Ford Mustang GT
Evo UK|July 2024
No more four-cylinder EcoBoost engines; the latest Mustang GT is V8 only - and it might just be all the Mustang you really need
YOUSUF ASHRAF
Ford Mustang GT

DRIVING A FORD MUSTANG ALONG THE French Riviera isn't as romantic as it sounds. Not because there's anything especially wrong with the car or the roads, rather that neither was made with the other in mind. On the right there's a foot-high stone wall separating me from a long, painful tumble into the (admittedly stunning) scenery, and on the left the big 'Stang is bulging out of its lane as the local Berlingo vans and battered Peugeot hatchbacks whizz past within a whisker of the driver's door mirror. The windows are down, the shades are on and I should be enjoying myself, but I'm having to dial the speed right back. Nailing the point home, a Renault Modus driver lunges past through a gap I've left at the inside of a hairpin; he has one hand on the wheel while making a gesture with the other. He must have been tailing me for a while, but I was concentrating too hard to notice.

With versions like the track-prepped Dark Horse and the unhinged GTD road-racer, Ford clearly wants us to take the latest, S650generation Mustang seriously, but it's equally keen to stress that this - the new Mustang GT - is absolutely, positively not a track car. It does without the Dark Horse's beefed-up transmission, more focused damper tuning improved cooling package and uprated 447bhp V8, cutting the price from £67,995 to £55,725 to make this by far the most affordable Mustang, one that's best-suited for the road. We first drove the new Mustang in Dark Horse form in the US last year (evo 314), when deputy editor James Taylor concluded that it was 'as charismatic a road car as ever'. Here we'll find out if that remains true for the GT on the more ragged, technical roads that Europe has to offer.

This story is from the July 2024 edition of Evo UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2024 edition of Evo UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM EVO UKView All
BMW M135 xDrive
Evo UK

BMW M135 xDrive

The M135 has lost an and gained chassis revisions and a restyle. Is it enough to make it a benchmark hot hatch?

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2025
Audi S5
Evo UK

Audi S5

S5 by name, S4 by nature, is Audi's new mid-size petrol-powered saloon a step in the right direction?

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2025
Lamborghini Urus SE
Evo UK

Lamborghini Urus SE

Lambo's super-SUV gets a major mid-life overhaul, going hybrid in the process. Has it become any easier to like?

time-read
5 mins  |
January 2025
HALL evo OF FAME
Evo UK

HALL evo OF FAME

The evo Hall of Fame was established to recognise the great and the good of our corner of the universe. Prepare to welcome this year's inductees

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 2025
CIRCUIT DAY
Evo UK

CIRCUIT DAY

After three days of assessing their behaviour on the road, it's time to head to the Circuito de Navarra to find out how our nine contenders respond when their handling limits are explored

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 2025
EVO CAR OF THE YEAR 2024
Evo UK

EVO CAR OF THE YEAR 2024

Nine brilliant cars, from flyweight roadsters to bombastic supercars to a be-stickered estate(!), do battle on some of Europe's finest and most spectacular roads. Which will emerge victorious? Place your bets now.

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 2025
Porsche Panamera GTS
Evo UK

Porsche Panamera GTS

It lacks the raw power of its hybrid rivals, but does the new GTS’s more traditional approach give it its USP?

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2025
Alpine A290 GTS
Evo UK

Alpine A290 GTS

The new electric Renault 5 has won plenty of plaudits. Is the hotter Alpine version a car to win petrolheads' hearts too?

time-read
8 mins  |
January 2025
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
Evo UK

BEST BUYS BMW M CARS

THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.

time-read
9 mins  |
November 2024
TYRE 2024 TEST
Evo UK

TYRE 2024 TEST

Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024