Review: 2010 Ford Mustang GT

The 2010 Mustang offers plenty of muscle and a more refined interior, but the newly revived Chevy Camaro could replace it as the No. 1 American muscle car

By Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Price, handling, available convertible top

The Bad: Pony car styling is looking tired, tight rear seat

The Bottom Line: A classic muscle car updated—but can it outpace the new Camaro?

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

Ford (F) likes to bill the Mustang as "America's favorite muscle car for 45 years straight." But early signs are that the 2010 Mustang may have trouble holding onto that title. General Motors' newly revived 2010 Chevy Camaro is mounting a strong challenge for the No. 1 spot.

Ford has been doing relatively well overall as a company, but the Mustang is lagging. U.S. salesof the Mustang plunged 23.3% during the month of August, to just 6,289 sales, and fell 36.8%, to 46,763, during the first eight months of the year, despite the arrival of the 2010 Mustang last spring.

GM's public relations machine, meanwhile, is gleefully declaring the 2010 Camaro "the hottest car in America." In August, Camaro sales hit 8,680, nearly 40% more than the Mustang's, after also outpacing the Mustang's sales in June and July. GM has sold 31,190 Camaros since the model started arriving in dealerships in April and has been struggling to keep up with demand. If current trends continue, the Camaro could outsell the Mustang next year. That would be quite a coup for a company that just came out of bankruptcy.

At this point Chrysler loyalists are probably saying, "Whoa, what about the new Dodge Challenger?" But the Challenger is running a distant third in the muscle car sweepstakes. Its sales plunged 69% in July, to a mere 886 units, and 45% in August, to 1,132 units. So the main competition at this point is really between the Mustang and the Camaro,

I prefer the edgier-looking Camaro. The Mustang's pony car look is starting to seem a little tired to my eye, even in its 2010 update. However, both are great driving cars if you get them with V8 engines.

I can't see much reason to buy the V6 Mustang, which is powered by a 4.0-liter, 210-horsepower engine that's seen better days. The convertible has some appeal as an alternative to the aging Chrysler Sebring convertible. But the main appeal of the V6-powered Mustang coupe is its low price (it starts at just $21,845; add $5,000 for the convertible) and decent fuel economy (it gets 18 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway, and uses regular gasoline). But you're getting a Potemkin sports cars; it looks hot but it lacks the guts. And there are more practical alternatives if all you want is an economical car (the entry-level Chevy Malibu, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, etc).

The Mustang GT, on the other hand, is a classic muscle car at a reasonable price. It's powered by a 4.6-liter, 315-hp V8 that's far smaller on paper than the massive 6.2-liter, 426-hp powerplant in the Camaro SS. However, the GT is more than 400 lbs. lighter than the SS and accelerates with nearly as much panache.

It's also less expensive. The Mustang GT starts at a mere $28,845, which is about a grand less than the starting price of the Camaro SS and only about a grand more than the previous version of the Mustang. Not bad, considering that the new Mustang contains many of the add-ons (such as a sport-tuned suspension and a cold-air induction system that boosts the engine's power) that were part of the $3,310 Bullitt option package on the previous Mustang. With either engine, the Mustang comes standard with a five-speed stick shift; a five-speed automatic transmission costs an extra $995, just as it does in the Camaro.

Both the Mustang GT and Camaro SS are rated to get 16 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway with a stick shift.

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