It’s model year changeover time for America’s pony car, which is often at least mildly exciting given the sheer fanbase of the Ford Mustang. Alright, so it’s not like winning the lottery, but it is a bit like getting socks for Christmas as an adult. Normally, this is a good time, but depending on your preferred trim level, one alteration of standard equipment might make you feel shortchanged.
First up, you can get some fantastic new colors for 2026. Orange Fury—which is really more of a yellow—is back on the menu, and Adriatic Blue absolutely rules. At the same time, the ’80s-inspired FX package is fun, and it’s nice to know that Ford’s holding the line on pricing for the performance package. However, if you select the Ecoboost Premium or GT Premium trims and scroll down, you’ll notice something’s missing.
Yep, you’re looking at a Mustang GT Premium without the single-frame infotainment screen. For 2026, the big showpiece of the S650 Mustang’s interior is no longer standard equipment on those trims. Instead, the cheapest way to get it is as a $1,000 standalone option, or you can get it bundled in with the High Series package that costs $2,900 on a Mustang GT Premium and $3,000 on a Mustang Ecoboost Premium. Already, this doesn’t sound like a great deal, and that’s before you realize this option doesn’t really give you a bigger or better screen.
See, all new Mustang models feature a 12.4-inch digital gauge cluster and a 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, regardless of whether you pop for the conjoined screens or not. Both setups feature fantastic black levels and both setups are responsive, meaning the $1,000 premium for the “Magnesium Framed Panoramic Curved Display” doesn’t actually buy you additional screen. It just buys you bezel, and while a bit of magnesium and a bit of extra glass sounds nice, there’s no benefit over separate screens.
Having tried both screen setups, the premium option serves no functional purpose, is purely aesthetic, and could actually make component replacement more expensive in the rare event of the screen acquiring damage. Instead of replacing either the digital cluster or the infotainment screen, you’d be replacing a giant screen array.
Regardless, there are two ways of looking at this upcharge. The first is that the curved display costs $1,000 and the active valved exhaust costs $1,595, so the valved mufflers really only run you $595. Car person math. The second is that a 2026 Mustang GT Premium costs the same as the 2025 model, so Ford’s really just yoinked the big bezel out to give you less for your money. While cost management is something every automaker does, it would be much appreciated if skipping the fancy display saved you more than just the difference of inflation.
Of course, the Mustang Dark Horse gets the single-frame display as standard, and the non-Premium Ecoboost and GT trims never got it in the first place, so maybe those trims are where the real value’s at. Still, if you want a Mustang Ecoboost or GT with leather, be prepared to pay a little bit more if you also want the single-frame screen setup.
Top graphic image: Ford
This gen Mustang is an entire miss. Ugly, overweight, horrible interior and highly overpriced. As a former 3x Mustang owner, I’d never consider an S650.
I’d pay another $1000 to have 0 screens.
My 2013 Focus ST has a screen that I like more than I thought I would. But it’s about 7″ and inset in the dash. The screens that look like they’re aftermarket tacked-on to the dash look terrible IMO. If it’s sticking up I don’t like it. If you’ve got to have screens, integrate them into the dash.
Oh, I was all excited that they had made the screens optional, but no, you’re stuck with the damn screens.
Pretty soon the whole car will be controlled by an AI assistant that knows what’s best for you…
I’ve always liked the exterior styling of this generation mustang, never have ridden in one or seen photos of the dashboard till this article. It’s just a generic looking rectangular flatscreen instrument panel in front of the driver with the now normal floating touchscreen panel in the center of the dash. If you covered up the steering wheel logo and sat me in the car with the screens off, I’d never associate the dashboard with a performance car interior. It’s disappointing that Ford made no real attempt to ‘style’ a dashboard appearance that matches the exterior performance look. Seems to me they just decided, hmmm flatscreen floating displays are the trend right now so let’s just plop a couple on the dashboard and call it a day. No amount of display screen gauge options will take away from the generic rectangle display in front of you that screams, ‘minimal effort’.
I was ready to buy a brand new 2025 but this digital cluster sent me looking used. Horrible design, a car like this needs analog gauges, the 650s feel like a video game.
So, the same people that complain about extra cost for something that adds no value or is something you didn’t want anyway, are now complaining because they get to save some money by not getting something they didn’t want/need in the first place?
Porsche would charge extra for a dashboard delete.