10 Reasons the 2018 Ford Mustang is the AutoWeb Buyer’s Choice Best Sports Car

2018 Ford Mustang GT burnout ・ Photo by Ford

Few vehicles can claim that they actually created a sub-genre of their own, but the Ford Mustang can. When it was introduced as a 1965 (or 1964 1/2, to some enthusiasts) model, the "pony car" was born. The compact coupe with a lusty engine was an instant hit and was quickly followed by the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Plymouth Barracuda, Pontiac Firebird and others.

There’s a blurry line where the pony car and muscle car classes met. Continued refinement of the muscle car pushed the best examples into the sports car arena — which is where we find the 2018 Ford Mustang, well into its sixth decade of production. Let’s explore 10 reasons it's the AutoWeb Buyer’s Choice Best Sports Car.

10) 2018 is the 55th year of production for the Mustang.

The Mustang hasn’t always been great, but it has always been around. There have been six generations of the Mustang, and it is a veritable icon — an overused term that nonetheless applies here. The original Mustang (1965–1973) is engraved in the collective consciousness. The second-gen (1974–1978) shared its roots with the Ford Pinto and the third-gen (1979–1993) was on the Fox platform, both efforts to respond to the oil crisis and increasing demand for fuel economy.

The fourth generation (1994-2004) began the Mustang’s resurrection as a sports car, with ever-increasing power and assertive looks. The fifth-gen (2005–2014) was the Mustang’s rebirth as a true market leader and America’s best-selling sports car. The current sixth-generation Mustang, launched in 2015, builds on that renaissance, with technological and performance upgrades that elevate the Mustang from muscle car to sports car.

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9) The current Mustang is a great example of retrofuturism.

Retrofuturism is a design trend that first became popular in automobiles in the 1990s, and examples were numerous in the following years, including the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Volkswagen New Beetle, Chrysler 300 and Plymouth Prowler. These were all fresh, contemporary designs that hearkened back to earlier, classic eras, yet were packed with modern technology and engineering. The familiar lines and shapes made the new cars instant standouts.

Ford designer J Mays is credited with the 2005 retro redesign of the Mustang, a vehicle that was so successful it launched another wave of pony car wars. The current design, introduced in the 2015 model year, updates the look for the future.

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8) Its touchscreen stereo is easy to operate.

Ford has had its ups and downs with infotainment. The 2018 Mustang gets an up in the form of a big touchscreen interface that uses its real estate well and makes accessing audio and video functions a breeze. Familiarization happens quickly, and the system operates smoothly without distraction. What good is technology if it introduces complexity? The Mustang keeps it simple.

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7) The view through the windshield is timeless.

The Mustang has a long, wide hood that stretches out in front of the driver. You get a great view of the road ahead, and in a retrofuturist nod to the past, it’s a view that will remind you of a 1960s original. You can see all the way to the nose of the car, which puts the road into perspective and inspires you to pile on the miles at speed.

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6) You can choose your adventure in hardtop or convertible form.

For many drivers, a sports car is not a sports car unless the top goes down and they can feel the wind in their hair. For another group, a sports car must have a roof for aerodynamics and safety concerns. Nobody has to be right or wrong here — Mustang buyers can choose between a soft-top convertible and a fixed-roof coupe. Each body style is available with a wide variety of powertrains and options.

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5) It has a four-wheel independent suspension.

For the first 50 years of its production, the Mustang came with a solid rear axle. Most serious sports cars feature four-wheel independent suspension, because this setup makes it easier to tune and deliver a more compliant ride.

The Mustang's 2015 makeover finally brought an independent suspension to each of its four wheels, giving engineers many more options to improve and tune handling. With their hands untied from behind their backs, the Mustang’s performance teams have been able to unlock grip and handling that was never possible before with the solid rear axle. Some purists were initially outraged — until they got behind the wheel.

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4) It can be ordered with a wide variety of powerplants, from four-cylinder turbo to flat-plane crank V8.

Many elements define a sports car, but the one that gets the perhaps most attention is under the hood: the engine. Leading up the scale from a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder to a choice of V8s, the top-of-the-line Shelby Mustang GT350 comes with a naturally aspirated (non-turbo) 5.2-liter V8 that produces 526 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. That’s a tremendous punch of power, aided by a flat-plane crank that Ford is very proud of. All that power pays off big time when you mash the throttle and let out the clutch. The GT350 has been timed at 4.3 seconds when speeding from a standstill to 60 mph. That’s sports car fast, closing in on supercar-level performance.

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3) You can still get a manual shifter.

Automatic transmissions are great, and they’ve improved to the point where they can outperform manuals when it comes to gear-change speed and fuel economy. All Mustangs except the Shelby GT350 are offered with a 10-speed automatic, and it’s pretty great. 

But the GT350 comes with a six-speed manual transmission only. It’s another throwback that forces the driver to connect to the Mustang in a visceral way, promoting the kind of involvement that characterizes the best of sports cars. You can choose a manual on other Mustang models, too. 

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2) There’s a track version for just $64,645.

If you’re looking for a track-ready sports car at a bargain price, look no further: The 2018 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R starts at just $64,645. That includes 19-inch carbon fiber wheels wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Tires, a carbon fiber rear spoiler, a large front splitter, Recaro seats, dual exhaust with electronic valves and MagneRide damping system. You can use the GT350R as a starting point, or just head out for track days in your 526-hp monster.

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1) Choose the right configuration, and you can drive it every day.

The Mustang’s wide range of configurations means that there’s a Mustang for every budget, taste and driving style. From an entry point of $25,585 for an EcoBoost Fastback all the way to $64,645 for a Shelby GT350R, you have a host of ways to join the Mustang family. It is a sports car that you can drive every day, with proven reliability and comfort — as long as you can enjoy the big engine noise in the GT350R.

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