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Auto Blog
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Driving the Ford Mustang GT in Los Angeles: Here's My Brutally Honest Review
By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Driving a V8 in the age of SUVs Currently, there are no real competitors that directly challenge the 2025 Ford Mustang GT. I spent a week driving one around Los Angeles, with mixed results, but a deeper appreciation for what it represents. With the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger bowing out of production, the Mustang now stands alone in the traditional American muscle car segment. Not counting the electric Mustang Mach-E, Ford is still moving a solid number of units—over 47,000 sold last year. That's impressive for a rear-wheel-drive coupe with limited utility. In many ways, it's the antithesis of today's SUV-obsessed car culture, and that's exactly what makes it special. 2024 Ford Mustang — Source: Ford What Is the 2025 Mustang GT? The GT is powered by the now-legendary 5.0L 'Coyote' V8, delivering 480 horsepower and 418 lb-ft of torque. Add the optional active performance exhaust, and output bumps to 486 hp. You can still opt for a convertible, and while Ford introduced a 60th Anniversary Edition in 2024, it's mostly cosmetic. I've driven the 500-horsepower Mustang Dark Horse, and while it's brutally effective, I actually found the Mustang GT more enjoyable. It's more analog, more involving, and more fun in everyday conditions. 2024 Ford Mustang — Source: Ford Behind the wheel: real-world impressions The Mustang I tested was a 6-speed manual GT with the Performance Package and a Torsen 3.73 limited-slip differential—a proper enthusiast setup. At full throttle, this car surges forward with authority, the V8 sound pouring in as the tires claw for grip. The manual transmission is a delight—precise, mechanical, and rewarding. Steering feedback is excellent, rivaling the best sports cars I've tested. Outside of something like a Mazda MX-5 Miata, it's rare to find such communication between driver and machine in this price bracket. But let's be honest: L.A. traffic is a buzzkill. Driving a heavy-hitting V8 with a manual gearbox through miles of stop-and-go gets tiresome quickly. I found myself going from 'You have to try this!' to 'Please get me out of this' more than once. 2025 Ford Mustang GT — Source: Ford Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Interior & tech The cabin hasn't changed much since 2024. It's still sporty, functional, and tight, especially for rear-seat passengers. Tall friends will complain about both legroom and headroom, but the front seats are excellent, with plenty of support and adjustability. Tech-wise, the Mustang GT comes with a 13.2-inch center touchscreen running SYNC 4, integrated with a 12.4-inch digital gauge cluster. The combined screen setup under curved glass looks sharp and works smoothly. Features like wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, enhanced voice controls, and 911 Assist round out a modern cabin experience. Price and value The base price for the 2025 Mustang GT starts at around $48,000, but my test car came in just over $60,000 with options. That's not cheap, but it's still significantly less than some key rivals. The Nissan Z NISMO costs over $69,000, the Toyota GR Supra Final Edition has a similar MSRP, while the BMW M240i xDrive is premium-priced but smaller. All of those cars may compete on performance, but only the Mustang GT offers a naturally aspirated V8 and true muscle car DNA at this price point. And let's be real—that matters. 2025 Ford Mustang GT — Source: Ford Efficiency and practicality Fuel economy? Not great—14 mpg city / 23 mpg highway with the manual. The 10-speed automatic improves that slightly and actually performs better in most scenarios. But let's not pretend that MPG is why you're buying this car. You're here for the power, the sound, the feeling, and that's where the manual truly shines. Final thoughts The 2025 Mustang GT isn't perfect. It's not ideal for commuting, nor is it particularly practical. However, it is one of the few new cars that still delivers visceral driving joy, without requiring a six-figure price tag or a track-only lifestyle. It rewards every input. It makes you feel like you're part of something. And it does all of that while carrying the torch for V8-powered performance coupes—a segment that's rapidly disappearing. So, ask yourself: Would you rather have a fast, turbocharged four- or six-cylinder engine, or a rumbly, old-school, fire-breathing V8 that makes every drive feel like an event? For me, the answer is easy.
IOL News
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Unleashing the thrill: experience the V8 Ford Mustang Dark Horse's performance and design
The Ford Mustang Dark horse has a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine pushing out 334kW and 540Nm. Image: Supplied There's something deeply satisfying about starting up a naturally aspirated V8 petrol-fueled engine. It's even more so when it's slotted under the long bonnet of a Ford Mustang Dark Horse, which sounds grumpy even when in quiet mode. I've had my fair share of exposure to the iconic American Pony Car over the years, including a first drive of the Dark Horse at the Charlotte Speedway in America, which is considered the home of Nascar. It's difficult to describe the feeling of climbing up the embankment of the famous oval with the side of the big sportscar only a foot or two away from the wall. It's both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time but without a doubt one of the highlights of my career. Ford Performance I also love the fact that Ford has thrown its full weight behind almost every aspect of motor racing that includes WRC, Nascar, Le Mans, Pikes Peak hillclimb in an electric Mustang and will be the engine supplier for the Red Bull Racing F1 team next year. I mean, when Ford CEO Jim Farley races in the inaugural Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational, you know it's more than just lip service. That's what you get with a boss who has racing fuel in his veins and understands what exciting cars are about. It's the same for Toyota with their range of GR products. Their Chairman, Akio Toyoda, actually races the products which explains a lot. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The Ford Mustang Dark Horse is out and out a Pony Car. Image: Supplied V8 engine Which brings us back to the track-focused Mustang Dark horse in all its thunderous glory with its 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine with dual throttle body intake design that's been modified with piston connecting rods pushing out 334kW and 540Nm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via Ford's software-updated 10-speed automatic transmission with a Torsen rear differential and a manual option to switch gears via paddle shifters. The tyres are staggered with Pirelli P Zero high-performance 255/40 R19 tyres in front and 275/40 R19 at the rear to cope with the power. Exterior With the Dark Horse being a track focussed car they've fitted it with a set of brake cooling ducts to keep the 390mm Brembo brakes (the rear discs are also ventilated) with six-piston calipers cool, an auxiliary engine oil cooler, a rear axle cooler, a lightweight radiator with improved cooling and more powerful cooling fans. Giving it a more menacing appearance, it has a unique grille and black trim under the headlights, a forward-facing wild horse badge on the front bumpers, with a raised rear wing on the boot. There's no cookie-cutter, same-same design here, this is out and out a Mustang Pony Car and not even the most casual observer would mistake it for anything else. Even after 60 years of production, it still turns heads wherever it goes and it received an enthusiastic thumbs up and broad smiles across all genders, colours and ages. Interior The interior has also been updated to the 21st century. It has a thicker flat-bottomed suede-wrapped steering wheel with Bright Indigo Blue accent stitching with all the usual buttons and switches, including an easy-to-reach drive mode button. The 12.4-inch instrument cluster is fully digital allowing you to customise it to your preferred setting including historic Mustang clusters and a track set-up, flowing into a 13.2-inch SYNC 4 touchscreen infotainment system angled towards the driver. There's contrasting blue stitching across the door panels and seats, gear shift gaiter and centre console and the interior trim, bezels and vents have dark metallic gloss. Sliding behind the wheel of the low-slung Dark Horse and feeling the vibrations of the V8 through the seats provides an air of anticipation. The 12.4-inch instrument cluster is fully digital allowing you to customise it to your preferred setting including historic Mustang clusters and a track set-up. Image: Supplied Dynamic driving A loud cold start-up slows down to a rumble as you ease the long nose forward. Talking of that, it's not easy to gauge your distance when manoeuvring into tight spaces, and front park distance control would have been a welcome addition. With its distinctive soundtrack, previous Mustangs have always been fun to drive albeit rather vague with its steering and its innate ability to either understeer or oversteer when pushed hard. It's not the case with the Dark Horse, it is, I suppose, a horse of a different colour. The steering is sharp and precise and hard cornering can be done with confidence. At 1 837kg and 4 799cm long, it's impressive what the engineers have done to combine chassis, suspension, sway bars and steering into something resembling a racing car. It's still a handful, though with the rear wheels propelling you forward and at high speeds, you need to have your wits about you, especially with strong cross winds. Left in automatic, the gearbox provides smooth changes although there's no hard thumping your body into the seat through the first three gears as perhaps you would expect. Still, it's no slouch with our colleagues at Car Magazine recording a 0-100km/h time of 4.49 seconds. Using the paddles, the Dark Horse provides a more engaging drive when heading towards the red line, allowing you to shift up and down with the exhaust providing extra blips and bangs. Dial it down and the American muscle car becomes a fully-fledged GT car. It will comfortably take you to your destination with heated or ventilated seats cruising in 10th gear with no exhaust rumble to distract you from listening to music on the B&O Sound System. With naturally aspirated V8 engines becoming ever more scarce, the Ford Mustang and especially the Dark Horse stand out as beacons of hope. At R1 523 500 its dynamic handling, thundering grin-inducing exhaust notes, iconic history, and the smile it puts on people's faces, is reason enough to want one.
Auto Blog
04-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Cracked Open: What Really Ends the Life of Ford's Gen 3 Coyote V8
This Coyote V8 is locked up at over 100,000 miles, but how bad it is inside? From Muscle Cars to Trucks: The Flexible Modular Coyote V8 Ford introduced its Coyote V8 engine as an evolution of its modular V8 platform, marking the Blue Oval's return to high-performance V8s, particularly in the Mustang GT. However, this engine isn't just exclusive to the long-running muscle car nameplate – several models also made use of this versatile engine, some even outside Ford's stables. The Ford F-150 is one such model that benefits from the Coyote V8, particularly its third iteration, introduced in 2018. This generation of the Coyote received both port and direct injection, along with PTWA liners and increased bore. It even saw the birth of the 'Predator,' a 760-hp supercharged variant used in the mighty Raptor R. Dead at Over 100,000 Miles The Coyote V8 has established itself as a reliable performance-driven mill, but it's also known to be reliable, suffering only a handful of issues associated with its name. Some can reach hundreds of thousands of miles – like this example in the spotlight by YouTube engine coroner, I Do Cars. In this teardown video, we get to see a third-generation Coyote V8 from a 2018 Ford F-150, which is presumed to have reached over 100,000 miles. The engine is apparently all locked up, but further inspection revealed what killed the Coyote and what made it such a special specimen of Ford engineering. Looking Good From the Get-Go While I Do Cars was under the impression that the V8 in question was all banged up, initial inspection showed that it wasn't too bad. It rotated manually with a few internal clicks. The spark plugs appeared to be overdue, and while the intake ports were dirty, the valves were clean enough to suggest port/direct injection was helping. Further examination of the top portion showed promising revelations, with clean sections after removing the valve covers. There were no metal glitter, damaged cam lobes, or broken valvetrain parts. Interestingly, a timing chain slap was discovered as the source of the clicks, due to the unloaded oil pressure-dependent tensioners. Minimal Wear, With Only One Major Problem However, the cylinder heads showed heavy carbon and oil deposits, suggesting the engine was burning oil. One cylinder showed odd residue or discoloration, while the pistons came with a heavy carbon buildup in ring lands, suggesting oil control ring failure. Some oil rings were seized, others barely protruded, confirming oil consumption problems. Overall, the Coyote V8 engine teardown showed minimal and typical wear after over 100,000 miles (apart from the plastic oil pan), with I Do Cars claiming it is a candidate for a rebuild. It wasn't flawless, but its failure was only from burning too much oil, which led to catalytic converter damage – the only persistent problem associated with Coyote V8s, beyond issues with its 10-speed transmission.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford's Gen 3 Coyote V8 Dissected: The Hidden Cause of Engine Failure
Ford's Gen 3 Coyote V8 Dissected: The Hidden Cause of Engine Failure originally appeared on Autoblog. Ford introduced its Coyote V8 engine as an evolution of its modular V8 platform, marking the Blue Oval's return to high-performance V8s, particularly in the Mustang GT. However, this engine isn't just exclusive to the long-running muscle car nameplate – several models also made use of this versatile engine, some even outside Ford's stables. The Ford F-150 is one such model that benefits from the Coyote V8, particularly its third iteration, introduced in 2018. This generation of the Coyote received both port and direct injection, along with PTWA liners and increased bore. It even saw the birth of the "Predator," a 760-hp supercharged variant used in the mighty Raptor R. View the 2 images of this gallery on the original article The Coyote V8 has established itself as a reliable performance-driven mill, but it's also known to be reliable, suffering only a handful of issues associated with its name. Some can reach hundreds of thousands of miles – like this example in the spotlight by YouTube engine coroner, I Do Cars. In this teardown video, we get to see a third-generation Coyote V8 from a 2018 Ford F-150, which is presumed to have reached over 100,000 miles. The engine is apparently all locked up, but further inspection revealed what killed the Coyote and what made it such a special specimen of Ford engineering. While I Do Cars was under the impression that the V8 in question was all banged up, initial inspection showed that it wasn't too bad. It rotated manually with a few internal clicks. The spark plugs appeared to be overdue, and while the intake ports were dirty, the valves were clean enough to suggest port/direct injection was helping. Further examination of the top portion showed promising revelations, with clean sections after removing the valve covers. There were no metal glitter, damaged cam lobes, or broken valvetrain parts. Interestingly, a timing chain slap was discovered as the source of the clicks, due to the unloaded oil pressure-dependent tensioners. View the 4 images of this gallery on the original article However, the cylinder heads showed heavy carbon and oil deposits, suggesting the engine was burning oil. One cylinder showed odd residue or discoloration, while the pistons came with a heavy carbon buildup in ring lands, suggesting oil control ring failure. Some oil rings were seized, others barely protruded, confirming oil consumption problems. Overall, the Coyote V8 engine teardown showed minimal and typical wear after over 100,000 miles (apart from the plastic oil pan), with I Do Cars claiming it is a candidate for a rebuild. It wasn't flawless, but its failure was only from burning too much oil, which led to catalytic converter damage – the only persistent problem associated with Coyote V8s, beyond issues with its 10-speed transmission. View the 4 images of this gallery on the original article Ford's Gen 3 Coyote V8 Dissected: The Hidden Cause of Engine Failure first appeared on Autoblog on Jun 3, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Miami Herald
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Ford's Gen 3 Coyote V8 Dissected: The Hidden Cause of Engine Failure
Ford introduced its Coyote V8 engine as an evolution of its modular V8 platform, marking the Blue Oval's return to high-performance V8s, particularly in the Mustang GT. However, this engine isn't just exclusive to the long-running muscle car nameplate – several models also made use of this versatile engine, some even outside Ford's stables. The Ford F-150 is one such model that benefits from the Coyote V8, particularly its third iteration, introduced in 2018. This generation of the Coyote received both port and direct injection, along with PTWA liners and increased bore. It even saw the birth of the "Predator," a 760-hp supercharged variant used in the mighty Raptor R. The Coyote V8 has established itself as a reliable performance-driven mill, but it's also known to be reliable, suffering only a handful of issues associated with its name. Some can reach hundreds of thousands of miles – like this example in the spotlight by YouTube engine coroner, I Do Cars. In this teardown video, we get to see a third-generation Coyote V8 from a 2018 Ford F-150, which is presumed to have reached over 100,000 miles. The engine is apparently all locked up, but further inspection revealed what killed the Coyote and what made it such a special specimen of Ford engineering. While I Do Cars was under the impression that the V8 in question was all banged up, initial inspection showed that it wasn't too bad. It rotated manually with a few internal clicks. The spark plugs appeared to be overdue, and while the intake ports were dirty, the valves were clean enough to suggest port/direct injection was helping. Further examination of the top portion showed promising revelations, with clean sections after removing the valve covers. There were no metal glitter, damaged cam lobes, or broken valvetrain parts. Interestingly, a timing chain slap was discovered as the source of the clicks, due to the unloaded oil pressure-dependent tensioners. However, the cylinder heads showed heavy carbon and oil deposits, suggesting the engine was burning oil. One cylinder showed odd residue or discoloration, while the pistons came with a heavy carbon buildup in ring lands, suggesting oil control ring failure. Some oil rings were seized, others barely protruded, confirming oil consumption problems. Overall, the Coyote V8 engine teardown showed minimal and typical wear after over 100,000 miles (apart from the plastic oil pan), with I Do Cars claiming it is a candidate for a rebuild. It wasn't flawless, but its failure was only from burning too much oil, which led to catalytic converter damage – the only persistent problem associated with Coyote V8s, beyond issues with its 10-speed transmission. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
