2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Review: More Than A Mustang

There have been a variety of final Ford Mustang fashions through the years. Keep in mind the previous SVT Cobra from 2004, with its 390-horsepower, supercharged V8? Or the three totally different Cobra R fashions? Or we may go even additional again into the Mustang’s storied historical past, when the Boss 302 and GT350 dominated. However whereas these are nice Mustangs, it has been the GT500 that has held the title of Best Mustang at any time when it was on sale.

The 2020 Shelby GT500, then, takes a crown that was all the time its birthright. However its reign is not going to be extra of the identical. This new automotive has as little in frequent with the character of previous GT500s as the present Mustang does with one from 1965. It is a dramatic cultural shift for Ford’s flagship pony automotive, and after per week behind the wheel, we began to neglect that is even a member of that household. That is one of many many, many causes to contemplate the newest biggest Mustang.

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This factor seems to be completely menacing – it is like Tremendous Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II however, you understand, a automotive. Awash in flares and vents and scoops – all performed up in Grabber Lime with gloss black accents, within the case of our tester – the 2020 Shelby GT500 bears solely a passing resemblance to lesser Mustangs. The Shelby has the profile, headlights, taillights, and that is about it. It is an excessive makeover that produces a much more muscular search for an iconic muscle automotive.

Are there issues to dislike? Far and away, this seems like the biggest Mustang in a very long time, even when it is solely half an inch wider or longer than a Mustang GT. There’s a variety of visible mass, because of the way in which the design seemingly hugs the bottom. We’re lukewarm on the $18,500 Carbon Fiber Observe pack’s specific accents, too. The massive rear wing and carbon-fiber wheels make all of the sense in case you’re attending routine monitor days, however anybody that is day by day driving their GT500 will need the cheaper wheels and a wing that may’t fairly double as a buffet desk.

However whereas the GT500’s designers went ham on its exterior, there are treasured few touches within the cabin. Just like the GT350, a cobra badge graces the steering wheel’s airbag cowl. Drivers function the dual-clutch transmission through Ford’s typical rotary dial, though designers properly swapped out the small, flimsy paddle shifters of different two-pedal Mustangs for a giant, beautiful set hewn from actual metallic, to be used whereas the gearbox is in guide mode. There’s additionally an Alcantara wrap for the steering wheel and a carbon-fiber end on the sprint.

The CF Observe pack swaps the usual chairs for a gorgeous set of Recaros (that are additionally obtainable as a standalone choice for $1,595), completed in a contrasting Ebony and Smoke (grayish-white) colour scheme, and ditches the rear seats altogether. However apart from these modifications, this seems to be like every other Mustang’s cabin, which is to say it is fantastic and practical, however hardly a spot that feels all that particular or befitting of a $90,000 monitor particular.

You may discover in case you have a look at the gallery that our check mannequin featured a roll cage and a four-point harness. This is not a manufacturing unit choice, however Ford had been utilizing this automotive at buyer monitor occasions as an illustration of what the inventory physique may accommodate and we didn’t thoughts the racy remedy throughout our mortgage.

These Recaros are a must have merchandise if monitor exploits are within the playing cards – for anybody else, although, the ultra-supportive chairs and their agency padding border on restrictive. Bigger of us ought to move on them full cease, except they take pleasure in having their pelvis compacted over each bump. However skipping the Observe pack means lacking out on the rear-seat delete, and vehicles get cooler the less seats they’ve. We want Ford had give you some sort of innovation for cargo administration on this space – it would be a pleasant various to the trunk.

The GT500 is aimed on the monitor, however the journey high quality and noise, vibration, and harshness controls are spectacular for the category. At freeway speeds, there’s little unpleasantness from beneath the hood, whereas tight seals across the home windows preserve noise at bay. The fats tires contribute many of the cabin sounds, transmitting no matter’s taking place with the highway floor proper to the driving force’s ears (an obtainable 12-speaker B&O Play audio system helps disguise the worst manners).

Not like the Shelby GT350, the GT500 adopts the identical 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster because the broader Mustang household. There aren’t any particular trimmings, options, or gauge packs within the GT500 (which seems like a missed alternative in our eyes), however the show stays one in every of our favourite Mustang options. The graphics are clear and engaging, and whereas the way in which the system shows data is not as customizable as what you may discover in some German merchandise, there are nonetheless three totally different gauge modes obtainable.

The digital cluster does have some severe practical worth, too. Three totally different modes for shift lights – one which adjustments the colour of the tachometer, one other that illuminates the whole cluster, and (our private favourite) a System 1–model development of inexperienced, yellow, and pink bars – and the power to regulate the specified shift level is a superb addition for a automotive just like the GT500.

Contrasting with the flowery show is the Sync 3 infotainment system and its 8.0-inch touchscreen, which stays a practical and straightforward to make use of setup. Its age, although, is exhibiting within the restricted function set, comparatively poor decision, and relaxed response time – then once more, our expertise with Ford’s glorious Sync 4 suite could also be coloring our impressions right here. This technique, although, is loads serviceable till a redesigned, Sync 4–enabled Mustang arrives. Sadly, even with a $70,000-plus beginning worth Ford nonetheless cordons off navigation as a part of a $3,000 Know-how pack.

The GT500 performs in a way that exceeds easy {qualifications} comparable to “fast” or “quick.” The hand-built engine, a superb 5.2-liter V8 outfitted with a fats 2.7-liter supercharger, is probably the most highly effective manufacturing engine Ford has ever constructed – output sits at 760 horsepower and 625 pound-feet of torque.

Now, sure, you may get extra highly effective engines elsewhere. The 797-hp Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is stronger, for instance, as is the 775-hp Jack Roush Version Mustang we examined earlier within the week. However the GT500 is past both of them, owing to how effortlessly it deploys that energy. There isn’t any drama. The backend does not wiggle. The automotive merely leans again on its haunches, grips the highway, and goes. Few rear-drive vehicles really feel like this whereas retaining a sub-$100,000 asking worth.

The dash to 60 takes a manufacturer-estimated 3.3 seconds and we’ve got little purpose to doubt that. However the place the 5.2-liter V8 does a variety of work, the GT500’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission deserves as a lot reward (in actual fact, we might entertain giving it the majority). Set to guide and with the Shelby’s Observe drive mode engaged, the shift velocity is quick up or down – as quickly as you a lot consider touching the paddle shifter, the DCT is able to serve up a gear. It is addicting and an enormous a part of why the Shelby feels so relentless beneath heavy throttle.

The Mustang made a giant leap in 2015 when it ditched a solid-rear axle in favor of an impartial rear suspension, however the GT500 represents a equally sizable leap over the bottom Mustang, because of its sport-tuned MagneRide magnetorheological dampers and CF Observe pack’s Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. That is an extremely sharp automotive, in a position to change path rapidly and carry severe velocity by means of corners. Though we had been solely in a position to check it on public roads, the Shelby nonetheless impressed with its eagerness. The only real letdown got here from the steering wheel, which stays the Mustang’s weak level for suggestions.

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Effectively, each Shelby will get a stable set of LED headlights. However in case you had been hoping for extra in the way in which of lively security, take into account a Mustang EcoBoost or GT – the GT500 gives no lively security gear apart from blind-spot monitoring. Yeah, yeah, we all know, it is a 760-hp monster. However that does not imply there aren’t conditions the place adaptive cruise management or lane-keeping help would not make life simpler.

Regardless of this shortcoming, the combo of excellent headlights and ahead and lateral visibility are welcome. The rear wing compromises sightlines considerably, however the GT500 is healthier than a comparable Chevrolet Camaro on this regard and a bit behind the extra upright Dodge Challenger.

Our gas economic system aim for flagship muscle vehicles just like the GT500, Challenger SRT Hellcat and Redeye, and Camaro ZL1 is 17 miles per gallon mixed. However the GT500’s 14-mpg mixed score (12 metropolis and 18 freeway) makes it the worst within the class, and its 93-octane gas requirement drives the rating down extra.

By comparability, the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye and Camaro ZL1 return 15 and 16 mpg, respectively. That is regardless of their bigger 6.2-liter V8 engines. Just like the Shelby, each require premium gas.

With a beginning worth of $70,300, the GT500 is among the many most costly vehicles in its class, however it loses most of its factors owing to 1 very costly choice. The $18,500 Carbon Fiber Observe pack provides 21 % to the bottom worth. Together with our tester’s $1,000 vinyl stripe bundle, a Shelby-branded automotive cowl, a $2,600 gas-guzzler tax, and a $1,095 vacation spot cost, this tester rings up at $93,890. The one lacking choice was the $3,000 Know-how pack, which provides navigation, blind-spot monitoring, and the B&O Play audio system.

The Mustang’s beginning worth is $105 greater than an $70,195 SRT Hellcat Redeye and $7,300 greater than the Camaro ZL1. However whereas the Mustang then provides $2,600 in gas-guzzler fees for a real-world beginning worth of $72,900, the Challenger and Camaro solely endure with a $2,100 tax. The Shelby avoids dropping some extent for being the costliest automotive in its class because of the $76,595 Hellcat Redeye Widebody and the upcoming Challenger Tremendous Inventory. To its credit score, it additionally gives a extra superior suspension and track-ready gearbox relative to its extra conventionally “old-school” rivals.