2024 Ford Mustang GT Coupe 6-Speed Manual – Review by David Colman

The best real-world sports car for the money

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent to THE AUTO CHANNEL

Chrysler just announced cancellation of the Hemi Charger in favor of an EV Charger and will stop building their Challenger altogether after this year. GM long ago threw in the towel on the entire Camaro model line. So, is the pony car dead? Not at Ford, thankfully.

Here is an automobile company actually run by a racing enthusiast rather than a bean counter. His name is Jim Farley, and he kicks butt on the vintage circuit with his 427 Cobra. Unlike the Stellantis crew running Chrysler, or the EV-lady helming GM, Farley has gift-wrapped a new Ford Mustang for enthusiasts in 2024. It's designated the S650, and it upgrades and replaces the outgoing S550. This introduction marks the 6th major revamp of the Mustang, which debuted at the New York World's Fair in 1964 (I was there). Past history teaches us to expect a new Mustang just once a decade. The new one I recently tested is so good there's cause for unbridled celebration in the Mustang corral.

You can build your 2024 Mustang in three different ways. The Eco-Boost base model offers a 2.3 liter turbocharged 4 under the hood. This one produces a punchy 315hp, and carries a base price of $30,920. Next up the food chain is the wildly popular GT version, which packs the kind of V8 wallop you'd expect from Ford's performance leader. This one is available in both coupe and convertible form. Select from V8 engines ranging from 400 to 500hp, with a huge variety of suspension and wheel options ranging from sporting to full-race tune. The price spectrum for the GT starts at $47,825, and ranges all the way to the new-for-2024 Dark Horse coupe, which carries a base tariff of $61,080. The model we saddled up was a step below the Dark Horse, but otherwise very close to the top end of the GT model range. Our Shadow Black showpiece (Space Gray Cloth Interior) carried a base price of $44,090. The addition of a GT Performance Package added $4,995 to the sticker, and is a must-have addition if you're serious about competing in autocross or road racing events with your Mustang.

Here's are the goodies that a five grand outlay will do to spruce up an already potent 400hp base GT. First on the list is a horsepower bump to 450hp, with an accompanying pop of extra torque. More important than that upgrade is the suspension tweaking that transforms the GT from a quick ride to a road course winner. The transformation starts with a wheel and tire upgrade from the GT's stock 18-inch rims to black painted aluminum 19-inch rims. These wheels comprise part of the $1,095 Mustang Nite Pony package that also blacks out the rearview mirrors and ID badges. Not only does wheel diameter increase, but so too does rim width. The Nite Pony's 19s measure 9 inches wide up front and 9.5 inches wide in back. These are shod with race-worthy Pirelli P Zero summer tires (255/40R19F:275/40R19R) with a pavement grabbing Treadwear rating of TW 220 and a wet traction rating of AA. Ford matches the increased grip of this rubber by installing upgraded Brembo brakes front and rear fitted with high performance puck linings. The black calipers show white Brembo lettering through the wheel spokes. Instead of the stock 3.55:1 rear axle ratio of the base GT, the car we tested benefitted from a 3.73:1 ratio with a Torsen Limited Slip differential that afforded better dig out of turns with no penalty in raised RPM at cruising speeds.

The best part of our week with the GT came from operating its stout 6-speed manual gearbox, which is controlled with a massive chrome stick topped by an equally shiny chrome shift knob. Clutch engagement was pure pleasure, with great feedback from the pedal about when to feed in the gas. The 6 forward gears of this manual transmission are perfectly spaced to maximize the relentless forward thrust of the GT's revised V8. With a decent launch, the GT we tested will lay down 0-60 in 4 seconds, and scorch through the standing start quarter mile in 12.5 seconds at 115mph. Give it 23.5 seconds, and it will top 150mph.

If the augmented GT we drove is insufficient for your power demands, Ford offers the Dark Horse variant for 2024 that bumps power to 500 horses and provides further suspension and braking upgrades designed to drop drag racing ETs below those posted by our test Mustang. You can even select a set of full carbon fiber wheels for your Dark Horse provided you're willing to pay the very steep option price. But really, such financial extravagance is hardly necessary to equip a Mustang GT for everyday usage. We would probably upgrade the GT we tested with the available $2,900 Equipment Group 201A High package, which replaces the modest cloth buckets with a pair of Recaro leather seats and also adds an upgraded Bang & Olufsen stereo to the mix. Other than that, we found the perfectly optioned model we tested to be just about the best real world sports car available for the money.

2024 FORD MUSTANG GT COUPE 6 SPEED

• ENGINE: 5.0 liter V8, DOHC, 32 valve, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 486@7250rpm
• TORQUE: 418lb.-ft.@4900rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 14MPG City/23MPG Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $56,125

HYPES: Sensationally Responsive Driver's Car

GRIPES: None

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10

©2024 David E Colman