It’s not every day someone tosses you the keys to a $60,000 Mustang and tells you to have fun with it for a week.  The vehicle we are testing?  Well, we will give you a hint.  First we covered the teaser shots, then there was the video covering the details, next was a video covering its photo shoot,  then onto the first videos of the Mustang at Laguna Seca, after that was the official release, but you can’t forget the One Lap of America announcement that was closely followed by additional photos, again with more track footage at Carolina Motorsports Park plus Daytona, and all capped off with a nice burnout video.  In case you still can’t figure it out, we are talking about ROUSH’s 540 HP RS3 Mustang.  Sit back as we take you for a day-by-day ride along with the RS3.

Day 1 – Thursday

With everything set, ROUSH instructed me to drive to Galpin Auto Sports to pick up the RS3.  It made the most sense to pick the Mustang up on a Thursday so I could take it to the nearby eighth-mile track, Irwindale Speedway.  Galpin is on the other side of the So Cal world from us, so I set out at 1PM in hopes of getting there by 3:30 – a short 100 mile drive though the middle of the biggest cities in the area.  The traffic I didn’t want to encounter was there on the way back, taking the same time to drive 30 miles to the track as it did to Galpin.

In traffic the RS3 is as docile as a factory-fresh GT… except for the exhaust that has an off-acceleration tone that mimics an approaching thunderstorm, ready to strike.  Even at idle when the RS3 is whisper quiet, it gets more looks than any other car I have ever driven; thumbs up, finger points, and heads turning around backwards to catch a final glimpse – in short – in the looks department –  the RS3 is a superstar.

Finally, I made it to Irwindale and helmet in hand, flew through tech with a “stock” vehicle. Straight from tech into the staging lanes, I wanted to see how the 20-inch Cooper RS3 tires performed with street tire pressures. I made a small three second burnout and rolled to the line.  Slipping the clutch at 2500 RPM resulted in a little wheel spin in first and a whole lot more wheel spin as I hit second gear.  Through the traps, the RS3 went 8.219 @ 88.74 MPH with a 1.961 60 foot; not bad on the factory 20s, but I knew I could improve. I made a few more back-to-back passes in an attempt to find the optimum launching RPM – 2,000 was too low and 3,000 was too high, sticking with 2500 RPM was going to be key to a good launch.

Check out our on car track videos below!

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(left) All the stars aligned for my next-to-final run as I raced into the sunset, breaking into the seven second zone with a 7.955 @ 88.82 MPH. (Right) As the crowd grew for the test and tune session, the RS3 Mustang became a popular vehicle for staging lane onlookers.

Before the next run I let the car cool off a bit and iced the supercharger to speed up the process.  While waiting for the intercooler coolant to stop boiling, I aired the tires down from 36 to 25 PSI in hopes that they would hook a little better, but I had to be careful since these are short-sidewall tires. Another short burn out, stage, rev up to 2,500 RPM, lights green and the Coopers dead hook with zero wheel spin, netting a 1.807 60-foot time. Second and third gear were followed by slightest of tire chirps as the run ended with a short shift into 4th. The time slip displayed my first seven second pass of the day, a 7.955 @ 88.82 MPH.  For those of you that are curious, that is around a 12.17 second quarter mile pass.  It was going to be hard to better that time without putting on a set of drag radials. I did make one final pass after this that netted a little wheel spin and an 8.101 @ 89.24 MPH, which was still the second best run of the day.

Day Two – Friday

With track testing out of the way, I spent Friday analyzing the RS3 from top to bottom.  I have a relaxing 40 mile commute to the office each day so I could get a better understanding of the ROUSH’s road manners.  As I mentioned before, there is no deterioration on the RS3 tune when compared to a stock Mustang.  When driving it easy, it gets 22 MPG, plus cold start and operating temperature driveability is spot on.  Even at cruise, the DBs coming from the exhaust are marginally louder than stock and produces no drone.

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The suspension consists of ROUSH’s non-adjustable shocks, lowering springs, and sway bars.  The ride is a bit stiff over bumps and having the option for adjustable shocks would allow the driver to soften up for daily driving and dial in for the track.  Don’t get me wrong though; the suspension and tire package is extremely responsive and would perform wonderfully on light track and autocross duties.

This fully decked out RS3 package features custom-stitched factory seats with a new suede inserts that are available in a wide range of colors.  From there, the new gauge cluster layout gives the tachometer and speedometer more definition.  For your hands and feet there are ROUSH pedal covers, floor mats, and shift knob.  The only other additions I would have liked to have seen to the interior would have been a custom shift boot that matched the stitching of the seats, a Roush RS3 graphic similar to the one on the faux gas cap for the steering wheel, and possibly different dash inserts outside the typical premium package silver; if you are a passenger with bad hearing, the interior could be misconstrued as a stock GT.

Day Three and Four – Saturday and Sunday

Saturday was a fairly uneventful day spent trying to convince the Mrs. to purchase a 2011 V6 Mustang to mod the hell out of. Sunday, we drove to Los Angeles to take advantage of a few photo spots I had found some time ago and never used.  The first shot location was a small train depot near the 4th street bridge that sat directly behind downtown L.A. It is not a gated-in area and has an open lot that is easy to move around in.  The second location is under a section of the 101 freeway in which the long pillars give a nice addition to the shot.

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The first shoot location was at a mini train depot overlooking downtown L.A.

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The second location was under a tall freeway overpass.

Day Five – Monday

It was time for the ROUSH’s final test by strapping down the Mustang on our DynoJet to see how much power it would make to the rear wheels.  This was the first time I got to hear what the Mustang sounded like from the outside, and boy does this thing sound mean! When it came to the numbers, most of us were guessing between the 440-450 RWHP range and we were right.  The RS3 averaged 442 HP and 382 lb/ft. If you factor a drivetrain loss of 18%, the RS3 is making its advertised 540 HP.  ROUSH also rates this supercharger at 10 PSI of boost, and my experience from the track and on the dyno is while it may flash to 10 PSI between shifts, most of a run the needle sits at the 7 PSI mark.

We have to mention that the tune on the RS3 is extremely conservative.  ROUSH does this so people that plan to buy an RS3 and leave it like it is can take advantage of its 3 year/36,000 mile powertrain warrantee, the same length you get on a stock 2011 Mustang.  Now, if you want to turn the power up, you will loose your warrantee, but could easily run low 11 second passes, as we have seen with Rebecca Starkey’s nearly stone stock automatic Mustang with a ROUSHCharger and a set of 18-inch drag radials.

Final Day – Tuesday

I was a bit sad driving the RS3 back to GAS on Tuesday.  I enjoyed its tame 21 MPG tune while noticing a pile of onlookers checking out the ‘Stang one last time. Now, with a 50 state legal CARB certification under its belt, you can enjoy owning a custom Mustang without being (legally) hassled by the cops.  The RS3 is a gentleman’s car; it boasts just the right amount of modifications, both aesthetic and performance-oriented, in all the key areas making it a Mustang you don’t have to modify to enjoy.

Specs

Core Components
ROUSHcharged 5.0L Powertrain System (540 hp / 465 ft-lb)
ROUSH Square Tip Performance Exhaust – Dealer Installed (Post Title)
ROUSH Front Fascia with Driving Lamps
ROUSH Front Fascia Blackout Graphic
ROUSH Front Chin Splitter
ROUSH Billet Upper Grille with Stage 3 R Badge
Square Stage 3 R Fender Badges
ROUSH Side Rocker Splitters
ROUSH Rear Valance
ROUSH Rear Decklid Spoiler
ROUSH Rear Blackout Panel with Jack Roush Signature
ROUSH Stage 3 R Faux Gas Cap Badge
ROUSH Stage 3 Decklid Badge
ROUSH Stage 3 Graphics Package
ROUSH Front Windshield Banner
ROUSH Suspension System
ROUSH 18-Inch Chrome Wheels with High Performance Cooper 2XS Tires
ROUSH Embroidered Floor Mats
ROUSH White Face Gauges
ROUSH Center Console Badge/Button
ROUSH Stage 3 Interior Medallion
ROUSH Stage 3 Serialized Engine Bay Plaque
ROUSH Engine Bay Plaque with Chassis Builder
ROUSH Supplement Owners Guide

Optional Components
ROUSH Vent Gauge Pod with Boost Gauge – $435
ROUSH Illuminated Door Sill Plates – $220
ROUSH Billet Performance Pedals – $200
ROUSH Stage 3 Leather Seating – $1,725
ROUSH 6-Speed Shifter Ball (White or Black) – $95
ROUSH Billet Aluminum 6-Speed Shifter Knob with Grips – $110
ROUSH Convertible Light Bar – $910
ROUSH Trunk Mounted Tool Kit – $395
ROUSH Rear Quarter Window Louvers – $370
ROUSH Rear Quarter Window Louver Graphics (Matte Black) – $70
ROUSH Lower Billet Grille – $250
ROUSH Engine Coil Covers (Red) – $285
ROUSH 18-Inch Chrome Wheels with Ultra High Performance Cooper RS3 Tires (tire upgrade ONLY) – $304
ROUSH 20-Inch Wheels (Chrome or Hyper Black) with Ultra High Performance Cooper RS3 Tires – $1,115
ROUSH Locking Lug Nuts – $60
ROUSH Sport Brake Package (Red) – $1,450
ROUSH Performance Brake Package – $2,877
ROUSH Competition Brake Package – $3,687