Ford's five-speed overdrive transmission is responsive. Expect 0-60mph performance in the range of 7 seconds flat, which ain't bad. But then, you're supposed to be relaxing in this car, not racing around from place to place. If it weighed 500 pounds less, the Thunderbird would be quicker; but even with its mostly plastic body panels, the new T-Bird weighs almost 3800 pounds, and it feels like it.
This is a comfortable cruiser on the interstate. A crossbeam behind the seats ties the structure together, and three steel X-braces are bolted to the underbody in the front, middle, and rear. The result is a body structure with the strength and stiffness that helps provide good ride quality and handling. The Thunderbird isn't a sports car, however, and the suspension bobs when working out. Also, there is some cowl shake when driving over bumpy pavement. But for the most part, the all-independent suspension, derived from the Jaguar S-Type, is slick and smooth; and the Thunderbird is enjoyable to drive.
The big, thick steering wheel is comfortable to use and the rack-and-pinion steering is quite nicely weighted, giving you a pretty good idea of what the Michelin P235/50R17 quiet-ride luxury tires are doing at any given time. The car wants to understeer, of course, but there's nothing objectionable in the way it handles. In a couple of mountain passes, where we drove way too fast for the blind corners and tricky turns, the car behaved very well in correction and recovery. Yes, there is body roll, but not much. Traction control is standard, but yaw control or electronic stability control are not available.
Slam on the binders and the four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes (ABS) work very well, with nice, progressive pedal feel and lots of stopping power in emergencies. Next Page