By Derek Price
Automotive Writer
I feel for the people at Ford who had to create a completely new Mustang for 2015. That’s like asking an artist to improve on the Mona Lisa.
Yet somehow, Ford has managed to get it exactly right, keeping the spirit and style of this car intact while moving it more fully into the modern age — something that would have been incredibly easy to screw up.
In fact, if any car deserves to be called iconic, this is it. The Mustang has been loved by generations of car enthusiasts and has as fanatical a fan base as any rock band. Get one thing wrong, and they’d let Ford know about it.
Mustang fans have been heaping praise on this all-new pony car, though, and I’m happy to add to it after spending a week behind the wheel of a V8-powered Mustang GT.
Even with an all-new design, the Ford Mustang is still instantly recognizable as the iconic pony car. It has better gas mileage and handling while keeping its classic, muscular profile.
The way this car looks, sounds and feels gives drivers tingles in all the right places. It’s loud, fast and powerful, with a muscular presence on the road that could only come from America at a time when most car companies seem happy copying the Japanese and Europeans.
But this one is unabashedly from Detroit.
Granted, that doesn’t mean Ford could completely ignore the economic and political reality of today’s cars needing to be more fuel efficient. It’s rated for a whopping 32 mpg on the highway now with a 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and even the monster GT gets a respectable 25-mpg rating. It’s come a long way from its gas-guzzling days.
Styling on this car is spot-on perfect. Both inside and out, it looks exactly like a Mustang should, just dripping with 1960s testosterone and sex appeal while putting on a layer of slightly more contemporary makeup. It looks good from any angle.
I’m not quite as enamored with the interior quality, which has always been a weak point on this car. Compared to something more mundane like a Hyundai Sonata or Nissan Altima, the Mustang’s plastics and trim pieces don’t seem as tight fitting and solid as they should in 2015, even if they’re a dramatic improvement over the 2014 vintage.
Fortunately, Ford finally fixed the ‘Stang’s other obvious weak point: the out-of-date rear suspension design that made it feel jumpy and bouncy over bumps through last year.
Gone is the decades-old solid rear axle, and in its place is a fully independent suspension that makes it feel much more planted and stable in corners.
Ford did a good job combining new technology with 1960s throwback styling cues in the 2015 Mustang’s interior.
Pricing starts at $23,800 for the base model and quickly rises from there. My test car, with its 5.0-liter V8 and slick manual transmission, rang up at $45,885 including around $9,000 worth of goodies. Recaro leather seats and the GT performance package, in particular, were options that got my heart racing.
And a racing heart is what the Mustang has always been about. Thank goodness this new one still delivers.
At a Glance
What was tested?
2015 Ford Mustang GT Coupe Premium ($36,100). Options: Shaker stereo upgrade ($1,795), security package ($395), adaptive cruise control ($1,195), GT performance package ($2,495), premier trim ($395), reverse park assist ($295), Recaro leather seats ($1,595), navigation system ($795). Price as tested (including $825 destination charge): $45,885
Wheelbase: 107.1 in.
Length: 188.3 in.
Width: 75.4 in.
Height: 54.4 in.
Engine: 5.0-liter V8 (435 hp, 400 lbs.-ft. torque)
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Estimated Mileage: 16 city, 25 highway
RATINGS
Style: 10
Performance: 9
Price: 6
Handling: 8
Ride: 7
Comfort: 6
Quality: 7
Overall: 9
Video Review:
2015 Ford Mustang
bit.ly/15stang
Why buy it?
Its handling, gas mileage and styling are all improved without breaking the way-cool, classic American muscle-car feeling that the Mustang is known for.