2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, 2010 Ford Mustang

Mostly, the 2010 Ford Mustang is to the 2005-2009 model what the 1994 Fox Mustang was to its Fox-based predecessor, a huge sheetmetal upgrade that was bigger than it looked. The 2010 Mustang retains the 2005's live rear-axle platform and its V-6 and V-8 engines. Sheetmetal is new below the roof, which has been retained to accommodate the glass roof option added in mid-2008. It's within millimeters of the outgoing car's overall length, and the new profile surfacing, including more pronounced wheel openings and the sharp shoulderline, makes the car settle "back on its rear wheels," says design chief Doug Gaffka.

An upgraded interior reaches for modern standards of fit, finish, materials, and design. Even the handbrake has been shortened so it no longer feels long, spindly, and designed to jab your right ribcage.

The GT engine gets an upgrade, while the V-6's 4.0L carries on. The 4.6L three-valve V-8 inherits the 2008 Bullitt setup, with a cold-air-intake box, a strut-tower brace, and 15 more ponies and five pound-feet, for 315 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. Like the Bullitt's, its 3.5-inch exhaust tips are up a half inch in diameter over the outgoing GT's. The torque curve improves with premium (recommended, but not required) fuel. The new intake sucks in air better than the old, open-air system, for a 0.3-sec improvement in 0-to-60-mph times on a hot street start.