2016 Ford Mustang GT Coupe

Long-Term Road Test Update

WHAT WE LIKE: Approaching the midway point of our long-term Ford Mustang’s 40,000-mile review, the 2016 GT continues to largely please drivers with its rev-happy, 435-hp 5.0-liter V-8 and sinister, blacked-out mien. Its Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires are long gone, and the return of 0.94 g of lateral grip from the Pirelli P Zero summer rubber means we’re back to tearing up country roads and highway interchanges. Despite its more civilized, global design, the latest Mustang still feels all-American at heart, including one of our favorite characteristics, the sloping fastback roofline that evokes that of the first-generation Mustang from the mid-1960s. It is an excellent way to get an instant pick-me-up. Additional long-distance travel also has boosted our average fuel economy to 20 mpg, which is 1 mpg better than the EPA’s combined rating and sufficient for 320 miles of range on the open road.

 WHAT WE DON’T LIKE: The arrival of our long-term 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS, however, has brought with it an alternative pony-car lens through which to view the Mustang. The Chevy’s wicked dual-mode exhaust makes us wish even more that we could hear the full voice of the Ford’s heavily muffled Coyote V-8. Both cars have comically small back seats, but our Mustang’s front chairs continue to elicit gripes about their confining side bolsters, which can impede smooth shifting of the six-speed manual transmission. Logbook comments have called out the GT’s brakes for being too grabby on initial application, particularly when they’re cold. And while Ford’s new Sync 3 infotainment system is vastly simpler to use than was the previous MyFord Touch, it’s a little too basic for some after exposure to the Chevy MyLink system in our better-equipped 2LT Camaro. The Mustang’s greatest demerit has centered on its manual shifter, which can often feel notchy in lower gears. It’s not helped by the short 3.73:1 gearing of our GT’s optional Performance package; several drivers have found it difficult to smoothly and quickly work through the lower ratios around town, where clunks from the drivetrain can be heard as each gear is selected. Our local Ford dealer inspected the shifter and the gearbox for problems but deemed it to be working normally. 

Source: www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-ford-mustang-gt-coupe-long-term-road-test-update