By Jim Meachen
MotorwayAmerica.com editor

(November 15, 2017) We needed a car for a road trip to the North Carolina mountains to join the hordes of visitors on the Blue Ridge Parkway and other high-altitude locales to view the colors of fall. There were several choices available, but in the end we decided on the monstrous 2017 Mustang GT350 Shelby Cobra.

We could have saved some gas money choosing a sub-compact, but what fun is that? And we could have had a grand old time in a convertible — but there wasn't any available.

As it turned out, the 526-horsepower GT350  was just the ticket for carving up the mountain roads — when traffic permitted — and merging into fast-moving traffic on the interstate highways — just shove it into fourth gear and hit the gas, enjoy the rumble of the big V-8, and surge into an opening. Yes, we had to feed the beast, which is EPA-rated 14 mpg city, 21 highway and 16 overall, with 93 octane, but that didn't break our road trip budget.

Other considerations included a stiff clutch — an old worn-out knee would protest, big time — and trunk space for a couple of rollerboards, a large quantity of mountain apples and assorted items to be doled out as Christmas gifts.

Trunk space, which is sorely lacking in many high-performance sports cars with two doors, was no problem. There is 13.5 cubic feet of cargo space, plenty to swallow up 30 pounds of apples and several items from a couple of my wife's favorite mountain shops — as well as our luggage. The back seat, too small for adults, was a great place for storing the brief case, two winter coats, and other assorted paraphernalia for a four-day weekend excursion to observe and photograph the changing leaves.

And forget the stiff clutch that was found in Cobra's of the past. The GT350's clutch was amazingly light considering the engine's torque, and the six-speed manual transmission was accurate with short throws.

We did encounter an unforeseen problem — the heavily bolstered Recaro seats designed to keep the driver and front passenger "in place" under heavy cornering. Unfortunately, Recaro did not design these chairs for wide bodies, and after about an hour behind the wheel my left leg ached. The upper side bolsters were fine, it was the seat cushion that created the problem.

If the standard Recaros were the only chairs available in the GT350 it would be a deal breaker for me if I had thoughts of a purchase. But for those people who have an issue or who use their car as a daily driver and demand a bit more comfort, sport seats, with power adjustments and heating/cooling, are available.

As a long-distance touring car, the GT350 works well with a pleasing ride thanks to adaptive magnetic dampers that swallow up road imperfections taking the ultra-stiff ride of many hard-cornering machines out of the equation. It makes the Shelby Cobra a great partner for a coast-to-coast trip. And there's plenty of torque for passing in fifth or sixth gear without the need for downshifting, unless you simply enjoy the feeling of being pushed back in your seat every time you make a passing maneuver.



If you are interested in numbers — bragging rights at the neighborhood cookout — than try these on for size — 0-to-60 in 4.3 seconds, a quarter mile in 12.5 seconds at 117 mph and 60-to-0 stopping performance in a breathtaking 101 feet. These numbers courtesy of the 5.2-liter V-8 that pumps out 526 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque, and standard Brembo brake calipers.

Inside, the GT350 is a lot like the Mustang with decent-quality materials and many of the latest conveniences. That being said, you might expect a cut above for a vehicle that comes in thousands more than the Mustang GT. But you do get the much-improved Sync3 infotainment system with easy-to-use touchscreen commands. The easier-to-use icon and menu interface plus smartphone-style pinching and swiping gestures are superior to earlier Ford systems.

There's a long list of standard equipment on the GT350 for a base price of $55,195. Included are 19-inch wheels, adjustable drive settings, keyless ignition and entry, xenon headlights, rear spoiler, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, Track Apps performance telemetry, rearview camera, and a six-speaker sound system with USB port.

Our travel companion added the Electronics Package for $3,000, and we think it's worth the price. It adds dual-zone climate control, an eight-inch touchscreen, navigation, a nine-speaker audio system with satellite radio and two USB ports. If you want the more comfortable front chairs, add the Convenience Package for $3,000 and you will also get leather upholstery.

The biggest downside for use — which would be an "upside" for many people — is the attention you will attract in the GT350 with its $495 optional racing stripes. We drew a crowd of five or six people coming out of a restaurant one night and answered questions for 10 minutes.

Oh, the price you pay for a hot-looking Mustang.

The price you would pay for our weekend test car would be $60,365 including the $1,300 gas guzzler tax.

The statistics

Base price: $55,195, as driven, $60,365
Engine: 5.2-liter V-8
Horsepower: 526 @ 7,500 rpm
Torque: 429 foot-pounds @ 4,750 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Drive: rear wheel
Seating: 2/2
Wheelbase: 107.1 inches
Length: 188.3 inches
Curb weight: 3,760 pounds
Luggage capacity: 13.5 cubic feet
Gas: premium (93 octane)
EPA rating: 14 city, 21 highway, 16 combined
0-60: 4.3 seconds (Car and Driver)
Also consider: Chevy Camaro ZL1, Chevrolet Corvette, BMW M2