The facelifted and enhanced 2018 Mustang GT is big on power and sound. However, it can also big on price.
It’s only been three model years since the S550 version of the Mustang came out, but it’s already time for a significant refresh. The 2018 model does away with its old V6, features updated looks, offers a 10-speed automatic, magnetic dampers, and packs more V8 power.
The Hooniverse‘s Jeff Glucker spends more than 10 minutes going through the ’18 GT’s updates and enhancements in the video review above (and a few seconds doing a smoky Line Lock burnout). He approves of most of them. The optional MagneRide dampers make the GT comfortable when desired, and stiffer when the road or track ahead demands it to be.
Let’s not forget about that revised 5.0, though. Glucker sure didn’t. It’s been bored out to be a little larger than it used to be and can be paired with an active exhaust that changes how loud it is depending on which setting you engage. A stealth mode makes the GT more neighbor-friendly, but once you’re out of the neighborhood, Sport or higher is only way to go. Output is now 460 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque.
An available Level 2 Performance Package sharpens the GT’s abilities with 19-inch staggered-width wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 summer tires, MagneRide dampers, and Brembo front brakes with six-piston calipers. Cost? $6,500.
Cost is also Glucker’s biggest issue with the GT. He contends that by the time you load up a GT, it’s awfully close to the price of a GT350 (provided the dealer hasn’t marked it up). We built a sample GT Premium with a few options on it, including the Level 2 Performance Package and the Blind Spot Information System, and arrived at a price of $52,475. A loaded Camaro with the 2SS and Track Performance Packages would cost $55,325. The GT350 starts at $57,145.
Granted, that hypothetical, all-out performance version of the GT is relatively extreme. That high sticker price buys a lot of great hardware, but if you just want the GT’s most appealing and most important feature – its V8 – you can get away with spending a lot less. The only question is: Would you want to?
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
