Ford Mustang review

There is nothing else of the same size and performance available for the price of the Mustang. The BMW M240i is its closest rival for outright performance and, even then, doesn’t give you a hairy-chested V8; if you want one of those, you’d be looking at the far pricier Mercedes-AMG C63 coupé. The 2.3-litre Ecoboost version, meanwhile, parallels models towards the bottom of the Audi A5 Coupé and Mercedes C Class Coupé lineups, and is predicted to hold onto more of its value over the next three years than either of those models. 

Ford hasn't scrimped on standard equipment, either. Every Mustang has keyless entry and start, LED headlights,19in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, electrically adjustable seats, a heated steering wheel and dual-zone climate control. You can also personalise your Mustang with distinctive add-ons, including bonnet-to-boot stripes and a black roof.

Worse news is that the Mustang’s running costs are somewhat high. Tyres and fuel will be among your biggest costs, and don’t be fooled by the ‘Ecoboost’ badge on the 2.3 engine; this four-cylinder unit is no friend of Greenpeace. Officially, it’ll return 31.7mpg, while the V8 promises just 23.7mpg (24.8mpg with the auto).  

Insurance and tax costs will be still more of a shock to the system. While an Audi TT S can produce as little as 159g/km of CO2, the Ecoboost Mustang emits 202g/km and the V8 a staggering 268g/km under official tests. That places both engines in the top bracket for benefit-in-kind (BIK) company car tax.

The Mustang didn’t feature in our 2020 What Car? Reliability Survey, but Ford as a brand came in a disappointing 18th place out of the 31 manufacturers featured. Still, that was enough to outperform Audi (22nd) and Mercedes (26th). A three-year, 60,000-mile warranty is standard and can be extended to five years at a reasonable cost. UK and European roadside assistance is included for the first year.

Automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance are standard in every model but, even so, the Mustang scored a lowly three stars in Euro NCAP safety tests. Concerningly, the Mustang performed very poorly for child occupant protection in both frontal and lateral impacts, leaving it with a score of just 32% in this category – the A5, Audi TT and C Class Coupé were all tested under an older framework of NCAP testing, but all garnered significantly higher scores in this category.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here