You know there's something important under the hood the instant you turn on the ignition. Shift into first with the short throw gear shifter and the Cobra literally takes off. If I was good enough with my pedal work, I'm sure I could life the front tires off the road while the rears are chirping away. By the time you reach second gear, you're already exceeding the speed limit in most sane communities. I'm fortunate that I live in a fairly remote area or my license would have been confiscated a long time ago.
Third gear is an excellent one for cruising around.
The revs aren't that high and you can travel at the speed limit and still have enough in reserve for great acceleration. Fourth and fifth are almost afterthoughts. Fifth is a great gear for tooling along on an Interstate or major highway where you know you aren't going to need the great acceleration power of the engine too much. The Mustang Cobra isn't all about straight line speed. This is a car that also doesn't embarrass itself or you when there are bends in the road.