2018 Ford Mustang Road Test Test Drive Review
The new Mustang GT had a high bar to live up to when it spent a week hither. Why? We brutal absolutely head over heels for the Shelby GT350 concluding year.
The GT350 felt like the 911 GT3 of muscle-cars — totally alive in your hands and violently fast at all times. The GT350 felt similar a huge spring into the hereafter of sports-cars.
Luckily, when Ford was doing the revamp of the regular Mustang for 2018, their criterion was none other than our GT350.
The changes are visual of course but are much more technical and engineering-driven under the peel.
Would the fastest-ever Mustang GT with a half dozen-speed transmission and the Functioning Package ane be able to top the incredible Shelby? And with loaded GT pricing that goes past $50k… the new GT needs to be near parity with the Shelby.
Allow's dive in with an astonishing drive video and standard headings of Exterior, Interior, Performance and Pricing.
Performance Drive Review Video
Exterior
An development of the 2015 design is obvious in this new 2018. The changes are concentrated up front, with a vastly lower hood edge and smaller, just wider, main grille. The LED daytime running lights are angled to a lower angle than earlier, while the front indicators are at present LEDs to match the rest of the low/loftier/fogs. Subtle, but a cool upgrade from earlier.
The profile of the machine stays consequent to before in terms of the doors, roofline and flanks. The new 'low nose' really visually lengthens the machine in profile – accentuating the rear-drive, cab-dorsum nature of the beast more than ever. The 'low nose' has some other benefit of slightly chopped front overhangs, likewise.
In back, new crimps in the edges of the tri-bar vertical LED taillamps add some visual excitement to a familiar look. The rear surface of the trunk face is now canted even more than inwards to help the crisp edges of the trunk to pop even more.
The Performance Pack Mustang GT'southward now accept standard spoilers: this upright version becomes slightly more than Shelby-like with the Perf Pack two.
Does the new Mustang GT await create the same excitement equally the previous-gen model when it arrived? Yes and no. Yeah, the Mustang looks more than like a Mustang than always before… and looks but new enough to proceed your interest. The functional benefits of the 'low nose' brand you appreciate the new looks more you might animalism after them.
What!? Sacrilege, perhaps, but the new Mustang GT is hard to look expressionless in the face up. The slimmer and wider grille looks slightly awkward from straight on. Luckily, from any angle the new await simply ups the drama and Mustang curb appeal nicely.
The Mustang design appears to be evolving similar to its original trajectory – making this new model a bit similar the 1969-1970 variants to the 2015 model'south 1965 reboot, if that makes sense.
INTERIOR
The cabin of the new 'Stang is largely conduct-over besides a number of functional improvements. Low-sheen surfaces, updated infotainment and the sleek new digital gauge cluster are the main improvements versus earlier.
As earlier, a lot of what makes the Mustang GT cabin feel special is standard: yous immediately sink deep into the machine and the door sills are almost above shoulder level for some drivers. This helps you feel absurd as F in traffic and plants you deep in the machine for rails attack driving. Visibility is nowhere well-nigh as compromised equally the Chevy Camaro, while the Mustang cabin feels intimate versus the vast colossal-ness of the Dodge Challenger motel.
As before, the tilt/telescope and pedals let y'all observe a genuinely perfect drive position. Comfortable and bad ass behind the wheel. Just slightly tricky to slide your legs beneath the cycle and above the huge seat bolsters.
This drive position and the relatively long doors means that the Mustang is slightly challenging to enter and exit in parking lots with cars on either side. The older and fatter you are, the more of a clasp it might be to go far and out. Is this a big bargain? Not really, but worth mentioning.
As before, it takes some serious cash to upgrade the cabin to its height spec. The GT Premium brings standard 12-inch TFT display for the gauges, just requires a $2200 option for SYNC3 touchscreen and $1600 for Recaro sport seats and some other $1500 for adaptive cruise.
Other options that profoundly enhance the in-car experience? The active exhaust with multiple modes as the magnetic dampers volition ring in another $3k atop the $38k ish base of operations toll for the GT Premium.
Performance
Agile exhaust! Active dampers! Hell yea!
Combined with a large jump in overall chassis rigidity, these additions lonely help the new Mustang GT to feel vastly more than precise at max assault. The olfactory organ box feels similar it has no slop this fourth dimension around – even with the roaring V8 at wide open up throttle.
A limited-slip rear end is standard this yr and quad pipes are besides. The new active exhaust lets your mode choices dramatically modify the volume of the throbbing V8 rumble. Every bit with the Track Apps, drive modes and steering settings… you really have quite a chameleon of a automobile. From tranquility and shine over bumps to ultra firm and ultra aggressive at the tap of a button.
Speaking of buttons— all these settings are now controlled by a main Pony button on the steering wheel, which is handy and smart.
The risk with performance cars with dial-a-feel electronic tech is that none feels 'merely right.' We're thrilled to written report the Mustang doesn't have this problem. In soft modes, the machine is a little wilder on full throttle and effectually corners… and takes a firmer manus to go along information technology in line. Certain, it is even fun to tame the unruly beast in this setting.
In firmest track and race modes, the GT gets close to the Shelby's always-max intensity. The car goes from friendly to ferocious. The volume of the frazzle and house shocks and steering suddenly make the Mustang GT experience lower, wider and meaner than always. Floor the beast and rip a slalom course without fifty-fifty budgeted the limits.
This is the hardcore performance nature that the Shelby ever delivers. Is this GT as good?
On near measures, it is. But this different engine characters mean the GT never quite achieves the GT350'due south luminescence and liveliness in your hands.
Unlike the Shelby, though, the GT tin can plough off all that wildness and hum along like a luxury automobile past comparison.
How is true fast-twisty operation this yr? Absolutely stellar. If no GT350 existed, we've accept no reservations proclaiming this the most trustworthy, intensely fun and fast 'Stang ever made.
We had an absolutely ball of a time ripping effectually speedy corners and onramps – and you will too.
Special shout-outs! The 5.0 is better than always, as is the manual transmission.
The new V8's ultra loftier redline is insanely fun to reach, but at times in traffic nosotros did wish for more on-need torque in the midrange.
The shift linkage of the six-speed manual too gets a big upgrade. Mustang is smoother and easier to bulldoze than earlier, with a simpler clutch engagement whose smoothness – especially from a terminate – is much better than earlier. The shifter is a compact, notchy dream in experienced easily – as ever.
Worth noting is the 10-speed automatic at present replacing the previous automatic. This new 10-speed is definitely worth considering for the fastest no-skill launches.
PRICING
We've detailed the pricing above except for the bottom line. Priciest on the selection list is the $4k Perf Pack 1 – with 19 inch alloys, summer performance rubber and 3.73 rear beam that is slightly racier than standard. Shaky value on that option, and the rich pricing of the touchscreen seems stingy.
Including the $500 Metallic Fury paintwork and $900 delivery, the test car came in at $53,260. This is alarmingly shut to the $57k sticker base for the Shelby.
SUMMARY
At the terminate of the 24-hour interval, the new Mustang GT is one of the most exciting cars on the road. Its commuter is in a semi-permanent state of ecstacy every time they go to mash that throttle.
With the 2018 upgrades, the new GT is indeed as quick as the Shelby GT350 in almost whatsoever measure out. It is equally thrilling to drive every bit it sounds… and it sounds like sky.
Simply is it a 911 GT3 of pony cars, like the GT350?
Let'southward say this is a Carrera 2 S — still the fastest motorcar you've ever driven in anger. One that chases tight corners as much equally information technology loves straightaways. But the truth is: it is slightly less intoxicating than its Shelby brother.
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Auto-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and apace-expanding automotive news mag.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, S Carolina with his ii amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by e-mail Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.
Source: https://www.car-revs-daily.com/2018/11/18/2018-ford-mustang-gt-review/
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