Ford Mustang (US) review

• Overview
• What is it?
• Is it really all that different from before?
• The Mustang GT still has a V8, right?
• What about the EcoBoost?
• What’s Ford done to make the Mustang more agile?
• But I don’t care about agile. I want to drift and do burnouts. Big burnouts.
• How much more expensive is the new Mustang?
• What's the verdict?
• Driving
• What is it like to drive?
• You really like the V8, huh?
• Dare I ask… what about fuel economy?
• Didn’t you say there were driver-assistance gizmos?
• Ford Mustang Mach 1 review: 454bhp special edition tested
• Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 review: 750bhp 'Stang driven in the UK
• Shelby Mustang GT350 review: GT500's baby brother tested
• Interior
• What is it like on the inside?
• Is it spacious?
• What about the trunk?
• My, those screens are big. Tell me about the tech.
• Buying
• What should I be paying?
• What cars are going to try to race me at a stoplight?
• So what’s the most Mustang-y Mustang?

Overview

What is it?

It’s the Ford Mustang, brah. It’s Ford’s high-revving, tire-smoking, rental-car-counter-ruling, Cars-&-Coffee-terrorizing icon. But it’s also a surprisingly well-honed performance machine, and with each new iteration, the Mustang’s become less of a straight-line warrior and more of a proper sports car. Now in its seventh generation, the Mustang is better than ever.

Is it really all that different from before?

Not really. The Mustang relies on the same basic formula: big engine up front, rear-wheel drive, two doors, and both coupe and convertible body styles. The engines actually carry over from the previous Mustang, albeit with a few meaningful upgrades.

Instead, the biggest changes are cosmetic. You’ll notice the new front fascias – plural, since the EcoBoost and GT models each have unique looks – and the redone rear end, which is a bit chunkier than before. The overall look is pure muscle car, but perhaps a little less obviously Mustang. In fact, two different people asked us if it was a Camaro. Yikes.

Even bigger changes are found in the cabin, where the Mustang gets a major multimedia tech overhaul, and tons of new creature comforts to make it easier to drive every day. There’s a wealth of new driver-assistance tech packed into the ‘Stang, as well. Here’s hoping the more ham-fisted Mustang drivers actually use them.

The Mustang GT still has a V8, right?

Look, Ford might be gung-ho on electrification, but the company isn’t daft. Of course the Mustang is still powered by Ford’s big 5.0-liter naturally aspirated Coyote V8 engine, cranking out a healthy 480hp and 415lb ft of torque. If you spec the active exhaust setup, you even get a teensy bit more power: 486hp and 418lb ft, not that you’ll notice such a minor uptick.

A six-speed manual transmission is standard with the V8 – as it should be – and Ford’s stick-shift has nifty features like no-lift upshifting and automatic rev-matching downshifts. For the manual-averse, the Mustang GT can be optioned with a 10-speed automatic transmission, and while Ford’s 10-box is a good one, we can’t imagine ordering a ‘Stang without a stick. It’s like getting a cheeseburger without fries. No way.

Need even more V8 grunt? Ford will soon unleash the Mustang Dark Horse – a 500hp version with a much more track-ready focus. Stay tuned for more; this one surely rips.

What about the EcoBoost?

It’s still here, and a worthy thing to consider if you don’t need V8 power. The 2.3-liter inline-4 has 315hp and 350lb ft of torque, and a twin-scroll turbocharger keeps off-the-line lag to a minimum. Honestly, the EcoBoost engine has always been a sweetheart in the Mustang, so don’t think of it as a downgrade. The smaller engine shaves 244 pounds from the Mustang’s curb weight, too, which ain’t nothin’.

But there’s a problem: the turbo engine forces you to get the 10-speed automatic. There’s no more turbo/manual combination – at least, not yet, anyway – which is a big bummer, because we always loved the combo of strong low-end torque and being able to row our own gears. Oh well.

What’s Ford done to make the Mustang more agile?

The steering ratio is quicker than it used to be, and if you opt for the Performance Pack – available with either engine – you get a limited-slip rear differential, larger Brembo brakes, wider wheels and tires, and a strut tower brace. On top of that, you can add Ford’s MagneRide active suspension, which is a particularly trick bit of tech that constantly adjusts the dampers depending on road conditions. This makes the Mustang comfy on flat highways but it’ll go through corners with way more poise than you’d expect from a pony car. We wouldn’t buy a Mustang without it.

But I don’t care about agile. I want to drift and do burnouts. Big burnouts.

Hey, pal, we all do. And don’t worry, Ford knows its clientele. In fact, the company’s made it easier than ever to pull off all kinds of shenanigans. The line-lock function holds the front brakes in place so you can light up the rear tires, and if you add the Performance Pack, you get a funky new electronic parking brake that looks like a legit handbrake, which better allows you to modulate rear-end braking making it much easier to drift. It’s pretty slick.

How much more expensive is the new Mustang?

Not much, honestly. The EcoBoost version is a little more expensive on the base end, starting at $32,515 including a $1,595 destination charge. You can’t get into a V8-powered Mustang for less than $44,090, and that holy-smokes Dark Horse will cost you $60,865.

After all these decades, the Ford Mustang has evolved from a traditional drag-strip pony car to a bona fide sports car that balances power with precision. Can it still do smoky burnouts? And will it still drift? You bet. But the Mustang’s newfound agility gives it appeal beyond the traditional muscle car set.

It’s not just a weekend toy, either. The Mustang is available with the same great driver-assistance tech you’ll find in Ford’s other cars, along with a seriously impressive cabin tech roster, and a raft of creature comforts. It’s never been easier to consider a Ford Mustang as a daily driver.

Continue reading: Driving

Driving

What is it like to drive?

The Mustang has many personalities, and that’s especially true with the V8 GT. If you just get in and go without fiddling with drive modes or steering weights (yes, that’s adjustable), the Mustang is easy to get used to. The clutch has a great weight and the tech on hand that smooths out upshifts and downshfits makes the stick a lot more accessible for newbie manual drivers. That’s a good thing.

If you buy the Mustang hoping for a muscle car, you’ve got one. You can lay into the V8 and run each gear up past 7,000 rpm, slam the six-speed stick through the shift gate, and have a whale of a time. Ford doesn’t publish official 0-to-60 acceleration specs, but hot damn does the Mustang feel quick. All the while, you’ve got a great free-breathing V8 soundtrack filling the cabin. It’s a peach.

Want a car more adept to canyon roads? Hey, the Mustang’s good there, too. That limited-slip diff really helps shuffle power across the rear axle, and gosh, that MagneRide suspension is just the best. You can dip into corners with more precision thanks to the quicker steering, and the 19-inch wheels come wrapped in summer tires with oodles of grip.

You really like the V8, huh?

It’s not so much the V8 as it is the six-speed manual which, again, is only available on the GT and Dark Horse. This combo just feels so right, so perfectly Mustang. It sounds good, there’s a wallop of power, and the automatic rev-matching tech smooths out downshifts, meaning you don’t have to try and heel-and-toe across the big coupe’s wide pedalbox.

Dare I ask… what about fuel economy?

Ha, fuel economy. What a thought! But in all seriousness, if you buy a V8-powered Mustang, you’re going to pay for it at the pump, especially because you will be digging into the throttle at all times. The EPA says you can expect 14 mpg city and 23 mpg highway with the manual transmission, or 15 mpg city and 24 mpg highway with the automatic. Really, though, good luck ever seeing real-world numbers above the mid-to-high teens.

With the turbo engine, however, the EPA estimates 22 mpg city and 33 mpg highway, and since Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission is pretty well behaved, it’ll do its best to keep you revving low while delivering the meat of its torque. The EcoBoost’s 26-mpg combined number will likely be much easier to achieve.

Didn’t you say there were driver-assistance gizmos?

Sure did. Obviously, you won’t be getting things like partially hands-free driving tech, but Ford still offers the Mustang with lots of goodies – for an extra cost, natch. Adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, pre-collision braking, and lane-centering tech in a muscle car. What a time to be alive.

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Previous: Overview

Continue reading: Interior

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

Dark and cramped, but that’s par for the course in a Mustang. Unless you get the convertible. Unlimited headroom and whatnot.

Seriously, though, the Mustang’s seats are pretty comfortable and supportive in all the right places, and this car doesn’t lack for luxurious amenities, like heated and cooled seats, a heated steering wheel, automatic climate control, a bangin’ stereo – all the usual fancy things.

You do sit low in the cabin, which can make visibility an issue for shorter drivers, but that aside, all of the Mustang’s controls are arranged logically, and there are enough physical buttons to make it so you aren’t constantly smudging and swiping the central touchscreen.

Is it spacious?

The two front seats will accommodate all but the tallest and widest people, but the rear seats should only be used in a pinch. The Mustang’s sloping roofline seriously cuts into rear headroom, so you’re better off using the back seats as places to throw shopping bags, backpacks, helmets after a track day – you know, small-ish stuff.

What about the trunk?

There’s 13.3 cubic feet of space back there, which is about the same as a compact sedan. But like older Mustangs, the load-in height and opening shape is awkward, so it’s kind of hard to get larger items in and out of the trunk. Suitcases are fine. Estate sale furniture is not.

My, those screens are big. Tell me about the tech.

On higher-spec models, you can get a combination 12.4-inch digital gauge cluster and 13.2-inch multimedia screen. The display in front of the driver is powered by the Unreal Engine gaming processor, so the graphics are incredibly high resolution and there’s no lag whatsoever. There are plenty of different customizable graphic packages, including one that calls up the gauges from a 1980s Fox Body Mustang. Your dad will love it.

Look to the right and the main infotainment screen runs Ford’s Sync 4 software, which is both intuitively laid out and snappy to respond. The graphics are colorful and legible, and the icons are large enough that you won’t accidentally stab the wrong one while trying to change your audio source while driving. Feel like eschewing Ford’s multimedia experience entirely? Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connect wirelessly.

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Continue reading: Buying

Buying

What should I be paying?

A Mustang EcoBoost coupe starts at $32,515, including the mandatory $1,595 destination fee. If you’d rather go topless, be prepared to shell out quite a bit more money: $40,615. Mustang Convertibles are a staple of the Los Angeles and Miami rental car scenes, so there’s still a market for ‘em, but given the price hike compared to the coupe, it doesn’t seem worth it. How often are you actually going to put the top down, anyway?

$44,090 gets you a Mustang GT coupe, but a V8-powered convertible can’t be had for less than $54,110, because it requires the mandatory Premium trim level, which adds things like heated and cooled seats and some additional driver-assistance features. On the GT coupe, adding the 10-speed automatic transmission is a $1,595 upcharge, the Performance Package is $4,995, and the active exhaust is $1,295.

Bad news time: Ford’s awesome MagneRide suspension is only offered on the GT Premium, where it’s an extra $1,750. At that point, you might as well add the $995 bronze pack to get the best-looking wheels.

The upper-crust Mustang Dark Horse Premium, which comes with all the performance, tech, and comfort amenities, runs $64,860.

What cars are going to try to race me at a stoplight?

Obviously, the Mustang’s chief rival is the Chevy Camaro, but that rear-drive coupe isn’t long for this world. There’s also the Dodge Challenger, which is incredibly old and quite a bit larger, but can be had with a ton more power. It’s way more of a traditional muscle car.

Really, given the Mustang’s overall on-road precision, its closest foes aren’t what you might expect. Think Nissan Z or Toyota Supra – even German sports cars like the BMW M4. Yes, really.

So what’s the most Mustang-y Mustang?

The GT, without question. If you’re just going for sheer V8 thrills, the base GT will satisfy, but if you want something sharper and more engaging, you’ve got to get the GT Premium with the Performance Pack and MagneRide suspension. That means you’re looking at no less than $55,355 – a lot for a Mustang, sure, but tens of thousands less than a bucktoothed M4.

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Specs & Prices

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