Skip to footer

2015 Ford Mustang GT: Is it better than the competition?

The Mustang GT was all-new for the 2015 model year, and it's the best Mustang ever. But how does it stack up to other muscle cars on the market. 

|
Carlos Osorio/AP/File
The Mustang GT 350R is unveiled during the North American International Auto Show this past January.

Fifty-one years. That’s how long it’s been since the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] introduced the Mustang at the New York World’s Fair. In an instant, it became an American classic.

The current Mustang was all-new for the 2015 model year, and it's the best Mustang ever—but right now there are a lot of great muscle cars and sports cars to choose from.

So what does the original icon have to offer? Is the sixth-generation Ford Mustang still king?

ALSO SEE: Driving A Police Car: Six Things You Should Know

This is the most important part of any muscle car or sports car—what’s under the hood. Remember the SVO? That badge is still dead, but you can now once again get a turbo four in a Mustang. Oh, and the V-6 is still around as well. But our tester is a GT with the 5.0-liter V-8 rated at 435 horsepower and 400 pound feet of torque. It’ll rip 0-60 mph times in 4.5 seconds according to Ford, and hit 155 mph. Yeah, it’s got a 5.0 but there's nothing vanilla about it.

Of course it's rear-wheel drive, and while a six-speed automatic is available we suggest you opt for the six-speed manual. 

The best Mustang is obviously this one. Mash the go pedal and it launches, quickly. That said, we wish there was more noise, some more of the classic V-8 rumble. Where’s that crackly delight that Jaguar’s 5.0 delivers? Or the new Camaro's ripping-silk exhaust note?

The GT's hardware is good but still in search of greatness in some ways. The six-speed can feel a bit vague and could be a bit more positive in shift feel. The suspension, even with the Performance Pack, gets worked, hard. The ancient solid rear axle is gone and the Mustang's new rear independent rear suspension makes it handle better, but, push it fast on bad roads, and the front bobs a bit too much. There's clearly room left in the suspension for higher-performance variants.

There are toggles here that mess with the throttle, electric power steering, stability control, and when equipped, automatic transmission shifts. Sport’s where it’s at, or even Track, though be cautious with that one, as it dials the stability control way back. Did we mention Line Lock is now on the Mustang from the factory? But, you have to be on level ground with the steering set straight ahead. The rest, well, mash the right pedal, and poof go the tires.

CHECK OUT: 2016 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Revealed, Runs 8.0-Second Quarter Mile: Video

All the Mustang's hallmark styling cues make the cut in the new pony car, but it’s not a knockout from all angles. While the fastback roofline is pretty muscular, and it wears proudly swollen fenders, this black plastic panel on the back is a little Moparish, and those tripled-light pipes that slash at the grille have a distinct Miami Vice-era vibe.

Inside, there’s large, clear instrumentation putting the info right in front of the driver. The toggle switches are a nice touch and there are some nice materials here, but still some cheap plastics as well. It’s roomier than the Camaro, but don’t be confused, this is still a 2+2 car at heart even though it’s nearly the size of a Fusion. Front-seat room is generous, and the back seat, well… it makes for some cargo storage.

The Mustang’s earned top crash test scores from both NHTSA and the IIHS.

Priced from just under $24,000, the Mustang comes standard with with power features, air conditioning and cruise control. Our nicely optioned GT tester rings in at just over $46,000 and has everything from a Shaker audio system to the GT Performance Package and the lovely Recaro leather seats.

So what’s the bottom line with the 2015 Ford Mustang GT? It finally makes the rear-end switch we’ve been waiting for, but for a real muscle car slayer, you'll need to venture into Shelby territory.

________________________________

See more videos on our YouTube sites: The Car Connection, Motor Authority, and Green Car Reports.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to 2015 Ford Mustang GT: Is it better than the competition?
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2015/1110/2015-Ford-Mustang-GT-Is-it-better-than-the-competition
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe