2020 Ford Mustang Review with Video
2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost
Engine Specs: 2.3 Liter Turbo 4, 330 hp // 350 ft/lbs
0-60: 4.5 Seconds
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Text/Photography/Video: Yousef Alvi
This is a car that is hard to pin down. I like the concept of the EcoBoost Mustang. Heck if you take the Mustang badge away and add a 240sx badge you have a winner! But since it does have a Mustang badge and it comes chock full of performance add-ons…you cannot help but compare it to a GT. That’s the issue.
This is still an excellent sports car. Yes, sports car. It handles, goes and brakes like a legitimate one. The lack of the massive V8, makes the front end light, nimble and easily tossable. There is tremendous front end grip to be had and the Handling Package in our tester is well worth the cost of admission. Easily eating up corners and bumps with no issue whatsoever. Add the fact the steering is direct and accurate…you get an excellent canyon carving beast.
But again…there is the GT. This EcoBoost with it’s performance add-ons cost $43k. A GT Premium costs $40k. An extra $5k gets you the performance pack and honestly it’s a better car. Why? Because the GT gives you something the Mustang EcoBoost lacks. A soul.
Don’t get me wrong. Again, the EcoBoost Mustang is a great sports car. If you want one…then go get it. Just don’t test drive a GT. Don’t even start one up. Because the second you do…is the second you buy one. That Coyote V8 has a cold start up that nothing short of sinister sounding. It sounds like you awoken a sleeping demon. The entire car bucks and shakes upon startup, the shifter quivers in anticipation, it just feels like it is alive. It’s that sense of theater that is missing with the EcoBoost.
That and well the aforementioned engine note. This EcoBoost with the optional sports exhaust, if anything, sounds like a WRX. A gurgling, raspy, unmelodic note.
Let’s go ahead and break this down:
The Good: The latest generation of this Mustang looks excellent. Strong and yet graceful. Steering is direct, accurate and offering decent amount of feedback. SYNC3 is easy to use, look at it, and decipher. The 2.3 offers just gobs of torque and power all over the rev band. 0-60 in 4.5 seconds is not just quick…it’s bordering on just plain FAST.
The Bad: Other than the new digital gauge cluster, the interior is looking a bit tired. The toggle switches feel like they are going to break and only go up (wtf) and not down. Somehow this vehicle has a heated steering wheel but with ‘upgraded’ Recaro option…doesn’t have heated seats (wtf redux).
The Ugly: That transmission. Neutral is as well defined as John Goodman’s abs. Third gear is there but you are guaranteed to bounce off of it…once a day. The clutch pedal is as heavy and has a pedal travel length of the entire wheelbase. Speaking of heavy. Every input of the Mustang is heavy. The clutch, the brakes, the gas, the steering, the seats and hell even the doors. All feel heavy…like really heavy. Seating position is all wrong. Since the clutch pedal travel is so long you have to sit closer than normal. So it’s either sit close and fully depress the clutch or sit further back (be a lot more comfortable) but then said clutch won’t fully depress. The steering offers limited telescoping ability…so adjusting that to help your cause is worthless.
The uhhh Overall? Even with all the bad and ugly…i still like the Mustang. I would still get a Mustang over a Camaro. I would get a Mustang over a Challenger. I would get a Mustang over a 350z. Would I get an EcoBoost over a GT? No. Not at all.
