2015 Ford Mustang GT: What's New for 2016
by Cameron Rogers, Associate Editor on February 25, 2016
If you've spent the last year following our long-term test of the 2015 Ford Mustang GT, you know that we're huge fans of Ford's latest-generation pony car. You might even be considering laying down your hard-earned cash for one as well. Although we're already two months into the new year, dealerships are still full of last year's models.
The question now is whether to get a potentially sweet deal on a 2015 'Stang or nab a 2016 model. The updates listed below may sway your opinion one way or the other.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: With Heavy Heart, We Sell to CarMax
by Matt Jones, Senior Editor on February 19, 2016
We really enjoyed out time with the 2015 Ford Mustang GT. It was more refined than in years past. Our CEO did a burnout in it. One of our editors even proclaimed it his favorite car in the fleet. We kept it two months over schedule because it was so hard to part with.
But, the world can be a cold place. And although we really liked the 'Stang, the used car market just isn't as enamored with it as we are. We paid $45,490 for the Competition Orange hardtop back in December of 2014.
Fourteen months and 21,568 miles later, CarMax offered us a paltry $27,000. That's nearly 41 percent depreciation, and that's before you consider the cost of the modifications we added. The Mustang's TMV is 28,339.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Quick and Easy 20,000-Mile Service
by Reese Counts, Vehicle Testing Assistant on February 12, 2016
Our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT recently crossed over the 20,000-mile mark. This signaled a reminder in the car that another service was needed. Thankfully, the Mustang only requires an inspection, tire rotation and oil and filter change at the 20,000-mile service, so I hoped we could get in and out of the shop in just a few hours.
I dropped off the Mustang at Santa Monica Ford around 10:30 a.m. I didn't make an appointment, so I was quite pleased when I was immediately greeted by a porter and directed to a service advisor who helped me right away.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy Update for January - Ready to Say Goodbye
by Mark Takahashi, Automotive Editor on February 9, 2016
Time is winding down for our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT, signaling my long slide into depression. It'll be leaving just as things were getting fun with the suspension and exhaust upgrades.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: The Mods Make It Better
by Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor on February 5, 2016
I was skeptical. When the idea of modifying our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT originally came up, I figured the Ford Racing suspension would wreck its ride/handling balance and that the short-throw shifter would suck.
I was wrong on both counts.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Needs an Oil Change
by Travis Langness, Social Media Editor on February 1, 2016
Our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT needs an oil change. How do I know that? It chimed in to tell me so the last seven times I started the car. But instead of a photo of the gauge cluster, I thought I'd show you a pretty shot of the Mustang hanging out in the mountains, lookin' all purdy and stuff.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: What I've Learned to Like About MyFord Touch
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on January 28, 2016
A few years ago I was driving a Ford Escape on the freeway. I was using the recently introduced and often criticized MyFord Touch (MFT) infotainment system to juggle between navigation prompts and audio selections. Slowly getting acclimated, I started to appreciate how powerful it was. I thought, "You know, I think I'm coming around on this system."
Cue a complete crash. The screen went black, the music stopped, as did the navigation prompts. I wish I were making this up.
Now, years and many consumer complaints later, Sync3 is on the horizon. I can't wait to try it, but having lived with MFT in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT for a while now, I can report that using it gets easier with familiarity. I've learned to operate around its idiosyncrasies and find it unobtrusive during the daily commute.
These are three things I appreciate about the system:
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Short Gearing Makes It Slower
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on January 26, 2016
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the optional 3.73 final drive in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT. It makes the powertrain more exciting and rewards you for using the shifter more frequently, so we drive it harder.
The primary downside is fuel economy: Our lifetime mpg is hovering around 15 (!!) mpg. The other downside is that the frequency with which you want to shift actually slows the Mustang down when you're leaving from a stop light. The windows of useable acceleration in first and second are tiny, such that it seems you spend more time engaging and disengaging the gear than actually using it for acceleration.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: My Favorite Car in the Fleet
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on January 22, 2016
I may have logged the most miles in our Dodge Viper, driving it across the country and all, but I've spent the most nights with our 2015 Ford Mustang GT. Why? It's become my favorite car in the fleet. Like any car enthusiast, I have a predilection for fast, loud, and rear-drive cars. Our fleet has a few of these, but only the Mustang meets the obscure Venn diagram of things I look for.
For example, our Viper is loud, but it doesn't sound good. Our BMW M235i sounds good, but it isn't loud. The Mustang does both, and this sound adds to the overall character. It's a bright orange muscle car with black wheels and a lowering kit.
It gives off a vibe, man.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Would You Rather a Jag?
by Josh Sadlier, Senior Editor on January 11, 2016
No, I'm not talking about our dearly departed F-Type R coupe. The supercharged Jaguar/Land Rover V8 is a thing of beauty that makes anything containing it worth the price of admission. End of story.
But how about an F-Type S with the six-speed manual? It starts at $77,300 for 2016. Some folks think it's the man-eating cat's meow.
I'd rather be driving our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: A Friendly Group
by Travis Langness, Social Media Editor on January 7, 2016
When I took our Corvette Stingray to Monterey for the weekend, I couldn't hide from all the enthusiastic Chevy owners and admirers that wanted to talk about the car.
When I drove our SLP Panther Camaro, there was some very specific praise, but not a lot of love from other Camaro owners. And after driving around for a week in our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT, I noticed there was plenty of love to go around.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Ride Height Makes Me Happy
by Travis Langness, Social Media Editor on January 4, 2016
If I had my way, most of the cars in our fleet would be lowered. Put some new wheels on the SRT8 and move it closer to the ground. Our M235i is cool, but put an exhaust on it and drop it, then suddenly you've got an infinitely cooler BMW. The Miata is great too, but who doesn't want wider tires and a lower stance on a car that does so well in the canyons?
It's about function first, but form doesn't hurt either and our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT is now a great example of the two living side-by-side.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Will the Television Fit?
by Travis Langness, Social Media Editor on December 31, 2015
It's not some cool road bike or a big carpet cleaner, but last week's cargo in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT was definitely precious. It was my mother's Christmas gift, a 40-inch television. Wrapped, tagged and primed for placement under the tree, the TV was ready for transport. But first I had to squeeze it in the Mustang's trunk.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: BMW M4 Guy Likes It
by Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief on December 24, 2015
I was sitting at the red light minding my own business, wife riding shotgun, young daughters in back, our orange long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT idling through its Ford Racing/Borla pipes.
I had just agreed to stop at Bristol Farms for cookies when a white BMW M4 coupe pulled alongside on my left. It looked good. Lowered. Big meats. Black wheels. Sounded good too through its own aftermarket exhaust.
I looked over.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Auxiliary Gauges Are Entertaining, If Little Else
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on December 21, 2015
Our 2015 Ford Mustang GT's optional Performance Pack includes these two auxiliary gauges. They show oil pressure and vacuum (boost on Ecoboost models), and they are superfluous on a stock car.
Brent Romans gave an overview and debated their usefulness, but I want to take a closer look. Some might argue that a vacuum gauge is helpful for driving in a more fuel-efficient manner. This is true, but this argument vanishes like tire smoke when you're pairing 435 horsepower with a 3.73 final drive.
Monitoring oil pressure helps when you're worried about it dropping, like when sustaining more than 1.0 g in a long corner. Two problems, however:
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Finding and Fixing a Speed Hole
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on December 17, 2015
While walking up to our 2015 Ford Mustang GT last night, I noticed something hanging out under the passenger side of the front bumper. Our Mustang sits a little lower thanks to its Ford Performance suspension. It looks like someone found out the difference in ride height the hard way.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Hazy Rear View
by Travis Langness, Social Media Editor on December 15, 2015
About a year ago, I took our long-term Nissan Rogue on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest and encountered a problem with the rearview camera. Temperatures below 30 degrees compromised the camera's usefulness, basically making it pointless during an Oregon winter.
When things got foggy here in Los Angeles last week, I had a similar problem with a rearview camera, but this time it was on our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Performance Testing Redux
by Reese Counts, Vehicle Testing Assistant on December 11, 2015
The Mustang is one of the most commonly modified vehicles in history. We decided to join the party with our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT by making it a lot louder, a little lower and its shifts slightly shorter. Finally, we wrapped the Mustang in fresh rubber and traced down the source of a mysterious noise.
As with all our long-term test vehicles, we tested the Mustang shortly after it was purchased. With all these new parts installed, we put Senior Editor Josh Jacquot behind the wheel for another go. Like many modifications, the numbers alone don't tell the full story.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy Update for November: Awesome Exhaust, Awful Efficiency
by James Riswick, New & Used Car Editor on December 9, 2015
Our 2015 Ford Mustang GT's awesome new Ford Racing exhaust continues to be, well, awesome. I found myself driving in third and fourth on the highway this morning just to revel in the noises that so wonderfully enhance the big 5.0 V8.
When I told this to some fellow editors they all nodded their heads with a knowing smile as if to say, "Oh yeah, I do that too."
In related news, our lifetime fuel economy went down in October and November to 15.7 mpg. True, that's only one-tenth of an mpg, but it's still quite awful given the EPA rating of 19 mpg combined.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Awkward Dipstick Location
by Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager on December 8, 2015
Our 2015 Ford Mustang GT wins the award for the most awkwardly placed dipstick of this model year. There it is on the right, tucked down beneath the strut tower brace. The dipstick pulls out about 3 inches before it must be bent significantly to circumvent its neighbors.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: The Engine Just Shut Off
by Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager on December 7, 2015
I am sitting here at the test track in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT. It's early still and there is time to kill before the rest of the crew arrives. The Mustang is idling so I can listen to music while eating my breakfast.
A chime from the car catches me by surprise. It is accompanied by this warning on the IP. The countdown starts at 30 seconds but I can't get a decent photo until it reaches 1 second. And then it makes good on its threat.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Source of Mysterious Noise Identified
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor on December 2, 2015
The saga of our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT didn't end when the wheel locks were removed with force. It was a goat rodeo that was just beginning.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Those Seats, Though
by Dan Frio, Automotive Editor on November 23, 2015
Something changed between our last Mustang and our 2015 Ford Mustang GT. Either the Mustang's pedal box grew further apart from the steering column or I shrank a couple of inches. Or I'm just imagining things.
Or it could be those seats.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Tires and Tribulations
by Reese Counts, Vehicle Testing Assistant on November 16, 2015
To say that we've enjoyed our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT might be a bit of an understatement. A more expressive exhaust and a revised suspension have injected new life into the car and moved it back up the ladder of in-demand vehicles.
Senior Road Test Editor Mike Monticello drove the Mustang to a track-day wedding on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Soon after, Photo Editor Kurt Niebuhr stormed around at a Willow Springs track day. A week later, the Mustang was called in to perform skidpad duty during a driving school event.
By this point, the tires were quite literally coming apart.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: An Unmistakable Cone of Irresponsibility
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on November 6, 2015
I left the taco joint in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT and pulled up to the stoplight. A Subaru WRX STI pulled up alongside, and "it" began.
"It" reminded me of an old Simpsons episode, where Principal Skinner calls in Homer and Marge to talk about Bart's behavior and the negative effect it has on those around him. Not only does the principal have a map showing the area of effect Bart has, he also presents the parents with a wonderfully needless 3D model depicting "an unmistakable cone of ignorance."
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Noisy Shifter Reminds You That You're Driving a Machine
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on November 4, 2015
The short-shifter in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT makes noise. It isn't loud or annoying. Turning up the radio or rolling the window down mostly masks it. But the sound is prevalent.
You can hear the whine of meshed gears spinning and the clunk of the shifter engaging. Rest your palm on the knob and you'll feel vibrations, too. These are important sensations, constant little reminders that you're using a machine.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Animals Agree — It's Loud
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on October 30, 2015
I came across the above scene while taking our 2015 Ford Mustang GT up my favorite road. The mountain pass has the perfect recipe. It winds and winds for miles heading to nowhere in particular, and it's empty on weekdays. It also has, free for use, an extended sonic amplificatory chamber.
A tunnel.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Self-Clearancing Trunk Deck Lid
by Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor on October 28, 2015
This scar on the underside of our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT trunk lid is self-inflicted. That is, it's the consequence of a build-quality issue rather than something that was user-induced.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: 15,000 Miles and Counting
by Mike Monticello, Senior Road Test Editor on October 27, 2015
We usually try to document our long-term cars exactly as they turn the odometer over every 5,000 miles. To the zero. A bit silly, yes, but it's one of our things. And ya gotta have "things."
During the reporting of my award-winning four-part series “A Hike, a Bike and a Track-Day Wedding,” I was aware our 2015 Ford Mustang GT was approaching the 15,000-mile mark.
Yet I can't tell you what was consuming my time on the drive home from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca that kept me from noticing the exact moment. Maybe Senior Editor Josh Jacquot, driving the 2015 Dodge Viper GT, was talking my ear off on the phone about where he wanted to eat lunch (for a scrawny guy, he gets awfully cranky when he's hungry). Or maybe I was rockin' out to Shania Twain on the stereo. I have no idea. But I completely missed the turn-over point. Off by 96 miles, in fact.
"Swim, swammy, slippy, slappy?oh, Samsonite. I was WAY off."
2015 Ford Mustang GT: A Hike, a Bike, and a Track-Day Wedding, Part 4
by Mike Monticello, Senior Road Test Editor on October 25, 2015
For this final installment of our hiking, biking, wedding and track day road trip in the 2015 Ford Mustang GT, I started off the final morning with a photo shoot. Didn't have to drive far; that lead shot was taken from my hotel's balcony.
You might notice I left the numbers, required by Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, on the Ford overnight. No, it's not that I think I'm cool driving around town with numbers on my car. Rather, I'm inherently lazy and didn't want to re-apply them at the track for Day Two.
Plus, Senior Editor Josh Jacquot's wife had done such a nice job applying them on in the first place. Apparently she noticed I was incapable of making a five, kindly shoved me aside and took over. Go ahead and add "taping numbers" to the list of things I stink at.
By the way, anyone know the connection between the number fifteen and an orange Ford Mustang?
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Path to Performance Continues With Short-Throw Shifter
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on October 22, 2015
The suspension isn't the only thing sitting lower on our 2015 Ford Mustang GT.
While it was up on the lift at Galpin Auto Sports getting the Track Handling pack installed, we also installed a short-shift kit from Ford Performance Racing Parts.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Keeping the Wrong Company
by Josh Sadlier, Senior Editor on October 20, 2015
I've been pretty open about my affection for our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT. It's a car I'd absolutely buy if I felt like dropping $40k on a brand-new ride.
I managed to find something I don't like, however. If it were my $40k on the line, our long-termer's rough, hard-plastic upper door panels would feel like a slap in the face.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: A Hike, a Bike, and a Track-Day Wedding, Part 3
by Mike Monticello, Senior Road Test Editor on October 18, 2015
If you've followed our road trip adventure in our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT then you'll know at this point we still had yet to set tires on track. We've hiked in Yosemite, mountain biked on the trails outside of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and even attended a wedding on the Corkscrew. But we had yet to burn up rubber and brake pads in anger.
That changes now.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Even After Other Drives, Still a Keeper
by Josh Sadlier, Senior Editor on October 15, 2015
There's a beautiful thing called MPG Track Days that happens every year for those of us fortunate enough to work in this business. It's like a car show with keys — they fill a whole parking lot with the latest models, and you can just hop in and drive as many of them as time permits.
This year's festivities took place at venerable Willow Springs in the high desert north of Los Angeles and my transportation device was our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT. As usual, the Mustang proved an exemplary high-speed cruiser. Wafting along at 74 mph, you might as well be in a luxury coupe, such is the car's refinement and poise.
But you know all about what the Mustang's like on a road trip. So let's pause for a long moment and talk about some of the cars I drove at the event.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Path to Performance Potential Requires New Suspension
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on October 13, 2015
We're taking the first step down the rabbit hole.
Although our 2015 Ford Mustang GT has shown itself to be respectably fast and surprisingly capable, its handling has left a few of us wanting. It has performed admirably at track days and on curvy roads, but we've found the more you turn up the wick, the less communicative each end of the car becomes. Compounding this vagueness is a constant sense of pitch and roll when you settle the car down into a corner.
The solution?
We're trying out — deep breath — the Ford Performance Racing Parts Mustang Track Handling Pack (part number M-FR3A-M8). That long name comprises a pair of front struts, larger anti-roll bars, and dampers, springs, and toe links for the rear. The kit also includes new bushings, bump stops, and strut mounts.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy Update for September - Track Day, New Exhaust Drop MPG Average
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on October 8, 2015
You can almost hear Captain Obvious: "If you wanted better fuel economy from your 2015 Ford Mustang GT, you shouldn't have optioned it with a 3.73 rear end, installed a loud exhaust, and taken it on a track day!"
Our Mustang covered 1,706 miles in September and consumed 118.2 gallons of high-octane gas, making for a 14.4 mpg month average. That's the third lowest we've recorded in our 10 months of ownership.
What happened?
2015 Ford Mustang GT: A Hike, a Bike, and a Track-Day Wedding, Part 2
by Mike Monticello, Senior Road Test Editor on October 5, 2015
I'm an unabashed map fan. Real maps. Made out of paper. I love opening one up, spreading it out and planning the cool route I'll take on my next road trip. Maybe I'm old, maybe it's my romantic outlook on hitting the open road, I'm not sure. But for me, looking at a map on the computer just doesn't give me the same feeling of adventure.
But sometimes, ya gotta go Google. That's what happened the morning I left Oakhurst in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT heading to Monterey. I slept in a bit the morning after the hike up Half Dome and didn't have time to fully plan out my route to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
I was meeting Senior Editor Josh Jacquot and another buddy there for a mountain bike ride before going to a wedding. There are some great trails right outside the track. It's a county park, after all.
So I put myself blindly at the mercy of Google Maps.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: A Hike, a Bike, and a Track-Day Wedding
by Mike Monticello, Senior Road Test Editor on October 1, 2015
It's funny how things can all come together at once. What started out six months ago as a plan to hike up Half Dome in Yosemite National Park with Road Test Editor Jonathan Elfalan morphed into not just a hike, but also a two-day track event in Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
But wait, there's more. My friends Dave and Sarah were finally going to get hitched on the Friday evening before the track event. And these crazy track-day monkeys planned to wed not just at the track, but on Mazda Raceway's famous Corkscrew.
Senior Editor Josh Jacquot further complicated matters, as is his wont, by also planning to attend the wedding and track day, and deciding we should squeeze in a mountain bike ride the afternoon of the nuptials.
"Come on man, the Sea Otter course is right there," he said. "We gotta go ride those trails again," he said. "It's been years since we raced on them."
A hike, a wedding, a mountain bike ride and a track day? Seemed the most appropriate of our long-terms cars would be a cramped coupe like our 2015 Ford Mustang GT, of course.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Brings the Noise, Needs the Suspension
by Carlos Lago, Road Test Editor on September 28, 2015
I finally got a chance to drive our 2015 Ford Mustang GT with the new Ford Racing exhaust (install, before and after). Allow me to briefly parrot everyone else's comments: It is rad. Super rad.
The new exhaust solves one of my two issues with the Mustang.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Not Quite a Proper GT
By Josh Sadlier, Senior Editor on September 18, 2015
I can't tell you what the "GT" officially stands for in our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT's name. I asked the Internet; it didn't know.
What I can tell you is that GT has historically stood for Gran Turismo, or Grand Tourer. Wikipedia says a Grand Tourer is a car that's "able to make long-distance, high-speed journeys in both comfort and style."
Man, this Mustang is almost there. There was plenty of comfort and style on my trip to Monterey, and I dig the car's high-speed composure and refinement.
But to me, a proper GT machine needs a real-world driving range of at least 400 miles. And that's where the Mustang comes up short.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Is a Focus ST the Perfect Compromise?
by Travis Langness, Social Media Editor on September 15, 2015
Our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT is a good car if you want some American muscle with two doors. It's a good car if you don't have adult-sized children or you don't need to carry a lot of stuff on a regular basis. It's an especially good car if you've got $45,000 to spend and you like the color orange.
But if you've got a little bit less money and you need more space for activities, you might wander around on the Ford lot and find one of these: A Ford Focus ST. Specifically, this Mountune-modified Focus ST.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy Update for August - Staying Thirsty
By Josh Sadlier, Senior Editor on September 14, 2015
August added another 1,248 miles to our 2015 Ford Mustang GT's tally, and we pumped in 81.6 gallons of gas along the way. The math says that's 15.3 mpg for the month. Our lifetime average has dropped by another tenth, now sitting at an even 16.0 mpg.
Our thirstiest August tank came out to an epic 10.2 mpg, just 0.7 mpg clear of the all-time low. The Larry Lightfoot award goes to Editor Monticello, who threw down a 21.6-mpg tank and set a new range record of 321.6 miles while he was at it.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: New Muffler Only Sings the High Notes
by Mike Monticello, Senior Road Test Editor on September 11, 2015
First let me say I didn't feel an overwhelming need to get a louder exhaust for our 2015 Ford Mustang GT. I kinda liked the mellow-yet-throbby sounds from the stock setup, a noise focused more on the 5.0-liter V8 rather than a tuned exhaust.
But that's just me. And no one asked. That said, I typically love a loud exhaust.
If nothing else, this new cat-back system from the Ford Performance Racing Parts catalog proves how difficult it is to build an exhaust that sounds just right at all times.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Will the Carpet Cleaner Fit?
by Travis Langness, Social Media Editor on September 8, 2015
When I signed out our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT for the weekend, I didn't know that my roommate would need my help with a big, clunky carpet cleaner. But that didn't stop me from trying to stuff the Rug Doctor in to the Mustang's trunk.
I wasn't really concerned about having adequate space — the Mustang offers 13.5 cubic feet back there — but I was a bit worried about the trunk opening and if I'd break anything trying to squeeze it in there.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Now That's What I Call Music 5.0
by Mark Takahashi, Automotive Editor on September 3, 2015
Step one of our performance enhancing campaign on the 2015 Ford Mustang GT is done and I am happy with the results. The new exhaust sounds great, replacing the far-too-quiet stock pipes.
Even better, it doesn't sound too obnoxious. It reminds me of our old long-term Challenger in some ways. A low, smooth burble at idle, a mechanical growl with some pedal and a fierce bellow when it's floored. The throttle overrun also sounds great and it doesn't have any startling backfires or crackles like our dearly departed Jag.
I do, however, expect our fuel economy to take a hit. I find myself holding gears and revs longer to enjoy the music.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: New Exhaust, Before and After
by Dan Frio, Automotive Editor on September 1, 2015
Yesterday, Jay reported on the new Ford Racing exhaust system on our 2015 Ford Mustang GT and encouraged you to provide your own exhaust sounds when reaching the end of the photo gallery.
Now, you can stop vroom-vrooming.
Click through the jump to see what our video crew put together comparing the acoustics of the stock exhaust to the new one. There's sound recorded of blipping the throttle outside the car, inside the car, and winding out the throttle on the road.
Leave a comment, let us know what you think of our pony's new sonic signature.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: New Music From New Exhaust
by Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor on August 31, 2015
When Ford created the 2015 Ford Mustang GT, they made it appeal to the widest audience possible. That includes normal, everyday people. People who want a cool car, sure, but also want to drive it daily and want it to be as civilized as possible.
Accordingly, we've observed that our long-term Mustang GT has a fairly muted exhaust note. That's fine for the aforementioned normal people and a well-considered decision by the Ford engineers. But we're not normal, and we've wanted to relish in the vocals of the GT's 5.0-liter Coyote V8 since pretty much the first week we bought the thing.
So we did something about it.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Better, But Good Enough?
August 25, 2015
Full disclosure: I've owned two Mustangs in the past. It can be said that I'm a "Mustang Guy."
Back in November I wrote up the full test on the 2015 Ford Mustang GT and noted that this latest generation has improved across the board. I still stand by that assertion, but I'd also like to add that I expected more.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: I'd Buy It In Blue and Modify
August 24, 2015
If you're looking for a two-door, American muscle car, there are three top contenders on the market right now: the Ford Mustang, the Chevy Camaro and the Dodge Challenger. And if you aren't loyal to a particular brand, there are some details to consider before you decide. The way I figure, each serves a slightly different purpose and appeals to different buyers based on its strengths and weaknesses.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: A Farewell to Tires
August 21, 2015
Between track days, road trips and general slipping and sliding around our favorite industrial-zone roads, the tires on our 2015 Ford Mustang GT wore out quickly.
So we hastened their demise.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Should We Change the Wheels?
August 17, 2015
The combination of the flat-faced wheel design and the color black make the wheels on our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT boring to a fault. They get lost in photos, they don't work with the car's bright orange profile well and, in my opinion, they just look way too bland. I'm not the only editor that feels this way, but there are a few voices of dissent in the office that like the black wheels and want to keep them.
This leaves us with a few options.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Tiny Side Mirrors
August 13, 2015
The side mirrors on the 2015 Ford Mustang GT have seemed small to me from the first time I drove the car. Like overly so. But I thought, "Maybe I'm just crazy?" Don't answer that.
So I figured why not compare the size of the mirrors in the Mustang to ones on an even sportier car?
2015 Ford Mustang GT: In Support of the Recaros
August 11, 2015
It's been a pretty common theme for Edmunds staffers to knock the optional Recaro sport seats in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT, and not just in long-term updates. There's been a lot of grumbling around the office that's never made it into print. I'm here to disagree. Not in general; that would be, well, disagreeable. But I think these Recaros are superb and I'm glad we opted for them.
Of course seats are a personal, extremely body-specific part of cars. No seat is going to fit every body perfectly. We come in too many shapes and sizes for that. But here's what I realized after reading through old posts: Most of the issues aren't even related to seat fitment or comfort.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy Update for July - A Coastal Tour and Burnouts
August 7, 2015
We put 1,678 miles on our 2015 Ford Mustang GT in July, using 110.7 gallons of 91-octane fuel. For the month we averaged just 15.2 mpg, which dropped our lifetime fuel economy from 16.3 to 16.1 mpg.
Our worst fill-up for the month was 11.0 mpg and our best was 19.9, neither one of them records.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Oil Change, No Rotation at First Service
August 5, 2015
Our 2015 Ford Mustang GT notified us it was due for its first service during Mark's road trip to Arizona. The Mustang's performance-based maintenance calculator determined our treatment of the car fell into the normal vehicle use interval. The "Oil Change Required" message triggers between 7,000 and 10,000 miles under normal conditions.
More frequent maintenance is required under severe (every 5,000-7,000 miles) and extreme (3,000-5,000 miles) conditions. We made an appointment at our local Ford dealer the moment the Mustang came back to L.A.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Threw It Back in the Water
July 29, 2015
I fished out a 2015 Ford Mustang GT from the Edmunds long-term pool last weekend. It seemed nice enough at first glance. V8 engine, manual transmission - what's not to like?
Then I drove it in typical Los Angeles conditions, Friday evening, near the tail end of rush hour. My evening plan was to have dinner with a friend who lived nearby.
After 20 minutes of driving, I regretted taking the Mustang.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Competes With Everything
July 27, 2015
I recently compared driving our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT to wearing a fatsuit, which may have left the impression that I had a low opinion of the car.
In point of fact, I ended that post by noting that the car had "totally won me over on an extended drive." But that was a 50-mile jaunt through the Santa Monica Mountains, consisting largely of tight, curvy roads that let our Mustang's sport suspension shine.
With the Mustang key in my pocket for the entire July 4th weekend, I decided it was time to get serious - up the coast to Monterey on Friday, then back to Los Angeles on Saturday.
That's about 650 miles of the best damn blacktop on the planet. And now that I'm back, I'm here to tell you why the new Mustang GT is competitive with practically every performance car you can buy.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Can Your CEO Do a Burnout?
July 24, 2015
Can Tim Cook do a burnout? What about Google's Larry Page? Nissan's Carlos Ghosn or GM's Mary Barra? We suspect Barra can lay some stripes, given her background and engineering experience. But those other guys? Pfft.
But ours can.
Edmunds.com CEO Avi Steinlauf recently took the wheel of our since-departed (sigh) Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, with Road Test Editor Carlos Lago sitting shotgun and showing our chief executive how to generate wonderful plumes of noxious smoke from the rear wheelwells. With 550 horsepower sent through an automatic transmission, the Jag is the perfect foil for our man to stand on the brake and mash the gas.
Things get a little trickier when Avi and Carlos move to the three-pedal 2015 Ford Mustang GT, but our CEO quickly nails the sequence of clutch, brake and modulating throttle. When they engage the Mustang's line lock feature later, the tires don't stand a chance.
Is your car ready for new tires? Are the freshly paved streets in your neighborhood in need of some local art? Don't know how to do a burnout, or just rusty? Click the jump for a primer on one of the most satisfying and primal acts of car control that NHTSA, the EPA and your local law enforcement certainly do not approve of.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy Update for June — Stretching Its Legs
July 17, 2015
June was a big month for our long-term 2015 Mustang GT. We welcomed the summer with two road trips. John O'Dell took a tour of California's Wine Country and I took a few days to check out Sedona, Arizona
2015 Ford Mustang GT: A History of Competition
July 15, 2015
"Competition has been an integral part of the Ford Mustang lifestyle since its earliest days 50 years ago," says Steve Ling, Ford Car Marketing Manager. And you don't have to take his word for it.
Back in the 60s, Ford used an advertising campaign it called "Total Performance." Like other manufacturers, it followed the principle of "race on Sunday, sell on Monday." Ford hyped up everything. From Galaxies to GT40s, anything that ran a Ford badge or a Ford motor was fair play. So when the Mustang came out, you guessed it.
And now, with the 2015 Ford Mustang's trick new rear suspension and bonkers FPC V8, the Mustang might be at the crux of a return to truly international competition. Let's see how this all went down 50 years ago.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Rear Seat Great for Dogs, Not Adult Humans
July 13, 2015
If you're an adult human, it's rather unlikely you'll be happy in the 2015 Ford Mustang's back seat. There's both minimal leg- and headroom for anyone taller than a child. It makes a Dodge Challenger seem like a Mercedes-Maybach. On the other hand, as I discovered this weekend, the little pair of rear seats is absolutely perfect for a little pair of dogs.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Time for a Change
July 10, 2015
Somewhere between Los Angeles and Barstow on my round-trip to Sedona, Ariz., our 2015 Ford Mustang let me know that it's closing in on the 10,000-mile mark with this warning. Knowing I wouldn't exceed the milestone by much, it wasn't a concern.
2015 Mustang GT: Better In Every Way - Recollections on a Time-Travel Road Trip
July 3, 2015
I had the opportunity to take a few days away from the office and decided to make a quick dash to Sedona and decompress for a bit. I thought it'd be fun to take the new Viper and log enough miles to complete the break-in cycle, but scheduling conflicts intervened. The 2015 Ford Mustang was an excellent stand-in.
According to the Mustang's nav, it was 476 miles and about seven hours to Flagstaff. That's where I'd pick up a girlfriend from two decades ago. I owned my first Mustang in the mid-1990s, so this was really a multi-level reunion of sorts.
Within the first 50 miles, I was glad I had the Mustang, not the Viper.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Suspension Walkaround
June 29, 2015
Automotive journalists have griped about it for as long as I can remember. Some worked to retirement as generations of new Mustang came and went with a simple straight rear axle. Along the way Dodge and GM abandoned the pony car segment, leaving the Mustang to go it alone against imported sports coupes with independent rear suspension (IRS).
And then the dormant Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro were resurrected in 2008 and 2010, respectively, and both reappeared on dealer showroom floors with IRS setups. The market pressure ratcheted up yet another notch.
It eventually became clear that the fully redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang would finally enter the modern age. It would have independent rear suspension, for real, across the board. And this would not be another half-baked 1999-2004 SVT Cobra scenario, a low-volume Mustang special with a compromised IRS system wedged under a car never designed for it.
We wasted no time when the order desk opened and put money down on a 5.0-liter GT with the Performance Pack. We have not been disappointed. Our 2015 Mustang GT is impressively composed on the road, and I for one was thoroughly blown away by its balance, grip and stability when I thrashed it about on a tight, bumpy autocross course and a high-speed racetrack on the same day.
But it's not all down to the long-awaited IRS. The front suspension of the 2015 Mustang has a few tricks of its own. Let's hoist it up on our Rotary Lift and work our way front to back.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: We Got the Right Car
June 26, 2015
Recently there's been some grumbling by staffers that maybe, just maybe, we didn't order the right 2015 Ford Mustang GT. James Riswick thinks we shouldn't have opted for the GT Performance Package. Ron Montoya says he'd skip the Recaros. Kurt Niebuhr says he won't drive the car because it's orange.
Apparently everyone around here is entitled to their own opinions.
As for me, I enjoy driving this new Mustang GT, whether I'm running errands around town, cruising down the highway and even when I'm stuck in traffic. Sure, the gearing is short and the brakes can feel touchy at first, but once you get used to them they're no big deal. Recently I took the Mustang GT on one of my favorite mountain roads, and I fell in love with it even more.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Nifty Kneehole
June 25, 2015
It's the little things that count.
Sporty cars with sporty interiors often aren't built for comfort. One thing that constantly rubs me raw, literally, is an interior designer's general ignorance of where the driver's right knee lands when said driver is just cruising and not actively working the stop-and-go pedals.
So it was with great pleasure that I discovered at least one of the folks who worked on the interior design our 2015 Ford Mustang GT actually took anatomy and ergonomics courses.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: More Insights On the GT350 Voodoo V8
June 22, 2015
Ford recently (finally?) dropped details on the 5.2-liter "Voodoo" V8 that's going into the 2016 Ford Shelby GT350, GT350R, and a handful of other 2015 models. As a follow-up to my previous pontifications on the subject — the gist being that this is one of the most fascinating modern performance car engines to come out of Detroit — let's take a more informed look at how Ford arrived at this engine's unusual anatomy.
Yeah, this has little to do with our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT, specifically. But if you're a Mustang geek or an engine nerd, read on.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: The Perfect Ride for Furious 7?
June 19, 2015
In 1977, I was seven. My father was a freelance writer for various car magazines. One day he drives home in a black and gold Pontiac Firebird Formula, which he was road-testing for Street Racer magazine (see photos below), and says, "Come on son, we're going to the movies."
The movie was "Smokey and the Bandit."
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Okay, I'll Drive It - All Day Long!
June 18, 2015
The first new car I bought myself was a 1967 Mustang GT 2+2. I've got a 1965 coupe in my garage. I may be Edmunds's green-car editor, but I still do love me a V8 on occasion. So it was only right that I pick our 2015 Ford Mustang GT for a recent 1,500-mile California road trip.
I'd been a bit worried after a few of my fellow editors poked at the pony for being a bit bloated with, as Josh Sadlier put it, a bulbous hood and the overall feel of a fatsuit, not to mention Kurt's rant against its color and habit of pogoing on concrete freeways and over Southern California's increasingly deteriorating surface streets.
But it turned out to be a great ride for a long trip up the middle of the state, to the coastal redwood forests and wineries of Sonoma County and back.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Interior Decorating 101 - Maximizing Your Wallpaper
June 16, 2015
If you're following our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT updates, you've noticed that it comes with a few interesting, somewhat quirky and borderline bedazzling features (i.e. color-customizable gauges, Track Apps and (!)Horse Lasers TM). These configurable options band together to form a virtual playground that conspires to keep you more entertained than a top-20 GIFs-of-the-Week post.
And entertained we remain, especially after discovering the wallpaper configurator.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Will Monty's Little Road Bike Fit?
June 12, 2015
I've struggled to fit bicycles into Mustangs before and was curious if the 2015 Ford Mustang GT would also pose a hassle. It's a crapshoot anytime you're finagling with a trunk instead of a hatch and it all comes down to the size of the pass-through and how flat the rear seats will fold.
I needn't have worried.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy Update for May — Overall MPG Improves and the New Guys Weigh In
June 9, 2015
We put 1,371 miles on our 2015 Ford Mustang GT in May, using 84.7 gallons of 91-octane fuel and averaging 16.2 mpg for the month. This bumped the car's lifetime average from 15.3 mpg up to 15.5 mpg.
Our worst fill-up for the month was 14.0 mpg and our best was 20.5 (that's still less than our best-ever of 22.8 mpg, though).
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Why I Don't Drive It
June 3, 2015
In an earlier update, James wondered why no one was driving our 2015 Ford Mustang GT. Well, here's my reason. Scratch that. Here are my two reasons.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Short Gearing Is Fun Gearing
May 29, 2015
The $2,495 Performance Package on our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT includes a bunch of upgrades, but the biggest change on the day-to-day driving experience comes from its 3.73 final drive.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Interior Quirks Make Me Smile
May 28, 2015
I chuckled when I first saw the 2015 Ford Mustang GT's speedometer. And then I made it purple. "Ground Speed" is a cute reference to the P-51 Mustang fighter plane, which inspired some design elements of the original pony car. It's one of many interior cues meant to remind you that this car has some history. Other pieces aren't so subtle, like the plaque above the glove box that reads "Since 1964," or the aforementioned ability turn the instrument cluster and doorsills lights purple. Or green. Or red.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Sizing It Up
May 26, 2015
Well, it's been a while since my last long-term post, and before last night, I had only driven a 2015 Ford Mustang GT once, at a manufacturer-sponsored event on the big track at Willow Springs. After a few medium-hot laps, I recall walking away as impressed as Mr. Edmunds by its capabilities.
But even on a wide-open track, I thought the new Mustang seemed awfully large.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: I Want the 2016 Mustang Hood Blinkers
May 20, 2015
I'm usually not one for gimmicks. I don't like the horse lasers on our 2015 Ford Mustang GT. I think the pulse feature of the Jag's start button, its rising vent cluster and silly door handles are unnecessary. I don't get Lamborghini (except the Espada. I?m pro Espada).
That said, I'm really diggin' the hood-mounted blinker indicators on the 2016 Ford Mustang.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Update for April — Commuting Miles Bump Up Overall Average
May 15, 2015
That 5.0 might just stand for its average mpg by the time we get through with it.
It's really not that bad, though. In April, the Mustang spent most of its time commuting our editors around Southern California, so it's hard to expect any kind of fuel efficiency heroics from our 2015 Ford Mustang GT's five-liter motor. That said, we did add another 1,200 miles onto our not-so-little pony (yeah, I went there) and managed a minor improvement in fuel economy.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Why Is No One Driving It?
May 14, 2015
If you were to look at the shared spreadsheet that we Edmunds editors use to sign out long- and short-term cars ("The List"), you'd see line after line of our initials next to the cars we need or want to drive for that week. If you were to look at last week's List, you'd see a big, gray empty line across the spreadsheet cells for the 2015 Ford Mustang GT, indicating that it sat idle for the entire week.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Tells Us When the V8 Is Running
May 13, 2015
I was doing a little spring cleaning on my phone, and I'll admit it took me a moment to remember why I took this picture. Then I did.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Performance Package Worth The Money?
May 4, 2015
We ordered our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT with the $2,495 GT Performance Package to fully exploit the car's new independent rear suspension. The package includes 19-inch wheels, staggered-size summer tires, six-piston front brake calipers, 380 mm rotors, a strut bar, a front splitter, a Torsen differential and a 3.73 final drive ratio.
The additions helped during our long-term Mustang's recent track session. We wondered how it compared to a GT without the package, so we borrowed one with the 6-speed automatic and brought it to our test track.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Basic Pony vs. Boosted Pony - How Does The Ecoboost Compare?
April 27, 2015
Our 2015 Ford Mustang GT is quick. But the big news surrounding this latest pony is the four-cylinder version, which we've recently tested. Below, for your perusal, are the details of both tests.
The detail that matters, based only on my track driving, is obvious: The GT is the driver's car. Yes, it's heavier than the Ecoboost, but that extra 140 pounds vaporizes when it's up against the additional 125 horsepower the GT produces. Sure, the Ecoboost bears 131 fewer pounds on its front axle alone, and it's noticeable, but it's not an advantage that would sway me to the turbo four, even at less cost.
The GT is easier and more fun to drive because its additional power provides a meaningful influence over its chassis. Want to rotate the car on throttle? The GT obliges. Need to crawl out a slow corner one gear too high? The GT is your willing partner. Want engine sound with soul? Get the GT.
Both our long-termer and the Ecoboost came equipped with the Performance Package ($1,995 on the Ecoboost and $2,495 on the GT), which adds 19-inch summer tires, larger brakes, unique suspension tuning, a numerically higher axle ratio and more. As-tested prices are $45,490 for the GT and $38,455 for the Ecoboost.
Here are the results:
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Pedal Placement Keeps Lost Art of Heel-and-Toe Alive
April 24, 2015
Realistically, with some work and/or practice, you can perform heel-and-toe downshifts on just about any manual transmission car. But some cars definitely make this soon-to-be-lost-art easier than others. There are two keys to heel-and-toeing, besides lots of practice: Good brake-to-gas-pedal placement and a responsive throttle.
The 2015 Ford Mustang GT has both.
In olden times, people really did the true heel-and-toe action, with the ball or toes of their right foot on the brake pedal and the heel blipping the throttle.
These days — and the Mustang is a good example of this —the pedals are arranged so that you do it more with the left side of your right foot on the brake pedal and the right side of your right foot on the gas, instead of a true heel-and-toe. We still call it heel-and-toe anyway.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: V8 Makes You Forget Stiff Ride, Touchy Brakes
April 20, 2015
Somehow our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT had 5,000 miles on the odometer before I ever even sat in it. How is that possible? Popular car, apparently. Now I can see why. It's big-time fun.
Although it's a hoot to drive, the Mustang involves a bit of a learning curve, at least if you care about driving it smoothly. Most of it's related to the GT Performance package, but don't think for a second we shouldn't have ordered that option.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: No Performance Pack + Standard Seats
April 17, 2015
Back in February, I wrote that there were a few elements on our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT that I would leave off the build sheet. The first was the GT Performance package, second were the 19-inch black wheels, and third were the Recaro sport seats. Well, I recently got a change to drive an equally orange Mustang GT without any of those items. So, did I like it better?
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Bigger Space for Smaller Items
April 15, 2015
There's no question that Ford made big changes to the interior of the 2015 Ford Mustang GT. It's obvious as soon as you open the door. Okay, so they made it look a lot nicer. But how much better does it function?
When I sat down in the driver's seat and could easily put my wallet in the door pocket I realized, "yep, they made real improvements here."
I found an old post on our 2011 Ford Mustang GT long-term car, and if you look at this re-enactment of the events of 2012, you can see the differences.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: JDRF Track Day Fundraiser
April 10, 2015
A couple of weeks ago I was invited to participate in a fundraiser for the JDRF, the largest charitable organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and finding a cure. The event was held at Willow Springs International Raceway, about 90 miles north of Los Angeles, and I was asked to bring our 2015 Ford Mustang GT to give rides around the main track, “Big Willow."
How could I say no? I mean, really. It’s an excellent cause and a great way to spend a day.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: 5,000 Miles
April 7, 2015
Just fewer than four months ago, we added a 2015 Ford Mustang GT to our long-term test fleet.
Last night, right on schedule, the odometer digitally rolled over to 5,000 miles.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy Update for March
April 3, 2015
The very first fill-up of March was a lost cause. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but our 2015 Ford Mustang GT fuel logbook contains the simple note "pump issues" where the gallons-added entry should be.
I suppose we'll never know the fuel economy of those 227 miles.
And I think I should also exclude another 90.9-mile fill-up, even though no mistake was involved. It was a full fill, too. I personally added 15.363 gallons of premium with just three miles to go on the distance-to-empty meter.
How could this be?
I was at a track-day fundraiser at Willow Springs raceway that you'll read about in a future post. Near the end of the day, the car stumbled while cornering hard in Turn 5, whereupon I returned to the pits and drove straight out the gate to the nearest gas station. The in-car gauge read 6.3 mpg, but the math worked out to just 5.9 mpg.
Not a very representative activity, I must admit.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: More Gauges, Debatable Usefulness
March 25, 2015
Pretty much every car is going to come with a basic set of gauges, including a speedometer, tachometer, fuel level and coolant temperature. Sport-oriented cars often have a bonus collection of gauges. Presumably, the idea is that an enthusiastic driver will want to monitor the condition of his or her car more closely. Or, it could just be that automakers and people find more gauges to look cool. Or both.
Well, our 2015 Ford Mustang GT comes stocked with gauges. In addition to the usual ones there are two more on the center stack plus many more available in the driver information display. But how useful many of these gauges are is open to debate.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Manual Transmission's Thud or Clunk Sound
March 23, 2015
I've noticed an odd aspect to our 2015 Ford Mustang GT's manual transmission. When shifting gears, there's often an accompanying "thud" or "clunk" like sound. This sound is not obvious, and I think it took me a few days of driving the Mustang before I picked up on it. But now that I know it's there, I notice it all the time. It bugs me, and I doubt it's "normal."
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Automotive History and Passion
March 19, 2015
Ford has been building the Mustang since 1964. It says so right on the dash of our 2015 Ford Mustang GT, just in case you forget. That's a lot of history. American history. Pony car history. Our long-term is the newest of the breed. But it's also a social magnet. Take a drive in a new Mustang and be prepared to have strangers come up to you and want to talk.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: 5.0 Mojo
March 18, 2015
Ford upgraded almost everything for the new-generation 2015 Ford Mustang. But the company must have used the adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" when it came time to look at the GT's 5.0-liter V8 engine. This mill was awesome when it debuted for the 2011 Mustang and still has plenty of mojo today.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: More Refined But Still Plenty Fun
March 17, 2015
I really like what Ford has done with the newest 2015 Mustang. In prior years, Mustang GTs were plenty of fun to drive but you had to put up with a few negatives (like the ho-hum interior and non-independent rear suspension) that impacted daily driving appeal. This time around, Ford has polished off the rough edges but smartly maintained the car's core appeal.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: For MyFord Touch, No News Is Good News
March 16, 2015
If you're a long-time reader of Edmunds' long-term vehicle reporting, you might remember that we had a 2012 Ford Explorer. It was a likeable enough SUV. But click on the Audio and Technology link and start scrolling down. You'll keep scrolling, too. There are dozens of negative posts. The hapless 2014-15 New York Knicks aren't as much of a disaster as the MyFord Touch system was.
Then we got a 2013 Ford Focus ST, also with the MyFord touchscreen interface. It was better. But not by a whole lot.
Now we have a 2015 Ford Mustang GT with MyFord Touch (MFT). Go ahead, click on the Audio and Technology link. There is not a single update on MFT so far. It's like a Web page version of hearing crickets. No news is good news, right?
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Love the Capless Fuel Filler
March 10, 2015
Ford pioneered the Easy Fuel Capless Fuel Filler back in 2008 (on the 2009 Explorer), and we've lived with a few Fords with it since, including our long-term 2009 Ford Flex, 2010 Ford Mustang GT, 2011 Ford Explorer and 2013 Focus ST. Our orange long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT is the latest.
Basically there's no cap to unscrew or hang while fueling. Just insert the gas pump nozzle and start gassing up.
Seven years ago I thought this was gratuitous engineering at its worst. An answer to a non-question. A dismissal of all that is holy.
Are we really that lazy? What's next, a car that drives itself?
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy Update for February
March 4, 2015
In the month of February we drove our 2015 Ford Mustang GT a total of 624 miles. It had a lengthy stay in airport parking and the remainder of the month limited to city driving. We still managed to set a record this month, however...
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Adaptive Cruise Control
February 27, 2015
The adaptive cruise control in our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT is almost perfect. It's a $1,195 stand-alone option, but there's no doubt in my mind that it's worth the cost.
For starters, when set to the closest following distance (pictured) the system follows the car in front of you (if they're travelling slower than your set speed) close enough to deter most other motorists from wedging into the gap, but it's not so close that it feels like I'm tailgating. The ACC doesn't react too abruptly to minor changes in traffic flow either and it even has a feature that seems to anticipate passing maneuvers before you make them.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: 30 Years
February 25, 2015
When John and Marla moved in next door to my mother in 1989, they brought their 1985 Ford Mustang GT with them. Almost thirty years later, they still live next to mom and they've still got their Mustang. And yes, it still runs and drives.
I drove to mom's house last weekend to take her to lunch in our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT and with the two cars parked next to each other, I wondered exactly how much had changed in the last three decades.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Exhaust (With Video)
February 23, 2015
For the most part, I like our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT. It's bright orange, it's got a 435-horsepower V8 and a smooth-shifting six-speed transmission, but I wish it were louder. I have the same opinion as Mark when he wrote about the exhaust in an earlier update but here are a few videos of the Mustang's exhaust note so you can judge for yourself.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: NHTSA Crash Test Ratings
February 16, 2015
The 2015 Ford Mustang coupe earned an overall five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The convertible has not yet been tested. But the coupe earned five stars in the frontal, side and rollover tests.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: GT Performance Pack + Recaros
February 12, 2015
I've already gone on record saying we were right to get the 2015 Ford Mustang GT instead of the EcoBoost. It's certainly the engine I'd opt for, and I would sure as hell get the manual transmission. However, after my first extended amount of time in our new Mustang, there are several elements on our build sheet I would think twice about if I were in the market for one.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Hard To Check the Oil
February 11, 2015
Yesterday I wanted to check the oil level in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT's 5.0-liter V8. Easy right? Pop the hood and pull the dipstick. We've all done it a million times.
Well, Ford decided to make it hard.
Turns out our long-term Mustang GT has the dumbest dipstick in the history of dipsticks.
It's as if Ford doesn't want you to check the oil.
2015 Mustang GT: Front Plate Installation
February 10, 2015
Most states require a front license plate to be displayed by law. Not surprisingly, California is one of them. Personally, I'm not a fan of front plates, but my objections are based mostly in aesthetics.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Love or Hate the Sequential Turn Signal?
February 9, 2015
I'm on the fence on this one.
Sometimes I think the sequential turn signals on our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT are cool and then sometimes I think it's a cutesy detail that foolishly daintifies one of America's iconic performance cars, and I'm mortified Ford took the time and spent the money to design and engineer such a gratuitous gimmick.
Yeah, I know Mustangs and Thunderbirds had sequential turn signals back in the 1960s. But they didn't in the '70s, '80s and '90s. So there.
Please watch the video on the next page and tell me where you stand on the subject.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy Update for January
February 5, 2015
In the past month, our 2015 Ford Mustang GT's fuel economy went up by more than 2 mpg! Unfortunately, it's still pretty abysmal.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Still a Unicorn in Southern California
February 3, 2015
I recently spent a week or so in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT just to keep Scott Oldham from driving it. During that week it got some attention. And by attention I mean follow-me-into-the-gas-station-and-conduct-a full-examination type attention. It happened twice.
People notice the new Mustang.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Performance Tested
February 2, 2015
It's only taken 50 years, but every Mustang finally gets an independent rear suspension for 2015. The combination of our 2015 Ford Mustang GT's 435-horsepower V8, IRS and optional Performance Package should make this pony charge through our slalom gates.
The current-gen Dodge Challenger RT and Chevrolet Camaro SS both use IRS, so how does the Mustang compare? And how will our tests results differ from our old long-termer? Read ahead to find out.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Break-In Road Trip
January 30, 2015
Break-in periods are the worst. Especially on a new 2015 Ford Mustang GT. We just dropped $45,490 on a new, 435-horsepower sports car and can't even get on the sauce for the first 1,000 miles.
I've got a tendency to cycle through cars pretty quickly, so if this one were mine, I'd probably skip this step, try out the line-lock and melt the tires off long before the odo hit the millennium mark. As this one's not mine, I very carefully loafed our Mustang to Las Vegas.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Adjustable Launch Control
January 29, 2015
We put our 2015 Ford Mustang GT through its paces recently at the track recording a baseline set of performance data. Among the tests we perform is, of course, acceleration. The test gave me an opportunity to experience the Mustang's launch control for the first time.
Fortunately, accessing launch control and activating it is easy. Here's how.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Scuffed
January 28, 2015
"What happened to the Mustang?" I'd just spent 3 days in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT and had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.
"The back. It's all screwed up."
I ran down to the parking garage.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: First Impressions
January 27, 2015
The 2015 Ford Mustang GT redesign and overhaul generated so much scrutiny, attention and expectation that now that it's here, it's a bit of a hangover. It's here, it's rad and they didn't botch it. That may be faint praise, but in large-scale manufacturing of a successful product, I'd call that a win.
Our last 5.0-liter GT was a pretty special car. It nailed a combination of legacy, modern power and affordability that few cars can claim. After a few days in our new long-termer, I'd say it still does, with some evolution on all counts.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Coyote Voodoo Cross-Plane Flat-Plane
January 21, 2015
Fresh from the Detroit Auto Show, I am flush with thoughts of our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang's engine family. Ford's "modular" V8 in its current 32-valve, 5.0-liter "Coyote" form has potency and refinement in equal measure. It's a pleasure to drive. You might think this is as good as the Mod motor gets.
You'd be wrong.
2015 Ford Mustang: Horse Lasers
January 19, 2015
Our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang has this thing. It's shown above. Yup, it's a horse on the ground. More specifically, a horse is beamed from a little transmitter integrated into each of the Mustang's side-view mirrors when you unlock the doors.
I repeat: this car projects horse images onto the ground.
2015 Ford Mustang: Interior Storage Drawer
January 15, 2015
Here's a little surprise-and-delight (does anyone else loathe that expression like I do?) feature I discovered in our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang. The squareish panel shown above looks like an innocuous little something. I wonder what it is...
2015 Ford Mustang GT: It's Too Quiet
January 14, 2015
Our 2015 Ford Mustang GT is really quite entertaining, even though we're still breaking it in. But it's missing some of the theatrics that I've loved about Mustangs past.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Fuel Economy for December
January 8, 2015
We started tracking fuel economy in our 2015 Ford Mustang GT in mid-December with 171 miles on the odo. Since then, it's been easy sailing as we nurse this big V8 through its break-in procedure. No hard driving. No high revs. Should be a slam-dunk to hit the EPA's 19 mpg combined (15 city / 25 highway) rating. Right?
2015 Ford Mustang: Great Shifter
January 6, 2015
Our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang's shifter is great. Despite being responsible for corralling (har har) all the torque this big V8 belts out, it can be flicked from gate to gate with ease. The gates are very clearly defined and throws are reasonably short. It moves fluidly but doesn't feel flimsy — actually, it feels more positive than the shifter in our 2014 Corvette Stingray.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Should We Have Gone EcoBoost?
December 31, 2014
Should we have bought our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang with the new EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder? I've heard that question quite a bit, and with virtually no reservation, my answer is a resounding...
2015 Ford Mustang GT: I'd Skip the Recaros
December 26, 2014
The Recaro "racing-inspired" seats on our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT are a $1,595 option that "provide added support, even in the most severe lateral G's," according to ford.com.
They look cool, have side airbags in them and have the benefit of being covered under the factory warranty.
I have a thin build and I fit just fine in them. But here's why I'd never get them if it was my car.
2015 Ford Mustang GT: Off the Hook
December 22, 2014
Coupes with rear seats generally suffer from a common but minor annoyance, and that's placement of the front seatbelts. With a long door to allow passengers access to the back seats, the front seatbelt has to be anchored further back as well.