Glass Roof Option added to 2010 Ford Mustang and GT Convertible

Just in time for summer, Ford has added its panoramic glass roof option to its restyled 2010 Mustang Coupe alongside the convertible version of the V8-powered Mustang GT, both of which are now on sale in showrooms across the country.
The glass roof is made of tinted privacy glass and features a built-in manual roller blind. This tint makes the glass roof option ideal for those who love the sun but want to cut back on sunscreen use. Ford also points out that "scientific studies show that increased exposure to sunshine or bright light is therapeutic because it regulates the body's synthesis of melatonin, a mood-regulating hormone that modulates the circadian cycle of sleep and wakefulness."

The glass roof has been specially engineered to filter out 90 percent of the sun's heat-generating infrared (IR) rays and 96 percent of burn-causing ultraviolet (UV) rays. This effectively means the Glass Roof Mustang is the only coupe to be equipped with a sun protection factor (SPF) of approximately 50.

The glass roof's ability to filter the rays also reduces heat load in the cabin so that occupants remain comfortable. Furthermore, the reflective glass also reduces energy used by the vehicle's air conditioner system while protecting the interior fabric from fading and deteriorating. Finally, to help improve acoustics and Mustang’s interior quietness the glass also features a layer of vinyl that reduces noise, vibration and harshness.

Since its introduction in 2008, the glass roof option – which is available as a $1,995 option on both the V6 model and the GT – has accounted for 10% of all Mustang sales. The convertible, on the other hand, accounts for 25% of Mustang sales, and sell most strongly in California, Florida, Texas and Georgia.

Other Blue Oval vehicles that feature the glass roof option include the 2010 Lincoln MKS and 2009 Ford Flex, Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX.

To get that amazing different feeling, head to your local Ford dealer and shell out an extra $1,995.

2010 Ford Mustang GT Road Test

A Mustang with a Track pack?

Corvettes and Vipers grab the glory for Old Glory at temples of speed such as Le Mans. The lumbering, log-axle Mustang is just a quarter-miler for the tattoo-and-tobacco crowd, right?

Actually, mes amis, the Mustang is America’s other road-racing workhorse. It has its own pro series, the eight-race Mustang Challenge. And there were more than a dozen Mustangs on the grid at Daytona this past January when a Roush-prepared Mustang finished second in the three-hour Koni Challenge race. It made all its rights and lefts better than Porsche 911s and BMW M3s.

No, we wouldn’t expect that hierarchy to hold on the street, even if the 2010 Track-pack Mustang GT is billed as the hairpin-and-carousel king of the newly reskinned Mustang lineup. Still, Ford’s old pony has a long history of making incremental improvements as it ages, and the Track package shows that the late-night lights still burn in some windows at Ford.

Building a Track-pack Mustang on the order form starts with a GT Premium and its 315-hp, 4.6-liter V-8 and five-speed manual, for $31,845. The $1495 Track package swaps out the 3.31 or 3.55 axle for a 3.73 limited-slip rear end with carbon friction plates. The shocks are less forgiving in both compression and rebound, the anti-roll bars are thicker, and dual-piston front brake calipers with performance pads from the 2009 Bullitt model do the stopping. Also, the stability-control system is retuned to tolerate more sideways play.

Finally, some very expensive Pirelli P Zero summer tires are fitted with white gloves. The size is 255/40ZR-19. The replacement price at Tire Rack: $398. Each. Avoid parking in dark alleys.
Off to the track we marched, taking along a standard Mustang GT rolling on its Pirelli P Zero Nero all-season tires for comparison. The results were illuminating.

Besides new sheetmetal, all 2010 Mustangs are recalibrated for less squish, less wiggle, less pogo, and less teeter-totter in the turns. Lay on the Track-pack version, and the strings are pulled even tauter.

The body isn’t allowed to slump to the outside as much. Helm response quickens, and corner placement gets finer. The sticky Pirellis earn their tariff, maintaining a gummy, squeal-free grip that keeps the front end carving smooth arcs.











Mustang steering has always been numb, and the Track pack doesn’t force any more circulation into it. Don’t bring along a Miata, as we did, or you’ll just get depressed. The Mustang’s flat seats allow you to flop around—we had knee bruises at day’s end—and the brake pedal started melting after a few laps, requiring frequent cool-downs.

At $33,340 before discounts, a Mustang GT with the Track package stampedes into territory prowled by the Nissan 370Z, among others. Some would say, “So what?” More is at issue than test numbers cavorting on paper. The Mustang is America, Manifest Destiny rolling on radials. Lining it up next to a Z—we did it once, back in 2002—is like serving sashimi with succotash.

And the Mustang is as fun as firecrackers on the Fourth. Everything is oversized and executed at volume 11, from the broad sweep of the double-hump dash to the big-grab shifter to the Yankee roar of the V-8 getting to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds.

It’s easy to be fast and pitch it sideways in a drift. And a sport mode in the new-for-2010 stability control allows a little more hooliganism within the safety net.

The quality is better for 2010, especially inside, where stitched panels on the doors and tighter-fitting, squishable plastics have relieved the gloom of cheapness in the previous model. But curses were muttered when the jagged splinter of an indifferently applied spot weld in the trunk tore an expensive down comforter. A Friday build, perhaps?

Though freeway ride suffers some with the Track package, Mustang fans who prefer candy-cane curbs to Christmas trees get a lot more control of their fillies. And for not much extra cabbage.

2010 Ford Mustang GT Road Test

A Mustang with a Track pack?

Corvettes and Vipers grab the glory for Old Glory at temples of speed such as Le Mans. The lumbering, log-axle Mustang is just a quarter-miler for the tattoo-and-tobacco crowd, right?

Actually, mes amis, the Mustang is America’s other road-racing workhorse. It has its own pro series, the eight-race Mustang Challenge. And there were more than a dozen Mustangs on the grid at Daytona this past January when a Roush-prepared Mustang finished second in the three-hour Koni Challenge race. It made all its rights and lefts better than Porsche 911s and BMW M3s.

No, we wouldn’t expect that hierarchy to hold on the street, even if the 2010 Track-pack Mustang GT is billed as the hairpin-and-carousel king of the newly reskinned Mustang lineup. Still, Ford’s old pony has a long history of making incremental improvements as it ages, and the Track package shows that the late-night lights still burn in some windows at Ford.

Building a Track-pack Mustang on the order form starts with a GT Premium and its 315-hp, 4.6-liter V-8 and five-speed manual, for $31,845. The $1495 Track package swaps out the 3.31 or 3.55 axle for a 3.73 limited-slip rear end with carbon friction plates. The shocks are less forgiving in both compression and rebound, the anti-roll bars are thicker, and dual-piston front brake calipers with performance pads from the 2009 Bullitt model do the stopping. Also, the stability-control system is retuned to tolerate more sideways play.

Finally, some very expensive Pirelli P Zero summer tires are fitted with white gloves. The size is 255/40ZR-19. The replacement price at Tire Rack: $398. Each. Avoid parking in dark alleys.
Off to the track we marched, taking along a standard Mustang GT rolling on its Pirelli P Zero Nero all-season tires for comparison. The results were illuminating.

Besides new sheetmetal, all 2010 Mustangs are recalibrated for less squish, less wiggle, less pogo, and less teeter-totter in the turns. Lay on the Track-pack version, and the strings are pulled even tauter.

The body isn’t allowed to slump to the outside as much. Helm response quickens, and corner placement gets finer. The sticky Pirellis earn their tariff, maintaining a gummy, squeal-free grip that keeps the front end carving smooth arcs.











Mustang steering has always been numb, and the Track pack doesn’t force any more circulation into it. Don’t bring along a Miata, as we did, or you’ll just get depressed. The Mustang’s flat seats allow you to flop around—we had knee bruises at day’s end—and the brake pedal started melting after a few laps, requiring frequent cool-downs.

At $33,340 before discounts, a Mustang GT with the Track package stampedes into territory prowled by the Nissan 370Z, among others. Some would say, “So what?” More is at issue than test numbers cavorting on paper. The Mustang is America, Manifest Destiny rolling on radials. Lining it up next to a Z—we did it once, back in 2002—is like serving sashimi with succotash.

And the Mustang is as fun as firecrackers on the Fourth. Everything is oversized and executed at volume 11, from the broad sweep of the double-hump dash to the big-grab shifter to the Yankee roar of the V-8 getting to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds.

It’s easy to be fast and pitch it sideways in a drift. And a sport mode in the new-for-2010 stability control allows a little more hooliganism within the safety net.

The quality is better for 2010, especially inside, where stitched panels on the doors and tighter-fitting, squishable plastics have relieved the gloom of cheapness in the previous model. But curses were muttered when the jagged splinter of an indifferently applied spot weld in the trunk tore an expensive down comforter. A Friday build, perhaps?

Though freeway ride suffers some with the Track package, Mustang fans who prefer candy-cane curbs to Christmas trees get a lot more control of their fillies. And for not much extra cabbage.