2024 Ford Mustang EcoBoost, Mostly New, Mostly Better

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

My personal passion for cars began in the mid-1970s when my age was still measured in the high single digits. You wouldn’t think that the early years of the malaise era would be a great time to get into cars, but a friend of our family had an Acapulco blue Ford Mustang Mach 1. Over the years since, that 1969-70 Mustang shape has proved to be one of my favorites and arguably the last great design of the first generation (I was never a fan of the 1971-73). 2023 marks the 59th consecutive year of Mustang production, one of the longest running nameplates in the industry and with that comes the launch of the new sixth generation model that we recently got to drive for the first time.

Automaker marketers and PR people are and always have been big fans of hyperbole and within the hallways of Ford that certainly applies to the Mustang. Talk with anyone involved in the S650 (Ford’s internal code for this generation of Mustang) program that is allowed to speak publicly and they will proudly proclaim that the 2024 Mustang is “all-new,” a wildly overused term. I would personally argue that it's more like mostly new. The S550 that arrived in 2014 as a 2015 model was in fact more new than this variant.

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

Does that matter? Not really, because the S550 Mustang was dramatically improved over the prior S197 generation and the S650 continues to build on that. Architecturally, the ‘24 Mustang is an evolution of the previous generation, keeping the basic concept but tweaking much of it for the better. The S550 introduced independent rear suspension across the board as well as the 2.3-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine to the lineup.

The basic dimensions including the wheelbase remain unchanged as do the overall proportions of the S650. As with the prior model, the Mustang can be had in either fastback or convertible form. Despite carrying over its overall size and hardpoints, every piece of bodywork (except perhaps the retractable top on the convertible) is in fact all-new. It still carries the Mustang visual DNA but in a revised form with much sharper edges and a generally more aggressive look.

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

With the decision to make the S550 available globally, Ford designers gave that car a more international flair. This time, they have returned to something they have referred to as more distinctly American muscle. In most respects, the lines are a bit simpler and cleaner, although the nose is definitely a bolder statement. The new headlamps are perhaps the most striking and successful part of the face with a new interpretation of the tri-bar signature lights. Where the 2015 had three slashes of light angled inward and inboard of the projector headlamps, this one has three slim horizontal bars just above the three LED projectors. It bears some resemblance to the front of the Mach-E but in a slimmer and wider layout.

At the rear, there is a distinct concave crease in the fascia with taillights that are meant to evoke the similar back-end of the 1967-68 models but also share a common theme with the electric Mach-E. Overall, I don’t dislike the 2024 design, but as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I would personally rather behold a 2015 pony.

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

When the S550 was first introduced, it offered a base model with a 3.7-liter V6 but that was discontinued after 2017 leaving just the EcoBoost and the V8 GT (which is discussed separately). For 2024, the EcoBoost remains the base engine and it has received a number of tweaks including a new smaller, lighter, twin-scroll turbocharger, new valve-train and an updated dual port and direct fuel injection system. In all, it’s a bit closer to the spec of the late Focus RS. Power is bumped by 5-horsepower to 315-hp and torque remains unchanged at 350 lb-ft.

Back in 1990 when I graduated and started working full-time with my freshly minted engineering degree, I bought my first Mustang, a 1991 5.0LX. At the time, it was a very quick car and the 5.0-liter V8 churned out an impressive for the day 225-hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. Now the base four-cylinder has 90 more horsepower and 50 lb-ft of extra twist.

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

Sadly, for 2024, the EcoBoost engine is no longer available with a manual transmission, a victim of declining sales and fuel economy and emissions targets that must be met. Fortunately, the GT is still available in a three-pedal format that has a surprisingly high take rate.

The most radical change to the 2024 Mustangs is the interior. The classic double-brow look has been retired in favor of something more modern and meant to hopefully appeal to younger buyers raised on having screens all around them. On all but the base models, there is now a large curved glass panel stretching across the top of the dashboard and center stack containing a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster and 13-inch infotainment touchscreen. The base models have the same screens but in independent housings. This is a fundamentally different approach than Mustangs of the past and it will be interesting to see if millennials and gen-Z will find it appealing.

2024 Ford Mustang EcoBoost base model with separate displays for instruments and infotainment

As shown in a previous walk through video I did, Ford, like a number of other automakers including GM and Rivian is using Unreal engine to create the graphical animations in real time. While it can certainly look cool, I generally find it a bit gimmicky and it doesn’t really add to functionality. The SYNC 4 infotainment has a tweaked interface from other Ford and Lincoln products, but it still functions in much the same way and that works pretty well. The screens themselves are bright and sharp, but under certain lighting conditions they can also be quite reflective which can be a problem, especially when driving top down.

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

Sadly, the emphasis on screens, means that the Mustang no longer has physical switches and dials for climate control. Like the latest Escape and Corsair, the climate controls are permanently shown in a strip along the bottom of the touchscreen so you don’t have to search for them, but you do still have to look rather than relying on muscle memory. Thankfully, the volume knob has been retained.

After a product briefing we got to hop into the cars and we selected a EcoBoost Premium Convertible in carbonized gray metallic with the high-performance package that includes larger Brembo brakes and Pirelli P-Zero tires. Starting out from Irwindale Speedway, we headed up into the San Gabriel Mountains for a loop around the reservoir.

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

While every vehicle I’ve ever owned as my own personal vehicle (not including those primarily driven by my wife) has had a manual transmission, if I actually had to live in the greater Los Angeles area, I might just force myself to go with an automatic transmission. As auto shifters go, the 10-speed transmission developed jointly by Ford and GM is not a bad one and it has certainly improved over the years as Ford has updated its shift programming. Despite going high-tech in many other areas of the interior, Ford has retained a mechanical shift lever for the Mustang instead of some sort of push-button arrangement. This is augmented by steering wheel mounted paddles for those times when you do want to take some modicum of control.

The last couple of generations of Mustang are quite a bit larger than my old Fox-body and with all of the features they now have, they are considerably heavier. At 3,741-lbs, the 2024 EcoBoost convertible is some 700-lbs porkier than my 91 V8 notchback. On the other hand, despite the folding top, this modern pony car is also a lot stiffer than convertibles of three decades ago.

The fat torque curve provided by a modern direct injected and turbocharged engine combined with the automatic transmission does an admirable job of making this machine feel not quite as heavy as it is. The road that runs up and down both sides of this canyon has ever so brief straight sections joined by lots of curves. Even with its considerable mass, the four-cylinder convertible is still almost 100 lbs lighter than the V8 fastback and nearly 300-lbs lighter than the GT convertible. With less of its mass on the front axle, it generally feels a bit better balanced as well.

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

While the modified front strut and integral link independent rear suspensions are tweaked, they are largely the same as the S550 generation. The most notable difference that affects driving dynamics in the new Mustang is the steering. There is a newly designed steering rack and different type of joint in the steering column that enables the removal of a bushing. The result is a considerably stiffer column with less compliance that provides better overall steering feel.

It’s been several years since I drove an EcoBoost S550, so I don’t have a direct back to back comparison, but I can say the steering in the new car provided very good feedback with excellent weighting in Sport mode. One advantage of the revamped dashboard is that the drive mode switch is now on the steering column rather than the center stack, making it easier to switch between sport, normal and track.

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

If I was going to be driving this car on these sorts of roads regularly, I’d probably opt for the optional Recaro sport seats, but in normal driving on city streets, the standard seats are comfortable and easier to get in and out of.

Overall, even with the soft top, the new Mustang felt very precise and progressive in its handling, never feeling like it wanted to step out and bite the driver. This is really important for someone that has less experience and training. Of course it can still go fast enough to get you in trouble if you really try, but compared to my old Fox body with its live rear axle that snap sideways at just the hint of a bump during a corner, this Mustang is a breeze to drive quickly. By the way, in the My Mustang app in the infotainment, you can select from several different gauge layouts including a digital replica of the Fox body cluster that even uses the same green backlighting when the headlights are on. I of course chose that layout.

Upon our return to Irwindale, we got to try out the EcoBoost on an autocross course and the new electronic drift brake. The autocross, set up in the middle of the Irwindale oval wasn’t nearly as challenging as a typical SCCA event, but it did demonstrate that the new Mustang does respond well to driver inputs including the throttle and brake. With a bit of trailing brake heading into a corner, it does turn in better and accelerating hard out of a turn can induce enough oversteer to have fun without instantly turning you into one of those morons trying to put on a show while leaving cars and coffee.

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

The electronic drift brake is a new creation developed in collaboration with drifting champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. and his RTR Vehicles team. As with most newer vehicles, the Mustang now has an electronic park brake that uses the hydraulic actuator from the stability control system to apply pressure on the rear brakes instead of a steel cable actuator. On base Mustangs, there is the typical park brake switch on the console that looks like a window switch.

But customers that opt for the performance package get a handle that looks much like a traditional park brake lever. However, it too is an electronic switch. When the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal and pulls the handle, it applies the brakes in under 100 milliseconds, much faster and more aggressively than a mechanical brake. With the steering wheel turned, this will immediately initiate a drift. Releasing the handle and reapplying the throttle lets you maintain the drift. Compared to drifting with a traditional system, it’s a lot easier to use, but it should never be used on the road. As much as the suspension tries to keep drivers out of trouble, the drift brake can easily get you into it.

2024 Ford Mustang first drive

Overall, from a driving perspective the 2024 Mustang EcoBoost is a positive evolution of the prior generation. If the design and more importantly the new interior works for you, it’s absolutely worth a look. The premium convertible I drove prices out to almost $52,000 which isn’t exactly cheap, but the fastback starts at just under $31,000. When accounting for inflation over the last 33 years, my Fox body today would have come out to just shy of $30,000. Given the improvements in performance, handling, safety and technology over that time, you’re getting a lot more for roughly the same money today.