Wild Horses Keep Dragging Me Away

–Arcadia, California

Everybody has a Mustang story, myself included. From my Aunt Jill’’s 1966 289 and my Aunt Sandy’s LX 5.0 to my mother’s 2008 V6 Premium – all purple convertibles, by the way in which – Mustangs have all the time been emblematic of carefree summer season holidays and Rockwellian nights on the drive-in.

And there’s no denying the all-American enchantment of the most recent ‘Stang, which in GT kind comes with a brand new, fourth-generation 5.0-liter V8. Sharp, crisp sheetmetal and an extensively revised know-how suite be a part of the get together, in addition to just a few efficiency doodads that break up the distinction between genius and gimmick. Whereas the brand new GT is now the mid-level mannequin within the non-Shelby Mustang lineup – slotting between the four-cylinder EcoBoost I reviewed yesterday and the high-performance Darkish Horse – it nonetheless provides some fairly thrilling driving dynamics and a god-tier exhaust word to provide pony automotive followers loads of new tales to inform.

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28 Photographs

Can Horses Growl?

Given the Mustangs I grew up with, it ought to come as no shock that I spent a while in a Race Pink convertible for my first style of the Mustang GT – my platonic very best of the horse automotive – earlier than switching to a fastback geared up with a six-speed handbook gearbox and the $4,995 Excessive Efficiency Package deal (HPP). Thumb the beginning button and the Mustang involves life with a grumble that portends the spectacular 486 horsepower and 418 pound-feet on supply – ditch the $1,225 energetic tailpipes and people numbers fall to 480 and 415.

Upon setting off within the ‘Stang, I instantly used the customized drive mode to activate the Fox Physique gauge cluster and switch up the exhaust to an aurally pleasing Sport setting, then headed for the closest tunnel. Fortunately, from the primary drive’s residence base in Arcadia, California, the closest two-lane burrow is a circuitous 30-mile drive on Angeles Forest Freeway, a route which might give me ample time to take a look at the brand new Mustang’s strikes, having fun with its good front-to-rear steadiness and spectacular grip.

That stated, the helm is overboosted and manner too gentle to make assured nook entries, and really feel is absent irrespective of how laborious you push the entrance tires. Including to the problem is an underdamped entrance finish that feels prefer it bobs round an excessive amount of. There’s loads of grip available from the HPP-specific Pirelli P Zero summer season tires, however the Mustang GT doesn’t talk its slip angles very nicely.

That doesn’t imply the Mustang isn’t a enjoyable trip, although. It produces giggle-inducing g-forces in tight corners, and on lengthy sweepers and straights, the five-oh underneath the hood barks a clean, mellifluous tune by its quad exhaust shops. The woofling, cammy low finish offers option to a high-rpm shriek that jogs my memory of the 32-valve 4.6-liter Modular V8 from the SN95 Mustang Cobra, and like that distant predecessor, the brand new Mustang doesn’t have a ton of torque till you hit 3,000 rpm or so. However as soon as it’s boiling, the 5.0-liter V8 cooks up pavement all the way in which to its unique, 7,500-rpm redline – increased than a Lotus Emira, by the way in which.

Along with the ripping energy underneath the hood, the Mustang additionally will get some whoa to associate with the go. Provided by Brembo as a part of the efficiency pack, the braking package deal boasts six-piston entrance and four-piston rear calipers, clamping down on 15.4-inch entrance rotors and 14.0-inch rears. Stopping energy is immense, and the brakes are feelsome and straightforward to modulate. Rounding out the pedal field is a progressive, tractable clutch pedal, which mates to a snickety, close-gated handbook shifter and selectable rev-matching for a seamless, enjoyable expertise when rowing the gears.

Creature Options

In the event you’re extra of a cruise-nights-and-drive-ins kind of Mustang proprietor, you’ll admire the sleek, even-keeled trip, even over unhealthy pavement and driving on 19-inch wheels with low-profile tires. There’s some tire slap and roar at freeway speeds, however on an extended commute, the Mustang feels extra premium than it ever has, with higher suspension damping in common driving and low NVH ranges.

Because of genteel street manners and a spacious entrance row, the Mustang GT is a effective each day driver, The usual entrance chairs lack important lateral bolstering, however lumbar and thigh assist is nice and the seats strike a fantastic steadiness between feather-bed cushiness and long-haul consolation. I’d go for the coupe-specific non-obligatory Recaros all day lengthy, although. Although thinner in padding than the usual seats, the game buckets are a lot better fitted to sporty driving whereas nonetheless providing good consolation every day.

At 6 ft tall, I had good visibility ahead, although the low-ish windshield header may trigger issues for these extra elevationally blessed than I. Passengers within the again had higher be of the small selection – my head hit the roof liner and I needed to splay my legs across the entrance seat when it was set for my 32-inch inseam. Nonetheless, I may most likely deal with a pair hours again there with solely somewhat discomfort. Baggage room is an sufficient 13.2 cubic ft, eclipsing the Chevy Camaro however arising quick on the bigger Dodge Challenger.

The 2024 Mustang GT has a complicated new tech suite that bundles a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.2-inch touchscreen show working on the Unreal gaming engine. Crisp graphics and in depth configurability are the orders of the day, even together with the redlines and hash marks on the simulated gauges. I belabored the shortage of retro cabin cues already within the Mustang EcoBoost evaluate, so I’ll simply say that the tech suite appears great and is straightforward to make use of, and I feel Ford will nail its efforts to draw a youthful, extra tech–aware crowd to the horse automotive fold.

Household Resemblance

Most of the design options carry over from the Mustang EcoBoost I reviewed yesterday, although the GT will get a novel entrance finish with slanted struts on the grille insert and bigger entrance bumper openings to offer added brake cooling. Cabin supplies are very good, with just a few decently hidden swaths of natty plastic. Comfortable-touch supplies seem on the door panels, armrests, and knee bolsters, and I really like the carbon look of the molded plastic trim appliques.

As the horse automotive market continues to dwindle – even the venerable Dodge Challenger is headed out to pasture in just a few months – the Ford Mustang GT largely competes in a category of 1. Nonetheless, the $62,315 as-tested value of my extremely geared up Premium tester is a tough capsule to swallow, rising from a $48,610 base value by way of an costly efficiency package deal, MagneRide dampers, and an energetic exhaust system. It’s attainable to get a bare-bones Mustang GT for $44,090 or one with HPP and energetic exhaust for $50,310, neatly placing it in competition with the likes of the two-up Nissan Z and Toyota Supra, in addition to the BMW M240i four-seater.

Every of these alternate options is smaller and lighter than the Mustang, with a specific amount of import cachet that some consumers will care about. And but, I preserve coming again to the Mustang’s builder, dreaming of Race Pink and handbook transmissions and unintended (and really smoky) burnouts and wild horses in full gallop. The brand new Mustang GT is much from excellent – I’d love heavier steering and a cheaper price – however these quibbles don’t matter as a lot whenever you’re telling your Mustang-fangirl mother about that scorching summer season day within the mountains with the engine bellowing alongside.

Everybody has a Mustang story, in spite of everything.

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