The popularity of America’s fabled pony cars has waxed and waned over the decades. We’ve lost beloved nameplates like the Mercury Cougar, the Mercury Capri, the Plymouth Barracuda, the Pontiac Firebird, and the AMC Javelin, with some of those gone before many of our readers were even born. Meanwhile, even the venerable Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger departed for the junkyard in the sky a few years ago. But there’s one pony car that has outlasted them all, and it’s the Ford Mustang. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang remains one of America’s favorite cars, and I finally got to try one. After driving a 2026 Ford Mustang RTR, I finally get why America keeps buying Mustangs.
I got to experience my first-ever drive in a Ford Mustang in a pretty special place. California’s Napa Valley might be known for its famous wineries, but it’s also surrounded by some of the most fun driving roads I’ve ever experienced. Napa is also not far from the Thunderhill Raceway Park, a beloved enthusiast destination to burn rubber.
Over the course of a day, I got to experience the 2026 Ford Mustang RTR on a little road trip, through heart-stopping turns, completely sideways while drifting, and banging off the rev limiter on the track. My first drive in a Mustang covered basically every way you could be expected to own one of these cars, and I’m pretty sure my smile never left my face until I went to sleep that night.
But what I found most surprising is that, between the Mustang RTR and the Mustang Dark Horse SC that I tested during the same press event, the car I thought I’d like the most was not the one that my heart fell for.
(Full Disclosure: Ford invited me out to Napa Valley, California, to experience the 2026 Ford Mustang RTR and the 2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC. Ford paid for my travel, lodging in an amazing winery, and made sure I was very well-fed.)
The Basics
Engine: 2.3-liter dual overhead cam, 16-valve, twin-scroll turbocharged, cast aluminum inline-four engine.
Transmission: 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission (only transmission choice).
Drive: Rear-wheel-drive, with a 3.55 Torsen final drive with a limited-slip differential.
Output: 315 horsepower at 5,500 RPM, 350 lb.-ft. at 3,000 RPM.
Fuel Economy: 22 MPG city, 33 MPG highway, 26 MPG combined.
Curb Weight: 3,783 pounds.
Base Price: $34,990 for a base Mustang (includes $1,995 destination fee) plus $6,520 for the RTR Package.
Price As-Tested: $55,850.
Ready To Rock
The 2026 Ford Mustang RTR is the result of a collaboration between famed Mustang customizer and drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. of RTR Vehicles and Ford.
As the story goes, when Vaughn was much younger, he was deep in the import scene. As he looked for parts to build his Nissan 240SX, he stumbled upon people who used cars just like his in the art of losing control while remaining in control, or drifting. It wasn’t long before Vaughn was obsessed, and he started spending every dollar in his pocket to get his car sideways.
Vaughn’s obsession would reach beyond just a hobby in 2004 when he entered himself in Formula D’s inaugural season in his modded 240SX. In recalling that past, Vaughn says that it was that Formula D event in Atlanta when he even pulled his handbrake for the first time. Competitors were a bit disorganized back then, but they knew they loved the game. Vaughn loved drifting so much that he quit his tech job to embrace drifting full time.
Everything changed for Vaughn in 2004 when Ford teased the S197 Mustang through the GT-R Concept (above). It was love at first sight, and Vaughn wanted one so much that his team spent $5,000 over sticker to get a production S197 Mustang. But the Ford Mustang was more than just an object of Vaughn’s adoration; he saw an opportunity to send an American pony car into competition that was dominated by Japanese sports cars.
That year, he raced in an S197 Mustang for Team Falken. While he did not win Formula D, he did win the D1 Grand Prix USA-versus-Japan championship. By 2006, Vaughn placed fourth place overall in Formula Drift from behind the wheel of a Mustang. He proved that Mustangs had a real place in drifting. Vaughn’s green and blue Mustang would also become a bit of an icon itself. As Vaughn got enveloped in the Mustang world.
Through the Mustang community, Vaughn found enthusiasts who wanted to make cars that looked like his, or at least had their own personal touch. However, when Vaughn searched the aftermarket, he found slim pickings. If someone wanted to personalize their Mustang to their style, they were largely on their own. So, Vaughn set out to change that.
In 2009, Vaughn rolled out the limited-edition Mustang RTR-C, which sported a supercharged 550 HP V-8, a full carbon fiber body, carbon fiber wheels, Tein coilovers, and more. Vaughn also finally got Ford’s attention, and that year, the RTR Mustang became a dealer-installed package for Mustang buyers for $7,500 over the price of the donor car.
RTR (Ready To Rock) Vehicles was born, and Vaughn admits that he had no idea what he was doing, but he just wanted to keep building awesome Mustangs. Over Vaughn’s career, he would take Formula Drift championship wins in 2010 and 2020, as well as wins in the D1 Grand Prix, Ultra4 Racing, and NASCAR Canada. RTR would also grow into a modification powerhouse.
Today, RTR sells a bit of everything, from the 810 HP Mustang RTR Spec 3 to the over 870 HP Mustang RTR Spec 5. You can easily spend up to $250,000 on an RTR build, or even more if you’re a professional racer. But RTR also goes the other direction and offers cosmetic and mild performance upgrades for otherwise stock Ford Mustangs and Broncos.
The 2026 Ford Mustang RTR
That’s the end of the pool that the Mustang RTR sits in. The RTR Package costs $6,520 above the cost of a base Mustang EcoBoost, making it relatively accessible to the enthusiast. The 2026 Ford Mustang RTR also marks an important milestone for Ford and RTR, as it’s the first time that Ford’s building an RTR right out of its factory. Mustang RTRs are built at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan right next to other Mustangs.
The 2026 Ford Mustang RTR is pretty mild when it comes to the upgrades. Most of the changes are purely cosmetic, from Ford:
Mustang RTR-specific exterior changes include:
• Mustang GT front fascia.
• RTR signature lit nostrils.
• Mustang RTR grille with RTR badge.
• Tarnished Dark Anodized pony.
• Tarnished Dark Anodized mirror caps.
• 19×9.5-inch Tarnished Dark wheels with 30-millimeter offset.
• Optional Hyper Lime brake calipers.
• RTR decklid and fender badges.
• RTR Signature Tarnished Dark Anodized hood, rocker, and rear quarter graphics.
• Tarnished Dark Anodized Mustang GT Performance Pack rear spoiler.
Optional for RTRs is the Hyper Lime Exterior Package, which gives you lime-colored calipers and graphics on the car. You can also get the Hyper Lime color on the seats, dashboard, center console, seat belts, and door pockets.
Performance upgrades are mild. RTR didn’t touch the engine, preserving its reliability while also leaving an area for an enthusiast to build up, if they want to. Vaughn felt that the 315 HP of the EcoBoost was already great for what’s supposed to be an approachable enthusiast vehicle. The RTR’s Brembo brakes come from the Mustang GT Performance Pack, which includes six-piston calipers in front and four-piston calipers following in the rear.
One change to how the engine performs is that Ford and RTR brought the Ford GT’s anti-lag system to keep the turbo in boost when in racing or drifting situations. Other parts stolen from the Ford parts bin include the front and rear sway bars, plus the rear subframe from the Mustang Dark Horse. Capping off the performance part of the build is an active valve exhaust system with driver-selectable settings.
The hook of the RTR is what the engineering team did for drifting. The RTR has an electronic brake like other Mustangs, but the engineers gave it a physical handle. In normal situations, pulling the handle just activates the parking brake. However, they also tweaked the system so that, when you turn on the Electronic Drift Brake setting, the handle works like it’s connected to a cable. Pull the handle a little bit, and you get a little bit of rear brake. Yank it hard, and you’ll get full lock.
This joins RTR-specific stability control tuning in Track Mode that allows for more slip angle and a steering rack that now has nearly three inches more travel. The final piece is a set of optional MagneRide dampers with RTR-specific tuning to make for an approachable enthusiast drift car.
That’s it. RTR didn’t make a track weapon here, but assembled a list of bits and kits that an enthusiast might want to do on their own, then paired it with slick looks and the fun drift brake.
For me, driving the RTR was a journey. Yes, it was my first time seeing an RTR Mustang outside of a video game, but it was also my first time ever driving a Mustang of any kind.
What It Was Like Riding My First Horse
Getting in was an experience on its own. I slumped into a bucket seat with bolsters firing into my sides. I adjusted my seat as the expansive dash screen flickered into life, displaying a digital version of the Fox Body Mustang’s gauges. Then, I hit the large start button and listened to the EcoBoost rumble into a high idle with a surprisingly pleasant soundtrack.
I didn’t know what to expect here. I remember back in 2014 when some Ford enthusiasts were up in arms about the Mustang’s base engine daring to be a four-cylinder. If you believed those people, you would have thought that Ford had lost the plot and that the sky was falling.
Sure, I do admit that it was a little weird hearing a raspy four come out of a body I’m used to hearing V-8 growls from, but that faded away rather quickly. Then, I hit the fuel injection pedal.
The EcoBoost takes off with alacrity, like a dog trying to run down a small animal. Throttle tip-in is aggressive and makes it somewhat difficult to drive smoothly in an urban environment. Amusingly, this quirk didn’t exist in the Dark Horse SC, which could be driven smoothly despite having more than twice the power.
Once I broke free of the little tourist town the press event’s hotel was in, I was able to unleash the “Boostang.” The EcoBoost can scoot the Mustang to 60 mph in around four and a half seconds. While that’s nothing as fast as you’d find in a Tesla or a Dark Horse SC, that’s more than fast enough on the street. It put my head into the seat and allowed me to have a few seconds of fun before I had to back down to obey the speed limit.
This was controllable power, too. The RTR rides on 255 section-width Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, which were more than capable of reining in the bolting stallion without taking out a vineyard or a crowd.
The Mustang was a great car to just cruise in. It was easy to point my long hood in a direction and just enjoy the drive. Every car in the press fleet that day had MagneRide dampers, and while the RTR was no Volkswagen Phaeton, it remained comfortable throughout the drive.
During this cruise, I had an opportunity to hypermile at exactly 60 mph for several miles. On flat ground, the fuel economy gauge was reporting between 35 mpg and 40 mpg. However, I must stress that this requires barely breathing on the pedal, constant driving without stops, and never, ever exceeding 60 mph. Still, this was great fun.
But I didn’t have all that long to marvel at how I could stretch an EcoBoost Mustang’s gas tank, as we arrived at California State Route 29. This route has so many curves that it looks like a bowl of spaghetti. They’re tight curves, too. Take them at the speeds you might drive on Angeles Crest, and you could find out how well a ‘Stang can jump.
This is where the Mustang really demonstrated just how fun it was. The RTR tackled each curve with poise, making me feel like I was a racing driver on the run to a podium finish. But here was the magic: unlike the Dark Horse SC, which felt like it was on a gentle grocery run in the mountains, the RTR used up more of its capability on the turns.
I found myself flicking through gears on the shifter paddles, accelerating out of apexes, and sometimes even hearing a squeal from the Goodyears. There was just the right amount of drama, and I didn’t have to go speeds that would put me under the jail to achieve it. The RTR was able to go a solid speed over the little signs that suggest a speed to go through a curve at, but I didn’t need to go Mach Jesus to have fun here. It was just so satisfying to downshift, hit a curve, hear the throttle blip, and punch it out of there.
Sadly, I did have a couple of complaints from the on-road portion of the drive, and it was that the Recaro seat bolsters are a bit tight if you’re a wider person, and the road noise was immense on anything but freshly paved surfaces. Seriously, at times I had to speak up so my drive partner could hear me over the roar of the tires.
Thankfully, the seats never rose to the level of being uncomfortable, but I felt like I was sitting on top of them rather than in them. I feel like my body is about the max width these seats could handle. In other words, if you spill out of the typical airline seat, you might not like the seats we had in our RTR testers.
After dozens of miles of curves and switchbacks, Ford turned us toward Thunderhill Raceway, where we got to partake in two special activities.
Getting Sideways
The first was a crash course in drifting from Vaughn and his team. They had 35 minutes to teach us how to be drifters, and amazingly, he was somewhat successful. The compacted drift school had three steps. First, you learned how to do a J-turn. Then, you learned how to do a donut. If you mastered those, you graduated to chaining drifts together for three turns.
This was exciting to me, as the bulk of my drift experience has been on dirt, snow, and ice. The only times I’ve drifted on dry pavement involved overpowered pickup trucks getting sideways in parking lots for only a few seconds. But actually using a handbrake to initiate a drift and controlling it through a chain? I’ve never done that on pavement.
This is where the RTR configuration really shines. To initiate a J-turn, I just had to yank the drift brake fast and hard, hold it for a second, release it, then punch the gas. Add some immediate opposite lock and the Mustang basically did the rest. For the donut, I just held the throttle and the lock for longer, banging the engine off its rev limiter and putting on a sideways smoke show.
What was really amazing to me was that the drift brake worked as advertised. It was like I was pulling a handle connected to a cable, but it was fully digital. If there was a lag between my brake pulls and what the rear wheels did, I didn’t notice.
Sadly, I didn’t quite fully nail chaining the drifts together. I kept on trying to show off by pirouetting around on the lit-up rear tires rather than trusting the drift brake. It often led to me over-rotating and just doing smoky burnouts. It was embarrassing. But in that true RTR spirit of just having a ton of fun, everyone cheered me on anyway.
That made the embarrassment fade away and allowed me to truly enjoy the experience. Here I was, going in circles like I knew what I was doing, and it was my first time doing any real drifting in the first Mustang I had ever driven. What a day! I see why Vaughn is into this sport. Who knew that destroying tires and getting sideways would feel so exhilarating?
Only a few journalists actually advanced to that final chain drift section. Most folks remained in the donut area. But again, there was no judgment, no anger, or anything like that. Everyone was having a blast. I’m sure if we had more than 35 minutes, Vaughn and his team could have had all of us chaining drifts together.
Part of what made it so easy, I think, is the automatic transmission. As Vaughn explained to me, while enthusiasts would love a manual, the RTR was designed to be an accessible gateway to track days and drifting. The experience floor was intentionally designed to be low, he said. To him, having a manual would have added too many extra steps. For example, to drift, you would have to clutch in, pull the drift brake, clutch out, and hit the throttle. That’s more steps than just pulling the brake and hitting the throttle.
I get it, but I’m stubborn enough that I would have wanted to try out a manual, anyway.
Blazing Down The Track
The next event at Thunderhill was hot laps, and this one was simple enough. We’d all put on a HANS device, line up at the end of the pits, and give it our all. As I said in my Dark Horse SC drive, my prior track experience is properly goofy. I’ve done hot laps in motorhomes, Harley-Davidson cruisers, and a lifted Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, but not, you know, a car that was meant to be there.
Yet, I had the absolute time of my life. I used to play tons of racing games, and I sort of just reverted to my old gaming strategy. I pictured a racing line in my head and followed it. I suppose it also helped that I have essentially no self-preservation instinct. So, I have no qualms about going flat-out through S-curves and making those tires work hard.
What I really liked about the Boostang was that it wasn’t really powerful enough to outrun my skill. In aviation, there’s a saying that you shouldn’t get behind your aircraft. Basically, you shouldn’t be reacting to what happened in the past, and things shouldn’t be happening faster than you can process them.
That didn’t happen in the RTR. I was always with the car, right there in the moment, and I always felt I had enough time to see ahead and work out my racing line before I got there. Yet, it wasn’t exactly slow, either. I still hit 100 mph on a straight and carried a whole wallop of speed through turns. It was even better when I put on my favorite racing hype song, Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Holding Out for a Hero.’ There’s nothing quite like ending the lap with a satisfying drift as Tyler belts out “I’m holding out for a hero till the end of the night.”
What made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside was taking the passenger seat in an RTR for a lap with a pro driver. He hit all the same lines that I did, only faster. I wish I had more track time because I would have loved to see what improvements I could have made to my laps.
I’d Take An RTR Over A Dark Horse SC
I ended my day in the RTR in the passenger seat with my drive partner behind the wheel. Sadly, there was too much traffic for her to really get into the curves. But from my place as the passenger? The Mustang was a great place to decompress after a day of hot drifting and hotter laps.
I’ll even say a hot take here. Now that I’ve driven the Dark Horse SC and the RTR back-to-back? I’d rather have the RTR. Yes, the Dark Horse SC is the mind-melting halo car that accelerates like a missile and grips like its tires are made out of superglue. But here’s the thing: in 99 percent of driving situations when you aren’t on a track? A Dark Horse SC can’t even stretch its legs without breaking every single traffic law and violating ones that haven’t even been invented yet. You can’t really exercise the SC without going speeds that’ll close down Angeles Crest after you mimic a Space Shuttle launch.
But the RTR? You can have the time of your life without trying to figure out how to outrun Motorola. Everything that makes the Dark Horse SC so awesome at 130 mph is just as fun at half the speed in the RTR. It’s also hard to argue about the money, either. Only $6,520 over a base Mustang isn’t bad! Sure, you can do similar mods yourself for cheaper. But if you want a factory-built “custom” car, $6,520 extra isn’t offensive.
You don’t even need the options my $55,850 tester had. My car had a $1,160 B&O sound system that I didn’t really use, $750 lime calipers, $1,995 Recaro seats (which were tight, anyway), $1,750 MagneRide, and $3,000 for the Premier package, with its accent stitching, seat heat and ventilation, bigger displays, Ford Co-Pilot, and aluminum pedals. I could live without that stuff! I could see myself paying the $995 for the sweet orange paint and calling it a day.
I Get Why America Loves Its ‘Stangs
When we got back to the hotel, I was fully enamored by the Mustang. Finally, I got to experience the car that has captivated drivers for 62 years now. I get it now.
The Mustang isn’t just a car; it’s a whole package. It’s a car that looks good on a track or rolling up to a vineyard. It’s a car for drifters, for drag racers, for autocrossers, and for Sunday cruisers. There are even people out there off-roading Mustangs. I feel like a Mustang, even a base model one, is a car that you can be proud of. It’s a car you’ll walk away from while still staring at it, and it’s a car you’ll spend countless hours making your own.
Mustang owners come from all walks of life, too. You can just as easily find a lady with a hot pink convertible just as much as you’ll find the guy with the supercharged menace, or vice versa. I’ve seen Mustangs at Pride parades, Mustangs in local car shows, and Mustangs just everywhere, really. It makes so much sense why the Mustang is still around long after its competition punched the clock. Shoot, Ford itself doesn’t even sell cars that aren’t the Mustang anymore.
This doesn’t just apply to the RTR. Remember, what I drove was basically a pimped-out base Mustang. There’s a whole world of Mustang Convertibles, GTs, and other flavors I now need to taste. What made this Mustang so great, and why I now need to drive more of them, is the experience. The Mustang is what you make it, and it’s just so darn fun along the way.
Top photo: Mercedes Streeter
Test drove an 85 LX with the 5.0 back in 1986. Rented Mustangs whenever possible (yeah, performance wasn’t great, but it was more fun and interesting than the usual rental machines). Finally bought one for myself in 2018, a left-over (deep discounted) new 2017 GT with the performance package and the manual. It was more car than I needed, but even with my limited skills, it was fun. What I found for road noise was replacing the high performance summer tires with all seasons (still V rated, interestingly). It reduced the noise a lot, and helped the ride (the perf. tires groaned over speed bumps). It also improved handling in the wet and cold (anything at +5C or colder was like driving on ice). I was never going to track or autocross the thing, for me it was more of a grand tourer with some spice. Oh, and it was Grabber Blue, which always drew attention from people. Took it on a bunch of road trips. Kept it for 7 years, sold it just as the extended warranty expired. I do miss that car.
I ended up with a V6 rental for a trip from central IN up to Chicago once, sometime around 2006. It ended up being quite a bit nicer than I expected, enough to consider buying one later. I went boring instead.
I only had two experiences with Mustangs. A coworker in the 80’s had a banana pale ’69 convertible with the 6cyl, but it looked pretty nice.
In ’06 I was looking for a car to replace my delSol after it got t-boned in the middle of a street by someone playing GTA through the alleys, and I stopped by the local dealership and sat in a new ’06 model Mustang. So much cheap plastic on everything.
I ended up buying a BMW instead.
I do like that they essentially brought back the HPP EcoBoost Mustang. If this came with a manual this would truly be a sweet spot in the Mustang line-up, as it stands it’s still the one I would get if I was buying a new Mustang.
My history with Mustangs is long and varied. (I’m 45). My father has a 71 Mach 1 with a 429. I drove it when I was young and holy god that was a crazy experience. Absolutely zero turning, nuance or subtly, and yet I will never forgot the unholy noise and sensation of putting my foot into the throttle.
Since then he also bought a 2007 Shelby GT (the black and silver Hertz knockoff they put out), and my sister had a 2004 Mach 1. Neither were particularly memorable, and shockingly crude. Fun but kind of meh.
However I purchased my own 2021 Mach 1 and that has been a joy. The actual real suspension, the surprisingly supple ride from the Magneride and the way I can putter around town without any stress is great. Very few things sound better than a Coyote at 5-7K RPM.
First new car I ever bought was a 2011 Mustang 5.0. I still have it and have done SCCA events ever since it was new.
RTR products are basically a laughing stock at this point, though. It’s overpriced Pep-Boys-quality “upgrades.”
Plus, VGJ used to be a really chill dude who went to local Mustang events, and then he got “famous” and stopped caring about normies.
Eh, VGJ is essentially an A list move star in the drifting scene, I’m not surprised he doesn’t attend local events regularly. With that said, he still shows up at grassroots drifting events a few times a year.
I’ve been in various Mustangs over the years, with my first somehow being a 1965 convertible despite me being born in the early 90’s lol.
I’ve only driven a Mustang on two occasions though. It was the same car both times, a 2008 S281 Saleen with a massive non-factory supercharger on it. The dyno numbers were nearly a flat 500hp (it was 500.2 IIRC). The first time I drove it was in the dry and only briefly. The second time took place in the rain and it was probably one of my most stressful driving experiences ever lol. A ton of power, stock tires, a valuable car that wasn’t mine and my heavy right foot that knew a thing or two about drifting. I managed to keep it straight the whole drive…. mostly haha.
I’ve wanted a Mustang since then.
I never got to drive it again. My buddy who owned it ended up wrecking it not long after, and shockingly, it wasn’t due to his high power numbers.
“I suppose it also helped that I have essentially no self-preservation instinct…”
This explains quite a bit about my ride with Mercedes in the CrossCab at LimeRock…
My only experience was 20 years ago when I got married and we figured we would rent a “fancy” car for the occasion. This was probably the first version of the overhaul from the bubbly plastic looking ‘Stangs….. sorry I suck with chassis names and whatever. But anyway, it was a V6, which might have contributed to the overall experience.
It was a pretty underwhelming experience. The issue I had is the same I have had with a lot of more recent cars. The almost bunker-like experience with raised window positions ( for safety ) and lack of easy visibility, which feels weird if we’re talking about a sports car. Its also a surprisingly big car. Almost felt “Fat”. It was more like driving a family car than a sports car. The V6 was gutless. If I had bought the car I would have felt ripped off.
That was 20 years ago. I assume many things have improved dramatically. But 20 years ago it was very Meh…
Things have definitely changed. The V6 20 years age made just over 200hp, the current 4cyl turbo makes over 300.
Amazing what they can squeeze out of 4 bangers now. I rented a Chevy Malibu a few years ago and it hauled ass! It too was a turbocharged 4.
I worked at a Ford dealer in the late 90s, so maybe my perspective is skewed, but if you had started out your Mustang experience driving a Mustang from the late 80s, or early 90s, your perspective would be very different.
the brakes sucked, the power sucked, the expected noise from the power steering sucked, and the interior sucked.
the only saving grace of the 5.0 HO motors of that era was that a nice exhaust made that engine one of the best sounding engines ever.
So you could either spend 6-7k for what is mostly an appearance package with a neat handbrake gizmo, or spend 3k more for the GT which gives you the good brakes and a V8 (and can be had with a manual). The ecoboost is a decent car in itself, nothing wrong with that but 7k feels like a pretty steep premium for what you’re getting.
I feel like the RTR pack at this level is more of the “I like this one” effect of having it on the lot and looking good to a walk-in buyer.
I also don’t really get the hate on the newest gen Mustangs? Any social post is full of comment throwing shade on the 2024+ models. Far as I can tell the only legit gripe could be the interior (big screen not gauges) but otherwise these seem great.
The performance package with the Brembo brakes isn’t stock on the GT. Looking at a base Ecoboost vs a base GT, you’re looking at an $11,250 delta. The discontinued ecoboost manual is a bummer but if you’re also looking for some everyday practicality, the fuel consumption difference is significant.
I didn’t realize that, but still certainly seems worth the price over the RTR. As for fuel consumption, you’ll have a long way to make up the difference. At today’s prices, assuming 20 vs 30 mpg (v8 vs v6, round numbers for sake of comparison), you’re looking at about $37 difference every 1000 miles since ecoboost asks for premium.
I went down that road for pure curiosity sake at today’s prices btw, not really diagreeing with your points. I think the mpg figure on paper probably moves a few units but we’re talking 15-20 years to make up the cost difference. Probably just Ford trying to market to as many audiences as they can.
For whatever it’s worth, the EcoBoost runs fine on 87. The computer retards the timing slightly and you lose a few HP. I’ve rented EcoBoost convertibles on vacation (if the weather is nice, you just must) and always found them to be plenty juicy, even on 87.
But I think you’re right – it comes down to priorities. I was raised on Preludes and GTIs so a screaming four that gets acceptable fuel economy appeals to me more than a V8. The deal breaker for me is that you can no longer get the manual and also these are cars are actually quite big and I find them a bit unpleasant in urban traffic.
I think the biggest gripe with the new gen is it’s yet another car where the new gen is really just a heavy refresh of the old. Even if it mechanically is still compelling.
“Here’s some tablets and a higher price tag, be amazed.”
Anyone who’s seriously into Mustang performance laughs at all things RTR.
My first new car was a 2025 Mustang GT, I’ve always wanted one for myself and when finances allowed it finally happened!! It’s fun, and a bit obnoxious since it’s Grabber Blue with black racing stripes. It makes me smile every time I get behind the wheel. The truck is my daily driver, the Mustang is the fun car.
A coworker had an Ecoboost Mustang and, yeah, it was shockingly good. I think I would like this RTR version if it weren’t for those lights in the grill. That is such a bizarre style choice.
No manual transmission available in the base or Premium trim. Not until you spend $48k on the GT. Good idea Ford.
They WERE available. Nobody bought them. Same old story.
Well, at least one person I know bought two stick Ecoboosts.
Me.
Probably not enough of a take rate to make it worthwhile. 🙂
I’ve had two foxbody Mustangs. In high school, I had a 1990 GT. Bright red with automatic (my friends mercilessly picked on me for not getting a 5-speed in the car that was a gift from my parents). I’ve been driving for more than three decades and that Mustang is responsible for the only two speeding tickets I’ve gotten.
Later in life I daily drove a 1989 LX 5.0, with that 5-speed my friends were so insistent about. I’m pretty sure my left leg is still more muscular than my right leg. The clutch in a foxbody is heavier than the no-slave clutch in my 1968 Olds.
it needed a racing clutch for all 225hp. 😉
I’ve defended the Ecoboost Mustang for a long time. I spent a long weekend with an S550 convertible in 2022 and had a blast. I never felt like I needed more power. No, it doesn’t have the V8 rumble, but it also doesn’t sound like a vacuum cleaner like some folks claim it does. Honestly I’ll bet if you blindfolded people and put them in one most folks would love it, the stigma of HURR DURR MUH V8 is just tough to break.
Anyway I like the concept of a lightweight boosted Mustang so much that I nearly bought an HPP Ecoboost with the track package back in 2021. My wife talked me out of it (she cried a bit and told me I needed to be more financially responsible now that we were going to be getting married, buying a house, etc), but I had everything ready to go.
They were going to sell it to me for $35,000 too which is just wild to think about today. With all that out of the way, I believe you Mercedes, and the old HPP Mustang was faster around a lot of tracks than a GT. I think former racing driver/all around cool dude and frequent contributor to Hagerty’s YouTube channel Randy Pobst bought one.
I see this as the spiritual successor, but I’m really not seeing the value proposition here. $6,000 is a lot of money for what’s essentially an appearance package with some minor chassis tweaks and a real handbrake…and I’m not sure that the RTR name is enough to sell them. Yeah, us weirdos know what it is, but does the average person rolling up to a Ford dealership to stretch themselves financially for a Mustang?
I don’t think so, and by the time you have everything you want with one of these (IMHO the brakes and Magneride should be standard on this trim for how much it costs) you’re paying more than you would for a mid spec GT. Plus you have to live with the stigma of spending $50,000 for a 4 cylinder Mustang. That wouldn’t bother me personally, but I know it would bother a lot of folks.
Don’t get me wrong, I think these are cool and would make for a really fun track day car. They have the added benefit of being surprisingly fuel efficient in daily use and costing much less to insure as well. But it costs too damn much. I think what’s going to happen is Ford will build a bunch of them in the highest spec possible because line must go up and they’re going to rot on lots until there are deep discounts.
At $40,000-ish I think they’d be a great buy. I suppose you could also custom order one with absolutely no frills at all, the RTR package, and the brakes/magneride and get it close-ish to that mark. Ford would probably discount it a bit as well. But at the end of the day I think it’ll suffer the same fate as the HPP S550 did and be a cool “if you know you know” curiosity.
Years ago I had a coworker buy an S550 and be so proud of buying the Ecoboost. I initially made fun of him, but then experienced it, and the HPP and HP packages I didn’t know it had, and honestly it was so much better than every Mustang GT I had experienced before (which at that point was 2nd gen, Mustang II King Cobra, many Fox bodies, SN95, new Edge, and S197). Amusingly, every Ecoboost Mustang I’ve gotten as a rental has been a let-down because they haven’t had the HPP and HP packages, even though they are otherwise still good cars.
Kona N daily and Mustang 5.0 autocross/track car are the perfect combo, just sayin’.
They sound more like tractors than vacuums at low revs.
As an owner of a bad old days Mustang (which is a decidedly different experience than this!), it makes me happy that Lee Iacocca’s original ethos for the car – something you could race on Saturday and drive to church on Sunday – still rides strong all these years later.
315hp in the Ecoboost vastly outperforms the old 5.0, and even tips over the power of the 4.6L 2000’s era Mustang.
But turning $35k into $55k in options gets really silly.
This.
Especially considering the fact that my ’22 GT Premium – with 450hp and a manual – stickered at $51K.
I theoretically could fit into the Recaros, but unless you’re actually tracking the car, I think it’s a complete waste of two grand.
The real secret to the ‘Stang from day one is that it is an affordable, good-looking basic car with a loooonnnnnggggg list of options and trims. From mild to wild, from track to grand tourer, you can usually spec a Mustang to fill the role.
I got to drive a lot of cool stuff when I worked at the dealership, but one of the most mind blowing things was the first time I tried a modern run-of-the-mill mustang gt. I think it was a 2020.
They’re so ubiquitous that I think they get viewed almost as normal traffic by a lot, but to me as a layperson, that thing was a rocket. I was really, really impressed.
I’m seriously considering a Bullitt for my next car. I’ve never really been a Mustang guy, but man, the more I look, the more I like.
Dooooooo it. I have a big feeling you won’t regret it.
Someday I’m gonna have one for me, that or an old beat up hellcat.
“During this cruise, I had an opportunity to hypermile at exactly 60 mph for several miles.”
I love this site. Who else would do this and make a point of telling about it?
I got into drifting in about 2005, and by 2007 I was competing in Eurodrift, then did a couple of years in the British Drift Championship. It’s easily the most fun thing I’ve done with a car. I get bored of watching it pretty quickly, but doing it is magical, especially at 70mph upwards.
The e-handbrake sounds genuinely useful, and it’s nice not to have to plumb in a hydraulic handbrake. The extra steering travel is also great for correcting slides that would otherwise become a spin. What sort of LSD does it have? You really want something aggressive for drifting, although I guess you can tweak that sort of thing with ESP if you’re Ford.
Anyway, I drove my first Mustang in 2012, a rental V6. It was fun. I took it lightly off-road and that was fun too. I’m glad they still make them. They do seem kind of big in the UK though, which is why I have a GT86.
Nice review. I drove my first Mustang last year, a rental mid-spec with the Ecoboost, in sadness grey with clinical depression black interior. So there was no bright coloration and flashiness to distract from the car itself. I liked it, quite a lot. Very comfortable, a nicer interior than I expected, handled well for a big car, and the 2.3 is unexpectedly quick. Loses a bit of steam at highway speeds but anything below that is impressive. In gentle/normal driving, though, the engine and 10spd don’t interact all that well; shift logic seems inconsistent and catches the engine in and out of boost.
Are nostrils a thing now? Why are we emphasizing them and lighting them up? Big eyebrows are having their moment after years of wanting them minimized, so is putting makeup around your nostrils a new social media trend I haven’t encountered yet?
Price As-Tested: $55,850!!!
$56K for a 4-cylinder Mustang with an automatic???
Sorry, I’m voting Crack-Pipe today.
I mean, the cheapest minivan my local Toyota dealer has available for the next 3 months is 55k so… this is just sort of the twisted world we live in now I guess.
You have to pile on the options to get this anywhere near $56k.
For $49K you can have an RTR with a 201A equipment group and real exterior and interior colors. For $39K you can have a basic EcoBoost with some decent options added. That’s not bad.
It’s just sad that you have to spend close to $40K nowadays to find a base model RWD vehicle, most of which aren’t even available with a manual transmission. This is way above just the effects of inflation.
I did a quick Google search and it came back with this:
“In 1986, a brand-new base model Ford Mustang LX Coupe (notchback) carried an original MSRP of $7,420. [1]
Adjusted for inflation using the same cumulative increase (~205.6%), that original purchase price is equivalent to roughly $22,678 today. [1]”
40 years is a long time, and that 86 was junk in comparison. If we use a reference point half as old, 2006, the starting MSRP was 20 grand, equivalent to 33 grand today. The base of base 2026 Mustang is $36,000, for a 5-second coupe with a modern IRS and mid-30s highway mpg. Compared to the 2006 with the oxcart axle and low-revving truck engine, that’s a good deal.
I think I’d rather drive an ’86 LX with 3 pedals than a 2026 model. I liked the old LX 5.0 models, although those would be pricier than the 4-cyl ones.
In 2018 I paid $40k for a Camaro SS 1LE… Brembos, Magneride, ELSD, Tremec TR6060, 285 F / 305 R tires.. if I knew how much prices were going to inflate I would have held on to it.
No you don’t, the base model is $34K, including destination.
Pricing Summary (Using F*rd’s Build & Price page)
Your Configuration – $495 (Blue paint – only black, white, or silver are free)
Net MSRP – $36,180
$36,180.00 + 6% sales tax = 38,350.80.
Add in new-car registration, title, and loan fees and a full tank of gas and you’re pushing $39K, which is close enough to $40K in my book.
Ah yes! Very good points!
Kind of lame the manual is locked behind the GT and up trim (which I get they want to push peeps to the higher trim and the V8) but crazy the jump in msrp from the Ecoboost to the GT is 10k+.
In some ways, locking the manual to the GT makes some sense– in the same way it made sense to build the RTR out of the four-cylinder automatic.
Once upon a time, you had to step to the V8 to get an engine that performed like a Mustang. Today, though, the Ecoboost is so good that now that’s not necessary. It’s plenty good enough.
That means the GT is no longer the thing you go for performance, it’s now for aesthetics. Is the V8 more powerful? Sure, but the reason we step to it is because it sounds so much better than the four. Is the manual faster? No, but the reason we want it is because it’s more fun.
It feels weird to be living in a world where the V8 and manual are basically a graphics-and-trim package for other senses, but somehow it happened.
The V8 is also a great way to throw money down the drain. I’ve never understood the EPA numbers or the folks here that claim “oh MODERN V8s are different, I get 30 MPG!”. I had a Camaro SS as a rental for over a week once and drove it…moderately. I generally stayed within the confines of the law but I obviously didn’t hyper mile it because I was on vacation.
It returned 8-9 MPG. Most of the people I’ve talked to either in real life or on forums average high single digits to low double digits in any of the pony cars. I remember watching a Topher video on the Mustang GT and he managed to kill a quarter of a tank of gas in like 5 minutes of spirited but not all out driving.
Add in the fact that the insurance costs basically double when you opt for a GT over an Ecoboost and I just can’t see choosing one as a daily in 2026. I love V8 noises as much as the next person but the ownership costs are prohibitive, and that’s not even getting into the environmental impact.
Next time you drive a Ford Mustang, you need to bump some beats by Mord Fustang