Ford Mustang Review | Is the Iconic American Muscle Car Right for You?
Woo. Mustang. The name has been an automotive icon for over 50 years. What we have here today is the latest chapter in that story, a 2020 Mustang GT premium. The question is does it live up to the legend? We’re here at the Edmunds test track in Southern California to put this pony through its paces and see if it makes the grade. Hi. I’m Travis from Edmunds. We test and review hundreds of cars, trucks, and SUVs each year, while CarMax buys, sells, and expertly appraises thousands upon thousands. We’ve combined forces, putting our testing knowledge to use
with CarMax’s experience to help you make the right decision for your next car. And I’m especially excited to help you make that choice for your next car if it’s got a five-liter V8 and a six-speed manual. Woo. Ha ha ha. Yes. Ha ha. That never gets old. For more videos like this, be sure to like and subscribe to the CarMax YouTube channel. And if you want all the information on the Mustang and its competitors, be sure to click the link in the description below. Now for some more V8 noises. Woo. The Ford Mustang was redesigned
in 2015, and in 2018 it got some refreshed looks and some suspension updates. This 2020 model gets all those upgrades and more. There are five trim
the options you can get with one, stuff like bigger brakes, a bigger radiator, high performance suspension, or all sorts of aerodynamic tweaks. But what we did was go with this one that’s got a V8, a six speed manual, and we’re going to hop in and enjoy the ride. Before we get back out on track, let’s talk about the interior and how it stacks up against rivals. The front seats have a really nice balance of comfort and performance. They’re firmly padded, but they’ll do well on road trips and there’s enough side bolstering to hold you in
place for driving up a curvy road. That’s what you want. You want to keep your butt in the seat. There’s plenty of room up front for the driver and a front passenger, but the rear seats aren’t very large. You’re really only going to be able to fit small children or a child seat in the back. And unfortunately, the front seats don’t move forward very far, so loading the child seat into the back is going to be kind of difficult. I like to think of the back seat more of a glorified luggage shelf. For cargo, the
Mustang is right in the middle of the class. It’s got a larger trunk than the Camaro, but not as large as the Challenger. Interior storage space? Well, hence what you’d expect in a muscle car. It’s pretty tight, but nothing crazy. Optional on some of the lower trims, the GT Premium gets the 8 inch touchscreen as standard and it’s powered by Ford’s infotainment interface called SYNC. This one’s the third version, so it’s appropriately named SYNC 3. It responds to voice commands really well, and if you’re plugging in your smartphone via USB, it indexes your music really
quickly. Unfortunately, the graphics are kind of ho-hum. They’re not my favorite. And even with the optional stereo, the music doesn’t get loud enough for my tastes. That all said and done though, let’s take this thing out for a drive. So as you probably expect from a 460 horsepower V8, acceleration is pretty good, especially in a straight line. At the Edmunds test track, we went zero to 60 in 4.6 seconds. Ha ha. And that’s fast. Now, I really like the six speed manual. It’s got short throws, really crisp shifts, and it feels amazing in your hand,
but there’s no shame in getting the 10-speed automatic either. That’s a great transmission, especially if you’re stuck in traffic a lot on your daily commute. Woo-hoo. But I’d go with the manual if it were my choice. Oh, so much fun and you don’t have to get the V8 either the EcoBoost or the turbocharged four-cylinder. It’s a fun drive as well, and you get the benefit of a little bit better fuel economy. Steering and handling are excellent. This is not just a point it in one direction and go fast in a straight line kind of car.
It feels really refined. I mean, don’t get me wrong. You can still have a little bit of fun and get it sideways on a racetrack if that’s what you’re looking to do, but this thing feels great in the corners, too. Unlike the Chevy Camaro, you can actually see out of this thing. The Camaro– it’s like you’re driving around a mailbox. This? The visibility’s fine. Sure, it’s limited because of small windows on coupes, but the mirrors are large and I’m not worrying about my blind spots all the time. Much nicer. Where it all comes together though
is the combination of things that the Mustang is good at. It’s fun to drive on the weekends. It’s fast in a straight line. And it’s easy and comfortable to drive on a daily basis or on a long road trip. Sure, you could go with the GT 500 or the GT 350, but this GT with the V8 strikes a great balance between daily driving comfort and weekend fun. Alright. Enough talking about this car. I’m just going to keep on driving. Ha ha ha. Yes. Yes. That’s the way it goes. The Mustang has been around for a
long time for a reason. It’s fun to drive, it’s pretty good to look at, and it’s got some practicality stuffed in there, too. This 2020 model– it’s one of our favorites of all time and it’s right at the head of its class. For more videos like this, click Like. Subscribe to the CarMax YouTube channel. And if you want all the information on the Mustang and its competitors, click the link in the description below.
