Test Drive: 2006 Roush Stage 3 Mustang

By Sam Haymart

The warm Arizona winter sun recently afforded an opportunity to take Jack Roush’s newest creation, the 2006 Stage 3 Mustang, for a brief test drive. Our test car was a well optioned early example of the model soon to come out of Roush Performance’s production facility in Livonia, MI . The new car builds on the legacy of the legendary 2001-2004 Stage 3 Mustangs that have been well known for their superior power and handling capabilities. Under the hood, the Stage 3 has a new version of the Roush air-to-water inter-cooled roots type supercharger system. The hardware raises the stock 4.6 liter 3V GT’s horsepower to 417 according to Roush. This system has undergone the same rigorous OEM level design, engineering, and proving that all Roush products do, enabling a full 36 month/36,000 mile warranty through Roush dealers. Read more about the supercharger system in-depth here. The car is coming to market almost as this is written. When it arrives, it will be fully EPA and CARB certified. Underneath the Stage 3 is a well tuned suspension with larger anti-roll bars, stiffer springs, special Bilstien shocks and struts with Roush proprietary tuning. A major brake upgrade that consists of 14“ front discs with 4-piston calipers. All around are some very attractive 18x10 chrome Roush wheels with highline BFGoodrich tires that ground the appearance of the full Roush body package.

I am fortunate own one of the first generation Stage 3 Mustangs, a 2001 model that provides a great frame of reference to judge the new car’s performance and characteristics. However, comparing the new and old Mustangs is not apples to oranges. The 2005+ Mustang is a completely different animal than the SN-95 based cars. There’s no comparison in the way of interior quality, overall solidity, drive-train refinement, and handling feel. Ford did a great job bringing the Mustang into the 21st century. Roush had a much better platform on which to build.

Inside the test car a full array of Roush options including their handsome trademark two-tone leather seating, a slick billet shift knob, Roush autographed gauge cluster, and carbon fiber trim package. The gauge cluster is a really nice piece, expensive looking and an upgrade that definitely adds to the car. The optional carbon-fiber trim is of excellent quality but doesn’t span the entire dash - it stops short of covering the passenger side airbag. While obviously a prudent move to avoid liability problems with operation of the passenger airbag, it still looks like something is amiss. We might have ordered the cars from Ford with the aluminum trim package and been done with it. That aside, the passenger cabin is very well done and lets you know you are driving something special.

The test-drive in the new Stage 3 was not a fully measured track exercise, but my seat of the pants impression of the power curve is that the car has every bit of the 417 hp promised by Roush. The new engine and supercharger is far more refined in its power delivery than in years past. The sounds you hear from the exhaust and engine are much more fitting of a car in this price range too. The hisses, whistles, and induction noise of the old Stage 3 are replaced with a pleasant exotic whine that is just loud enough to impress but not too much. Much of this is attributed to the fact that the under-hood sound insulation is retained on the new car, where in the past it was not. What remains the same however is the deep push in the back you get when you drop the pedal. Rowing through the gears is a snickety snick affair as the boosted engine pegs the redline much faster than you expect. The advantage of the 3-valve heads really comes into play when revving the engine through its rpm range. Lag or delay with the drive-by-wire throttle seems to be programmed away. It seemed to provide perfect linear feel and response - a noticeable difference compared to the standard 2005+ GT.

v

On the road the car just feels plain solid. The feel of the steering is somewhat heavier than in a stock Mustang GT due to the wider tires and wheels. Braking power is infinite, at least on the street. We presume that on a track the huge discs and calipers are extremely fade resistant. The overall feel and character of the car compared to the 2001-2004 Stage 3 is night to day. The old car is a raw raging beast that has a persona more inline with the ‘65 GT 350 in that it is loud, raucous and rip snorting fast without apology. It has shakes and jitters that let you know you were in an old fashioned muscle car when pushed. The new Roush Stage 3 Mustang has all the performance of the previous car, but has a character and refinement that is more akin to say, a BMW 5-Series. This is a good thing as the car will cost you about the same. There is far less drama when you push the limits in acceleration or braking. There is reason to double check the speedometer as you often find you are going much faster than you think.

We give a thumbs up to the new Stage 3, though some would say we are biased a bit. The car is vastly improved by Ford and richly enhanced by Roush. This car will sell pretty close to the price tag of previous generation Stage 3’s but is a lot more car for the money. Roush dealers will have a much easier time convincing their discerning customers to pay $50k + for this car than before.

Now, we look forward to taking one out on the road course to really stretch its legs!