2016 Ford Mustang GT
From the June 2017 issue
We live in strange times. A former reality-TV star has keys to the White House, the Chicago Cubs are World Series champs, and Ford Mustangs come with independent rear suspensions. But the Blue Oval’s seminal pony car has not lost all sense of tradition as it finally enters the modern age and, with it, markets outside the U.S. It’s still a workaday barnstormer, and the Mustang’s evolution is still shadowed, as it was in the ’60s and ’70s, by a hard-charging Chevrolet Camaro. That it shared our long-term garage with a 2016 Camaro SS lent us perspective on what is the most forward-thinking Mustang in half a century.
Our 17-month, 40,000-mile rodeo began about a year after the then-new 2015 Mustang celebrated the golden anniversary of the original pony’s debut. This latest GT coupe also secured an immediate spot on our 10Best list (since displaced by the Shelby GT350), which ultimately led to this one taking up temporary residence at 1585 Eisenhower Place.
It’s an altogether more sophisticated steed. The addition of the multilink rear end and a revised front strut suspension has polished the Mustang’s road manners to an unexpected shine, with the newfound refinement bolstered by sleeker proportions and a classier cabin with better ergonomics. It immediately trounced the Dodge Challenger and the previous-gen Camaro SS 1LE in a comparison test.
Minor changes for 2016: Ford’s much-improved Sync 3 infotainment interface replaced the MyFord Touch system, and, in a nod to ’60s nostalgia, designers added barely visible LED turn signals to the hoods of GT models (then subsequently removed them for the 2017 model year).
“I park a lot of cars in my driveway, but nothing brings out the neighbors like the Mustang.” —Carolyn Pavia-Rauchman, copy chief
Ford likes to hype the Mustang’s newly available 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder, but our manual-saving hooligan ways meant that a stick-shift GT with the 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 was the only way to go. For 2015, Ford massaged the smooth, rev-happy 5.0 to produce an additional 15 horsepower and 10 pound-feet of torque, bringing it up to 435 and 400, respectively, which helps compensate for the extra 130 or so pounds the new generation gained. The standard Getrag six-speed manual also entered ’15 with minor revisions, including reduced clutch and shifter efforts, even if the shifter’s tight gates mean you sometimes grab fifth gear when reaching for third.
Service Timeline:
Burnin' rubber, and one big pothole.
Key:
- Repairs
- Damage
- Maintenance
- Normal Wear
- Oil Additions
October 8, 2015
603 miles: Ford Mustang GT arrives at C/D HQ
November 18, 2015
3010 miles: Swap to 19-inch Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 winter tires
December 10, 2015
4156 miles: Add 0.75 quart of 5W-20 synthetic-blend engine oil
February 18, 2016
9941 miles: First service: oil and filter change and inspection, $42
April 15, 2016
14,191 miles: Fix suspension damage from pothole impact. Replace left-rear damper, shock mount, fuel-filler pipe, and perform wheel alignment, $732
April 19, 2016
14,204 miles: Remount Pirelli P Zero summer tires
June 27, 2016
19,801 miles: Second service: oil and filter change, replace cabin air filter, and tire rotation, $83
August 9, 2016
22,345 miles: Replace worn rear summer tires, $480
September 26, 2016
24,879 miles: Add 1 quart of 5W-20 engine oil
November 18, 2016
30,252 miles: Third service: oil and filter change and tire rotation, $62
November 22, 2016
30,421 miles: Reinstall Bridgestone winter rubber, including replacing worn rear tires, $615
30,421 miles: Replace damaged tire-pressure sensor, $36
March 3, 2017
40,609 miles: Fourth service: oil and filter change and inspection, $42
March 3, 2017
40,609 miles: Replace second set of worn rear P Zeros, $508
40,610 miles: Long-term test concludes
In the name of parsimony, we started with the V-8 coupe’s Premium trim level for $37,200 (base GTs start about $4000 less) and went light on the extras. Along with standard automatic HID headlights, eight airbags, and the GT’s line-lock burnout software, the Premium setup includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen in the console, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated and cooled leather front seats, selectable driving modes (normal, sport-plus, track, and snow/wet), ambient lighting, and heated exterior mirrors with galloping-pony puddle lamps. Premium trim also adds nicer interior materials, such as a seemingly machine-turned aluminum panel across the dash, but some hard plastics are reminders of the Stang’s blue-collar roots.
We took a pass on navigation, adaptive cruise control, and other amenities, save for black leather manual Recaro sport seats ($1595) and the GT Performance package ($2495), which nets six-piston Brembo front brakes with 15.0-inch rotors (up from the base 13.9-inchers) and a shorter 3.73:1 rear axle with a Torsen limited-slip differential.
The Performance package also features chassis and strut-tower braces, a firmer suspension tune, a larger radiator, and revised programming for the electrically assisted power steering and stability-control system. The bundle’s painted 19-inch wheels wrapped in staggered Pirelli P Zero summer rubber (255/40s in front, 275/40s out back) completed our car’s midnight-rider visage.
Upon its arrival in late fall, there was just enough time to break in and track-test our GT before it needed a set of OE-size Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 winter tires to stay out of snowy embankments. When new, it dashed to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 12.9 at 112 mph, making it the quickest GT we’ve tested and almost as fleet as the 526-hp GT350. A solid 156-foot stop from 70 mph and 0.94 g of lateral stick evidenced the latest Mustang’s impressive road adhesion, despite both figures trailing the 150-foot and 0.98-g returns posted by our manual Camaro SS. (The 455-hp Chevy hit 60 mph in four seconds flat, and it blitzed the quarter in 12.3 at 118 mph.)
