Galpin Motors, the Los Angeles dealership selling these cars, is well known for custom cars. This model aims to commemorate the role legendary auto executive Lee Iacocca played in creating the original Mustang in 1964.

For three times the cost of a regular V8 Mustang, the Iacocca Mustang is equipped with a 4.6-liter 300-horsepower engine, just like a stock 2009 Mustang GT, but with Ford’s Racing Handling suspension package. Performance options include a Ford Racing brake upgrade, a Cold Air Kit that boosts horsepower to 320 and a supercharger that boosts horsepower to 400.

“The majority have sold with the supercharger and brake upgrades,” said Terry Miller Galpin general sales manager.

With those options, the price rises to $105,000.

But this car really isn’t about raw performance. In this case, the price has much more to do with exclusivity and style than just smoking the tires. Only 45 of the cars will be made and it takes a long time to make them.

Not everyone is convinced these cars are worth the money but, then again, fewer than four dozen people will need convincing.

Legendary name

Iacocca, who started out at Ford and ascended the corporate ladder through the sales department, isn’t known as an automotive genius as much as a deft marketing hand. He knew what buyers wanted, sometimes even before they knew it themselves.

Of course, most people associate Iacocca with Chrysler, not Ford. Iacocca led Chrysler out of a grave financial crisis in the early 1980s and became the carmaker’s public face, even appearing in TV ads.

As general manager of the Ford car brand in the 1960s, he was the Mustang’s driving force. He wanted a fun, inexpensive car with just enough practicality.

Michael Leone, who designed the Iacocca Edition, insists that Iacocca himself was intimately involved with every detail of his namesake car.

“He really wanted this to be the car that represented the 50 years he put into the automobile business,” Leone said.

Hi-tech looks

Besides the Iacocca Edition’s limited run, what makes this car cost $90,000 are the high- tech materials it’s made of.

These cars start out as factory-built Mustangs, but they’re torn apart and rebuilt with new bodies.

Their original sheet metal is completely removed and mostly replaced with “composite construction laminate,” a light-weight but strong material that’s used mostly for race cars.

The most obvious difference, visually, from a stock 2009 Mustang is that the Iacocca Editions are “fastback” cars, meaning that the roof line flows cleanly down to the back with no flat “deck” for the trunk lid. Also, the car’s lines have been smoothed out. The rear bumper and taillights, for instance, are flush with the back of the car and don’t bulge out.

Insider appeal

The interiors of the stock Mustang GTs are also removed and replaced with specially designed leather seats featuring a unique “Iacocca Mustang” crest.

The same crest appears on a badge on the car’s hood, each one handcrafted.

Roughly half of the 45 cars have already been sold, Miller said. Most buyers are, of course, Mustang collectors.

But anyone hoping that these rare cars will only go up in value will probably be disappointed, said McKeel Hagerty, president of the collector car insurer Hagerty Insurance.

Beyond performance upgrades that could be had for much less, the Iacocca Mustang’s uniqueness is largely cosmetic, albeit expensive.

“Bloated cost structures don’t equate to great vehicles by any stretch,” said Hagerty.

These cars will likely sell, though, he said, “to folks who are huge fans of the man, maybe.”  By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com senior writer [click here for more]

Pros: Peppy acceleration, roomy and comfortable cabin, genuine 30-mpg SUV with front-drive, useful Sync system, the only non-luxury hybrid with all-wheel drive.
Cons: Pricey, mediocre panic braking performance, fussy folding process for rear seats.

What if you could snarf all the Big Macs and Frappuccinos your little heart desired without gaining a pound or sending your LDL cholesterol number into the stratosphere? Or what if you could drive a comfortable, peppy and sharp-looking SUV and get 30 mpg?

Well, good luck with the first one, but we can at least tell you that there’s an SUV out there without the typical nasty side effects. You know, going broke at the pump, slurping up a finite resource, warming the planet, feeling embarrassed in front of Priuses.

Introduced a few years ago, the Ford Escape Hybrid sees a number of important upgrades — and one foolish downgrade — for 2009. Among the improvements are a more powerful engine, a revised suspension, the addition of stability control, the debut of Ford’s “Sync” voice-control system and a capless fuel filler system. The foolish change involves the brakes — Ford saw fit to replace the rear discs with drums, a strange step backward that isn’t something we’d suggest on a vehicle with a curb weight approaching 4,000 pounds.

The 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid is now available in Limited guise, a trim created by grouping together several of last year’s optional packages in an effort to satisfy shoppers who’d rather not go without leather upholstery, a sunroof, heated seats or a CD changer. However, doing so comes at a price. Our Escape Hybrid Limited AWD tester hit the register at nearly $36 large, which is pretty big coin for a compact SUV. If you’re willing to martyr yourself in the quest to be environmentally responsible by going without the Limited goodies, a base Escape Hybrid with front-wheel drive lists for $29,000. With the sizable federal tax credits available on all Escape Hybrids ($3,000 for the FWD and $2,200 for the AWD), the price tag drops even further.

Either way, the Escape Hybrid is not cheap. Similarly equipped non-hybrid compact SUVs such as the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue and Toyota RAV4 get fuel economy that’s 5 or 6 mpg less, but they also cost thousands less. For that matter, so does the standard Escape. Then there’s the Saturn Vue Green Line, a mild hybrid that still manages 28 mpg combined. The Saturn, however, can’t propel itself solely on electric power like the Escape (making it much less efficient in the city) and it’s not available in an AWD version.

While we like the Escape Hybrid, a thorough cost-benefit analysis is probably needed before you sign on the dotted line — doing that with the Big Mac wouldn’t be such a bad idea either.

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Drawing on its big brothers for styling ideas, the Escape Hybrid is compact but ruggedly handsome.
(photo by: Scott Jacobs)

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Not too big, not too small; many should find the Escape just the right size.
(photo by: Scott Jacobs)

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Should you want to hide/lock your keys in the car (e.g. when going to the beach or when running a 5K), the keypad entry system proves handy.
(photo by: Scott Jacobs)
Performance

Since this is a hybrid, we’ll answer your most burning question right now: Under our leaden feet we averaged 26 mpg against the EPA’s combined estimate of 28 mpg (29 city/27 highway). Remember, we had the AWD version — the front-wheel-drive Escape Hybrid is rated more impressively at 32 mpg combined (34 city/31 highway). And according to our consumer reviews, some folks are averaging 30 mpg and better with the front-driver.

With this year’s infusion of more power, the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid moves out with respectable bravado. Our test of the Escape Hybrid’s twin, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid, resulted in a 0-60 time of 10.1 seconds. But that was for the less powerful ‘08 model. Though we weren’t able to run this Escape Hybrid through our regimen of track tests, we’d expect the 2009 to run that dash in the low-to-mid 9-second range. The hybrid’s continuously variable transmission (CVT) is one of the better ones out there. Some of these CVTs tend to feel (and sound) like a slipping automatic transmission, as if all the power from the engine isn’t going to the wheels. But this one feels fully connected and willingly steps down a few “ratios” to furnish strong passing power.

Sadly, braking hardware goes the other way. Inexplicably, this year Ford swapped out the Escape Hybrid’s rear discs for drums. Our 60-0-mph braking test of a 2008 Mercury Mariner resulted in a 138-foot distance, which is about 10 feet longer than we’d like. And that was with the rear discs, so we imagine with drums back there it’s only going to be longer. If we were calling the shots at Ford, we would’ve fitted this ute with beefy discs all around.

In everyday driving, the brakes actually feel solid. Being a hybrid, this Escape’s braking action is regenerative — applying the brakes also sends energy that would normally be lost as heat back into the battery pack. But despite tweaks this year to improve brake feel, they still feel a little touchy until you’ve acclimated, which in fairness doesn’t take long.

Revisions to the suspension system for 2009 provide a smoother ride over the ruts and bumps. Previous Escapes were lauded for their handling but derided for their ride. Now potholes don’t jolt the cabin as they once did, and handling is respectable, although not exactly sporty. Pushed harder in the corners, the hybrid version can feel a little top-heavy, a side effect of its greater mass courtesy of the heavy battery pack located just under the cargo area. The electric power-assisted steering is precise and has decent weighting — no ’80s video arcade driving game sensation here — though its communication from the road to the driver’s hands is rather muted.

Comfort

The Escape’s roomy cabin provides plenty of room for four adults. The front seats are firm enough and supportive, while the rear seats are a mixed bag. Although legroom and headroom back there are ample, the seats don’t recline or slide fore and aft, as with some rivals such as the CR-V and RAV4. The steering wheel tilts but doesn’t telescope, though most staffers were still able to find a comfortable driving position.

With the Limited trim you get heated front seats, and they’re quick to warm your buns on a cold morning’s commute. Large cupholders and a massive center console compartment provide plenty of space for your cuppa joe, CD wallet and snacks for a long trip.

Function

Ford’s Sync system is a great feature that’s fairly simple to use. Sync allows control of your cell phone, the audio system and the navigation system through voice commands. A few times we had to repeat the name of a few people we were calling, but overall the system works great, with clear transmission both ways. Techies will delight in the standard 110-volt power outlet (which can power laptops or perhaps a toaster) and a pair of audio input jacks (USB and 3.5mm) let you hook up your portable tunes, such as an iPod or other MP3 player.

The optional navigation system is intuitive as well — although flipping through the manual is never a bad idea. Should you spring for the nav, you’ll also get the Sirius Travel Link feature that can show you things like weather, gas prices in the vicinity and even sports scores and movie times. A nice touch is that the display screen can be split up to display the map-guide, audio status and fuel economy at the same time. The nav system option also includes a hybrid display that’ll show you the flow of the power (e.g. engine off and running on electric motors) and detailed fuel economy. The dual-zone automatic climate control is likewise user-friendly — three big knobs control temperature and fan speed with smaller buttons to select airflow and defrost modes.

It’s no surprise the 2009 Escape Hybrid passes the child seat, golf club and large luggage case tests with flying colors, an obvious benefit of an SUV’s tallish, boxy, efficient body style. With the rear seats in use, there are about 28 cubic feet available. Folding the split rear seats down is a hassle, though, as it’s a three-step affair: 1) remove headrests; 2) flip bottom cushion up; 3) flip seatbacks down. Once done, you’ll have 66 cubes at your disposal, more than the Saturn Vue Green Line but less than a CR-V or RAV4.

Design/Fit and Finish

Masculine, angular lines define the Escape’s body style. Although we like the clean sides, we’d still like to see a strip of body molding to ward off the inevitable, carelessly opened doors of other vehicles. Inside, a mix of colors and materials makes for an interesting and upscale ambience. Soft-touch material adorns the door panels and piano black and chrome accents spice things up. Overall quality is a huge improvement over the previous industrial Escape interiors; however, we can’t say the cabin befits its big-ticket price tag.

Who Should Consider This Vehicle

So does it make sense to go with the pricey 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid? Do the math and the answer is probably not. But for many, it’s about more than just cold monetary analysis. For them, doing right by the planet and their gas cards is almost priceless.

Car Research and Pricing at Edmunds.com