The Ford Mustang has been gracing the world’s highways for over 60 years, without ever going out of production. The latest generation Mustang has been on sale since the 2015 model year, it is getting a bit old but Ford has kept things interesting by introducing many special edition models, more racing oriented models, and even an electric Mustang. The electric Mustang is something completely different, but it does share the Mustang name (Mustang Mach-E).
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to review a Mustang spec that I’ve never reviewed. No, I wasn’t lucky enough to drive one of the special ones like the Bullit, or 760-HP GT500. The review car in question was a Mustang GT Convertible with an automatic transmission, I’ve reviewed a few V8 powered Mustangs but they always came with manual transmissions.
The 2021/2022 Ford Mustang convertible is offered in three trims. The base EcoBoost Convertible has a starting price of $36,895, the EcoBoost Premium Convertible starts at $43,520, and the GT Premium Convertible has a starting price of $54,795. The Convertible has a $5,780 premium over the same trim coupe.
Our review car was the 2021 Mustang GT Convertible Premium, it came with a sticker price of $64,540. It’s not a cheap car by any means. Our car came with the following options:
- Equipment Group 401A ($2,200)
- 10-Speed Automatic Transmission ($1,750)
- 3.55 Ratio Limited Slip Axle ($500)
- Active Valve Performance Exhaust ($1,000)
- 20” Premium-Painted Aluminum Wheels (1,500)
- Mini Spare Wheel & Tire ($200)
- 12 Speaker B&O Sound system ($1,000)
- Destination & Delivery ($1,800)
The convertible Mustang is offered with either a 2.3-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, or a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine. The 4-cylinder engine produces 310 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 350 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 rpm. The V8 engine produces 460 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 420 pound-feet of torque at 4,600 rpm, all of these figures are on 93 octane fuel. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission or a 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission.
Driving the Mustang GT feels exactly like how you’d expect it; it’s powerful, it’s loud, and its American sports car at its finest. The V8 produces power smoothly without the use of any superchargers or turbochargers. No matter how much horsepower a 4-cylinder turbocharged engine produces, there’s nothing comparable to a naturally aspirated V8 engine, it just feels so natural, just the way God had intended these cars to be.
So far, every V8-powered Mustang I’ve ever driven has come with a 6-speed manual transmission, so I was excited to try our the 10-speed automatic offered with the V8. At the beginning, I did not enjoy the automatic transmission, I missed the feeling of switching gears myself on a sports car. And because of the extra loud exhaust and the drop top, the sound that came out of the exhaust felt very drone-y, the sounds and the feeling of the 10 gears made it almost feel like a CVT… yes, you read that correct. I think the problem was me using the Mustang as a regular commuter, where you don’t push the car hard and the transmission is trying to be the most efficient and quickly going to the highest gear possible. I think I saw the transmission in 8th gear just cruising around at 40 – 50 km/h.
However, my dislike for the transmission quickly faded when I actually put it into the sports mode and pushed the car harder. The transmission felt like a really nicely sorted out automatic transmission with crisp gear changes and not up shifting too quickly. The transmission stays in the right gears and if you press the accelerator even harder, the gears drop really quickly while skipping some to get to the lowest possible gear. It is a good transmission if you’re pushing it hard. Personally, I would still go with the manual transmission.
I also found the optional Active Valve Performance Exhaust to be … well, exhausting. Maybe I’m getting too old for the Mustang but I did not like the constant barrage of noise, personally I would go without this option.
The current generation Ford Mustang is a good-looking car in my opinion, it has been in production since 2015 but still looks pretty fresh. The interior hasn’t changed much over the years, Ford did introduce a digital instrument panel a few years ago. The interior is mostly hard plastics unfortunately, and it doesn’t have a premium feel as the car’s “Premium” trim would suggest. It is a comfortable place to be in, I took an EcoBoost Mustang on a 2,000-kilometer trip and found it to be comfortable.
Final Thoughts
I think the Mustang is a great car for people looking for an American muscle car, or even a sports car in general. The V8 engine is something we should cherish, who knows how long this will be available. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of the 10-speed automatic transmission on this car, I would much rather get the 6-speed manual, which is another thing we should cherish before it’s gone for good.
