2025 Ford Mustang Review: Less colorful, still very characterful
Pros: Big power from all engines; many flavors; available convertible; just-for-fun features including Drift Brake and customizable displays; spacious trunk
Cons: 10-speed auto not performance-oriented enough; limited customization of drive mode settings; rough ride with Performance pack; Convertible cowl shake
We’re not so sure that the latest generation of Mustang is better looking than its predecessor (or even if it’s actually a new generation), but there’s no denying that the 2025 Ford Mustang is a more characterful car thanks to a variety of just-for-the-helluvit features intended to make the modern pony car that much more special. Scare the crap out of that nosy neighbor by revving the engine from your kitchen with the key fob? Check. Change the gauges to look like those from an ’87 Mustang? Check. Opt instead for a combination of 30 different colors spread across the big, double display panel? You got it. How about our personal favorite, the Drift Brake, that was probably the most fun we’ve had in a car since … well, we weren’t that adventurous in high school, so it’s probably the Drift Brake. Anyway, you can get that and have loads of silly fun, too.
Sadly, you can no longer get the Drift Brake with the base EcoBoost four-cylinder engine since the High Performance package it was included in has been discontinued for 2025. Maybe no one was checking that option box, but it still seems like a misstep given how cool that particular option is. Perhaps it’s just indicative of the fact that those who want to have fun in their Mustang still want one with a V8. If so, the 2025 Mustang offers two great ones: the 480-horsepower Coyote V8 in the GT and the 500-horsepower version in the Mustang Dark Horse. Both can be had with a 10-speed automatic or a six-speed manual … yay.
An overhaul of the Mustang’s chassis last year also saw it become both sharper and more composed regardless of the driving environment. Make sure to drive it with and without the GT Performance Pack, though, because even if you’d miss out on the Drift Brake, its firmer ride may take its toll if used as a daily driver – especially with the Mustang Convertible. All told, the Mustang remains a favorite of ours, even if its traditional muscle car competitors (Camaro and Challenger) have both moved on to the great garage in the sky. A lack of competition only increases its appeal.
Interior & Technology | Passenger & Cargo Space | Performance & Fuel Economy
What it’s like to drive | Pricing & Trim Levels | Crash Ratings & Safety Features
What’s new for 2025?
The EcoBoost High Performance package is no longer available, which means you can’t get its Drift Brake with the four-cylinder. That seems sad. Wireless charging is also no longer available at all, which isn’t just sad, but hard to fathom in 2024. Dual-zone climate control is now standard on every Mustang. Finally, you can no longer get the Mustang in Atlas Blue, Rapid Red, Yellow Splash or Dark Matter Gray; but Wimbledon White and something called Molten Magenta Metallic are picked up. Seems like a net loss.
What are the Mustang interior and in-car technology like?
Although some retro touches remain, the 2025 Mustang has a modern interior in both appearance and functionality. It is dominated, as so many cars are these days, by two giant screens, optionally connected by one piece of glass – base models split the displays into free-standing screens – that wrap toward the driver for a more cockpit-like design. The gauge cluster offers four designs, with three of them further customizable by providing roughly 30 color choices you can mix and match in two-tone combinations. Things can get tacky. The final design mimics the analog gauges of the third-generation “Fox Body” Mustang sold from 1987 to 1993. They are very cool and also the most legible of all the options.
As for the 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, it runs off Ford’s existing Sync 4 architecture, but features a different interface with a widescreen orientation. Ford got rid of most physical entertainment and climate controls because replacing them with touchscreen controls was “popular in research with Millenials, Gen-Z and traditional Mustang drivers alike.” Sure it was. Luckily, the climate controls and a bank of menu icons remain docked on the screen, including when using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. As far as all-screen interiors go, this seems like one of the best. It really does look slick, too. Unfortunately, wireless charging is no longer available for 2025 (good grief, why?), but a USB can still be had behind the rearview mirror for track cameras “and other devices.”
How big is the Mustang?
By sport coupe standards, the Mustang is quite large. When hustling it along a tight mountain road, you’re always aware of its sizable footprint and not insignificant weight. Then again, it’s not a sports car, it’s a muscle car.
Inside, the driver will find abundant front seat adjustment, along with sufficient headroom for those well above 6 feet tall. Those on the extreme ends of the height spectrum may want to think twice about the optional Recaro seat option, though. They are manually adjustable and don’t move in as many ways as the standard seats, meaning tall drivers may have insufficient under-thigh support and short passengers may find themselves staring at the dash. The standard seats remain a bit too squishy and still don’t offer power recline.
One of the reasons for the latter omission is to make it quicker to access the back seat. Not that you’re likely to do that very often considering it’s best suited to bags and small dogs. We did manage to fit a large, forward-facing child seat in the back of a coupe, and it wasn’t a completely ridiculous endeavor.
As for the trunk, the coupe’s is surprisingly large at 13.3 cubic-feet, and it came ever-so-close to acing our luggage test. The convertible loses 3 cubes, but 10.3 cubic-feet is still pretty good for a drop-top.
What are the Mustang fuel economy and performance specs?
The Mustang EcoBoost has a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-four that produces 315 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. That smokes many past Mustang V8s. The only transmission available is a 10-speed automatic, and a limited-slip differential comes standard. Fuel economy comes in at 22 mpg city, 33 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined, which is pretty darn good for a Mustang. Note those are 2024 figures as those for 2025 were not available at the time of this writing.
The Mustang GT has a 5.0-liter V8 that produces 480 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque in standard guise, or 486 hp and 418 lb-ft with the optional active valve exhaust. The 10-speed auto is optional, while a six-speed manual transmission is standard. It includes an automatic rev-match downshift function and hill-start assist. Fuel economy is basically the same with both transmissions: 15 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined with the auto, and 15/24/18 with the manual. It falls to 14/23/17 with the Performance Package. We averaged around 16 mpg in a week of mixed driving with a manual GT, including 250 miles of free-flowing highway travel.
The Mustang Dark Horse also has a 5.0-liter V8, but thanks to some stronger engine internals, improved intake and a computer tweak, produces 500 hp and 418 lb-ft of torque. Seeing “500” is admittedly pretty cool, but that’s still only 14 horses more than the best GT. It also comes with the 10-speed automatic, but its six-speed manual option is a different, more performance-oriented Tremec unit previously used in the Shelby GT350. Fuel economy stands at 14/22/17 regardless of transmission.
Mustang GT Convertible and Mustang Dark Horse
What’s the Mustang like to drive?
There are so many different variations and options that can fundamentally change how the Mustang drives, we’re going to do something a bit different here and provide some specific observations that might point you in the direction of one version over another.
Don’t dismiss the EcoBoost. It may not sound as good as a V8, but it has more power than plenty of old Mustang V8s, and it has absolutely no problem getting the tires smoking. The loss of the High Performance Pack does limit its handling capabilities, however.
It also means you can’t get one of our favorite features: the Drift Brake that’s wildly, laugh-out-loud fun. Make sure to use it in a safe place, but man, what a riot. You can read about it more here.
Despite the drift brake and its unquestionable handling and braking improvement, the Performance Pack results in a rough ride. Yes, even with the package’s magnetically controlled dampers (that really should offer a softer setting). This is all made worse in the Convertible, which suffers from constant cowl shake as a result.
Seriously consider getting the manual transmission. It’s easy and engaging to use, especially with its auto rev-matching function. The automatic just isn’t up for duty in a performance car, and worse, it doesn’t come standard with paddle shifters.
The Mustang offers lots of drive modes and six custom settings, but nothing lets you pair a softer suspension setting with more aggressive throttle, transmission, steering and stability/traction settings – something beneficial on real-world, bumpy roads that can upset a chassis with a too-firm suspension.
We’ve had mixed thoughts about the Mustang steering, and it seems like driver preference will probably determine how you feel about it, too.
You can read our in-depth Mustang Dark Horse review here. In short, though, we’re not sure the Dark Horse is really so much better than a loaded GT with the Performance pack that it works out to be a worthwhile upgrade for the money. Especially if you intend it to be your daily driver. Really, you’re just adding stiffer springs, 14 horses and the much-improved six-speed trans (if you get it at all). That’s not nothin’, but it’s a comparison to consider, for sure.
What other Ford Mustang reviews can I read?
2024 Ford Mustang GT & EcoBoost First Drive Review: You want silly? It gives you silly
Our first drive of the 2024 Mustang, including the most in-depth driving impressions of the four- and eight-cylinder versions, plus the coupe and convertible.
2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse First Drive Review: New model, familiar formula
The new range-topping Mustang is not without its charms, but we find its advantages over a top-notch GT to be limited.
The 2024 Ford Mustang has a drift brake. It. Is. AWESOME!
What the headline says. Read all about one of the coolest things I’ve experienced in a new car in a very long time.
Ford Mustang Luggage Test
Once again, the Mustang wows with a trunk far bigger and more useful than you’d expect from a coupe.
What is the 2025 Mustang price?
Prices for the Mustang EcoBoost stay put for 2025, but the GT and Dark Horse get significant bumps from where they started for the 2024 model year (though part of that is the result of a mid-model-year price bump). Option prices also go up considerably, including those for the Brembo brakes and active exhaust. The B&O sound system has also been removed from the Premium High Equipment Group despite that package not changing in price. The sound system is now a $995 stand-alone option.
All prices below include the $1,595 destination charge and are for the coupe body style. We did not know Convertible prices at the time of this writing, but last year, it commanded premiums of $8,100 (EcoBoost) and $5,500 (EcoBoost Premium and GT Premium).
EcoBoost Fastback: $33,515
EcoBoost Premium: $39,040
GT Fastback: $47,055
GT Premium Fastback: $51,575
Dark Horse: $64,875
Dark Horse Premium: $69,870
What are the Mustang safety ratings and driver assistance features?
The NHTSA gave the Mustang coupe perfect five-star ratings in every category.
Every Mustang comes standard with Ford’s Co-Pilot360 suite of driver assistance features. These include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, rear traffic vehicle exit warning, and post-impact auto braking. The Co-Pilot 360 Assist+ package available on the Premium trims adds evasive steering assist and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability (that particular element is understandably only included with an automatic transmission).
