ROUSH charged 4.6L powertrain system including:

• Chrome ROUSHcharger, intake manifold, intercooler & radiator, air induction system, Roush calibrated ECM , Car produces from factory 435hp/400-ft · 4 Piece Aerobody Kit (Front Fascia, Front Chin Spoiler, Hood Scoop and Rear Wing)
• Lower Valance Fog Lamps
• High Flow Nine Bar Grille
• Custom Two- Tone Paint Scheme (Black Top)
• ROUSH Door Sill Plates

• ROUSH 20’ Forged Chrome RR04 Wheels with High Performance Tires
• Locking Lug Nuts
• ROUSH Fender Badge and Deck lid Badges
• ROUSH Front Windshield Banner
• ROUSH Embroidered Floor Mats
• ROUSH Billet Aluminum Shift Knob w/Grips
• ROUSH Performance Pedal Kit
• ROUSH White Face Electro Luminescent Gauge Cluster
• ROUSH Sport Leather Seating with Suede Inserts
• ROUSH Lowering Springs and Jounce Bumpers
• RTC Serialized Engine Bay Plaque

• Vent Pod with Boost Gauge
• Short Throw Shifter and White Shift Knob with Black Letters
• Roush Mustang Interior Trim Kit
• Quarter Window Louvers (Removed)
• Mustang Trunk Mounted Tool Kit
• Front Strut Tower Brace
• ROUSH Exhaust – Dealer Installed (Post Title)

• ROUSH 4 Piece Aero body Kit (Front Fascia, Front Chin Spoiler, Hood Scoop, and Rear Wing)
• Lower Valance Fog Lamps
• High Flow Nine Bar Grille
• Two-Tone Paint
• ROUSH Door Sill Plates
• ROUSH 20-Inch Forged Chrome Wheels with High Performance Tires
• ROUSH Fender and Decklid Badges
• ROUSH Front Windshield Banner
• ROUSH Embroidered Floor Mats
• Locking Lug Nuts
• ROUSH Billet Aluminum Shifter Handle w/ Grips (Manual Transmission Only)
• ROUSH Four-Piece Performance Pedals
• ROUSH White Face Electro Luminescent Gauge Cluster
• ROUSH Sport Leather Seating with Suede Inserts
• ROUSH Lowering Springs and Jounce Bumpers
• RTC Serialized Engine Bay Plaque

• Chrome ROUSHcharger (430 hp / 400 lb-ft) $6,250.00
• Vent Pod w/ Boost Gauge (ROUSHcharger Option Only) $435.00
• Interior Dash Trim Kit (Carbon Fiber Design) $350.00
• Quarter Window Louvers (Coupe ONLY) $315.00
• Short Throw Shifter (can be used with stock shift knob or Roush billet knobs) $340.00
• Short Shifter w/ Chrome Shifter Arm and White Ball Knob $445.00
• Short Shifter w/ Chrome Shifter Arm and Black Ball Knob $445.00
• Trunk Mounted Tool Kit $355.00
• ROUSH Exhaust - Dealer Installed (Post Title) $575.00
• Sport Brake Kit (slotted rotors and painted calipers) $1,450.00
• Strut Tower Brace $220.00
  

Ford's Mustang is wildly popular, but as is the case with any vehicle that sells over a quarter-million copies each year, there will be compromises that prevent the "one percenters" from being truly satisfied. That's where ROUSH Performance Products steps in, with its Stage upgrades, and now the 427R - Stage 3 in both price and performance.

The 427R is based upon a Mustang GT Coupe Deluxe, which includes leather seats (with a 6-way power adjuster and lumber support on the driver's side), cruise control, keyless entry, A/C, power locks, power windows with auto-up/-down, and power mirrors. The Shaker 500 sound system is also included. With this as a starting point, the vehicle then undergoes extensive modification.

The heart of the 427R's modifications is the ROUSHcharger forced-induction system that is installed on the 3-valve SOHC 4.6L V8. Utilizing an Eaton positive-displacement supercharger and a water-to-air intercooler integrated into the intake manifold, the system applies approximately 6 PSI of boost to produce 427 HP and 391 lb-ft - a useful increase of 127 HP and 71 lb-ft over the stock numbers. The system includes a vacuum-actuated bypass valve that routes air around the compressor at part throttle to increase efficiency. A heat exchanger for the intercooler is nestled behind the front fascia and uses a dedicated coolant loop (plumbed along the passenger's side of the engine) with an electric circulation pump. The engine's new fuel and spark demands are satisfied via a recalibrated OEM powertrain control module. Premium fuel is required, of course. The stock exhaust manifolds and catalytic converters dump spent gases into the ROUSH stainless-steel cat-back system.

Bumping up the output by nearly 43% changes the Mustang's personality dramatically, with the blower providing loads of thrust at any RPM and in any gear. The tractability and linearity of the powerplant is remarkable, giving the operator absolute control over the amount of power that reaches the rear wheels. This is good, as applying too much throttle with the traction control disabled will simply light up the rear tires in First, and some caution should be exercised in Second as well.

Great sounds are generated along as soon as the starter is engaged, with the PCM bringing up the revs to about 2000 RPM during start-up to produce a healthy bark before settling down to the normal idle speed. Putting the pedal to the floor fills the cabin with a thundering exhaust note, complimented by the supercharger's lovely mechanical whine. On decel, a symphony of crackles and growls is sung by the 3" tips that peek out from under the rear fascia. It's a wonderful soundtrack that totally fits the personality of the car, but forget any notion of sneaking around - heads will turn as the 427R passes by. If we have a complaint, it's that a rather obnoxious drone is emitted at part throttle around 1800 RPM. Downshift a gear and the exhaust note becomes much more pleasant; it's a solution that we're quite comfortable recommending.

The performance modifications continue to the underpinnings, where ROUSH replaces the factory springs, sway bars, front struts, rear shocks, bushings, and jounce bumpers with new components to lower the Mustang while providing improved roll resistance. It appears that additional camber and caster is also dialed into the front suspension.

All of these blue powdercoated parts combine with the stiff S197 structure to add up to what is easily the best ride-vs.-handling compromise we've ever experienced in a pony car. The increased roll rate and lowered center-of-gravity provide crisp handling with neutral breakaway characteristics, and yet the suspension remains compliant enough to handle the worst of Michigan's pothole-strewn roads. Never does the rear axle give any indication of tramp or hop, and in fact behaves better than some RWD vehicles with independent rear suspension. Quite simply, every muscle car should handle this well. If we were to change anything, we'd perhaps try to dial in a bit more steering feedback, as it retains the stock Mustang's slightly overboosted feel.

Five-spoke chromed cast-aluminum 18x9" wheels are wrapped in Cooper Zeon 2XS directional tires in 275/40-18. We had no previous experience with this tire, but came away impressed by its respectable dry and wet traction (the latter of which we had a disproportionate amount of time experiencing due to the wet weather this fall). Additionally, the low noise and decent ride quality were appreciated when we weren't driving at 10/10ths. Almost as importantly, the wheel/tire package did a great job of complimenting the lowered ride height by filling up the fender wells.

While the supercharger and underpinnings are responsible for providing the "go", ROUSH's exterior appearance modifications supply plenty of "show". A color-matched four-piece body kit is installed, consisting of a redesigned front fascia and air dam, nonfunctional hood scoop, and "whale tail" rear spoiler. The 427R package also includes louvered covers for the quarter windows. A racing stripe covers the center of the hood and scoop, while "hockey-stick" graphics run down the front fenders and doors and a large ROUSH banner adorned the top of the windshield. Several other badges leave no question about the 427R's origin. Combined with the lowered ride height, the effect is that of a race car that has escaped from pit row to terrorize the streets.

The cosmetic changes turn the Mustang into a total attention magnet. This car gets such a reaction from any vehicle ever driven; people respond to the 427R with the joy that one would expect from a childhood automotive fantasy come to life. Also found that the Roush name carries with it a substantial amount of "street cred". If you like getting the thumbs-up sign from random strangers and talking about cars every time you pull into a parking spot, this is your car. Those looking to fly under the radar would be well-advised to seek alternative transportation.

To spice up the normally dark and dour Mustang interior, new seat covers with electric-blue perforated leather inserts are installed onto the stock frames and cushions. Down below, billet aluminum pedal covers are installed, including a dead pedal, and a set of ROUSH embroidered floor mats cover the carpet. A custom gauge black-on-white gage cluster is installed into the dashboard as well. To top things off, a billet aluminum shift knob is mounted atop the stock shifter.

The blue seats certainly match up well with the exterior, but admittedly they're slightly jarring at first sight when contrasted with the rest of the interior. We initially thought that we wouldn't like the pedal covers, thinking that they'd be too slippery when wet. Fortunately, their sharp edges provided plenty of grip, heal-and-toe downshifts were possible, and we found the dead pedal to be perfectly placed. The shape of the shift knob also drew some early scrutiny, but it turned out to be well-matched to the placement of the shifter and center console. The new gage cluster proved easy to read and the green night time backlighting was well-matched with other controls, but the MyColor feature of the OEM cluster is lost in the process. Also, the redline on the tach is marked at 6000 RPM, where the power peak hasn't yet arrived and the rev limiter doesn't kick in for another 500 RPM.

Those who are concerned about the effect of these modifications upon the factory warranty need not worry - all of the Ford factory equipment is still covered. ROUSH components carry their own 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.