In the fiercely competitive automotive market, the very existence of the Ford Mustang is a testament to its tenacity. The dictates of Darwinian development tell us that the car is fit because it has survived through at least four wars (or major quasi-war actions), eight Presidents of the United States, twelve Olympic Games and outlived two of its main rivals - the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger - despite their recent rebirth. And after spending a week in the latest panoramic-glass-roofed, snarling V8, premium-trimmed iteration of the original pony car, it’s easy to see why. This is a fun car.

Unfortunately, once you get past the fun, there’s not a whole lot left to enjoy. Like that Austrian girl you met one summer about a decade ago, the Mustang sure is pretty, but it lacks substance. Those are the perfect credentials for a summer fling, but when signing on for a 36, 48 or 60-month haul, you want something more than infatuation - you want love. The Mustang is, ultimately, hard to love.

But it really, really is fun. And this anachronistic dichotomy of spirit, at once a permanent and lasting edifice of the American automotive landscape and a sophomore crush, is what defines the Mustang. It is a dream made real, and like all fantasies, they are better kept in the mind than in the bedroom, or the garage, as the case may be.

So what does all of this have to do with 300 horses pounding their metallic hooves through eight cylinders of gasoline scented fury? What relevance does it have to a pair of 9-inch-wide streaks of smoking, stinking rubber and asphalt? How does it relate to the shove in the back or the whooping yell in the throat that are the two primary sensations of driving the Mustang?

Really, it doesn’t relate at all. And that’s the point. The Mustang is a car founded on passion, on the emotive qualities of personal transport - from its humble roots as a stylish, go-fast car that the young could afford to its legendary status as a drag-strip king and main-drag cruiser, the Mustang is a car you buy with your heart. Sure, it’s practical enough for the daily grind - it has a back seat and a trunk and everything. But it’s not the choice your left brain would make.

Full article:Review: 2009 Ford Mustang GT Glasstop - MotorAuthority