2024 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Offers Thrilling Driving Experience with New Features
Los Angeles, CA – Driving an automatic 2024 Ford Mustang with an EcoBoost engine was not how I envisioned trying out Ford’s new Electronic Drift Brake. It wouldn’t be the last of my pony car expectations to be challenged. Of course, that was Ford’s whole point. Even though the turbocharged 4-cylinder, 2.3-liter EcoBoost is the more modestly powered member of the ’Stang lineup none dare call it boring; in fact, Ford had us using the EcoBoost in both an autocross course and in the drifting demonstration at the Irwindale Speedway. It’s a little more powerful then the last gen, and more aggressive in both design and temperament. But is there still room for the humble car-shaped car?
This generation of EcoBoost comes with 315 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of torque. My tester was the convertible with the High Performance package and 10 speed automatic transmission. That High Performance package is a must if you plan on driving your EcoBoost into the ground as we did at Irwindale. It comes with beefy Brembo brakes (sporting, what else, the Mustang logo) and a Torsen rear differential, which helps keep extra wide tires and 19-inch wheels adhered to the road and pointed in the desired direction. Also featured in the High Performance package is active valve exhaust and Ford’s MagneRide active suspension. Clearly, this is one tricked out pony. Pricing will start at $32,515—$3,000 over the outgoing model’s MSRP. The Premium convertible I drove during road testing rings in at $43,540.
To appeal to “The Kids,” Ford built a fun and flashy infotainment system using video game technology that includes all sorts of personalization capabilities. There’s also fun hoodlum fodder like its deliriously enjoyable electronic drift brake, active valve exhaust, a slightly more powerful EcoBoost engine and Remote Rev, which allows owners to goose the engine from across a parking lot using the key fob. Very impressive and fun features and gadgets, to be sure. And, of course, the car drives and looks as brilliantly as you expected from a legacy like Mustang’s. All of that may be enough to attract a significant number of folks 45 and under. But for that kind of dough, buyers need to know their car serves them well.
If you’re looking to have yourself an absolute hoot for not all that much money (in the grand scheme of things), then an EcoBoost with the High Performance package is a solid option. The Electronic Drift brake is dangerously addictive. It’s an actual real-life gateway drug. It also seemed yet another play for Millennials who grew up right alongside drifting culture. The device made big drifts so easy to execute, our instructors from the Formula Drift racing team Team RTR had all us boring journalists smoking tires like pros and executing precision turns into boxes and around corners. During Rallycross, the wide, pliant tires seemed to suck up asphalt. Sport Mode tightened up the steering and Performance electronic braking shortened our stopping distances. We drove the 10-speed automatics using paddle shifters, which proved responsive and as easy to handle as the rest of the car. But it’s obviously not just a track beast—this is the people’s sports car after all. The kind of people need to live lives in their Mustangs; commute in them, haul groceries in them, and generally live, laugh and love in them. And this is a car I could live with. Even with the drop-top the passenger cabin was nearly silent during the rare moments my drive partner and I were able to reach top speed on LA’s freeways. Only the occasional satisfying rev in the active exhaust’s loud mode made it through the tightly sealed roof and windows. The trunk is spacious, even if the back seats are not. The sitting position is low, giving the driver an extra dose of race car magic while making the greenhouse feel less punishing then the coupe of yore.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a new car without a bevy of new safety features. Optional for buyers is Exit Warning, which lets owners know when a car or person is coming up behind them, potentially saving a bike rider’s life, or at least your Mustang’s door. Ford Co-Pilot 360 is also available, and will give drivers the whole suite of Ford’s advanced driver assistance system with all the familiar features; Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go, Lane Centering Assist, Evasive Steer Assist and Reverse Brake Assist.
The creature comforts don’t stop there. The leather trimmed seats hugged and support us through sharp turns and swerves as we climbed Angeles Crest Highway. In normal mode, we scooted through traffic efficiently, while Sport mode tightened everything up, providing a far more engaging driving experience (with a lot more exhaust note to boot.)Speaking of steering, the flat-bottomed steering wheel was resplendent with actual, honest-to-god buttons capable of controlling all of the most important functions in the vehicle. I could weep for joy—Ford hasn’t fallen too deeply into the Be Like Tesla trap. It felt easy and, more importantly, safe to shuffle through the six different drive modes— Normal, Sport, Slippery, Drag, Track—while on the road. Not that Ford cut out screens altogether. The brand ditched its traditional “double brow” dash in favor of two screens; a curved 12.4-inch digital cluster and 13.2-inch center stack screen standard on any model or trim level you choose.
When it comes to lighting, I am a particular fan of the multiple copper color options Ford began to default to starting with the Mach-E. Each of the copper lighting opinions are fairly unique shades, and made the car seem almost eerie, like a spaceship in an ’70s sci fi thriller. Turn on the Fox…