2018 Ford Mustang GT Long-Term Review | Introduction

When Ford offered Autoblog the chance to spec out our own 2018 Ford Mustang, we jumped at the opportunity. Who wouldn't want some extended seat time in the latest version of the original pony car? After waiting out the long, cold winter (and a pre-delivery mishap that required the repainting of a bumper), our new Mustang is finally here.

Rather than choosing the car ourselves like we did with our long-term 2018 Honda Ridgeline, we let you, our loyal readers, spec the car for us. The winner — a $39,995 Mustang GT Premium coupe — was the runaway favorite, taking more than half the votes. We were pleased, as that's the car most of the staff wanted, too. As much as we enjoy the 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo-four, a Mustang feels much more at home with a 460 horsepower 5.0-liter V8 residing under the hood.

The base GT Premium comes with leather, Ford's Sync 3 infotainment, LED lighting and a raised spoiler on the trunk lid. Beyond that, most voters opted for the $2,200 401A equipment package (digital instrument cluster, heated steering wheel, remote start and a Wi-Fi hotspot), the $3,995 GT Performance Package, the $1,695 MagneRide dampers and — by just 18 votes — $495 Orange Fury paint. We also decided to add the $1,495 Safe & Smart package that includes adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and automatic emergency braking.

For 2018, the GT Performance Package now comes in two flavors, though the upgraded Level 2 package wasn't available when we placed our order. The main package includes staggered 19-inch wheels with Michelin summer tires, Brembo brakes, upgraded front springs, a K-Brace, a strut-tower brace, a larger radiator, a larger rear sway bar, a different rear spoiler, a Torsen limited-slip differential and different tunings for the power steering, ABS and stability control.

Some readers may be disappointed to learn we skipped the slick six-speed manual in favor of the new 10-speed auto. The manual won the vote by a close margin, but we decided that interest was so high in the new transmission that it was worth choosing. After all, we've put plenty of miles on stick-shift Mustangs, but few on the 10AT.

All in, our new Mustang cost $51,470. Not cheap, but it's a hell of a lot of car for that price. It's also a hugely important car for Ford, especially in light of the news that it plans to drop nearly every other car from its lineup. Stay tuned. We have a lot planned and only a month to do it.

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