The 2018 Ford Mustang GT is a powerful, high-tech, muscle car that’s a blast to drive

Verdict?

Matthew DeBord/BI

When I last sampled a GT, my thoughts were: “Brothers and sisters, if you think a sports car might be for you, just get one of these.”

The song remains the same, even though I’ve also driven the GT’s big brother, the GT350, which is a lot of car.

The regular 5.0 GT is plenty, however. I used it as a passable imitation of the daily driver in LA, and though the six-speed was no party, it was fine. Once I got to cut loose in the canyons, you couldn’t have given me an automatic.

That said, because the redline is now 7,500 rpm (up 500 from the previous model), it’s possible to park the GT in third gear, or even second, and just rip around and relish the sharp steering and marvelous brakes: point and shoot driving, with the V8 making its music in the background.

Obviously, this is a Mustang, so it can haul in a straight line. Onramp runs and passing on the freeway are tons of fun. When the back end hunkers down and the tires grab, the joy is palpable (the GT is outfitted with a Drag Strip mode, by the way, and joined with the automatic option, that gets you a sub-four-second 0-60 mph time).

The real trick with the V8-motored Stangs these days is to deliver German-sports-car-level performance without grinding the backwoods American edge off. This is harder than it sounds. But Ford has done it, and even sneakily altered the Stang’s looks by streamlining the exterior. But that engine continues to rock ‘n’ roll.

Yeah, let’s face it, I loved the car. The gas bill might take some getting used to, but the 2018 Mustang GT is an excellent plaything. You’d want to drive it every single weekend. And then you might even want to spend the money and drive it every day.

Don’t forget, even if you max out the options and get up to $55,000 or so, you’re still miles below the cost of comparable Porsche 911 (a Carrera GTS, for example). You can afford the fill-ups.