Ford Mustang Review 2025: Price, specs & boot space

If you want a car that'll make you feel like you're cruising down Highway 1, the Mustang isn't just right for you, it's your only real option without going through the expensive and complicated process of importing an American car yourself. You just need to make sure you're happy with the fuel bills, and a cabin that feels a bit dated compared to European rivals.

The 'engine' part of this is easy to answer, because in the UK you can only have the Mustang with a V8. That being said, even if the 2.3-litre Ecoboost (available elsewhere and on the previous-generation Mustang) was coming to the UK, we'd steer you towards the V8, because it's fabulous. 

You do at least get to pick from two gearboxes - a six-speed manual and a 10-speed automatic - and on that front, you definitely want the manual, which adds to the old-school experience of the Mustang. Also, the GT is available as a convertible, but it won't be as practical nor quite as good to drive. 

The only other decision you have to make is whether to go for the GT or the track-focused Dark Horse. We'd say most will be better off with the GT, as it's a pretty sizeable jump in price to the Dark Horse, and the Mustang isn't exactly an obvious choice for circuit driving. 

Not a great deal of cars are similar to the Mustang, really. The car's arch-rival, the Chevrolet Camaro, isn't officially imported to the UK, and there's no other sports coupe out there powered by a naturally aspirated V8 now the Lexus RC-F has been discontinued. In any case, that was a very different (and much more expensive) proposition to the Mustang. 

The car's more premium price tag does pitch it against various non-V8-powered European rivals, though, even if they offer up very different sorts of driving experiences. The Mustang Dark Horse is priced similarly to the BMW M2, for instance, and if a lack of rear seats and less luggage isn't a deal-breaker, the excellent Porsche 718 Cayman is in the same territory. 

A used alternative could be a late example of the previous-generation Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe, which is powered by a 4.0-litre V8. There isn't a two-door version of the new C63, sadly, and it comes with a far less sonorous 2.0-litre line-four hybrid powertrain. 

American-made cars have long had a not entirely undeserved reputation for lacking in quality compared to vehicles designed for the European market. And while things have changed, the Mustang doesn't feel quite as fancy inside as something like a BMW M2. It probably doesn't help that this isn't an entirely new car, carrying over quite a bit from the previous-generation Mustang which came out around 10 years ago. 

That said, it doesn't feel cheap in there either, and everything feels solid enough that we're confident the cabin won't look too worn after a lot of miles. 

The infotainment screen is a good size at 13.2 inches, but it's a shame it has to be used for a lot of the climate functions. And although those are displayed permanently along the bottom, the icons for them aren't particularly big, making it tricky to use them on the move. 

The touchscreen is very responsive, and the menu system is easy enough to get your head around, if not as straightforward as some. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are fitted as standard, but when connecting a phone using the former method, it was more faff than we'd have liked, with various steps to complete on your phone before anything happens. 

Navigation is fitted as standard and works well, but not to the point where we didn't prefer just using Google Maps on a connected smartphone. You can keep your phone charged via one of two USB-C ports mounted in the front, and there's a wireless charging pad. 

There's no such thing as a Mustang with a basic stereo, as all models get a 12-speaker Bang & Olufson surround sound system, which is very good, if not quite as sweet sounding as the V8 engine under the bonnet. It's annoyingly easy to accidentally hit the track skip button when you're trying to adjust the volume, as it's raised up a lot more than the volume controls.

Sharing its basic structure with the old Mustang, it's a similar story for the new one in terms of practicality. Despite being quite an outwardly large car (it's nearly five metres long), it's not all that roomy inside. Those sitting in the rear won't have much legroom, and headroom is tight thanks to the Mustang's sloping roofline. Getting back there isn't easy, either - even with one of the front seats tipped as far forward as possible, the gap isn't very big, and unless you unclip the seatbelt from the front seat, passengers will need to awkwardly duck under it on the way in.

Boot space is decent, at least, standing at 408 litres, while in the convertible it's 332 litres. The rear bench can fold in a 50/50 arrangement to accommodate longer loads, but the gap you'll need to feed items through is quite low and narrow. 

The door bins don't offer up a huge amount of space, but you do get a couple of cup holders in the centre console plus a small storage compartment. 

Although some markets receive a 2.3-litre 'Ecoboost' inline-four turbocharged engine, Ford hasn't bothered bringing it here, probably because this option was a slow seller in the UK, to the point where it was dropped from the range entirely. Buyers tended to want their slice of Americana with a more appropriate engine, i.e., a V8, so that's all Ford has made available this time.

It's naturally aspirated, meaning it doesn't use a turbocharger or supercharger to increase its power output. It's the last car available in the UK from a mainstream manufacturer to use a V8 of this type. While there's no choice of engine, you can pick between a six-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic. Yes, 10. 

Although the Mustang is old-fashioned in many ways, it's perfectly up-to-date in terms of refinement. It's quiet on the move, keeping you cocooned from excessive wind and road noise. The one thing that is a little vocal inside the cabin is the rumble of the V8, even at a gentle cruise. And that's just fine by us, and we suspect it will be for most owners. 

The last Ford Mustang infamously 'achieved' a two-star rating when first assessed by Euro NCAP. It was marked down severely for its lack of safety tech, but even when reassessed after some gizmos were added, it still only managed three stars. 

The new car, which shares a lot of its structural elements with the previous-generation Mustang (which itself shared a lot with the one before that was made as long ago as 2005), is yet to be assessed by Euro NCAP. The new car does at least come with plenty of safety assistance technology, including autonomous emergency braking, blind spot detection and lane assistance.

Although it's technically a new-generation Mustang, enough is carried over from the previous car that we can get some idea of how reliable this one will prove. The sixth-gen car is thought to be mostly pretty solid save for a few reported issues including oil cooler leaks and air conditioning compressor failures. 

Ford hasn't covered itself in glory in recent HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index surveys, often placing among the lowest-rated car brands. Its warranty length of three years is pretty standard, but the mileage limit of 60,000 is lower than some rivals which offer up to 100,000 miles. That said, most Mustang owners aren't likely to exceed 60k miles in three years. 

The Ford Mustang is likely to be expensive to insure for most drivers, with the current range sitting from groups 43 for the GT Coupe to 46 for the Dark Horse, making the latter only just off the maximum group of 50. It's comparable to other similarly priced performance coupes like the BMW M2, however. As with any car, it pays to shop around to get the best quote possible. 

You'll have to pay the same £190 annual car tax rate as any other petrol and diesel car for the Mustang, but as all versions are comfortably over the £40,000 threshold for the government's premium car supplement, that's not all you'll be paying. From years two to five of ownership, there's an extra £410 annual fee to cough up, and it's still the case if you're not the first owner, so buying used doesn't get you around it.

The Mustang doesn't have trim levels as such, but it is available in two distinct flavours. Firstly there's the GT, which is very well-equipped as standard. It comes with a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen surround sound system, 19-inch alloy wheels, LED front and rear lights, part leather electrically adjustable and heated/cooled sports seats, keyless entry and start, adaptive cruise control and a rear parking camera.

The Dark Horse meanwhile comes with all of that, plus a more aggressive body kit including a rear wing, beefier anti-roll bars, adaptive dampers with a specific tune for the Dark Horse (you can have a non-Dark Horse version of these on the GT for £1,600), upgraded cooling so the car is better suited to track driving, a different set of 19-inch alloy wheels with wider tyres, and darkened interior trim. 

Other than colours, options shared across both cars are sportier Recaro seats that cost £2,000 (while also removing the electronic adjustment and heated/cooling function) and the 10-speed automatic gearbox which costs the same.