LOOKS

The Mustang looks and feels like a tough vehicle. Muscle cars can’t be weak, after all.

My test vehicle had a sharp bright yellow paint scheme that got me endless looks and beeps/thumbs up during the week I drove it. These kind of paint schemes are common on muscle cars, which are not meant to blend in like so many other cars seem to do these days. They are supposed to jump out and grab your attention, both in how they look and how they sound.

While technically a four-seater, the rear seats are super-tight, especially when a tall person sits up front. So I consider this essentially a two-seater (though small kids could fit in the back, I wouldn’t put adults there).

The leather-trimmed seats were comfortable, and the seats up front can be heated or cooled.

ENGINE, HORSEPOWER

There are several engines offered on the 2015 Mustang, but mine had the most powerful option: A 5.0-liter, V8 that provides 435 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque. If you opt for the other engine choices, you’ll be closer to 300 horsepower, which isn’t nearly as fun but still serviceable.

The 5.0 is a beast, and growls like one too. You know this thing is powerful just by looking at it and listening to it, and you soon feel it once you start to drive.

The Mustang is offered with either manual and automatic transmission, and you’ll pay extra ($1,195) for the automatic.

You have three driving modes on the Mustang: Comfort, Sport+ and Track.

Comfort is the regular drive mode, for use when you’re stuck in traffic or very stop-and-go (no need to be extra fast if you’re not moving). Change over to Sport+ mode and you’ll start to see what this bad boy is capable of. The difference is noticeable from the second you hit the gas in this mode -- you’re hauling. In Track mode, you could take this thing out to your local speedway and do some damage. It’s not a mode you’ll end up using too much in daily drives, but if you find a nice open stretch of highway or windy road, turn on Track mode and enjoy.

In addition to the pure speed of the Mustang and it’s quick reaction to any input on the gas pedal, the handling is pretty impressive for a ride of its size. Just don’t go too crazy.

Driving the Mustang makes you feel like you are in a racecar, because it basically is one. While not as outlandish in its numbers as some other vehicles that have recently come out (i.e. the 700+ horsepower Dodge Hellcat vehicles), it still flies. And honestly, I’m pretty sure no one outside of NASCAR needs to go too much north of 435 horsepower, so this number if just fine with me.

TECHNOLOGY , SAFETY

In the tech arena, my test Mustang had the latest big-screen Sync with MyFord Touch setup, and as usual with this system I had little to no issues getting the system to follow my voice commands. If you want to access the touchscreen and manually control things like temperature, audio and navigation, you can also do that very easily, but while driving the voice commands came in very handy.

My vehicle also came with a helpful rearview camera to assist with backing up safely, and a tire pressure monitoring system.

In terms of safety features, all Mustangs feature anti-lock brakes, traction control and a rearview camera. You can choose to add other safety options such as adaptive cruise control and reverse parking assist.

MPG

Considering what this vehicle does and what’s under the hood, don’t expect miracles in the mpg department. Official numbers are 16 city/25 highway/19 combined. I averaged about 20 mpg while driving the Mustang.

PRICE
Base price on the Mustang GT Coupe Premium is $36,100, but by the time an upgraded audio system, automatic transmission, triple yellow paint job, adaptive cruise control, navigation system and a few other features were added, it jumped up to $43,655.

A base Mustang with a less powerful engine and minus the tech features will cost you about $24,000.

BOTTOM LINE

The 2015 Ford Mustang continues the storied tradition of an American muscle car classic. It remains fun to drive and is affordable compared to foreign sports cars and competes well with its American competition in the segment (mainly the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro),

The 2015 Mustang offers endless fun with its killer engine, and Ford has hit another home run here that muscle car enthusiasts will surely enjoy.

 

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Matt Myftiu can be found on Twitter @MattMyftiu.