It's easy to get jaded here in 5.0&SF land, as we get thrown the keys of some serious hardware. Whether it's Ford's latest Mustang offering or an insane King of the Street car, we are immersed in high-performance Mustangs. Sometimes, however, it's the simple cars that really leave an impression. Such is the case with Steeda's first effort at a turnkey '11 Mustang GT-the Steeda Sport.
Starting with a stock Mustang GT, the hardware experts at Steeda thumbed through their own catalog and chose a mixture of appearance, handling, and performance parts. After choosing carefully, they created a vehicle that expounds on the strengths of the stock Mustang without taking it too far up market in price or denigrating its driveability in any way. It's an entry-level car in terms of intent and cost, but its performance belies those characteristics.
Inside, the Steeda Sport is...
Inside, the Steeda Sport is factory stock with the exception of the Steeda floor mats and the optional Steeda Tri-Ax shifter hiding under the shift boot.
Unfortunately, the early part of my trip home from Georgia was plagued by constant rain, but as soon as I found a lonely piece of dry pavement, I dropped the hammer and the beautiful music of the Steeda cold-air induction piped its way along the Induction Sound Tube and filled the cabin. This car loves to rev, even in stock form, but slightly tuned up it comes alive from the midrange and rocks all the way to the limiter. After throwing the keys to Associate Editor Johnson, he could only shake his head and wish his Cobra was nearly this quick.
It's not rocking the full...
It's not rocking the full G-Trac suspension, but the Steeda Sport does ride on, naturally, Steeda's Sport springs. They dampen the chassis roll a bit, and, more importantly, bring the stock Mustang's stilted ride height down to earth.
Perhaps the only downside of the sonic rpm rush emanating from the front of the cabin was the lack of balance from the rear of the car. That's because the Sport's exhaust system is factory stock from Tri-Y to tailpipe. As impressive as this makes the car's performance, the mere addition of a pair of throaty mufflers would have made the car's persona complete. However, Steeda was trying to keep the price of the package down, and our ride already featured non-standard options like the strut-tower brace and Tri-Ax shifter. I get it, but I'd order mine with mufflers.
Steeda's trademark Sidewinder...
Steeda's trademark Sidewinder graphics adorn hood and flanks of the Steeda Sport. This fetching contrast of silver and black tugs at the heartstrings of your Raiders-fan-in-chief.
Rowing the six-speed with the hastened throw of the optional Tri-Ax made getting to 7,000 rpm all the more fun, and the Steeda Sport springs reduced the body roll when I attacked my favorite on-ramps and off-ramps. Even before officially testing the car, I knew it was fast and powerful, but I didn't need test numbers to know the Sport is lots of fun.
So, all told Steeda's car was a hit. It's a great base package that provides more fun than its price might convey.