Shout out to Dowling Ford for letting me take this beautiful 2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost with the High Performance engine out on a test drive.
Let's just get this out of the way: The biggest knock against this car is the existence of the V8 version. But I'm here to tell you that anyone that wants the V8 just because it's a V8, should check this one out first. With this 2.3L engine, 330 horsepower, 350 lb-ft of torque, and rear-wheel drive, how can you go wrong?
This car has a very sleek look to it - aggressive, but not overly aggressive -and I have to say that it looks beautiful in this Rapid Red Metallic color (the pictures don't do it justice).
Getting in, I'm surprised at the interior look and feel. The gages are simple, the infotainment screen is large, intuitive, and easy to use. It's got all the latest tech, with Bluetooth, backup cam, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. The buttons and knobs all get my seal of approval. I think the switches at the bottom of the center dash are a great touch, too. Between the large speedometer and tachometer is a digital gage of your choosing, which I think is a nice touch as well. Simple, useful, and I like the visual versus just having a number there for speed/oil temp/etc.
Sitting down, I notice that the seats are very cushy and comfortable, but I do wonder if some of that cushion would wear down over time. Climbing into the back seat, I'm surprised at the roominess. I'm only 5'7", but I had a few inches to spare in front of my knees. And the seats are just as comfy as the front, so I wouldn't mind being back there for a longer trip.
Foot on the clutch, pushing the "start" button, and the engine starts up and sounds decent - but I'm fairly certain that sound is pumped in. It's an unfortunate trend I've noticed, but it's not the end of the world.
Driving off the lot, the clutch is on the lighter side, but still has some good feel to it. No complaints there. The shifter has a good feel to it as well - with reverse being a pull of the collar and up and to the left. Visibility is good overall - definitely better than the Camaro I drove the other day. Rowing up through the gears, I feel like the car is holding back, but a flip of a switch into Sport mode alleviates this issue immediately. I imagine I'd leave it in Sport mode all the time, if I were to buy this car. There's also a Track mode and a Wet/Snow mode. Each of the modes adjust the suspension, traction, throttle response, and steering feel accordingly. My only issue here is that the switch seems like it should go up and down, in order to toggle through the modes, but you can only go up. So you have to cycle through every mode in order to get back around to the one you want. That's far from a deal-breaker though.
As I drive around town on backroads, in traffic, and on the highway, I can easily see myself using this as a daily. The car is comfortable, it feels confident going around a hard turn, has no issues getting up to speed quickly (at least not in Sport mode), and is a joy to rev out.
If you're coming from American muscle, maybe you just can't bring yourself to get a car without a big V8 in it. But if you're just looking for some rear-wheel drive fun, decent comfort, good tech, this sleek-looking, $33k pony car should not be overlooked.
