Test Driving the 2025 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Premium: My Honest Take

The Last Great American Pony Car That Still Stands

My grandfather loved Mustangs. Though I never got to see it, he'd often reminisce about his bright yellow '65 Coupe out loud. He spoke of it so passionately that it was as if the car was one of my own ancestors, and so, the Mustang has always held a special place in my heart (even if I did always secretly prefer the Dodge Challenger). Nowadays, however, the Mustang is the last remaining great American pony car, with the Challenger having been essentially replaced with the all-electric Charger, and the Camaro having been killed off entirely. Admittedly, I feel a bit protective of the S650 Mustang, even if it is a bit like an annoying cousin that knows precisely which buttons to push to turn my face into a hellish red mask of rage.

A Test Drive That Started With a Bang

I'll begin with one example of how the S650 (the codename for its current generation) Mustang got on my nerves. My test car was supposed to be yellow. Yeah, just like my grandfather's old '65, so needless to say, I was pretty stoked to pick it up, not having done my Google image search due diligence beforehand. As you can probably surmise from my photos, it was not yellow, necessarily speaking. Ford calls this paint color "Intense Lime Yellow Metallic," which is a bit contradictory, because limes are not yellow—lemons are. So, over the course of my week behind the wheel of the EcoBoost Mustang, which was supposed to be yellow like the one I had heard so much about during my childhood, I found myself at the indirect butt end of sarcastic name-calling. My youngest brother quickly nicknamed it the "Snot Rocket," to which I retorted, "If you're going to be offensive, at least make it rhyme. Let's call it the vomit comet."

First Impressions

As you can probably guess, my first impressions weren't those of shaking hands and kissing babies, so to speak. Regardless, I remained optimistic. "The color will pop in the photos," I reassured myself, and, well, it certainly does. I was also admittedly a bit choked that I'd be stuck with an EcoBoost-powered Mustang for the week, rather than the grand ol' five-liter V8 found under the hood of the GT model. I'd piloted a convertible S550 EcoBoost through the scenic streets of Jasper National Park a few years ago and equated it to "not much more, philosophically speaking, than a Ford Fusion with the roof hastily removed." Still, I reassured myself, "It's a turbocharged rear-wheel drive sports car. Switch it to its sportiest setting, throw it in manual-shift mode, and hit the open road." Little did I know.

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Yup. Much to my surprise, I twiddled my fingers behind the Mustang's all-new, and admittedly good-looking, steering wheel, to discover that it no longer had paddle shifters. "What the hell?" I reached for the gear selector to throw it into manual mode, thinking I'd at least be able to override the gearbox this way, but nope. Not only will Ford no longer sell you an EcoBoost Mustang with a proper manual gearbox, but you can't even shift its ten-speed automatic gearbox yourself. Even a CVT-equipped Subaru has paddle shifters these days. Anyway, my first few minutes behind the wheel of this EcoBoost Mustang were spent laughing at it—never a good start for a so-called "professional" automotive assessment.

The Interior Experience

Although the lack of a manual gearbox override was surprising, I was genuinely impressed by the Mustang's new interior. I'd heard that its material quality was, well, not so excellent, but truthfully, that thought never occurred to me. Sure, it might squeak a bit if you pull on its panels, but this is no Bentley, and I never expected it to be one. Its new dual-screen infotainment/gauge cluster display strategy, although a bit Mercedes CLA-esque, looks aptly modern and gives the Mustang a fresher look that is undoubtedly an upgrade from the previous generation's dreary cabin. As my test vehicle was an EcoBoost "Premium," it came with leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, and a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. It slaps hard, presenting my '60s rock n' roll playlist crisply and to my ears' satisfaction, especially thanks to its sizable trunk-mounted subwoofer.

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As I became more acquainted with the Mustang's interior, I grew more fond of it. Sure, it forgets every damn setting every time the ignition is shut off, and the fact that its automatic climate control system also decides to either heat or ventilate the seats upon startup, seemingly at random, can be infuriating, but it's a nice place to spend some time. Sitting in the Mustang makes you feel powerful and special, even if it doesn't have a rumbling V8 under the hood. Its visibility is acceptable, too, unlike that of the Camaro. I'm used to driving a Subaru BRZ, so my standards for outward visibility are admittedly low, but I never really worried about what might be hiding in my blind spots. Ultimately, my favorite feature of the Mustang's interior is its customizable gauge cluster with available retro-style instrumentation. For the duration of my test, I had mine set to display the '67 Mustang's gauges (as pictured below), so I could at least somewhat attempt to relive the glory of my grandfather's classic 'Stang.

I don't really have any complaints about the Mustang's interior. Oh yeah, getting into the back seat can be a hassle because the front seats don't move forward automatically. When you do adjust them, they let out an awful, flatulence-like noise as the leather rubs against the center console. Otherwise, there's not much worth complaining about. After all, it's a two-door Mustang coupe, so I didn't expect ample rear headroom or luxury brand fit and finish. Thus, it exceeded my expectations, purely because I liked it better than that of the previous generation.

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Road Manners

It's a Mustang, man. Truth be told, I got over the lack of paddle shifters pretty quickly. Frankly, they sucked in the S550 Mustang, at least in EcoBoost guise, and so I didn't miss them all that much once the initial shock wore off. The 'Stang's ten-speed automatic shifts quickly and with ample drama. In sport mode, that initial first-to-second gear shift is a bit rough, but otherwise the gearbox responds pretty intuitively to throttle input, and once you get the hang of driving it, you can pretty much force it to downshift with well-timed ankle flicks. The stand-out highlight of the driving experience, for me at least, had to be the Mustang's active exhaust system. In sport mode, with the valves opened up, it sounds surprisingly exciting. It's no rice rocket with a massive fart can welded on where its muffler should be. No, this is a properly deep, throaty-sounding four-cylinder, and it'll even tempt your wild side with the occasional pop and subtle burble on the overrun.

"Wild" is also an accurate word to describe this Mustang's handling, for better or for worse. For an American "muscle" car, so to speak, even though it's technically a pony car, it handles exceptionally well. By modern sports car standards, however, it's not all there. Its steering feels pretty disconnected and offers little feedback. This can result in severe understeer if you aren't careful, and its front end seems a bit squirrelly. It's odd because the Mustang's rear-end feels pretty dialed in, and it'll happily chirp those rear tires around a tight bend with the help of the turbo's sufficient boost. The front end's lack of connectivity is most noticeable when the car's being properly pushed, suggesting that Ford may view the EcoBoost Mustang as more of a grand-touring-esque entry-level sports coupe. It'll indeed make for an exciting rental car, even if it isn't the most appealing sports car for enthusiasts to buy.

The Real Verdict

By the end of my week driving the vomit comet, many of my initial concerns with the EcoBoost Mustang had vanished. I no longer cared that manual shifting was absent, my brain had begun to automatically tune out the fart noise caused by the friction of seat adjustments, and I had even become fond of its controversial paint color. I dare say that it appealed more and more to my eyes as the colors of autumn began to set in around it. Generally speaking, I got the vibes.

This isn't the sports car I'd go for at its price point, because for the money I'd buy (and have done so) the Subaru BRZ tS. However, if 230-ish horsepower won't cut it for you, and you couldn't care less about rowing your own gears and having pristine balance through hard, tight corners, then I completely understand the appeal of the EcoBoost Mustang in your case. It boasts an iconic heritage, a fantastic retro-modern design, and genuinely exciting driving dynamics, all paired with real-world comfort and usability. To me, this is the most affordable brand-new grand touring sports car on the planet right now, and it deserves a second look if usability and comfort come first for you, but sportiness comes as a distant yet vital second.

Would you run down to your local Ford showroom for an EcoBoost-powered Mustang? Do you think I'm out of my mind for choosing a dinky Subaru BRZ tS over a turbocharged Mustang? Let me know what you think in the comments. I love to hear from you!