2023 is going to be a short model year for the Ford Mustang. Essentially just a carryover of 2022, with an all-new 2024 Mustang due this summer.
And so, it's time for (probably) one last ride in the current Mustang, and the fact that this particular example is a '22 really doesn't matter, since the '23 will be exactly the same (minus two paint colors and the Shelby GT 500).
This is the Ford Mustang EcoBoost. Under the hood, a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder. It makes 310 horsepower. It can do zero to 60 in five seconds flat. It gets an EPA-estimated 24 miles per gallon combined city/highway while doing so. It's a modern marvel. And way too many Mustang fans turn their nose up at it because it's a four and doesn't make the same big engine sounds as the 5.0. Look, I like the 5-liter as much as anyone else---check my summer, 2020 review of the now-discontinued Mustang BULLITT---but speed and efficiency are a potent combination, too. And the EcoBoost is a fine, fun-to-drive Mustang.
Among the joys of the Mustang EcoBoost is the low price of entry. Our tester was a Premium model, with nicer interior appointments. Base price: $33,420 including destination. That price brings with it a six-speed manual transmission, LED headlamps, heated power exterior mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, ambient lighting, a digital instrument cluster, dual illuminated vanity mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and Ford's Co-Pilot360 active safety suite, complete except for adaptive cruise control, which is part of an extra-cost option group.
Our car had that option group (Premier Trim with color accent), which in addition to the adaptive cruise control also had voice-activated navigation, for $2,700. Other extra-cost options---an active valve performance exhaust for $1,225, the Mustang Ice White Appearance Package (19-inch white-painted wheels, clear taillamps, Ice White interior accents and a performance rear wing) for $1,995 and an AM/FM/CD unit for $995. Total as-tested price: $40,335.
This generation of Mustang has proven to be one of the best. At $40K well-equipped, owning one of the last ones sounds like a pretty solid choice.
