Ford Mustang review

The acceptance of the Ford Mustang in the UK is another example of how US culture has crossed the Atlantic – along with Hollywood movies and Black Friday. 

You see, the Mustang Fastback we're reviewing here follows a typically American engineering formula: a huge V8 petrol engine, rear-wheel drive and styling that shouts: “Don’t mess with me!”

Even the entry-level model serves up 440bhp, so there’s plenty of muscle for your buck as well as a suitably glorious rumble. Indeed, it's a very different car to the modern SUV-shaped, all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Nothing channels muscle-car menace like a (petrol) Mustang so it does have a limited number of rivals. The closest in terms of price is the BMW M240i, otherwise you’ll be looking at pricier coupés, such as the BMW M4 and Mercedes AMG CLE 53.

How does the Mustang compare? Read on to find out. Or if you prefer wind in your hair see our Ford Mustang Convertible review.

The 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine in the entry-level GT version of the Mustang Fastback gives you a huge amount of muscle for bumbling around effortlessly at low revs, but unlike its turbocharged rivals, it needs to be worked hard to get the best out of it.

How hard? Let’s just say it does its best work beyond 3500rpm. The reward is strong acceleration: the Mustang GT officially manages 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds with a manual gearbox and 4.9 seconds with the 10-speed automatic. 

You get more power (448bhp against 440bhp) if you go for the Mustang Dark Horse version, but it’s only 0.1 seconds quicker with the standard manual gearbox. Swapping for the optional automatic gearbox has more of an effect, dropping the 0-62mph sprint time to 4.4 seconds.

Whichever version you go for, the engine and exhaust make a thunderous noise when exercised. They reward a keen driver with the kind of rabid performance that feels appropriate for a car with so much presence on the road.

If you enjoy a delicate driving experience, the Mustang is not the coupé for you. The pedals are relatively heavy to operate, so crawling along in stop-start traffic isn’t exactly relaxing.

It’s also easy to break traction in wet conditions, so you have to manage your inputs to help put the power down effectively. The BMW M240i and BMW M4 – which have four-wheel drive – don’t have that problem.

The Mustang's optional automatic gearbox makes driving a bit more effortless but it's not as slick as rivals’. It often flicks through multiple gears in one go, and has a habit of switching ratios indecisively before lurching into gear when it finally makes up its mind.

There are paddles on the steering wheel so you can take full control, but you’ll have far more fun taking this beast by the scruff of the neck on winding roads if you stick with the slick six-speed manual. A coupé with a manual gearbox is a bit of a rarity these days, so it’s a breath of fresh air that you can still have one with the Mustang.

Impressive as the GT’s manual gearbox is, the Dark Horse’s Tremec manual is even better. It makes changing gears a genuine joy, with a smooth shift and satisfying click as you flick into each gear.

The Mustang’s steering is slower than that of rivals so it doesn’t feel as direct on initial turn-in. As a result, it's not the most engaging coupé to drive down a country road. That said, you're well aware of grip levels and what the front tyres are doing so it does instil the driver with some confidence.

The GT version has non-adjustable suspension as standard, and it strikes a reasonable balance between ride comfort and body control. The firm ride occasionally jostles occupants in their seats at low speed but it’s never harsh.

Body control in everyday driving is tidy enough, but it starts to become a little wayward once you start driving spiritedly and you soon realise this is a heavy car. A BMW M240i is far more composed, precise and agile.

The range-topping Dark Horse is a little more sophisticated, thanks to MagneRide adjustable suspension (which is available as an option on the GT). That varies its firmness according to your choice of driving mode, making the car more comfortable around town and less wayward over undulations. 

Every Mustang has selectable driving modes so you can set the responses of the car's steering, accelerator, traction control and, if you have one, automatic gearbox. There's Normal, Sport, Track and Drag Strip. You can also choose your own combination of settings, including how much sound you want from the Active Valve Exhaust.

On motorways the V8’s grumble fades into the background, especially when you set the exhaust to quiet mode. There’s a bit more wind and road noise than in rivals, but not so much that it’ll make a long journey noisy and exhausting.

“I know it’s not the sharpest coupé to drive but what you lose in agility you get in theatre, and that still draws a smile on your face.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

The driving position in the Ford Mustang Fastback is comfortable for the most part, even for tall drivers. The driver’s seat has lots of electrically powered adjustment, including for lumbar support, while the steering wheel has a wide range of movement.

The standard seats are wide and come with leather upholstery if you go for the GT and suede-like material in the Dark Horse, but they could do with more lateral support to hold you in place when cornering. The optional Recaro seats should be better at hugging you tightly, but they also have less padding so they might leave some people a little stiff after a longer journey.

Your view out of the car, especially over the shoulder, is hampered by the sloping roofline and big rear pillars, and the Mustang’s bulky proportions make it hard to judge where the end of the bonnet is. Helpfully, a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors are standard.

Inside, the Mustang’s retro character gives it a very different ambience to its plush but predictable premium coupé rivals.

While the look is charming, the plastic surfaces, buttons and switches feel cheaper than you'll find in the German competition – the BMW M4 for example. The physical buttons for changing driving modes or operating the hazard warning lights could be better damped. 

The standard 12.4in digital driver's display is more impressive, with sharp graphics and a choice of lay-outs.

They range from simulated analogue dials to simplified Sport and Track Mode displays, which show the rev counter as a horizontal bar with lights that flash when it’s time to change up. Thanks to chunky buttons on the steering wheel, it’s also easy to scroll through the trip computer or select your drive mode.

Next to the driver's display is a 13.2in infotainment touchscreen that looks equally impressive. However, it’s a bit fiddly to use due to the small icons (including those for the climate settings) and the menus takes some time to get used to. The iDrive dial controller in the BMW M240i is less distracting to use when you're driving.

“I like the Mustang’s blend of modern, high tech screens with a relatively simple dashboard with old-fashioned chunky controls.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

There's masses of space up front in the Ford Mustang Fastback but the two rear seats offer limited space – although they do have Isofix mounts so you can securely fit two child seats.

Children and smaller adults will fit in the back but anyone approaching 6ft tall will require the person sitting in front of them to slide their seat forward to free up some leg room.

You’ll find more space in the back of the Mercedes AMG CLE 53 and slightly more head room in the back of the BMW M4. It’s worth noting that the Mustang’s long doors provide easier access to the back than either of those. 

Officially, the Mustang has a bigger boot than you get in its immediate coupé rivals but the narrow opening and high load lip make it difficult to load bulky items. You can fold down the back seats when you need to carry longer items.

If you want unlimited head room, there's always the drop-top version – to read about that see our Ford Mustang Convertible review.

“Admittedly, I’m not quite 6ft but with the front passenger seat slid forward a little, I was comfortable in the back of the Mustang on a long road trip.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

The Mustang isn't what you'd call cheap, but no other new car gives you the same straight-line performance or soundtrack for the price. The slightly cheaper BMW M240i is its closest rival at this level for outright performance and even that doesn’t give you a V8.

The Mustang is predicted to lose its value slowly, potentially helping to make up for that difference in price if you decide to sell in three years. Depreciating slower than its rivals can also help if you’re buying on PCP finance, keeping monthly payments down. 

If you needed any more justifications for the price, the Mustang doesn’t scrimp on standard equipment. Every version has keyless entry and start, 19in alloy wheels, electrically adjustable seats, heated and ventilated front seats, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control and a punchy Bang & Olufsen 12-speaker stereo. 

You can personalise the GT with the Night Pony Appearance Package, which brings a black painted finish on the wheels, badging and roof.

Equipment wise, the Dark Horse version is the same, but it gets some bespoke styling to make it more distinctive – with special badges and external body features that aim to improve aerodynamics (including a big rear spoiler).

As you might expect from a V8 muscle car, the Mustang's running costs are high, and you'll spend a lot on tyres and fuel. Officially, the best you’ll get from the GT is 28mpg and the Dark Horse is closer to 27mpg, but it's likely that both will do a lot less in the real world.

Along with that, insurance costs will be a shock to the system. And because official CO2 emissions are at least 230g/km, the Mustang is in the top bracket for BIK tax so it's expensive to run as a company car.

The Mustang didn’t feature in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Ford as a brand finished in 14th place out of the 31 manufacturers featured. That's below BMW and Toyota but higher than Audi and Mercedes.

A three-year, 60,000-mile warranty is standard and UK and European roadside assistance with unlimited mileage is included for the first year. The warranty can be extended to five years at a reasonable cost.

The latest Mustang has not been crash-tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP. The previous version, which had the same basic underpinning, scored a lowly three stars in safety tests in 2017 – a rating that has now expired due to the tests getting tougher each year.

Either way, it performed very poorly for child-occupant protection in front and side impacts, with a score of just 32% in that category. On the plus side, the Mustang does come with a good amount of standard safety kit, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane-keeping assistance.

“I quite like the Mustang GT’s optional Bronze Appearance Package, which gives the wheels and exterior badging a bronze finish for around £750.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

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