2024 Ford Mustang GT Review: The Horse Still Has Legs

It’s Déjà vu, Ground Hog Day, a glitch in the Matrix. Call it what you’d like, but the Chevrolet Camaro is heading out of production, the Dodge Challenger is being discontinued, and the Ford Mustang is once again the sole survivor in the pony car wars. 

Ford has been here before on more than one occasion. With no competitors left in the segment, the brand could just sit back and enjoy an exclusive market. But the manufacturer doesn’t want the Mustang to merely survive; Ford wants it to strive. So, in 2024, a  new Mustang is introduced, now in its seventh generation. 

What’s New for 2024:

As mentioned above, the car enters a new generation for the 2024 model year. Although Ford is classifying it as all new, many parts carry over from the previous generation, just with tweaks and updates. There remains a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder or a 5.0-liter V8 as the engine options, but only the V8 can now come with a six-speed manual transmission. The rest of the cars get a 10-speed automatic like before.  

Exterior Style:

At 189.4-inches (4,811 mm) long, the new Mustang is a smidge longer than the car it replaces. The front end is the most dramatic difference, featuring headlights that depart from the past two generations of Mustang and align more with the Mustang Mach-E. 

There are LED lights all over the exterior, with the taillights retaining the classic three bar look and sequential turn signals. The rear of the car does feature a pronounce indented crease that runs from taillight to taillight through the trunk. Photos don’t really show just how aggressively angled it really is. 

Our car came painted in one of my personal favorite colors, Grabber Blue. To match the car, the optional Brembo calipers are painted Grabber Blue as is the high wing spoiler.  

Powertrain and Fuel Economy:

Under the hood remains Ford’s 5.0-liter V8, now making a bit more power. The regular 2024 Mustang GT pumps out 480 horsepower, while ones equipped with the optional Active Valve Exhaust, like my tester, bump output up to 486 hp. It’s the same story with torque as the standard 415-pound feet increases to 418 lb-ft. 

My tester arrived the way all V8 Mustangs should, with the six-speed manual transmission. It incorporates rev-matching downshifts which work quite well in this car. Also included on my tester is the optional Performance Package that I say is a must for the Mustang GT. It upgrades, the rear differential to a shorter 3.73 ratio, adds the rear spoiler mentioned above, and adds more parts I’ll get to later in this review. 

With nearly 500 hp, the 2024 Ford Mustang GT is quick. Even in a world full of electric vehicles making absurd amounts of power, there’s something about the acceleration in a V8 Mustang that no EV can match. A lot of that has to do with the sound. The active valve exhaust unleashes a torrent of sound out the back of the car. There is quiet mode to help keep relations with your neighbors on the good side, as well as Normal, Sport, and Track. 

Normal mode is louder than most cars on the road today and Sport is just crazy loud. How it passes laws to go into production I don’t know, but I’m here for it. The final mode, Track is meant for the track only, but I don’t really notice a huge volume increase over Sport. 

Power from the 5.0-liter engine is a bit reversed compared to a lot of V8s. At lower rpms it makes good power, but it’s the higher revs where the engine really comes alive. The first three gears assault one’s senses as the Mustang gallops toward the horizon (okay, no more horse puns). 

Handling and Drivability:

Further included with the Performance Package are Magnaride dampers and a Brembo brake system, with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers in the rear. Wearing 255/40R19 front tires, 275/40R19 rear tires, the Mustang has moves I haven’t experienced in Ford’s Pony car before. Well, at least not in a regular GT. 

Even with a curb weight of 3,827 pounds (1,736 kg), the car is nimble. It responds instantly to a driver’s inputs and never feels sloppy or twitchy. The steering does lack a bit of feel but it is precise. I liken the new Mustang GT to driving a larger, heavier, more powerful Subaru BRZ. It’s the sort of vehicle that craves to be driven hard. 

To help support the driver’s current mood, there are six driver-selectable drive modes. These include normal, sport, slippery, track, drag strip, and custom.

Ride Quality and Comfort:

Interior comfort has never been a top priority for the Ford Mustang and the new generation is no exception. That stated, the front seat passengers do benefit from 37.6-inches (955 mm) of headroom and 44.5-inches (1,130 mm) of legroom. Our tester included the optional dual-zone climate control, power driver seat, as well as heated driver and passenger seats. 

In term of actual seat comfort, the Mustang GT seats up front are decent and offer good support. Less decent are the two rear seats, which remain the domain of children, with 34.8-inches (884 mm) of headroom and 29.0-inches (737 mm) of legroom. Still, at least the Mustang includes rear seats, something that can’t be said for the Toyota GR Supra or the Nissan Z. The ‘Stang also has a useful trunk that can swallow 13.3 cubic feet (382 L) of gear.

As for ride comfort, the GT is quite compliant over bums for a sports car. Even with the Performance Package, the car doesn’t punish passengers like some other sporty cars do. 

Interior Style and Quality:

With every new generation, the interior gets a bit more conventional while trying to keep that Mustang flair. The center stack of the new car is angled toward the driver, who sits behind a flat bottom steering wheel. There’s a digital gauge cluster that can be customized in many ways, including one layout that mimics the original 1964 Mustang gauges and one that mimics the Fox Body Mustang’s gauges. 

Below the center vents is a row of buttons including traction control as well as the ignition. All other controls are housed inside the touch screen, including those for climate control. We wish there was at least a physical hot/cold button or switch. 

Tech and Safety:

That main touchscreen of the car runs Ford’s SYNC 4 infotainment software. Beside the HVAC controls, the system also houses things like the Track Apps, vehicle set up, and more. It’s also capable of running Apple CarPlay Wirelessly. Rain sensing wipers are standard while my tester came with the optional 9-speaker audio system and customizable ambient colors. 

Safety is a top concern, even for a performance vehicle. The 2024 Ford Mustang GT Coupe includes Ford Co-Pilot360 technology, with features like a Blind Spot Information System, 

Lane-Keeping System, Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, and more. 

Value Dollars and Sense:

In the United States, the 2024 Ford Mustang GT Coupe starts at a price of $44,455 (all prices including destination). Although the car remains one of the most affordable ways to get a V8 engine, long gone are the days of the GT starting below $40,000. 

As tested, the car featured in this article comes in at $53,965. For comparison, that pricing puts it slightly above the Nissan Z and below the Toyota GR Supra.

In Canada, the starting price for the Mustang GT Coupe is $50,595 while the as tested price came in at $62,390.

Final Thoughts:

Ford’s updates to the seventh-generation Mustang connects the driver to the car in ways previous generations hadn’t. The interior technology is also brought up to date while the exterior is modernized, yet still very Mustang in appearance. There are a few quibbles we have here and there, but overall, the Mustang’s short-term future looks bright.

There may only be one traditional muscle car left on the market now, but at least it’s a really good one.

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