Pony Package is a great option for the V6 Mustang

[Spence340]

Recently picked up a 2006 Torch Red V6 with plenty of options and one of those is the Pony Package which was added to the Mustang line in 2006. The first S197 we owned was an ‘07 which had the Pony Package and it really is a great option package. Some people forget it wasn’t just cosmetic with 17” GT wheels, side stripes, spoiler, custom floor mats and side emblems but had anti lock-lock brakes with traction control and GT-inspired suspension system with rear sway bar. It is strange though that Ford marketing team almost never mentioned the upgraded suspension in any of their sales literature. In my mind it was one of the best parts to the package and justified the the fairly high price for the option.

 

[richie9mt]

I also have a 2006 Mustang 4.0L V6. It has the Pony Package, but I don't see any traction control buttons/levers/controls.

Where does your Mustang show the 'traction control' control (Disable/Enable)?

 

[Spence340]

Does yours look this to the right of the phone charger?

 

[richie9mt]

Yes! Thank you for pointing that out!

But I do not have that info screen between the phone charger and the climate control system. I have a Shaker 500 sound system instead. Is that info screen part of the OEM Pony Package???

 

[JimC]

That's an aftermarket head unit. The Shaker 500 is the ford unit

I pretty sure that all 2006 Pony packages came with TCS; I recall that in 2007 the discussion was that Ford downgraded things and the TCS was something that had to be ordered separately and it lost some of the suspension modifications.

Does your car have the small foglights in the grille? And the chrome trim on the vents with the silver/gray vents? Pony package cars also had the GT spoiler and a stripe along the bottom from behind the front tire to the back tire; A thick center stripe with pinstripes top and bottom.

 

[richie9mt]

Yes, mine has all those. I just never noticed the TCS button. Never had a car/SUV with TCS.

Still learning this car. Lots of other stuff I don't know about it, I'm sure. Still not sure if automatic is 5-speed or 4 or 6...

 

[JimC]

The automatic from 2005 to 2010 is a 5 speed.

 

[Spence340]

Jim is right the car originally had a Shaker 500 system which came with the premium model along with leather interior and the power drivers seat. You have a 5 speed automatic with a 3.31 rear end gear. Check underneath the rear of your car and you should find you have a rear sway bar and as I mentioned before it blows me away that Ford almost never mentioned that addition in any sales literature. The only time I ever saw them highlight it was in the 2008 Mustang brochure. Anti-lock brakes and traction control was an option if you didn’t have the pony package on the ‘05, ‘06 and ‘07 V6 Mustang and part of an optional safety and security package in 2008.

 

[richie9mt]

Yes, I do have the rear sway bar and the power drivers seat. A lucky break for me, getting the Pony Package before I even knew what it was.

 

[richie9mt]

Edit: My 4.0 has a front sway bar also. And I missed the 'Pioneer' on the info screen surround in that pic, but that looks like a neat addition to the Mustang (I don't listen to the radio at all). Is that a difficult install???

 

[Spence340]

Not sure, I’ve never installed one but you see a lot of these big screen units around. Most were probably installed by a car stereo place. That unit in the pic was state of the art in 2010 and here is another aftermarket Kenwood from the same era that was in a 2005 I had.

 

[Ret]

From my own experience trading out the stock sound system, navigation, etc. Do yourself a favor and get knobs that you can easily turn, even while driving the car. Trying to change settings while driving is distracting and hazardous. I love the backup camera, and the other stuff is nice, just far more difficult to operate than knobs. These look good but you have to take your eyes off the road or pull over. Mine's a 2012 Pony.

 

[JimC]

That's what I miss on my 2024. EVERYTHING is controlled by the touch screens. If I want to change the HVAC I have to look over at the screen. Can't simply reach over and feel the correct button or knob to make adjustments. Many things can be done by voice control if I could remember all the commands, and I think that is what they are trying to force us to use.

 

[Spence340]

Yes, these touchscreens are a disaster to use while you are driving, I read something recently in consumer reports that said that the manufacturer’s are thinking of going back to knobs for the basic functions like volume and changing stations.

 

[Spence340]

So this is how the Pony Package option looked on the window sticker in 2006. Not a mention of the rear sway bar or the GT front sway bar. Someone who ordered the package back then must have been delighted when they finally realized they had a rear sway bar installed.

 

[richie9mt]

Interesting window sticker. Does anyone know where or even if Ford stuck the copy of the assembly line information (almost a copy of the window sticker) on the 2006 Mustangs???

I remember 'back in the day' some companies stuck the line sheet in the rear seat springs. Another place (that didn't last long) was the rear coil suspension spring. I'm sure there were others.

 

[Spence340]

I heard of someone finding a build sheet under the front passenger seat. You can go to a Dodge dealer with a vin# and get a complete three or four page run out of every detail and option on a car but I'm not sure there is a way to do it with a Ford.