- Headline & Introduction
The Mustang has been THE American Muscle car for over 60 years. The best selling sports car for the last 50 years has been Ford’s Mustang (with exception of a 4 year run by the Chevy Camaro in the early 2010s and Dodge charger from 21-22). Ford introduced its newest generation of Mustang, the S650, the seventh generation of the car, in 2022. With cars hitting the road in mid-2023, there has been ample time for them to work themselves into car rental lots, which is how I sourced this example. This car specifically is the base model Mustang EcoBoost Convertible with an Inline 4 engine, producing 315 hp at 5,500 rpm, all for a price starting at just over 40 thousand dollars. This car is the base model and it is quite apparent in its entirety and is drastically disappointing. Read more to find out why this is both a disappointment, and an unfortunate callback to previous Mustangs.
- First Impressions
The updated design compared to the previous generation Mustang is minimal to say the least. Without catching the new, angled taillights, or sharper front end, it is hard to tell the difference between the two on the outside. Still though, the looks are nice and the car has a nice line with the roof off. The black fabric convertible top is not nice to look at but it does hide away well when stored away. The car stands out when finished in Race Red (a 395$ option) but the 18 inch Machined-Face Aluminum with High-Gloss Ebony Black-Painted Pockets Wheels look small in the wheel wells. But if one is looking for a sharp looking convertible, I have no problem agreeing that the Mustang fits the bill if someone brings it up.
In terms of the interior, it is simple, but sparse. The old physical tachometer and speedometer have been replaced with a large screen that wraps around into a separate screen for infotainment. The screen is high quality, fast responding and allows one to change the style of the driver’s cluster from everything from a mere speed read out to a foxbody style display. The materials of the interior are lacking however. The plastic used all over the car feels incredibly cheap and the “leather” on the dash and seats feel like anything but. The buttons are simply put crappy and mushy to the touch and the gear selector feels like something out of the 90s, in all of the wrong ways. The seats themselves are comfortable enough to do road trips in, and well bolstered enough for any swift driving. The sound system is just ok, with the bass being strong enough to knock your wig off, while getting just a faint breeze of the treble and mid.
- Performance & Driving Experience
The inline 4 provides 315 hp, enough for the car to get from 0 to 60 in a measured 4.6 seconds, pretty fast even in this modern age. The engine is quite boosty and the 10 Speed Automatic really prefers the power band of the turbo, and does not like to rev out. Sometimes it will drive like a diesel in some cases when on power which is an odd sensation, and nothing in line like the sports car the silver pony on the front of the car promises. Back to the gearbox, there are too many gears. The car is always shifting and it takes a good amount of time for the car to figure out what exact gear it wants to be in, slowing power delivery. The steering is quite light, and does not weight up much when turning in, but it does provide a decent amount of feedback for electric steering. The car will understeer when pushed to its limits, slightly to my disappointment, presumably due to the fact that the convertible top adds around 300 lbs to the coupe version and the tires were quite worn on my rental. The suspension is quite floaty, even in its stiffest mode and does not like to stay hunkered down in cornering. The flip side of that is that it provides a nice ride on the highway or bumpy roads. The brakes are pretty decent, providing a linear curve that is easy to get a handle of. When the top is down, the top speed is around 130 mph (on a closed course of course). With the top down, the EcoBoost makes fun turbo noises but is otherwise not a great sound. It is however hard to beat the feeling of driving with sky all around you, so the Mustang’s drop top does gain a point for that. Then, there’s drag mode, which does a rather poor job of being a drag mode as the car will turn off most electric supports that keep the wheels from spinning on launch. This then results in a slower drag time, whatever the distance or speed you are aiming for, however, I may have just not figured out how to correctly use that mode. In terms of fuel efficiency, I measured 21 mpg around town and 33 on the highway.
Now the biggest gripe I have with this Mustang I feel summarizes this car exceptionally well; It does not let you shift the gears. Sure you can throw it in Low, or Track mode, but there are no paddle shifters or +/- on the gear selector. To be frank, it is ridiculous that Ford can claim that this is a “sports car” yet, but they have not done the BARE MINIMUM. SUVs that are quite literally HALF the price of this car have paddle shifters. This lack of shiftability summarizes this car for me. It feels like a cobbled together parts bin car sold to the mases to not care about. This lack of sportiness is akin to the very first Mustang, which too was a bit of a parts bin car that Ford created and down the line fixed.
- Technology & Safety
Back inside, the infotainment system is quite good, not being overly complicated. It is easy to find the things within the screen. CarPlay is also easy to set up, with a wireless connection available along with wireless charging, a simple yet incredibly nice feature. The Mustang carries the usual governmental regulating things such as lane assist and its friends, all of which can thankfully be switched off. Adaptive cruise control, auto headlights, airbags, yatta yatta… You get the point, it’s a normal car like every other normal car today.
- Practicality & Value
As I mentioned earlier, the front seats are pretty nice and also have both heating and cooling, the latter of which I am a major proponent of. As for the rear seats, you would probably have to either have no legs or be a 3 year old child (not in a car seat for some reason) in order to squeeze back there. Mind you, in terms of 2+2 rear, seats they’re not that bad compared to a Porsche 911, but still, they are not roomy. The trunk is spacious but is somewhat hampered by the storage space for the roof. Maintenance for this should be quite easy being just having to find the nearest Ford dealer, which are pretty much a dime a dozen. Not that I expect that much maintenance to be needed as the I4s that are in this Mustang are known to be pretty reliable.
In terms of price, the fact that convertible is a whole 10 thousand dollars more than the coupe is crazy. Once optioned out, a convertible EcoBoost will be verging on GT dollars, getting you the huge upgrade with the V8, which I would take every day over a I4. As for competitors, in this day and age, there are not really any direct competitors any longer. The Camaro is unfortunately gone and the Dodge Charger has gone electric for some odd reason. That said, although it is quite a bit smaller, the Mazda MX-5 is a fantastic car, and a much better experience car for a lot less money, and you get a manual. Not to mention used GT’s from a few years ago are well under 40k.
- The Verdict
This car is made for renters who don’t care about cars and just want an open top car for their vacation. The car is pretty quick and the infotainment and convertible are also very nice to have. But beyond that, I have little good to say about the EcoBoost Mustang. It sounds bad, does not handle very well, expensive for what it is, plastic everywhere on the inside, and worst of all, does not let you shift the gears. To be brutally honest, I don’t think I would ever recommend this car to someone from new, there are just better options, new and used for less.
- Ranting and Raving
A new segment I am introducing is called Ranting and Raving. I will briefly discuss questions posed by readers or friends to answer. For this review, I will be discussing “Should I take my car to the track?” This is a relatively simple question in my mind. If you have both the means to (which can be somewhat expensive when considering all of the costs: fuel, tires, track insurance, etc…) and a car that is trackable, which is honestly almost any car and a few specifically sports-oriented SUVs.
If you have both of those, I cannot recommend enough going to a track day and driving your car. You will have a super fun time pushing your car faster and further than you normally would on the streets as well as learn a lot and hopefully become a better driver all around in the process.