Tooling along the canyon roads of Southern California’s Angeles Crest National Forest in the 2024 Ford Mustang GT, I have a mission: Experience the many toys the new Mustang offers in both the coupe and the convertible. That’s a pretty tall order as Ford throws everything the enthusiast driver might want at its seventh-generation pony car, as well as a healthy helping of tech, and it all improves upon an already great sports car.
That toybox includes performance equipment and tech features, and many of the latter are enabled by the former. Much of it is run through a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.4-inch touchscreen that are both powered by the Sync 4 infotainment system and the Unreal Engine that backs many games. For more on the screens, which add a lot of tech to the new Mustang, check out this breakdown.
This GT is equipped the way I’d order my car: manual transmission, Performance Package, magnetic dampers, and active exhaust system.
2024 Ford Mustang GT
2024 Ford Mustang GT
2024 Ford Mustang GT
2024 Ford Mustang: Still a 5.0, but with more power
The standard performance parts start under the hood, where there rumbles a good ol’ American V-8. It’s the fourth-generation Coyote 5.0-liter V-8 that’s outfitted with a new dual air intake to feed dual electronic throttle bodies. In standard form, it makes 480 hp, up from 450, and 415 lb-ft of torque, up from 410. Add the optional active exhaust system and output rises slightly to 486 hp and 418 lb-ft. The exhaust costs $1,225, but it’s worth every penny just for the look of the quad exhaust tips.
It sounds pretty great, too, as have Ford V-8s since the 1960s. Drivers can adjust the sound through four levels, starting at subdued and ramping up to a Track setting that Ford recommends only be used at a racetrack due to the high decibels it can belt out. Driving alone on a canyon road, Track offers an appropriate soundtrack. When driving with anyone in the car, Track and Sport can drown out conversation. That’s a good thing or a bad thing, depending on who’s in the car with you.
2024 Ford Mustang GT
The sound can be experienced from outside the car as well, but only in cars with the 10-speed automatic. It’s called Remote Rev and it’s the new toy Ford has added so owners can show off for the neighbors or at Cars & Coffee events. To activate it, remote start the car by hitting the key fob’s lock button followed by the start button twice. Once started, hit the lock then the unlock button and the car will issue a low rev. Do it again, it will rev higher to the delight of onlooking gearheads. It’s an adult remote-control version of the vroom-vroom sounds we all made when playing with Hot Wheels.
Power delivery feels much like it did in the outgoing car. The V-8 launches hard off the line, revs willingly up to 7,500 rpm, and scoots the Mustang GT from 0-60 mph in the low-to-mid four-second range.
Achieving those 0-60 mph times with the available 10-speed automatic transmission should be a piece of cake, but it’s not so easy with the manual.
2024 Ford Mustang GT
I pull into one of the many turnouts on a deserted stretch of road to try out another toy, launch control. To activate the feature, I hit the MyMustang button below the center screen then choose Track Apps. There I can set the car to launch anywhere from 2,500-7,000 rpm. Someone has set it at 4,900 rpm, so that’s what I try first. I also use Track Apps to measure the 0-60 mph time. When the system says it’s ready, I put one foot on the clutch and the other on the throttle, then dump the clutch. The engine bogs as the tires grip too hard, and my 0-60 mph time comes in at a disappointing 5.8 seconds. I try again at 5,500 rpm, and this time tire spin slows the time to 6.1 seconds. Not willing to press my luck, I decide that’s enough. It turns out the revs were likely set too high both times, as a Ford engineer later says 3,500 rpm is better for an unprepped surface like the street.
While I’m at the large turnout, I decide it’s time to try another toy, the line lock, which is basically a burnout enabler. It’s also activated through Track Apps and requires a foot on the brake and another on the clutch. I have to then hold the OK button on the right side of the steering wheel and confirm I want the line lock with another press of OK. From there, a clock ticks down from 15 seconds, during which time the front brakes hold and the rear tires can spin to their tread’s content. Again, I dump the clutch and a cloud of smoke immediately engulfs the Mustang. It’s an overt sign that I’m up to no good, so I let off after maybe five or six seconds and wait for the countdown to finish. I can’t imagine how often you’d have to buy tires if you went the whole 15 seconds on a semi-regular basis.
2024 Ford Mustang GT
The 6-speed manual transmission has a pair of performance goodies of its own, namely downshift rev matching and a shift light. Both are controlled through Track Apps, and the shift light can be set anywhere from 4,000-7,200 rpm. The engine can wind all the way to 7,500 rpm, so why not set the shift light at the top end? The shift indicator looks different in different modes, presenting as a blue line on a red graph in Track mode and a bar that comes together in the middle with the instrument cluster in its Fox Body ’87-’93 theme. It’s helpful in any case.
The manual feels like it did in the sixth-generation S550 Mustang. It has a firm but not overly heavy clutch pedal and a short shifter with positive engagement. It’s a joy to drive and it makes me feel more in tune with the car than any automatic can. I don’t get the chance to try the 10-speed automatic in the GT, but Ford says it’s recalibrated to handle the additional power and to hold gears longer in Sport mode. I did try it in the turbo-4 Mustang EcoBoost model, where it performed well to keep that car’s 315 hp on tap.
The only tech-based performance feature I don’t try in the GT is the new Drift Brake. It’s an electronic parking brake that changes its pressure based on how hard the driver pulls the L-shaped parking brake handle that rises from the center console to entice the driver. It works as advertised, as I learned on a closed course during my drive of the new Mustang EcoBoost.
2024 Ford Mustang GT
2024 Ford Mustang GT
2024 Ford Mustang GT
2024 Ford Mustang: Performance Package is the way to go
For those who want their Mustangs to handle as well as they accelerate, the $4,995 Performance Package adds all the right goodies: wider 19×9 front and 19×9.5 rear gray-painted aluminum wheels that mount 255/40 and 275/40 Pirelli P Zero PZ4 tires, heavy-duty front springs, a chassis K-brace, a strut-tower brace, a rear wing spoiler, a Torsen limited-slip rear differential with a 3.73 axle ratio, sport suspension tuning with a larger rear sway bar (33.3 mm vs 32 mm), and larger brakes. The brakes consist of 15.4-inch vented front discs with Brembo 6-piston calipers and 14.0-inch vented rear discs with 4-piston calipers; those calipers are available in blue, red, silver, or black. The package also adds the Drift Brake, a front tow hook, and a black-painted front grille.
The Performance Pack’s hi-po parts and the magnetic dampers were made for roads like these, but then again we already knew that from the last-generation car. The new S650 Mustang retains the same rear-drive platform as the outgoing S550 model with mostly the same suspension tuning. The only real differences are a stiffer steering column with a slightly quicker 15.5:1 ratio versus the outgoing 16.0:1 ratio, a shorter arm rear integral link from the GT500 to fit the Drift Brake, updated tuning for the magnetic dampers, and new tires. The P Zero PZ4 is a relatively new tire, and a Ford rep tells me it is comparable to the well-regarded Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.
It’s all very well tuned to slay these mountain roads. The $1,750 magnetic dampers do a great job of balancing sportiness and ride quality. A Ford rep says they are generation 3.5 and they’re tuned to be just as sporty as before but offer more comfort while cruising. They’re a must to make a sport-tuned Mustang livable on a daily basis. They team with the springs and stiffer anti-roll bars to limit body lean and give the GT quick reactions to steering inputs.
I welcome the slightly quicker steering ratio, but can’t say I can detect a difference versus the last car. However, I do sense more steering feedback as the car flows from corner to corner, and I prefer the GT’s steering heft, which the EcoBoost lacks. Still, I keep the heaviest of the three available settings for the most stability.
2024 Ford Mustang GT
The Torsen limited-slip differential apportions the power well for acceleration out of turns without making the GT oversteer. While an overly heavy throttle foot and/or the Drift Brake can kick out the rear end, the default handling is neutral and stable, just like the last car.
The 2024 Ford Mustang GT starts at $47,015 with our recommended Premium trim. Versus the base GT, it adds 19-inch wheels, aluminum pedals, a heated steering wheel, a universal garage door opener, more soft-touch interior trim, ambient lighting, a nine-speaker audio system (instead of six), wireless smartphone charging, a satellite radio trial, power-adjustable front seats, and heated and cooled front seats. Add the $7,970 performance options enthusiasts will want, plus the $1,595 destination fee, and the total is $56,580.
That’s a healthy chunk of change, but it buys drivers not only a sports car but also a toybox of goodies. Technology may be pushing cars into the electric era, but in the new Mustang, it’s being used to add to the sports car experience.
Ford paid for travel and lodging for Motor Authority to bring you this firsthand report.