attractive with quick cornering. Loaded with goodies.
Cons: Heavy, and feels it! Despite the suspension goodies, the Saleen wins
The Bottom Line: A great car for the money, I'm impressed. But for the serious piston-head the Saleen gets the nod.
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| nick1326's Full Review: 2003 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra |
Before any purists get all bent out of shape over the title, open your ears and eyes and LISTEN, before getting defensive. We are NOT dealing with an ordinary Mustang here - if we were, I would have written in the standard "Mustang GT" section. The SVT Cobra is Ford's chop at high performance. Accordingly, this puts it in the same echelon as a Saleen 281 model (the lower one). While I can criticize the 2003 Saleen roadster also (they did something TERRIBLE by getting rid of the rear-deck head-scoops!) The Saleen still spanks the Cobra on both looks AND suspension performance and drivetrain. Remember, there's more to performance than just horsepower- ALOT more, however the Cobra is still a great automobile. The challenge in buying one becomes deciding on whether its worth it for just a few more bucks to go for the Saleen, OR to save those bucks and settle on the Cobra...
Before we even get started here, I also want to cite an obvious myth that should be put aside right now- To any other reviewers who have compared the Cobra to a vette - sorry, it just doesn't work. Just like it was back in the sixties, the mustang was always a poor man's sports car! The mustang was never even marketed against the vette - IT WAS, however, directly aimed at the Camaro/Firebird market. While the Cobra certainly isn't your standard ol' GT, it just doesn't measure up against the vette - it's too heavy and despite having the power, doesn't have the look or attitude - let's call this car a bird-killer - because it certainly has the edge over the (STILL) dated looking Z-28, and despite it's extra ooomph, the Cobra DOES put the Chevy in its place, concerning the Camaro! I AM STILL GIVING THE MUSTANG COBRA 4.5 WELL DESERVED STARS - so now please calm down and read this review of a great new-generation muscle car...
THe Cobra begins with the proven 4.6 liter Ford powerplant included in a mustang GT - It has been fitted with a supercharger, a water-to-air intercooler (IMPRESSIVE) and with this and some extra goodies we'll discuss later, the engine makes 390 horse power and 390 foot-pounds of torque (6000/3500 RPM respectively - torque is obviously very on tao at a relatively low RPM). Power is plenty, and joined with a sharp (albeit slightly notchy) 6 speed manual tranny, the car takes off like a fighter plane and is a real blast to drive- on the highway, an aggressive downshift into 3rd and hard on the gas means instantneous take-off, and lots of Z-28 spankin' action. The truth is this car will take a vast majority of anything on the street in the speed category (NOT the looks though).
Power flows to the tranny through an 11 inch single plate clutch...Shifting can be notchy through the TTC T56 6 speed, however it's nothing to be conerned with - it shifts solidly like a sportscar should. I'm not too enthused abuot the clutch however, and I believe a double plate would have given the driver much better feedback upon release - the engine is just so damned torquey (peak torque at a low 3500 RPM) it just felt at times like the power wanted to break loose right away from that clutch..Thankfully it didn't, and power went smoothly to the pavement across a set of huge Goodyear eagle F1's (275/40 ZR 17). If you want a good take-off however, you need to beware of a heavy foot, because all that torque will spin up those tires (despite their massive size) and produce a terrible shriek of burned rubber WITHOUT a fast take-off - it takes skills to make this car take off fast...While anyone can spin up tires, it takes a little concentration to get a good launch without spinning up the rubber.
The suspension is one factor that I was very impressed with on this car...You have to realize that regardless of the power, the vehicle weighs in at close to 3800 pounds - this is no lightweight! The chassis is fitted with Modified McPherson struts and Bilstein Gas-Dampers. This is a 4 way independent multi-link setup with seperate independant coil springs. Despite the shear weight of the car, the suspension does an excellent job of transferring power to pavement and keeping corner entries fast and aggressive- steering input is very immediate and deliberate. Nevertheless, the car FEELS heavy - and there is just no getting around this. Sadly, this is the main reason why I really prefer the Saleen over the SVT - Anytime you combine great engineering with a hand-made custom designed craftsmanship you are bound to end up with something spectacular. The SVT is a phenomenal car- it has plenty of power and a well worked suspension, however the Saleen has all this AND a suspension which makes the car feel alot more sprightly - and it is a substantial difference. Both cars drive very well - but fast and FAST are two different things...
The difference can be thought of as follows- putting into a monster powerplant with enough power to throw a driver's body into the rear seat is one thing - however having a completely tunable custom suspension which will allow you to drive the car through every kind of turn, corner and sloped road and STILL know exactly what kind of feedback and response you'll get...With the Cobra it isn't that extensive - its fast, it feels pretty quick, but it FEELS heavy at the same time - the Saleen feels very agile and quick - and in my opinion is a much more "driver-oriented" automobile.
Stopping is managed by a wonderful 13" Brembo package - the cross-vented discs stay fairly cool, even under hard breaking and aggressive cornering manuevers, though because of the venting cutting rotors is more expensive and you need to find a good shop. Replacement isn't cheap either. Nevertheless the car stops very quickly and with no pull, despite the vehicle's weight - this is one department where the SVT and Saleen are pretty close- calipers are 4 piston Brembo sport and the added diameter of the 13 inch rotors allows precision braking on contact.
Getting back to the SVT, the interior is mint - nicely sculpted bucket seats keep you planted in the middle of a nicely laid out cockpit. The gauge cluster comes with white-out gauges - this is a very nice touch, and convenient because without them, this is one of the first aftermarkets parts I WOULD have to buy and install - but the SVT team has done it for us already. Seats are a comfortable and well tweakable 6-way cross-power lumbar supported, both driver AND passenger. The seats also have powered side support on the thighs and midsections- an important part of keeping you secured in corner entries. Rear seat is hardly worth mentioning, other than to say that "there ain't too much" but that is to be expected in a car of ths class. The shifter is placed in good reach and makes anatomical sense- no complaints other than a bit of the aforementioned notchiness. The steering wheel is leather finished and very comfortable - very grippy and excellent for the car as sterring input is accurate and sensitive...
...Road feedback through to the driver is difinitive yet again, the weighty feel of the car seems to mask precision feedback, at least in comparison to the Saleen - there is just a noticable difference in feel here - and since we're looking at spending over 40 grand (out the door) I think it is well worth checking out the comparable options - I can't stress enough that for the street enthusiast OR for the serious tuner, both vehicles are fantastic, but the Saleen really has the ultimate touches and makes you know it. Ridewise, the Cobra feels heavier but still very fast - it isn't a luxury ride, but that's not the point, so you cannot hold this against it at all! The ride is a bit stiff, thanks to the excellent multi-link suspension. In hard corners with fast entrances, the tires will complain a bit, but the car holds it line very well with nearly no roll - it has a tight drift feel and is very accurate, yet you'll still know the weight of the car is present through feel.
Overall the Cobra really is a pleasure to drive. This clearly a very sports oriented car and it is priced fairly competitively, however don't come here looking for comfort and luxury - this isn't a Rolls Royce! In fact, the interior affords more comfort than I expected, yet nevertheless it is the overall feel of the car that sort of dissappointed me - at least in comparison with the "other" Mustang. THe stereo system is the proven 8-driver mach460 sound system - no options, all inclusive. The system employs 2 power amps (460 watts total) and sounds excellent for a stock system - I'm quite a fanatic so I'd still prefer my Boston Acoustics / PPI (Precision Power) setup, but the Mach system is pretty darn solid and will impress anyone, especially being a fully stock sounds system.
Despite my complaining, the Cobra is still very responsive, has gobs of power on tap - and with additional work can produce much more power than it already offers. Suspension wise, it is the same deal- while SVT has built in some really impressive suspension compenents, the Cobra DOES have some catching up to do with the Saleen...Having driven both substantially (since I just heled a friend make the decision - a lengthy process, but one advantage is I spent alot of time behind the wheel comparing luxury-sport class since I just purchased a 330Ci) I've been doing ALOT of car shopping and driving and comparing and research!!
The Cobra is a convincing machine - it lists for 34,000 / 38,000 (coupe/convert respectively) and this is a very fair price considering what you get. Nonetheless, SVT dealers are far less common than any old Ford dealers - and they're not stupid. Dealer mark up is typically well over 5 grand, at least here in NYC/Long Island. While it is negotiable, these cars are no ordinary machines, so bargaining power is limited on the buy side! Which is exactly my point - Both the Saleen AND Cobra aren't cheap cars - and a Cobra (fully out the door) is going to ring up well over 45 grand after taxes and all the other BS that dealers tack on... Considering the money you'd have to put in to make the car truly competitive, you essentially could have just purchased a Saleen from the get go - but of course, not everyone needs much more than the Cobra already offers- so this may be the car you've been saving for.
One last note: If you haven't noticed, our economy ain't exactly in good shape right now- and therefore luxury purchases are really at a crawl...this is a great time to get some incredibly low financing (money is unusually cheap right now, I am an investment banker!) and prices are that much MORE negotiable, being that not too many people are throwing money at these cars without serious consideration AND apprehension...Dealers are well aware of this - USE IT - utilize this added consumer benefit and make use of this additional consumer bargaining muscle, it is really an ideal time to buy expensive toys (pricewise) provided you have the financial footing to support it...The cobra IS a serious car - and will impress enthusiast and tuner alike...while it certainly isn't a vette in looks, it's substantially cheaper and VERY fast nonetheless - in fact it will give a vette quite a run for its money, and in some cases best the Chevy! If you're in a financial position to do it, the hour is now - shop carefully and definitely give this car a chance, the Cobra is a hell of a car.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 41,750
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: SVT Cobra Convertible
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Epinions.com ID:
nick1326
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Location: Long Island, NY
Reviews written: 232
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Music, Motorcycles, Drumming, Surfing, the finest cigars and living life to its fullest...
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