Why The 2015 Ford Mustang GT Is Impossible Not To Like

Article by: Patrick George All photos credit Kurt Bradley
Surely you’ve done this countless times. You’ve been out driving, absent-mindedly checking out the other cars on the road, when you come across a 2015 Ford Mustang. They’re everywhere these days. And when you see one, your eyes immediately drift down to the front fender in search of the two numbers and a decimal point that make all the difference in the world: “5.0.” Five-point-oh. The thing that separates the V6 rental cars and the EcoBoost posers from the real Mustangs. That, and the GT badge on the trunk, means that Mustang has eight cylinders of American fury under the hood. That means it’s not messing around, that its driver is someone who cares about speed and not just looking good.
That’s the perception, anyway. With the smaller engines both offering at least 300 horsepower, as well as potent straight-line and backroad performance, you’re not exactly screwing yourself if you don’t go V8 with the Mustang these days. The 2.3-liter turbo four EcoBoost is faster than most V8 Mustangs have been through the years. But the GT remains the top dog of the current Mustang lineup, and that’s just how it’s going to be, no matter how much power its little brothers put out. So what’s it like to actually drive one? Does the 5.0 deserve that reputation or not?
(Full disclosure: The Ford Motor Company needed me to drive a 2015 Mustang GT so badly they dropped one off at my house with a full tank of gas for a week. I spent months asking for one because I really, really wanted to drive it.)
I have an unpopular confession to make: I am not, nor have I ever been, a Mustang Guy. Don’t get me wrong, the original is a classic that deserves every ounce of its iconic status, and the ’71-’73 Mach 1 is a car I’d rob banks to own. And then probably rob banks with.

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