You Can’t Beat the Classics: 2015 Mustang GT
America’s longest-running pony car is updated, with an all-new chassis, body and interior. In GT form it looks good: the voluptuous fenders are filled with a prodigious amount of tire, and while the internationalized nose—designed to meet overseas pedestrian protection laws—neuters a bit of Mustang menace, overall this modernized classic works visually.
The cockpit is long on style, but somewhat short on execution. High marks go to the aluminum “wing” that runs across the dash and the slimmed down passenger airbag. But the vacuum-formed faux stitching across the face of the dash, the low-grade leather on the wheel and the cheap plastics on many surfaces would be out of place on a $25,000 vehicle, let alone Ford’s $40,000 performance statement. The stock front seat headrests are small and hard enough to create permanent divots in your cranium; and even the optional Recaros are set too high. The backseat is useless, but at least the trunk is of good size and offers a pass-through for longer loads.
Things get better when you drive the Mustang 5.0, especially if equipped with the GT Performance Pack. Despite stiffened springs and dampers, it rides superbly, with a polish that has henceforth eluded this muscle car. While certainly tied down, it never becomes harsh, and the new, independent rear axle and uprated front suspension give the ’stang a honed precision matched by the linear, fast steering.
Predictable yet playful, it is (outside the limited edition GT supercar) the best handling Ford ever. It is also very accomplished at suppressing road and wind noise. The Brembo brakes that come in the package match up well, with stout stopping power and great progression, also noticeable in the clutch takeup and gearbox feel from the manual transmission.
The only thing that undermines driver satisfaction is a horrid pedal placement that almost eliminates the ability to heel-toe downshifts—probably a sop to legal, for when some idiot accuses a Mustang of sudden and unintended acceleration.
While the GT’s DOHC 5-liter V8 hasn’t undergone as much surgery as the rest of the car, it does produce more power—435hp—thanks to a revised intake, heads and valvetrain. Free-revving and sharp in throttle response, it allows this heavier new Mustang to still hit 60 in 4.5 seconds and make the quarter mile in 13 flat. While you can tell there’s a sweet sounding eight beneath that long hood, it seems Ford is saving the best muffler music for future Mustangs.
Here we have the classic pony car formula: lots of performance for a medium amount of cash. The problem is that for slightly more lucre there are now other cars that can clobber the GT in a straight line, or offer AWD and possibly four doors along with similar stats for both practicality and fun. As long as Ford persists in letting the bean counters and attorneys undermine the designers and engineers, true greatness will continue to elude the Mustang.
However, as the basis for later iterations of the original pony, this new model shows real promise.
2015 Ford Mustang GT
EPA ratings: 15/25mpg; 19mpg combined
Price as tested: $42,165
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