This was an interesting car for us. The EcoBoost Mustang, which uses a 2.3L turbocharged four cylinder engine, has received a lot of compliments and accolades from car reviewers about its improved handling. Their rationale is that Ford has improved the handling in general and that the reduced weight over the front axle (200+ fewer pounds) supposedly greatly increases steering feel and responsiveness. There have been reports that this brings the Ford Mustang EcoBoost closer to being a true sports-car (sporty handling) instead of just a pony car (fast in a straight line). We were therefore rather enthused to get a chance to try it in manual form as this is something we would consider cross-shopping in the future or if Subaru kills the BRZ.
One thing we were surprised by was how large it was. It is a two door coupe. It is not small.
We did not feel small in this car compared to other cars on the road.
Another thing that surprised me is the sheer amount of cheap plastic in the body work - for example, both the top and bottom of the grill and the fake vents on the hood. For a car with a starting price of $26,395 I would like to see the grill more open and less closed off plastic (see the picture above and below).
The Mustang is easier to get into and out of than the BRZ. That was one advantage of its size.
It may be quieter than the BRZ but the road surface is pretty good compared to what we usually drive on, so it was hard to tell. It was quieter for tire noise, but the suspension sounds more crashy when we were on noisier roads.Holly was disappointed that the black panel in the roof was not a sun roof.
The standard wheels on these are 19". They are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season tires that are square (all four corners using same dimensions) as opposed to staggered (different sizes front and rear). The ratings on Tire Rack are okay, best for dry, with no performance rating for winter / snow on the all season tires. The dimensions are 255/40 ZR 19 96W. The fact that the wheels and tires are not staggered is a good thing. Many owners who track the cars and canyon carve with them prefer them being square, not staggered.
I am disappointed by how small the brakes appear in the 19" wheels. Also the size of the wheels and tires may have been responsible for a bit of hesitance we felt in the steering on turn in.
The trunk space was fairly generous, but the trunk floor was fairly high and the tail light cut outs made the portal to put luggage in very narrow. You have to lift items quite high to put them in the trunk. While the trunk is bigger than that of our Subaru BRZ, the entrance is smaller.
These are the fake plastic hood vents. They do not pass through and allow any air in.
The engine is a 2.3L inline four cylinder producing 310 HP @ 5,500 RPM and 350 lb.-ft. @ 3,000 RPM if using 93 octane fuel. Not sure what the power figures are on 87 octane, but it takes it. Not sure if we were driving it on 87 octane or 93 octane as we did not fill it until we went to drop it off, so we may have been down on power. There is a decent amount of torque and push without a lot of revving.
The prior drivers had an average fuel economy of 22.5 MPG. We reset it before we started driving. We engaged cruise control when it was at 27.5, and cruise control promptly dropped us to 27.0. I took back over and we finished our first segment of freeway driving at 29.2 MPG. This is the opposite of our Subaru BRZ whose cruise control almost always beats us. We also found that fuel efficiency dropped off a lot more when going up hills than the BRZ does.
Our final fuel economy figures were 25.6 MPG over 89.3 miles driven.
Holly observes that acceleration in the Mustang eats a lot more gas (in terms of instantaneous fuel economy) than the BRZ, and it does not idle efficiently.
I accelerated down an on ramp. There was noise. That one acceleration dropped average MPG to 27.1. I asked Holly if that was impressive. Holly looked up from her phone and stares blankly at me and said: "What? I guess not, I didn't even know I was supposed to be aware of that." She did not grab the oh-shit handle at all during the whole trip. Good thing too, because the oh-shit handle isn't nearly as nicely placed as in the BRZ.
Clutch compared to BRZ: "fricking soft." No feel. In the Subaru BRZ we get some feel, not a ton but more than this. I did find the engagement point in the parking lot but was having a bit of trouble on the road.
Holly really enjoyed quoting me directly for this review and her notes are full of quotes: "Usually more horsepower and torque should mean more clutch feel, but this is so over boosted. [Damn]."
The interior feels like you're sitting in a deep bathtub. The dashboard is high and visibility over the hood is not great. Seating position with this dash is extremely awkward.
Holly's take: "It feels like I'm in a cave and a really deep bathtub. Seats are comfy enough, bigger than the BRZ. Knee rest is hard plastic but that is okay because the seats are wider so we do not even come close to touching."
Steering wheel telescopes, steering column height adjustable by notches. This allows for limited adjustability instead of allowing for any placement. The steering wheel position felt very cramped for me. No matter what it was closer to my chest than I wanted it to be unless I tried to lean back much more than I usually do while driving.
There was a decent amount of foot room in the passenger seat. Still Holly liked it better driving than as a passenger.
Holly felt it was rather claustrophobic. More claustrophobic than the BRZ mainly due to how tall the dash is relative to the roof-line. There was still a decent amount of foot room in the passenger seat.
There is a back up camera, so that was useful.
I found no dead zone in the steering wheel, though Holly disagreed with me on this. I think that the little dead zone we felt coming off the center of steering wheel is most likely due to the wheels being 19" and using 255 section rubber.
300 degree steering wheel turn to make 90 degree turn from stop. 90 degree steering wheel turn to make 90 degree turn at 30 mph.
We didn't feel potholes through our hands, only through our asses. We found that you do not really feel much of anything through the steering wheel and it was rather disappointing.
We also found less damping in the suspension than BRZ and more oscillation after bumps.
The seat belt is comically far back from the driver seat. I am sure this assists in entering the rear seats but was a pain when reaching back. There may have been a a strap on the seat with a mechanical clasp to hold the seat belt, but I forget.
Headroom in back seat is nonexistent. Otherwise, there is enough space to sit comfortably in the back seat.
We could have digital speedometer and tire pressure gauge if we wanted. Turn signal tick was not even; it had a two step sound. The instrument cluster had the usual amount of Ford menu options, nothing particularly fancy. The usage of "GROUND SPEED" in the speedometer was an interesting quirk.
Top of the dashboard: plastic with molded stitches. Hilarious.
Also cheap. Also, why? Who are they fooling?
Shifter centers nicely. The throw is nice and short though a bit awkward with a water bottle in the water bottle holder. There were no water bottle holders in doors so we have to use the center one. The materials are more craptastic plastics.
It does not engine brake the same way as the Subaru BRZ when it grabs a lower gear. It was also less reactive than the BRZ in 6th gear. You are best off down shifting when you go to pass while cruising on the highway. We unanimously liked the shifter.
The brake pedal has progression. It is pretty decent. The gas pedal does not have a lot of feel. It was hard to get a sense of exactly how much throttle you are giving it.
Climate controls and the rest were uninspiring but functional.
In conclusion, a quote from me to Holly:
"You know how I said if we get a new car we would have to consider the four cylinder Mustang? I retract that."
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