2017 Ford Mustang GT (w/Performance Package)
Had a day off work, was bored, went to the website of the Ford dealer where I bought my 2011 Mustang, and found this…
A base 2017 Mustang GT with a 6-speed manual, along with the Performance Package. I called the dealer, talked to the sales manager that sold me my 2011, and asked for a test drive. He said no problem, and a half-hour later, I was there. Incidentally, there was a gray 2017 Focus RS sitting in the showroom floor, and offhandedly mentioned that if I knew they had one of these, I’d test drive that instead. But, since Ford would only allocate one RS to this dealer, and it was already sold, the manager reluctantly told me that would not be possible. So, without further ado…
Powertrain:
The Mustang GT I drove had the well-established 5.0 liter ‘Coyote’ DOHC 32-valve V-8, with its all-aluminum heads and block, matched to a Getrag MT82 6-speed manual transmission. Since the GT I drove was equipped with the Performance Package, it came with a 3.73 Torsen limited-slip rear axle by default.
Perhaps it was this fairly aggressive rear-end gear and the manual transmission that made it feel faster than my Challenger Scat Pack, and as fast as the 2016 Camaro SS I drove earlier this year (although objectively speaking, stock for stock, these two cars would likely be victorious in a straight line duel at a light, although the GT would put up quite a fight…). If I recall, most car rags put the 2015+ GT in the low-mid 4 second range 0-60, and mid to upper-12s in the 1/4 mile.
Horsepower peaks at 435 @ 6500rpm, along with 400lb-ft of torque @ 4250. Maximum RPM is 7000. The exhaust note is quite satisfying, more so than a stock 2016 Camaro SS, but slightly muted compared to the 2011-2014 S197 5.0L Mustang, and simply doesn’t compared to the visceral roar of a 392 Hemi at full throttle. I’m pretty sure the aftermarket has several million solutions for that particular problem, however…
The MT82 6-speed manual feels considerably improved over the one I had in my 2011 Mustang. Shifts were considerably less notchy, throws felt fairly short and positive, and reverse (thankfully) doesn’t occupy the same spot as 1st gear (I’ve had several instances where I inadvertently pushed down on the shifter, and nearly backed into a car behind me, or my garage…) as in the 2011-2014 cars. Clutch pedal felt just right; not too heavy or light. Thankfully, the 2015+ Mustang GT does not have the infuriatingly stupid (but easy to defeat) skip-shift feature…
Throttle response was lightning quick; the 5.0 Coyote may not have the low-end torque of an LT1 or a 392 Hemi, but it’s still very respectable, and nothing to the sneer at; even in second gear the Mustang got underway very quickly. At mid-range up to redline, the Coyote really wakes up.
Fuel economy is 15 city and 25 on the highway for the 6-speed manual, like its closest rival, the Camaro SS. For a 3700-3800lb 435hp performance car, it’s fairly respectable. The 5.0L Coyote doesn’t use a direct-fuel injection system like the LT1, nor any cylinder deactivation which the GM and Chrysler V-8s both use.
Ride/Handling
Ford FINALLY switched to an independent rear suspension across all Mustang trim levels for the 2015 model (of course, the '99 Mustang Cobra was the first production Mustang featuring an independent rear, which many people seem to forget).
This GT felt much more composed than my live-axle 2011 GT on rough and/or uneven roads, and had a smoother, more refined ride overall.
As the GT I drove had the optional Performance Package, it wore 255/40/19 front and 275/40/19 rear Pirelli P Zero summer tires mounted on gloss black BBS-like 19"x9" and 19"x9.5" wheels, and felt quite grippy around bends. It didn’t quite have the sharpness of the 2016 Camaro SS I drove, but still felt satisfyingly agile and eager to be thrown around corners, but with more confidence than in my 2011 GT, and felt far more nimble than my Challenger. Driving around town and in parking lots was less of a chore than the other coupes.
The brakes on this GT were incredibly good; Fifteen-inch vented discs with 6-piston Brembo calipers up front, with 13" vented discs with single-piston calipers in the back. Pedal feel was excellent, better than the Challenger, and FAR better than the Camaro. The only problem I had with the brakes was not worrying about stopping in time, but worrying about the car behind me being able to stop in time…
Interior/comfort:
The Mustang GT I drove was a base model, which meant cloth seats, it also usually meant a disgustingly-cheap feeling plastic steering wheel and hard-ass, unappetizing black plastic dash on the preceding S197 models. Not so with the 2015+ cars, especially with the performance package; so upgraded, even the base GT gets treated to a very attractive engine-turned dark-aluminum dashboard treatment. The steering wheel is leather, and smaller than the previous Mustang GT, enhancing its sportier feel. Instrumentation was easier to read than the S197 GT. The base GT’s infotainment system had a ridiculously small display, and surrounded by about 25-30 buttons. The GT Premium uses an 8 inch touchscreen instead.
In terms of interior sight lines, the Mustang is far superior to the Camaro and Challenger. The GT I drove had no blind-spot warning system, but it didn’t need one, since I could actually SEE around the damn car, unlike the Dodge and the Chevy. It also made me feel more like I was driving around in a car, instead of a cave.
Like the Camaro, the Mustang felt somewhat tight, but not claustrophobic. Headroom, shoulder and knee room were quite sufficient, and the standard seats, like the Camaro, were comfortable enough in most situations, except in hard cornering. When driven sanely, the cabin is remarkably quiet (too quiet, in my opinion…).
Of course, like other Mustangs, as well as the Camaro, the back seat is best reserved for small children, height-challenged individuals and frenemies. The trunk isn’t as big as a Challenger’s, but at 13.5 cubic feel, still quite usable, with a fairly low lift-over height, and a damn sight more usable than the Camaro’s ‘trunk’.
Exterior styling:
I wasn’t really blown away when I saw the first leaked pics of the 2015 Mustang. However, once I saw them in person, especially in GT trim, and in a darker hue, I warmed up to the styling quite a bit. I wish the front end looked less like a Fusion, but overall, I like the car’s overall lines and proportions, and in a dark color, especially with the black Performance Package wheels, can look quite menacing.
Overall, in this very subjective area, I find the GT better-looking than the Camaro, but still, from a strictly styling-only comparison, I still find the 2015+ Challenger to be the best looking of these three coupes…
Build quality: Like the Camaro, there are some areas around the interior which sport some fairly-cheap looking plastic. Otherwise, again, like the Camaro, this Mustang felt like it was assembled competently. I could not find any misaligned body panels, paint defect or other signs of shoddy craftsmanship. The interior similarly had no quality issues.
Overall (aka TL;DR)
Pluses:
- Easier to live with day-to-day than Camaro and Challenger
- Very good sight lines to the outside world
- Good handling (not as good as a Camaro SS, but still very respectable) and ride
- Comfortable front-seat dimensions for average-size adult
- Strong, very tractable V-8 power
- Smooth-shifting manual transmission and clutch feels ‘just right’
- Outstanding brakes
- (subjective) Looks good, especially in a darker color with the Performance Package
- around $3-4k less than a comparable Camaro SS
Minuses:
- Not something to go and pick a fight with a Challenger Scat Pack/SRT392 or Camaro SS, at least in stock form
- Back seat is almost useless for adult use
- Exhaust note is a bit more quiet than I’d like
- (subjective) Wish the front end was more Mustang and less Fusion…
Now that I’ve driven all three of these American mid-range V-8 coupes, I can definitely say I prefer the Mustang over the other two.
The Camaro SS has a definite edge in straight-line power and handling, but is let down by function-follows-form styling and relatively high price.
The Challenger Scat Pack/SRT 392, though not as bad as the Camaro in terms of outside visibility, and no slouch in straight-line performance, as well as being a surprisingly capable handler (though not as good as the Camaro or Mustang), and having a substantial trunk and a usable back seat, is still held back by its ponderous weight and size, and in my case, sub-par build quality.
The Mustang, however, while not being the fastest of these three, is still more than fast enough to be enjoyable, while still being fun to throw around corners, as well as being more civilized and practical enough to live with on a day-by-day basis than the other two cars.
As more problems crop up with my Challenger, along with my increasing frustration with FCA’s inability to rectify them in a competent manner, along with a lack of affordable V-8 coupes from Asia and Europe (if there were, I’d have given up on American cars long ago…), I’ll most likely sell my Challenger in the not too-distant future, and order a 2017-2018 Mustang GT Premium in Magnetic Gray or Lightning Blue with the Performance Package to replace it…
They won’t be much faster… but the '92 did 0.86g with '92-era econo-tires… so I imagine that’s around 0.90g with today’s all-seasons.
