Ford Probe Vs Ford Mustang
Golden Oldie Meets Speed Metal

It's 1982. Gasoline is selling for $1.22 a gallon headed for 16 bits, and availability is questionable. The popularity of musclecars such as the Mustang and Camaro V-8s is on the wane, and in Dearborn, Ford executives are contemplating a new generation of downsized sporty cars that will offer similar levels of performance and handling with much better fuel efficiency. They consider a band-aid approach-derivations of the Mustang or other platforms-but decide on an all-new design known internally as the SN8.

Then someone mentions Mazda, (Ford owns about 25 percent) and the project takes a different turn. The Japanese have plans-for a new car and for a new plant located in America-and Ford's powers-that-be decide that sharing a basic platform with Mazda makes economic and marketing sense.

It isn't long before a 6-person team is dispatched to Hiroshima to begin work on the ST16, a sleek sports coupe that will be based upon Mazda's new MX-6 and will use that car's fioorpan, transversely mounted sohc inline 4-cylinder engine and fully independent front and rear suspension. Slated for introduction in 1988, the new front-wheel-drive Mustang is expected to replace Ford's traditional rear-wheel-drive ponycar, which by then will have gone the way of inexpensive, readily available gasoline.

Now it's 1985. The price of fuel has dropped, availability is no longer a problem (at least, not for the moment) and musclecars are in demand. The old rear-wheel-drive Mustang-especially the fire-breathing, ground-pounding 5.0-liter V-B-powered GT version-is doing quite well, thank you. So well that Ford executives are having misgivings about doing away with it. With a new Mustang already in the works, they make a command decision: Old and new will coexist.

Summer of 1987 arrives. The introduction of Mustang IV is just around the corner. But FoMoCo's moguls are again having some misgivings. Their new, Japanese-based sports coupe is certainly a wonderful car. But a Mustang it ain't, and in an effort to appease traditional buyers and attract new ones, they decide to name their latest creation the Probe. It's a smart move because the two cars are about as different as they can be.

The Mustang is far from new. The original design harkens back to 1965 when Ford reskinned the Falcon to come up with a smart 2+2 that set Detroit (spelled Chevrolet) on its ear. The less-than-sensational, Pinto-based Mustang II made its debut in 1974, while the present-day version, the third variation on Ford's ponycar theme, was introduced as a 1979 model.

The GT variant with its newly tuned 157-bhp 5.0-liter V-8 came along in 1982, and although it delivered some impressive acceleration times for its day (0 to 60 in 8.0 seconds), it didn't handle all that well. Late in 1984, Ford introduced the HO version that was even quicker (0 to 60 in 7.5 sec) and handled, umm, pretty good. But understeer be damned, because this 210-bhp beast was the epitome of the musclecar. Loads of fun to drive, it inspired R&T's editors (who called it one of the " 10 Best Cars In the World" in December 1987) to say: "The ponycar lives, snorting and pawing the turf, in the stable of its creator. Real V-8 performance in a no-nonsense package shows what America still does best." To wit, build a car that can go from 0 to 60 mph in a shade over 6 sec and hustle down the highway at 140-plus mph.

America (spelled Ford) also does a tolerable job making a 10-year-old ponycar handle. The latest version with its dual rear shock absorbers and sticky Goodyear Gatorback tires gallops through the slalom at 65.3 mph, which is faster than just about any other car except the 4-wheel-steer Honda Prelude. On the skidpad, it manages a brisk canter at 0.81 g. But even if it never turns a wheel, the Mustang wins the prize for looking like the bruiser it is, the Hulk Hogan of musclecars.

The Probe is new. Although its name conjures up visions of some 21st-century transportation module probing the frontiers of automotive technology, what the car really explores are ways in which Ford can penetrate that segment of the small, specialty-car market currently controlled by the Japanese. "We can offer the Toyota buyer a very attractive alternative to the Celica," says a Ford spokesman. Aha!

Knowing this, we can understand why Dearborn wisely chose not to call the car Mustang IV The Mustang, warts and all, is at least distinctive. The Probe has a generic, performance-car-for-the-Nine ties look. Different, but disturbingly Japanese and thus similar in appearance to the Acura Integra, Isuzu Impulse, Nissan 200SX and Toyota Celica GT-especially the Toyota, which seemingly inspired some of Probe's other styling touches: the wraparound rear window, for example.

What is noteworthy (and un-Japanese) is the Probe's hood with bubbles that accommodate the shock towers and its Ferrari Testarossa-like sculptured side panels that introduce an angular wedge shape to the car's rounded lines. We won't debate the car's esthetics. Suffice to say, "Chacun à son goût."

Although the interior is a bit more American and bears more than a passing resemblance to other models in the Ford lineup, it too sports some unmistakably Japanese touches: turn signal stalks and windshield-wiper knobs mounted on the dash pod, for example. But far be it from us to nitpick because when it comes to ergonomics, instrumentation and overall design, the Probe excels. Everything is visible and within reach, neatly integrated into a simple, yet elegant-looking dash that wraps around into the doors and includes large vents connected to an excellent heating/ventilation/air-conditioning system and an adjustable steering column that moves up and down along with the dash pod. Domo arigato gozoimasu, er, thank you, Ford.

Heart of the Mustang GT is its pushrod-actuated ohv V-8, a simple, yet effective device that sends one's heart rate soaring when those 225 ponies are unbridled. The latest version uses Ford multi-port fuel injection and electronic engine controls and offers both performance and fuel efficiency.

At 5.0 liters, the Mustang GT's powerplant is big, like America. The Probe's engine on the other hand, is small, uh, like Japan. And like the contemporary Japanese 4-cylinder it is. This 2.2-liter sohc inLine-4 with three valves per cylinder is a Mazda through and through, meaning that it delivers the same horsepower as the MX-6 engine-110 bhp in normally aspirated form, 145 in turbocharged trim. Mazda transaxles are used too and include a 4-speed automatic and two 5-speed manual gearboxes: one for the normally aspirated GL and LX model Probe, the other for the turbocharged GT.

After a decade of road tests, most automotive enthusiasts know the Mustang suspension by rote. The Probe's underpinnings may be another matter. Suffice to say, the new Ford's suspension relies on the same basic design as the MX-6 but uses different componentry to give the car a "flat" (Ford's description) feel that conveys a sense of predictability and stability. No engineering breakthroughs here, just simple suspension tuning-a bigger (stiffer) front anti-roll bar, harder suspension bushings all-around, 10 percent higher spring rates front and rear, stiffer shocks and a bit more rear toe-in.

But we digress, because the issue is not Ford versus Mazda but Ford vs Ford; specifically, Mustang vs Probe. In case you haven't figured it out by now, we'll just come right out and tell you that they are two different cars designed to appeal to two distinct audiences.

The Mustang GT 5.0 is for those who think sophistication is for sissies. They like the looks, the feel, the sound of performance even if it means sacrificing ride and handling ease. Sure, the latest Mustang GT is not without civility. But when you mash the throttle, the 5.0-liter can still hammer the pavement with 6.4-sec 0-60 and 15.0-sec quarter-mile times. even on a cold day in Michigan. At full gallop, the latest GT does 142 mph, a bit less than the 148 our 1986 version did in the summer of that year.

The Probe GT is for those who don't want to be constantly reminded that they are driving a performance car. They want a car that is a bit more practical, a lot more efficient and reasonably quick. That's the Probe whose turbocharged inline-4 delivers more than respectable performance-0 to 60 in 7.3 sec, the quarter mile in 15.6. In top speed, its 145 ponies send the car slicing through the air at 131 mph.

When it's time to stop, say from 80 mph, both Fords do well. The Probe hauls itself down to a standstill in 245 ft. Our test car was equipped with Ford's optional ABS, which really helps on loose surfaces or when the weather deteriorates as it did during our braking exercise. This explains why our Mustang GT test car, which is not available with ABS, took 307 ft rather than its previous 285 to come to a stop from 80 mph. One interesting note about the Probe's brakes: Although the system is Bosch-designed, ours didn't exhibit the pedal pulsation we've come to associate with that company's ABS.

The same inclement Michigan weather prevented us from putting the latest Mustang GT and the Probe through their paces on the skidpad and in the slalom back to back. But we've separately measured the Mustang's and Probe's grip during breaks in unseasonably wet weather on this coast and found the smaller-tired, but lighter Probe virtually the Mustang's equal at 0.808. And while circling the pad, our tester noted how different these cars are: The Mustang assaults the asphalt with chops of steering and rear-tire smoke while the Probe massages it in smooth understeer.

Despite its relative lack of grooming, the Mustang GT is still an enthusiast's automobile. Its tire-burning torque, which almost makes gear changes redundant, is pure fun. The 5.0 does what musclecars do best and that is go from point A to point B in a hurry-preferably in a straight line. Throw in some curves, and all that torque reminds you that this is a man's car that returns in kind what the driver dishes out. Although the Mustang GT certainly has exceptional lateral stability and stick (at 140-plus on Ford's banked test track it actually felt more surefooted than the Probe), it's a short-coupled, stiffly sprung car that is sensitive to the throttle and brakes. Mash the throttle in 1st or 2nd gear in the middle of a tight turn and you'll understand, instantly, why road testers describe high-powered rear-wheel-drive cars as having steering at both ends. In a nutshell, if World of Outlaws champ Steve Kinser is your role model, this steed is for you.

Generic styling notwithstanding, the Probe GT is just the ticket for the enthusiast who dares to be different, but not too different. It's a temperate car that doesn't go to excess stylistically, mechanically or spiritually. It's relatively easy to drive at moderate speeds, say 60 or 70 mph where its tautness really shines. But at century-plus speeds on bumpy surfaces such as the Ford test track, that same tautness of suspension causes the Probe to hop around a bit. Also, its inherent tendency toward understeer is exacerbated when the turbo comes on boost in a turn, causing the front wheels to spin and lose adhesion.

Sporty when it needs to be, the Probe's engine is incredibly flexible and pulls strongly and steadily from as low as 2000 rpm where turbo-boost pressure first becomes noticeable. With its low final drive ratio the Probe gets off the mark like a shot (from 0 to 30 mph, it's only 0.2 sec slower than the Mustang GT) and can trundle around town in almost any gear without any protest from the engine-just like the Mustang V-8, which does it with torque rather than gearing.

A Mustang replacement it's not. Right now, nothing can quite replace the old pony that will continue to exist as long as there's a market for it. A timely Ford, that's what the Probe is. It's a specialty sports coupe designed to appeal to buyers who might otherwise buy Japanese for a variety of reasons including price/value. Even the most expensive version, the Probe GT, is expected to cost about $15,000, which is a thousand or so less than the Toyota Celica GT-S. Take away the GT's turbocharged engine, 4-wheel-disc brakes, Automatic Adjusting Suspension and countless geegaws and you've got the GL (base) and LX, two popularly priced Probe models that should give not only Toyota but also other Japanese and American carmakers (are you listening, Chevrolet and Chrysler?) a run for their money.

It's said that "He who pays the piper calls the tune." So what'll it be, golden oldies or speed metal?

Probe GT vs MX-6 GT - One From The Heart
Domestically sourced imports? Nothing new here. Volkswagen has been doing it since 1978. Nor is there anything unique about a joint operating agreement. Chevrolet and Toyota have had one since 1984 when they began building the Nova at New United Motors. Now it's Ford and Mazda, but wait, there is a difference.

Although the Probe and MX-6 share the same engine, drivetrain and platform and are built on the same production line at Mazda's new Flat Rock, Michigan facility, the two cars are dissimilar in styling, ride and handling.

The Probe is a sleek sports coupe whose hoodline is so low it needs bulges to accommodate the shock towers. With its concealed B- and C-pillars, this Ford's roof seems to float in space, anchored by a laid-back windshield tip front and a wraparound Toyota Celica-like backlight at the rear. The car looks Japanese, which is curious because it was designed by Americans. The MX-6 is a sports coupe with squarish lines that are rather conservative by present-day standards. A Ford spokesman said that Mazda saves its zoomy styling for the RX-7 and he's right. The MX-6, even the spoiler-bedecked GT, is understated and looks Teutonic, which is curious because it was designed by Japanese.

Inside the cabin, the Probe has touches that reflect American thinking, Ford's to be exact. But such details as the turn signal paddles and windshield-wiper controls are reminiscent of some Japanese treatments. No question about the Probe's upholstery fabrics and side-panel coverings that have the distinction of not looking like home furniture. Although Americans are often ridiculed for inventing and using idiot lights, in this case it's the Japanese who use them-in place of some gauges. The MX-6 has a row of them, below the large tach and speedometer, while the Probe GT, which has an equally large tach and speedo, substitutes some extra gauges including a boost gauge. Ford also does a much better job with its ventilation system, providing large ducts not only in the dash but also at the leading edge of the front doors.

Both cars easily accommodate four adults in seats that include front buckets with excellent support and plenty of'side bolstering. Ford and Mazda also have equally capacious rear cargo compartments that can be enlarged by lowering the rear seatbacks to gain access to the passenger compartment. But when it comes to liftover height, the MX-6 wins. It has hardly any, while the Probe with its broad taillight assembly has enough to make loading heavy cargo a problem.

As different as they are in appearance, the GT versions of the Probe and MX-6 are alike mechanically and, thus, offer nearly identical performance. Both use Mazda's 12-valve, 2.2-liter inline-4 whose 145 turbocharged ponies deliver 0 to 30 and 0 to quarter-mile acceleration times that are within 0.1 or 0.2 sec of each other.

We already mentioned that the Ford and Mazda have the same suspension, but different tuning, and that the Probe's is sportier. But that doesn't mean the MX-6 GT is any less adroit at getting through the slalom and around the skidpad. The Mazda has a bit more body roll because it's taller and not as stiffly suspended. But we suspect the tires make the difference. The Ford uses the tenacious Goodyear Eagle VR Gatorbacks, while the Mazda relies on the far less grippy Yokohama A341.

There are other, subtler similarities and differences. Suffice to say, what the Probe and the MX-6 share is a pervasive Japanese-like quality-and cost. You see, in building this attractively priced, small specialty sports coupe, Ford has taken aim not only at those imported and domestic cars we've mentioned elsewhere in our story, but also at Mazda.

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