2018 Ford Mustang GT Drivers' Notes Review | Straight outta Michigan

Our new long-term 2018 Ford Mustang GT has been in our hands for just a few days, but we've already tacked a few thousand miles on to the odometer. Unlike most of our test vehicles, Ford allowed us to option the car ourselves. We then let you, our faithful audience, choose most of the features for us. You can read all about it in our introductory post. At $51,470, our car isn't cheap, but it does come with a hell of a lot of equipment for the price.

Associate Editor Reese Counts: I really wish this car had the six-speed manual. Every time I get behind the wheel, all I can think about is how much better the Mustang is with a three-pedal setup. Don't get me wrong, the 10-speed is really good. It's also quicker to 60, too, thanks to near-dual-clutch-quick upshifts. There's just a disconnected feeling you don't find in manual-equipped cars. It's a shame, because I love nearly everything else about it.

The engine is a sweetheart. It's a 460 horsepower ode to bald eagles and free speech, even if it drinks fuel at a comically quick rate. Sure, the EcoBoost is far more fuel efficient, but it's not nearly as pleasing to wring out to redline. This car was made for a V8. Based on global sales figures, the rest of the world agrees with me. The V8-powered GT is the most popular variant worldwide. I couldn't be happier.

I'm a big fan of the styling, too. I wasn't too hot on the 2018 refresh, but it's grown on me quite a bit. It's sharp and has some historical cues without looking retro. It's also far better looking than the Camaro, especially the refreshed 2019 model. What was Chevy thinking?

@therealautoblog pic.twitter.com/gV1hPOk0hg

— Reese Counts (@rmcounts) April 28, 2018

Associate Producer Amr Sayor: A childhood dream came true. Being behind the wheel of an orange V8-powered Mustang GT brought me back to when I was 10 and getting introduced to a 67' Mustang. The seats were extremely comfortable, and the car made me feel as if I were inside an enhanced compact crossover which made feel safe. The handling was responsive, but I did feel multiple bumps through the magnetic suspension while cruising Woodward Avenue. What really won me over was the 0-to-70 onramp acceleration heading to work on I-75. All this power under my control explains why people love muscle cars, especially the Mustang.

Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: I've been spending a lot of time in Mustangs the past couple weeks, between our bright orange automatic-equipped model, and our white manual example. And first off, I'm with Reese, I wish the orange one had a manual transmission. My reasoning is a bit different, though. While the 10-speed is super smooth and pretty smart about gear selections around town, it seems like it trips up a bit when sportier driving is demanded. Downshifts sometimes take a couple tries, or it has to think a little longer than I'd prefer to execute the shift. I also wish the manual shifting felt a little more crisp. I'm certain it's still faster than the manual transmission, but it's not as fun.

Something I really appreciate about our orange Mustang is the MagneRide suspension. The conventional suspension in our white one I found to be rather bumpy and busy over bumps. But our orange Mustang, in normal mode, glides over mildly pockmarked roads and suppresses the worse ones. That being said, the orange car hasn't felt quite as stable on bumpy corners as the white one. I need to play with the modes some more. But even with that small tradeoff, the magnetic suspension is a must-have if you're going to daily-drive your Mustang.

Speaking of corners, I have mixed feelings. The Mustang has a communicative chassis and steering that keep you well-apprised of the situation. That's great, and it makes it easy to push the Mustang. But what bothers me, and makes the car not want to be pushed, is the heavy-feeling nose. It takes more effort than you'd expect to get it to turn in, and while it will, it doesn't do so eagerly. It certainly feels more like a muscle car than a sports car. But then, there are probably a lot of people that enjoy that.

Ending on a positive note, I love the way this looks. I was a little skeptical at first, since I loved the previous version, and at first felt the crisper lines on the fascia didn't work as well, but I've since completely come around. And Orange Fury with black wheels is a brilliant color combination.

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