The Ford Mustang needs little introduction to Filipino enthusiasts; after all, it’s been around since the fifth-gen model was made available roughly 12 years ago. Our close affinity to the Mustang has made it a household name to the point that it’s now the generic term for muscle cars—like Xerox is to photocopiers. With the advent of social media, however, its reputation has also spread in a not-so-good way. A quick Google search on “Cars and Coffee Fails” will have you seeing videos of Mustangs peeling off only to spin helplessly out of control, hitting a curb or ruining someone’s mullet in the process.
All that promises to change with the seventh-generation S650 model. Although its basic bones—the Ford D2C platform—can be traced all the way back to 2004, Mustang engineers have made several big changes all in the hopes of making it less the butt of car meet jokes and more of an object of desire among petrol heads. Have they done it? Read on.
First impressions? It’s still a muscle car. At 4,811 mm in length, it’s roughly the same size as a mid-sized sedan, and at 1,738 kilograms, it’s as heavy as one too. Design-wise, it’s a clear evolution of the Mustang bloodline, and this definitely pleases purists. Inside, however, I’m not as convinced.
Generally, I have no qualms about free standing screens that serve as instrument clusters and all, but call me old-fashioned, but they still seem out of place in a sportscar. Don’t get me wrong though. The screens are actually easy to read and they’re customizable—down to the layout and even the color scheme. The same goes with the switchgear which look more at home in an Everest or Ranger. The electronic parking brake, fashioned like a traditional hard brake is cool, but ultimately is a novelty; it’s not easy to operate in a day-to-day setting.
As standard, the Mustang comes with manually-adjustable Recaro seats. Looks great on the spec sheet, but in practice, it makes for surprisingly difficult ingress and egress. I’ve been daily driving an MX-5 for close to two years now, and not once have I pulled a back muscle. In the Mustang, it happened in the second of a four-day lend out. Talk about a different kind of “muscle car.”
Ergonomically, it’s also flawed. Though the steering wheel and seats offer plenty of adjustment, the seating position is slightly canted to the right. This means it’s hard to hold the steering wheel with equal grip on both arms; it also means it gets tiring after a relatively long drive. Oh, and true to its muscle car ethos, it seems designers made sure to give the Mustang great line of sight directly forward. Anywhere else though, you’ll be reliant on its multitude of sensors and cameras to watch out for other wayward motorists.
The new Mustang rides high on the tech part, but oddly, the execution’s mixed. Again, no qualms on the screens and all, but here, there’s just an over reliance on that. Want to adjust the climate control or the radio station? You’ve got to hit an icon on-screen for that. It doesn’t help that Apple CarPlay results in either a randomly choppy (wired) or dropped (wireless) connection. There’s a bank of physical buttons located just below the AC vents, but the functions it controls are limited. At least drive mode selection’s done via the steering wheel.
And this brings me to the driving part. Without a doubt, the main draw here remains the 5.0-liter V8, and opening the soundtrack using the Active Valve Exhaust system makes it really come to life. By default, it’s designed to wake up the neighbors, but it can be programmed to start in “Quiet” mode too. Conversely, there’s also Sport mode for maximum disturbance. If I were overly critical, I’d say it sounds best at partial throttle than at full throttle, but regardless, it’s enough to make grown men cry. This engine is crazy good—but it must be tamed the right way. The power delivery is brutish—it’s civilized below 3,000 rpm, but quick to slap you in the face as the tach goes up. Keeping your right foot pressure in check is the best way to keep things sane.
The accompanying 10-speed automatic feels better connected to this V8 engine than any other Ford application thus far. However, the shift quality’s still far from the smoothest with noticeable shift shocks occurring, especially at lower speeds. It also hasn’t positively affected the fuel economy too. Even at an 18 km/h average speed, it still does 4.67 km/L. It’s very likely, however, that if Ford allows me to drive it on a weekend as opposed to a weekday, these consumption numbers be higher.
New for this generation is MageRide. Geeking out for a bit, MagneRide is different from other adaptive suspension systems in that there are no mechanical valves or moving parts that can wear. Instead, it uses magnetized iron particles suspended in oil. Electromagnetic coils inside the dampers rearrange the iron particles effectively changing the viscosity of the fluid. If the onboard sensors sense body roll, the ECU will instantaneously magnetize the appropriate dampers stiffening the car up.
Now, if all this sounds like rocket science, the simple truth is that it works—to a degree. Mind you, there’s no way to alter the laws of physics, so on a very twisty road, it’s far from the keenest handling car. It feels heavy and lacks any sort of precision. Body control, however, is kept nicely in check. What this means is that the Mustang is much more comfortable around gentle, flowing bends; the sort of environments you do a slow-in, fast-out kind of driving. The Brembo brakes too bite mighty good too, if you don’t mind the excessive brake dust.
At this point, you’re probably pondering if the seventh-generation Mustang feels too digitalized or computerized for its own good. With its adaptive dampers and active exhaust trickery, maybe. Using electronics to trim off the Mustang’s manic behavior has tamed its inner beast in many ways. But, it’s all about making things safer and more approachable. Trim all that, however, and you’ll find the underlying formula to be mostly the same as before. It’s not going to appeal to everyone, and that’s alright. Perhaps the most important thing is that this al-new Mustang is no longer the butt of Cars and Coffee jokes.
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2025 Ford Mustang
5.0 V8 Premium |
|
click
here for latest prices |
|
Bottom Line |
| Pros |
Engine soundtrack,
eye-catching looks, great value-for-money. |
|
Cons |
Lacks handling polish,
poor fuel economy, difficult ingress/egress, buggy tech. |
|
TL;DR |
Best handling, best
performing Mustang ever. Just don't go expecting it to be a
sportscar. |
|
Ownership |
|
Year Introduced |
2024 |
|
Warranty |
3 years / 100,000
kilometers |
|
The Basics |
| Body Type |
Sportscar |
|
Seating |
2+2 |
| Engine / Drive |
F/R |
|
Under the Hood |
|
Displacement (liters) |
5.0 |
|
Aspiration |
Normally Aspirated |
| Fuel
Delivery |
Direct Injection |
|
Layout / # of Cylinders |
V8 |
| Maximum
Output (PS @
rpm) |
493 @ 7,250 |
|
Maximum Torque (Nm @ rpm) |
567 @ 4,850 |
| Fuel /
Min. Octane |
Gasoline / ~91 |
|
Transmission |
10 AT |
| Cruise
Control |
Yes, Adaptive |
|
Fuel Economy (km/L) @ Ave. Speed
(km/h) |
4.67 km/L @ 18 km/h |
|
Fuel Tank Size (L) |
61 |
|
Dimensions and Weights |
| Length (mm) |
4,811 |
|
Width (mm) |
1,916 |
| Height
(mm) |
1,414 |
|
Wheelbase (mm) |
2,719 |
| Curb Weight (kg) |
1,790 |
|
Suspension and Tires |
| Front Suspension |
Independent, MacPherson
Strut |
|
Rear Suspension |
Independent, Multi-Link |
| Front Brakes |
Vented Disc, Brembo |
|
Rear
Brakes |
Vented Disc, Brembo |
| Parking
Brake |
Electronic, w/ Auto Hold |
| Tires |
Pirelli PZero
255/40 R 19 Y (f),
275/40 R 19 Y (r) |
|
Recommended Tire Pressure
(PSI) |
32 all |
|
Wheels |
Alloy |
|
Safety Features |
| Airbags |
8 |
|
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) |
Yes, with EBD |
| Traction
/ Stability Control |
Yes |
|
Parking Sensors |
Yes, Rear |
| Parking
Camera |
Yes, Rear |
| Front
Seatbelts |
3-pt ELR w/ pre-tensioners x 2 |
| Rear
Seatbelts |
3-pt ELR x 2 |
| ISOFIX
Child Seat Anchor |
Yes |
| Advanced
Driver Assist System |
Pre-Collision Assist w/
Distance Indication
Automatic Emergency Braking w/ Evasive Steer Assist
Lane Keeping System
Driver Alert and Road Edge Detection |
| Other
Safety Features |
Hill Start Assist
Blind Spot Information System
Rear Cross Traffic Alert w/ Braking
Tire Pressure Monitoring System |
|
Exterior Features |
|
Headlights |
LED, w/ Auto High Beam |
|
Fog
Lamps |
Yes, Rear (LED) |
| Light
Operation |
Automatic |
|
Wiper Operation |
Rain-sensing |
|
Tailgate |
Manual |
|
Interior Features |
| Steering Wheel
Adjust |
Tilt/Telescopic, Manual |
|
Steering Wheel Material |
Leather |
| Seating Adjustment
(driver) |
Manual, 6-way, Recaro |
|
Seating Adjustment (front
passenger) |
Manual, 4-way, Recaro |
|
Seating Surface |
Leather |
| 2nd Row |
50/50 Split Fold |
|
3rd Row |
None |
|
Sunroof |
None |
|
Multi-Information Display
/ Size |
Yes, 12-inch |
|
Convenience Features |
| Power Steering |
Yes |
|
Power
Door Locks |
Yes |
| Power Windows |
Yes |
|
Power
Mirrors |
Yes, Heated, w/ Fold |
| Rear View
Mirror |
Auto-dimming |
| Proximity
Key |
Yes |
| Climate Control |
Dual Zone |
|
Audio
System |
Stereo
USB Type A
USB Type C
Bluetooth |
| Wireless
Charger |
Front |
|
Infotainment Display / Size |
13-inch |
|
Smartphone Connectivity |
Apple CarPlay (Wireless)
Android Auto (Wireless) |
| # of Speakers |
12, Bang & Olufsen |
|
Steering Controls |
Yes |
