The new 2015 Ford Mustang GT is an awesome car across the board. And it’s only fair that I preface this by saying that I have never really been a Mustang guy either… or even a muscle car guy for that matter. I’m more of a fan of the shiftiness, deceptive speed, handling, and overall underdog-status of most boosted import sports cars. To me, muscle cars always just seemed like bricks with a lot of power, made for a single straight line purpose. But after a week of having my hands on the 2015 GT, I think that my opinions are about to make a quick left hand turn.
First of all, this is NOT the Mustang of years past. We need to leave that stigma behind us. It seems to me that Ford had an objective here to create a true sports car out of their pony car. Something that will hold its own with a lot more than just the Chargers, Challengers, and Camaros of the world. If you’re an import guy like me – realize that this generation Mustang was targeted to get your attention. More power, better handling, independent rear suspension, tighter steering, serious brakes, and a homegrown badass attitude.
My favorite part of the car is that ferocious 400hp+ 5.0 Coyote engine. It rumbles through neighborhoods and roars on the street. It is so crisp; so on point. With a quick blip of the throttle, you’re gone. But the most impressive part about this car is how useable and on-tap the power is. Turbo lag is fun… but NO turbo lag is a lot of fun too. The 6-speed is awesome. You can get way into the throttle in pretty much any gear, and the car will simply squat & go. The GT is an animal launching through 1st & 2nd. Then 3rd just the seems to pull forever. Mustang owners are going to win a lot of light-to-lights because of that short 1st/2nd gear combo. And with the 6th gear, your wallet will appreciate the low RPM highway gas mileage. If you’re a big fan of tire smoke, the GT comes with factory line-lock… the perfect feature to land you right in the back of a squad car.
Our test model was equipped with the factory Brembo brakes package. As stated earlier, the brakes are above impressive, and keep all that power in check – no sweat. If there is one place I’d start in the aftermarket, it would be the suspension. To me – I’d like my GT to be lower, stiffer, and more controlled. As an import guy, I’m used to a hard ride, and I’m not used to feeling much weight transfer. But the good news is: it’s a Mustang. You’ll never find a shortage of aftermarket race parts to dial it in.
And that’s part of what’s luring me into this thing. Back in my earlier tuning days, I was drawn to imports, because they were underdogs. They were great handlers… and we set out to see if we could make them faster than a Mustang. That was the target. But today – everyone knows that imports are fast. You’re not gonna ‘surprise’ any domestic guys at the dragstrip with an Evo anymore. But ironically – now, NOT every import guy is ready to believe that a Mustang could hold its own in the handling department. So the same underdog appeal that drew me to imports, is now drawing me to the Mustang. We all know the GT is fast, but can it be lightened & modified to fill up an import’s mirrors in the twisties?
