2018 Mustang GT: Performance Pack 1 is More Than Enough
Same, Same, Different, But Still the Same
The current Performance Pack 1 costs $3,995 on top of the base price of the 2018 Mustang GT, which is $39,095 MSRP. Compare that to Performance Pack 2 which will run you $6,500. Granted, the MagneRide dampeners come standard with PP2, making the PP2 only slightly more expensive if you factor that in. While MagneRide is great, it definitely has its flaws and can be a little too overbearing at times with hard turns. And the 2018 Mustang GT does just fine without them if you choose to forego that option.
Here’s what PP2 offers:
- Brembo six-piston front brakes over 15-inch rotors
- New painted aluminum wheels measuring 19×10.5 inches up front and 19×11 out back
- 305/30/19 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Tires at all four corners
- Standard MagneRide suspension with unique chassis tuning and “track inspired calibration”
- Unique tuning to the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS)
- 33.3-millimeter tubular front sway bar
- 24-millimeter solid rear sway bar
- Unique front splitter
- Unique rear lip spoiler
- Manual transmission only with 3.73 Torsen rear differential
Now if we’re talking about pure performance, the PP1 shares all but the different springs, slightly stiffer sway bars, Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and track-calibrated MagneRide suspension. You still have the same 460 horsepower, same 420 lbs-ft of torque. Other than that, if you’re a casual enthusiast, then you really aren’t missing much. Apropos, this car is easily a track day competitor even without those upgrades.
Canyon Run With PP1 2018 Mustang GT
Since track time is generally forbidden for fleet cars, there was only one way to test the mighty suspension and Pilot Sport tires, and that was Malibu Canyon’s switchbacks. The conditions were perfect: Warm July weather, sparse amounts of people, and nice heat from the pavement to make the tires good and sticky.
Putting it in manual mode was the best option to prevent the ECU for hunting around for gears when it should really be on one or two gears for the drive. Ironically enough, Ford’s lane watch tech was also supposed to be turned off, but it actually helped in some instances.
Brutal Turns, Sketchy Pavement & Tons of Anxiety
Upon entering the switchbacks, the Mustang suddenly feels like a tank on the road at this point. The lanes get so narrow and the turns become so sharp that there was no way to see who, or what, is coming from around the bend of the rock face that is merely inches away from the car. There is a point on the road where you are making snake-like turns for what seems like forever, which can easily disorient you if you aren’t careful.
Yet as steep as the turns are, the tightened suspension and the sway bars gave very little way, and tires gripped the road nearly perfectly. The car was also placed in Normal mode at some point to see how it handles with sharper turns. Still not bad. This is also the part where the the traction control was on…inadvertently.
‘Sure, the automatic GT still uses the overbearing, boring 10R80 transmission, but putting it in manual mode feels so much more rewarding than it does with the EcoBoost.’
Yet, with the bumps and lumps and loose rocks that it eventually encountered, the handling was absolutely wonderful. No slippage, no understeer/oversteer, none. There was plenty low-end torque for the canyon’s demands, and the the six-piston Brembos offered superb stopping power. There were times where it seemed impossible to slow down in time, but the breaks proved otherwise every time.
At the end of what seemed like an eternity, the canyon spat the Mustang GT out onto Point Mugu, a nice, active, five-mile beach located in Point Mugu State Park on the California 1 highway (Pacific Coast Highway) near Port Hueneme and Oxnard, California. It was a much needed respite for the literal hair-raising experience mere moments prior.
Final Verdict
So, at $49,270 (base price is $39,095) is the automatic Mustang GT with the Performance Pack 1 worth your money? Definitely.
Dollar for horsepower, there is a lot car here already even without the upgrades. Sure, the automatic 2018 Mustang GT still uses the overbearing, boring 10R80 transmission, but putting it in manual mode feels so much more rewarding than it does with the EcoBoost. It honestly feels like this is the car it was made for. The automatic GT with the Performance Pack 1 is for the enthusiast who wants a street racer with the most amount of performance, but doesn’t quite yet know their way around a manual transmission.
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