REVIEW | Ford Mustang GT keeps the muscle car tradition alive and well
Familiar face gets more aggression for the modern era.
Image: Jason Woosey
With the automotive world rapidly hurtling towards electrification and emissions reduction, the muscle car is now officially on the endangered species list. Even more so, the muscle car with a V8 engine.
The Chevy Camaro is dead. The Dodge Challenger’s successor, the Charger, was initially launched as an EV, with six-cylinder petrol versions later joining as a “we changed our minds” afterthought. They could just as well have introduced it with a kale juicer built into the dashboard.
Not that any of this matters to South Africans, as the only muscle car we’ve been offered in modern history is the Ford Mustang. And it is heartening to know that Ford’s pony car has been renewed for a new generation that follows the same basic recipe as before, just with a few modern twists.
The new Mustang GT is priced at R1.3 million.
Image: Jason Woosey
With a normally aspirated 5.0-litre Coyote V8 rumbling beneath the bonnet, and power going to the rear wheels only, it remains a muscle car right down to its last tyre cap.
Just like nature intended.
The seventh-generation Ford Mustang, introduced in late 2024, is what you might call a logical evolution of its predecessor. The larger grille makes a more purposeful statement and the new Tri-Bar LED headlights add a modern touch.
The new Tri-Bar taillamps taper inwards like boomerangs.
Image: Supplied
Moving to the back it’s still instantly recognisable as a Mustang, but those vertical Tri-Bar taillights look a little too cartoonish for me, with their new boomerang shape.
The interior is where we see the biggest changes, with the previous Mustang’s more traditional ‘double brow’ dashboard (which harked back to the 1964 original) making way for a large dual-screen cockpit that could just as well have been lifted from the latest Chinese SUV on the market.
Sure, there’s a meaty new flat-bottom steering wheel and the low seating position, grippy bucket seats and raised centre tunnel do make it obvious that you’ve just sunk your bee-hind into a proper sports car. But no amount of mock carbon trim - and there is plenty on this dashboard - can disguise the fact that the cockpit doesn’t really look like it belongs inside a muscle car.
Has Ford made the cabin too modern?
Image: Supplied
But maybe I'm not being completely fair here. While I’d like to think that the average Mustang buyer would be more forgiving of a slightly older-tech interior with smaller screens, perhaps Ford is trying to lure younger buyers, who can’t live without a giant replication of their phones right in front of their eyes.
And as far as high-tech interiors go, this Mustang really nails it. The 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster, configurable with numerous retro themes, and 13.2-inch central touchscreen have crisp, modern graphics, powered by Unreal Engine 3D gaming software. The Sync4 infotainment system is as user-friendly as one could expect from such a set-up. The climate system has separate shortcuts at the bottom of the screen, and Ford even remembered to include a traditional rotary volume knob.
There isn’t a lot of space in the back of the car, but then it’s no worse off in that regard than its predecessors.
The GT ships as standard with a lovely 12-speaker B&O sound system, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control and a glut of driver assist features such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Evasive Steer Assist and Reverse Brake Assist.
There’s another interesting feature further back on the central tunnel, which Ford quite formally refers to as the Performance Electronic Parking Brake. It is designed to look and function like a traditional handbrake, particularly when in track mode, where software allows for precise modulation of rear-end braking to enable drifting.
A mechanical handbrake probably would have been first prize for purists, but the new system does make things a little easier for novice drifters. Just be sure to unleash all that fury in a safe and controlled environment!
The new Mustang cruises comfortably by sports car standards.
Image: Supplied
As mentioned, the rest of the Mustang’s mechanical makeup is very much as per tradition.
The normally aspirated V8 engine produces 328kW and 540Nm, sent to the rear wheels through a 10-speed automatic gearbox.
Fire it up and those eight cylinders roar and rumble like a territorial tiger during mating season. As before it does have a ‘good neighbour’ mode that mutes things to socially acceptable levels, for those occasions when you feel like 'adulting', as the Millennials like to put it.
At altitude, the Mustang GT is not quite what you’d call ferociously fast; it’s brisk, certainly, but it’s the kind of vehicle that can deliver entertainment even at the lowest of speeds. Ford claims a 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds, but who cares about splitting acceleration time hairs when you’re having so much fun behind the wheel? If I can level one criticism, I feel a gearbox with two or three less cogs would have resulted in a less 'busy', more free-revving driving experience.
South African Mustangs come standard with the Performance Pack, which comprises a Torsen limited-slip differential, MagneRide active suspension, wider rear tyres and larger Brembo brakes, measuring 390mm upfront and 355mm at the back.
Driving the Mustang with vigour does still require some skill, although with the sophisticated new tech, it does feel a bit less tail happy than its predecessor. Handling-wise, it's still not quite in the same league as a BMW 4 Series, but it's impressive nonetheless, and the steering has a more intuitive feel. The Mustang GT rides comfortably, too.
VERDICT
The new Ford Mustang GT looks, feels and drives exactly like a Mustang should, just with a bit more modern finesse and bang-up-to-date technology. Surely that’s a big win for muscle cars?
At R1.3 million, it's not cheap, but it is still your cheapest ticket into a new V8-powered car.