In the six years since I last drove a Ford Mustang that wasn’t an inappropriately named electric vehicle, the world has changed — perhaps a bit too much for its own good. 

As a conciliatory measure, the gas-powered 2024 (now selling as a 2025) Mustang GT itself has not changed that much, at all. It’s more powerful than previous generations and sports a now two-year-old redesign that adds some contemporary squared edges to the classic, low-and-long-nosed fastback look. Plus there’s a big wing on the tail, just to alert every Dale Gribble in the tri-state area, if the goblin-styled exhaust gurgle doesn’t immediately notify them of an Imminent ‘Stang Threat.

The GT Premium, which now starts at $50,000 for its 2025 model, does that all at a relatively affordable price point, though the GT performance package, exhaust, suspension and blackout package added about $12,000 to my 2024 test model’s $46,000 base price.  

Unlike the EV, it’s a noisy, bodacious, old-school screamer with delightfully squirmy rear-wheel-drive flair, terrible in-cabin visibility and all of the marginal practicality that comes along with being as true to itself as possible. There’s even a six-speed manual transmission, plus optional Brembo brakes, magnetic ride damping system and performance exhaust. And, four exhaust modes to help avoid dirty looks from your neighbors when you start it up on a Sunday morning. 

You can dress it up with a faux-carbon fiber interior and some oversized infotainment screens, as is the case here, but the Mustang GT’s full role in life is burnouts at intersections, horrific peals of exhaust on every highway takeoff and high-speed showboating at every turn.

That’s a bit easier now that the 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 engine offers 480 naturally aspirated horsepower – and all the subsequent gasping you might expect above 10,000 feet. On less lofty terrain, you’ll probably never need to get it out of third gear to do everything you’d like, and I never once touched sixth gear, even on a coasting downhill ride on I-70. The 17 combined mpg was correct, so long cross-country road trips will require a lot of gas station visits.

I focused on the kind of performance-style driving Mustang still blissfully offers and thrilled to the body swings at each gear change. The intense road feel of the damping system may not appeal to your passengers, and truck ruts in the tunnel were especially pronounced.

The GT features a weird, springy handbrake which was only on-off for me, but I gather can be used to electronically drift the car, for those drivers with endless tire budgets.

The seventh-generation Mustang offers a 2.3-liter EcoBoost option, but the bigger engine in the GT is the way to go. There’s a dual air intake box, clearly more helpful close to sea level, and the automatic rev matching makes it a little easier when not simply roasting the tires. Clutch weight was not excessive; sadly a 10-speed automatic version is also available, with the ability to rev the engine with the remote. Ugh.

Mustang’s Performance Pack options do help tie the room together, including a Torsen limited-slip differential, wider rear wheels and tires, plus additional brake ducts, an auxiliary engine oil cooler, that multi-mode exhaust and available Recaro seats. 

To help cool that engine off, there’s six open mesh grilles up front, and the blacked out emblem and black breather vents on the top of a very flat hood, plus low, three-lens headlamps all certainly mix contemporary looks with functionality. A summer day made the custom black roof panel very, very hot, while the open-spoke wheels and textured aero at the bottom of the doors are also nice touches.

Do its rear hips look identical to a Camaro or even a Corvette? Focus instead on the gigantic quartet of exhaust tips, the traditional brake lamp lenses and that ridiculous, gloss black tail splitter. You can order Brembo caliper covers in three colors, and get up to 20-inch wheels, including bronze alloy wheels, if so desired.

Inside, a marketing-driven effort means almost no actual buttons or physical controls, just an ungodly huge touchscreen and equally massive instrument display. Besides the real starter button, there’s one console button you can reconfigure to quiet the exhaust without going through the touchscreen menus.   

Still not enough power for you? You can easily upgrade to the 2025 Dark Horse edition with 500 horsepower, or if you have Telluride-styled cash available, pony up for the upcoming, 800-horsepower Mustang GTD, base priced at $325,000.

Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at summitmountainwheels@gmail.com.