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Payne: At full gallop in the high-tech, high-performance 2024 Mustang
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 25, 2023
Los Angeles — Angeles Crest Highway north of LA is hardly angelic. This is California’s version of Michigan’s Hell.
Like the writhing byways of Hell north of Ann Arbor, Angeles Crest Highway — aka State Route 2 — is where Southern Cal motorheads escape to put their sports cars to the test. Diabolical switchbacks. Diving turns. A ribbon of road wrapped around sheer canyons. Push the limits and you’ll quickly learn your steed’s envelope. Once upon a time, this was harrowing territory in a Ford Mustang with its boat-anchor V-8 up front and inflexible, solid rear axle out back. No more.
WAAAUUUUURRGGHH! I stomped on the accelerator of the new 2024 Mustang GT at the apex of a blind left-hand turn. Nicely balanced, the coupe tracked out to the edge of the road as I set up for yet another lefthander rushing into view. Hands never leaving the wheel, I toggled TRACK mode with my left thumb for more stiffening from the magnetic shocks. Computer-game quality graphics projected a horizontal, race-style tachometer so I could more precisely shift the steering paddles. WAAAUUUUURRGGHH! Back on the gas.
I drive a lot of new cars every year and few generate lust. Ford’s pony is an exception. The seventh-generation Mustang is a must-have.
Viscerally appealing, wildly capable, high-tech, and (relatively) affordable, the 2024 is a home run — the culmination of 60 years of customer marketing wrapped in state-of-the-art engineering. It didn’t have to be. Ford could have just mailed it in.
In this era of off-road SUV-mania and stifling emissions regulations, the V8-powered muscle car segment is endangered. After the 2024 model year, only Mustang will be left standing, its primary Dodge Challenger/Charger and Chevy Camaro competitors retired to pasture for terrorizing too many polar bears.
But like the “Top Gun: Maverick” sequel, Mustang is a blockbuster with enough action to satisfy multiple demographics: young, old, female, male, motorhead, rent-a-car tourist.
Start with the interior — yes, I’m talking about the interior of a Mustang first. This used to be the last place ‘Stang would invest its budget with its slab dash, uncomfortable seats, hard plastics, and good ol’, retro, double instrument display. The heck with that.
Designer Chris Walter throws around the word “transformative,” and for good reason. This interior is more BMW than old-school Mustang. A 25.6-inch, driver-centric, hoodless screen dominates the cabin and houses twin digital displays. Sure, there are budget constraints — the screen doesn’t get the reflective coating of the $80,000 Bimmers I’ve recently wheeled. But even BMW enthusiasts will drool over the Unreal Engine graphical interface — yes, the same 3D Unreal Engine software that runs Epic Games’ titles like Rocket League and Fortnite — games my sons grew up with. The next-generation Mustang customer has been served.
Sports cars are big toys and Unreal Engine brings a new play set to the cabin to customize drive modes and instrument displays. Or you can just ogle 360-degree graphics of your car. Interior design complements the tech with simple lines, buttons, and wireless charger port for Android Auto/Apple CarPlay.
My favorite interior toy used to be the stick shift, and I’m thrilled the GT still comes standard with a six-speed (#SaveTheManual!), but the liquid-smooth, 10-speed automatic transmission comes with a growing list of benefits that make it the driver’s choice at $1,595. Chief among these is it pairs with the V-8, like Astaire and Rogers, for dancing through the twisties.
Then add launch control, paddle shifters, drifting and remote revving. The latter toys will wow your friends. Join a local drift club and learn the ropes. Remote-start the Mustang, then use the key fob to rev the engine. Dude.
The interior customization mirrors the exterior customization that Mustang customers have long enjoyed. Hmmm, shall I get Atlas Blue with white Shelby stripes or Oxford White with black stripes? The seventh-gen adds more goodies like 12 wheel options, colorful Brembo brake calipers and blacked-out roof.
All that bling would be wasted if the Mustang didn’t have curb appeal, and the ’24 delivers. This is Tom Cruise in a muscle shirt.
I liked the last-gen Mustang that expanded to 120-plus countries with a more European design. But the faithful (like my friend and ‘Stang GT350 owner Chris) protested it as the “Mustang Fusion.” The new-gen is edgier, more muscular with a wide mouth, brooding headlights and a rear fascia inspired by the ‘67 Fastback. Chris likes it.
Dress it in yellow, blue and red Skittle colors to show off the GT’s multiple tattoos: badging and multiple ducts to feed the beast within. The trusty, 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 has been redesigned with menacing, dual throttle bodies that will encourage open hoods at the Dream Cruise.
The hood itself is interrupted by a functional hood scoop that aids cooling and downforce. Developed in Ford’s state-of-the-art Dearborn wind tunnel, the added front downforce is part of a comprehensive effort to make ‘Stang more sports car than muscle car.
Once a Woodward dragster, the ‘15 Mustang’s independent rear suspension opened new horizons. This is now a true sports car and the ‘24 builds on that potential. Steering, shocks, aerodynamics — the parts have all been systematically upgraded to benefit the whole.
The result is a whole lot of joy in corners as well as in a straight line. My co-driver and fellow scribe Robin Warner — a former race driver and Mustang engineer — roared with delight every time he let loose the Coyote’s howl. But it’s the ability to stay in the throttle through the twisties that really thrills.
My yellow V-8 pony was easy to drive fast.
All these upgrades don’t come free, and Mustang gets a significant $3,500 price increase over the sixth-gen model. That means the 480-horsepower GT now stickers for well above $40,000 at a $43,090 starting price. That’s still $20K south of the 453-horse BMW M2 I just tested.
Ford expects the GT to soak up 55% of the sales volume. Coyote is addictive. But for those shopping on a sub-$40K budget, the entry-level, $32,515, 4-cylinder Mustang Ecoboost (ugh, that name) is no ordinary 4-banger.
This is a similar 2.3-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder used in Europe’s Focus RS hot hatch — and it has been thoroughly upgraded for 2024. “Base turbo-four engine fails to excite,” lamented our friends at Car and Driver about the last gen. Problem solved.
Other sports cars’ turbo-4s — the Porsche 718 comes to mind — have disappointed as they strive to satisfy mpg nannies. Mustang’s turbo-4 is Son of Coyote with its playful growl, 350-pound feet of torque (just 65 shy of big brother), and a lighter front end for better handling.
Go topless and that handling confidence goes away. Absent the roof, the ‘Stang is uncertain in fast switchbacks. But that’s not why you buy the convertible. You buy it to cruise the Woodward Dream Cruise, soak up sun, or enjoy a lake breeze in Traverse City.
Mustang has its demerits. You have to take your legs off to sit in the back seat (can we get a Mustang sedan to replace the Dodge Charger, please?), and a head-up display option would be nice. But with the 2024 model, Mustang has matured for a new era.
As the scion of a sub-brand that now includes the Mach-E SUV, ‘Stang is fun, high tech — and, like Tom Cruise, still hot.
2024 Ford Mustang
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, four-passenger sports car
Price: $32,515 base, including $1,595 destination ($53,635 Ecoboost Convertible and $60,840 GT as tested)
Power plant: 2.3-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder; 5.0-liter V-8
Power: 315 horsepower, 350 pound-feet of torque (Turbo-4); 480 horsepower, 415 pound-feet of torque (V-8)
Transmission: Six-speed manual (GT only); 10-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.9 seconds (Motor Trend est.)
Weight: 4,012 pounds (GT as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 22 mpg city/33 mpg highway/26 mpg combined (turbo-4): 14 mpg city/23 mpg highway/17 mpg combined (V-8)
Report card
Highs: Good engine lineup; transformed, high-tech interior
Lows: Cramped back seat; gets pricey with options
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne