I sat in the new black/red Boss on Saturday at Laguna Seca. This was my first time in a 2011 Mustang, and I can say that Ford has improved the Mustang by leaps and bounds, even over the 2009 models. The livery is definitely over the top, but in person it is not as gaudy as it comes across in photos. It is a bit more tasteful in person. The front splitter on the Laguna Seca package is humongous! The rear seat delete with the x member is a very cool touch.
The seats are very supportive for street seats, with bolstering in all the right places per typical Recaro. The shifter throws are pleasantly short (yeah I went through the gears a few times
in my head). Driver ergonomics are very good: visibility, steering wheel-to-seat-to pedal relationships are all great for feeling connected to the car.
I also convinced a Ford Rep who was positioning the car to rev it...he happily obliged. Idle is whisper quiet, but just off idle it starts to cackle. It's not a deep pitch (what can you expect from 5.0L) but it sounds urgent when it revs. If for nothing else, I think the side pipes really help project the noise in all directions. Definitely louder than a new Camaro but overall still quiet. Almost any aftermarket exhaust you hear on the street is louder. Upon delivery, I would immediately remove the librarian in the sidepipe.
Very cool car; the Boss projects the "form following function" mantra, while I'd argue that the new Camaro is, sadly, more the opposite. For the sake of the rivalry, Chevy needs a sharper model that will directly compete with the Boss; and it shouldn't be supercharged.