The 1997 Mustang is an important vehicle to Ford for the coupe market segment. The Base is a member of a series of three trim levels for the Mustang which include SVT Cobra, GT, and Base. The two-door car with its rear-wheel drive is positioned to aggressively fill this niche for Ford. There is strong competition from vehicles from Honda.

Engine Performance

The Mustang Base is equipped with a Ford 3.8 liter six-cylinder engine that utilizes 12 valves. The engine is mated to a Borg Warner 5-speed Transmission. This configuration has proven to be a successful design for Ford.

Steering control is handled through a power-steering rack-style configuration. The Mustang has power-assisted brakes, with Non-ABS support. The front brakes are disc while the rear brakes are disc. The car uses coil front springs and coil in the rear.

Mustang Base Statistics

The dimensions of the Mustang Base are 71.80 inches wide by 181.50 inches long. It sits a comfortable 53.20 inches off the ground. It seats a standard four passengers, with 2 doors. The wheelbase of 101.30 allows for limited leg room for the backseat passengers.

The original manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) was $15,355 when new, with a dealer invoice cost of $14,107. This price was in line with the industry average price for a 2-door Coupe.

Fuel Efficiency

The fuel system for the 1997 Mustang is a SFI design, running on gasoline fuel. The fuel flow is regulated by a electronic system and is a fuel-injected MFI design. The storage capacity of the fuel tank is 15.40 gallons.

The Mustang Base received a miles-per-gallon rating of twenty in-city driving and thirty when it came to long-distance. Being a gas-powered non-green car, this was subpar.

In Summary

There are several reasons why the Ford Mustang Base sold well in 1997. Mainly the increase in availability and a marked improvement in quality meant the buying public was more apt to choose a Ford, specifically a Mustang.

Tags: 2-Door, Base, Canada market, Coupe, Ford Mustang

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at 6:18 pm and is filed under 1997, Ford, Mustang. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.