2015 Mustang GT Review: Ford's Muscle Car Is Better Than Ever

This doesn’t need much explanation, does it. You’ve seen a V8 Mustang before. America’s been making these cars for 50 years now. In that time, the Mustang GT has earned a reputation as a brash, brutal muscle car. But now it’s a legitimate sports car.

Of course, some things haven’t changed. Sure, there’s the big 5.0L V8 up front, putting out over 400 horsepower and torque. That’s more than enough to scare and/or thrill the general public.

It still sounds like a muscle car. But for the first time ever all Mustangs have independent rear suspension. In simple terms, that makes it much easier to live with: in the real world, it’s surprisingly comfortable and much more predictable through corners. Unlike most Mustang of the past, you’ll actually want to show this more than just straight lines.

The electronic steering, in sport mode at least, gives excellent feedback, and it’s well-weighted. There’s understeer if you push it really hard, but there’s so much warning that it rarely becomes an issue. Honestly, the chassis has more than enough grip to take on anything the street can throw at it.

Now, typically Mustangs haven’t had very good interiors. The 2015 is...actually really high quality, and this one has a set of surprisingly comfortable Recaro seats. It’s a great place to spend a few road trips in.

The Mustang is impressive in normal trim. On top of that, this one has the “Track Pack”, which gives you different springs, better chassis bracing, and a shorter final drive ratio to keep you in the powerband all the time. There’s also monstrous 6-piston Brembo brakes, and Pirelli P-Zero tires that, if we’re honest, are a small step away from track rubber. It’s all tied together with a quick shifting, if sort of vague 6 speed manual. The car is always eager, always ready to go. It never quite calms down.

There’s a very big problem with this, however.

All the upgrades in the Track Pack make it great...on a track. We don’t live on race tracks. In the real world, you can’t even come close to the limits of this car at normal speeds. When you find them, you’re going fast enough to get into serious trouble. In the real world, you can’t drive everywhere at 100 miles an hour. In the real world, you’re on public roads, struggling to get 20MPG.

But a V8 Mustang has never been about fuel economy and practicality anyway.Make no mistake though -- Track Pack and modern suspension aside, this is still a chunk of classic America. It’s a symphony of burbling exhaust, tire smoke and loud presence.

Sure, the Mustang has grown up in some respects, but in others, it’s just as juvenile.