The all-new 2016 Ford Mustang is offered in 7 trim levels with 3 engine options. The GT and Shelby variants will be reviewed separately. The base V6 trim is available at $24,415, while the Ecoboost Premium will cost you $29,645. The Premium trim offers leather upholstery, 8.0-inch SYNC 3 infotainment display, bigger alloys, and exterior design accents. It also offers optional packages to customize your vehicle.

The EcoBoost can also be optioned out with Recaro seats for additional support and for the people aiming to track the car regularly. To add to this, Ford also offers an “EcoBoost Performance package” that adds various performance-oriented features like 19-inch wheels, shorter gearing for more responsive acceleration, upgraded brakes, a sport-tuned suspension, sport-tuned steering, and additional gauges.

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If you are a rational buyer, then you should pick the Ecoboost trim. This trim is available at an affordable price with a powerful engine that delivers great fuel economy at the same time. If you want the design and features of the Ecoboost Premium trim, the optional packages are available for you at a better price. For $25,645, the Ecoboost trim is the best pick and most sensible in the lineup.

As the 2016 Ford Mustang is all about performance, it won't disappoint irrespective of the chosen trim. For 2016, it is powered by a 3.7L V6 motor as the base option that has a power output of 300 hp with 280 lb-ft of torque and is mated to a six-speed manual transmission as standard. You also get a 2.3L Ecoboost inline-4 as you go up the trim ladder. It churns out 310 hp and 320 lb-ft torque and still offers better fuel economy.

The power is sent to the rear wheels as standard as Mustangs are meant to do effortless burnouts. The V6 powered Mustang does a 0-60 MPH run in 5.5 seconds, while a quarter-mile run takes 14.3 seconds. The lightweight Ecoboost 4-cylinder engine does it in 5.1 seconds and takes 14.2 seconds for the quarter-mile. The top speed is electronically limited to 155 MPH, but you can tune it to suit the tracks.

With its 300hp V6, the Mustang is closer to the Chevy Camaro, which is faster and more agile. The Subaru BRZ is short of 100 ponies to compete with the Mustang, but it is a level on its own. If we talk about another muscle car, the Dodge Challenger ain't that fast with its base engine and massive curb weight. When comparing the price tag, Dodge is the most expensive option in the competition. 

Power and economy do go hand-in-hand with the Mustang. The base engine delivers a satisfactory economy of 17 MPG in the city, 28 MPG on the highway, and a combined 21 MPG. When equipped with the Ecoboost 4 cylinder, the 2016 Mustang offers 22 MPG in the city, 31 MPG on the highway, and a combined 21 MPG from its 16.0-gallon fuel tank.

As compared to the rivals, the V6 engine on the Mustang is no good with its economy. However, the Ecoboost engine did a great job as it offers a best-in-class fuel economy, even better than the Subaru BRZ, which is a new turn up for the Mustang. When comparing the overall range, the Chevrolet Camaro with its class-leading fuel tank capacity of 19 gallons offers the best in class combined range of 456 miles. 

With a typical sports car cabin, the 2016 Mustang Coupe has practical space inside, at least for the first row. As you step inside, you are greeted by a busy dashboard with center-mounted infotainment and HVAC with multiple AC vents. What makes it interesting is cabin quality and color options which eventually get better as we move up for the premium trims. The leather steering wheel looks nasty with all those controls. Behind that, you have a driver-oriented cluster with huge gauges and a digital information display. The front bucket seats have a 4-way driver and 2-way passenger adjustments. The comfort levels hike up with the optional 6-way power front seats with driver lumbar, memory recline, adjustable head restraints, and heated seatbacks.

At the rear row, you have 50-50 split-bench seats. The best you could do is fold the seat down to make space for cargo. With standard cloth upholstery, we get front leather and rear vinyl upholstery exclusively on the Premium trims. The trunk isn't that tight with its 13.5 cubic feet space that allows multiple trolley bags inside, so a holiday for two is not a bad idea. Apart from that, you can get dual-zone automatic air-conditioning, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, air filtration system, 2 12V DC outlets, front center armrest, and seatback storage pockets. Other than leather and vinyl upholstery, the cabin is trimmed with premium chrome and aluminum accents to give the Mustang a plush design.

We have seating for four in all the cars. If we talk about the 2016 Ford Mustang, we have comfortable front seats with best-in-class legroom. It also gets 13.5 cubic feet of space which is enough for short trips on weekends. Overall, the cabin is designed for tracks with limited design elements that are not distracting for the driver. Some of the standout interior features are:

• Sport bucket seats
• Leather steering wheel
• Dual-zone air-conditioning
• Leather and vinyl upholstery
• Heated front seats

How intuitive is the 2016 Ford Mustang Coupe's Infotainment?

The standard infotainment in the 2016 Mustang is a SYNC communication and entertainment system. With that, you have a 4.2-inch LCD screen at the center that works with enhanced voice recognition and Applink device connectivity. There's an AM/FM radio with an MP3 player and a CD player as well. The infotainment is mated to a 6 speaker stereo for music.

The Premium trims are packed with the SYNC 3 infotainment system. You get a bigger 8.0-inch touchscreen display with intuitive functions. It also adds a SiriusXM radio subscription for 6 months. To enhance the music experience and sound quality, we have 9 performance speakers with an amplifier for a proper surround sound experience. Having said that, some of the highlight Infotainment features are:

• SYNC 3 infotainment system
• 8.0-inch touchscreen display
• SiriusXM radio subscription
• CD player
• 9-speaker system

The sixth-generation Mustang is the proper modernization of the classic muscle car. With its redesigned body lines, bumpers, and front fascia, the 2016 Mustang looks muscular as ever. The necessary changes include better handling, weight drop, and track-specific driving features for you. The vehicle looks irresistible with its new appearance. The massive hood slopes down to the sharp projector headlamps and a honeycomb grille finished in black with a pony logo instead of a Ford emblem. The reworked bumpers make space for the air where you have lowered fog lamps.

The coupe-style roofline meets the rear windshield, and that's where the vehicle slays with its classic tail lamps. The dual chrome tip exhausts are placed under the rear bumper alongside the body color diffuser. From the side, the vehicle looks perfectly aligned with the door lines. As it's a Mustang, it comes standard with body skirts and a body-colored lip spoiler atop the trunk. Along with 17-inch silver sparkle aluminum alloys in the base trim, you can also get 18-inch machine-painted alloys in the Premium trim and huge 19 or 20-inch black aluminum wheels in the GT trim. Talking about GT, we get a blacked-out exterior with a trim-specific layout.

The 2016 Mustang has surely shed plenty of weight as compared to the other muscle cars. The BRZ is comparatively smaller in size, and that's why it weighs much less. In terms of size, the Mustang is nearly identical to the Camaro, but with a shorter wheelbase and a higher ground clearance, it is a better handler overall. Some of the standout exterior features of the Mustang are:

• 19-inch black wheels
• Projector headlamps
• Body-colored spoilers
• Sporty exterior color options
• Dual tip exhausts
• Aerodynamic design
• Performance tires

The 2016 Mustang offers better structural integrity as the company has made major changes to it. The high-strength steel chassis is a result of the Ford S550 platform that ensures lightweight rigidity. The 2016 Ford Mustang was able to score 5 stars in the NHTSA crash tests and an overall “Good” rating in the IIHS tests.

The standard safety list includes tire pressure monitoring, Advancetrac electronic stability control, backup camera, ABS brakes, and a top speed limiter. The Premium trims offer the equipment group that adds a blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, and emergency braking system. Some standout safety features include:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Hill-start assist
• Blind-spot monitor
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Forward collision warning

The iconic Ford Mustang has been around for more than 50 years. That being said, the sixth-generation Mustang lives up to the hype the brand created. It offers much better driving dynamics and performance aspects. In its price range, it is still a dream car for many. Yet the arch-rivals won't leave it alone. With its unique road presence, Ecoboost performance package, and advanced safety, the 2016 Ford Mustang Coupe offers the most powerful cheap thrills for you.