The 2018 Ford Mustang Coupe is available in two well-equipped trims. Even though the base trim carries an affordable base price, it comes with some factory-installed race techs such as an electronic brake line lock, a limited-slip rear differential, and launch control with the manual transmission. The standard interior features include a keyless entry and ignition, cloth seats, a 4.2-inch infotainment display, an auto-dimming function for the IRVM, and a 6-speaker audio system. Stepping up to the Premium trim retains all the features and equipment from the base trim and further adds 18-inch wheels, revised interior trims, premium leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate controls, and a bigger 8-inch infotainment display with Sync 3 user interface.

Which trim should you buy?

We would recommend the Premium trim since the base trim might be too sparsely equipped for some buyers. On top of that, the Performance Package would be a nice consideration for a sportier and enhanced driving experience.

The 2018 Ford Mustang engine is a 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost I-4 unit that delivers 310 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. The powertrain might be a humble four-pot unit yet, it can rival a majority of V6s in the segment with its overwhelming power and torque output ratings. Apart from that, it is also quite responsive in nature, making city driving as effortless as possible. Out on the highways, it won’t leave you desiring for more even if you decide to push this motor hard. The motor gets paired to a standard 6-speed manual transmission that also gets an enthusiast’s favorite launch control as well. The coupe comes in an RWD layout as standard.

The Chevrolet Camaro comes with the smallest engine here, a 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 unit. Much like the Mustang’s EcoBoost motor, the Camaro’s unit also delivers some impressive power and torque figures such as 275 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. Despite the lower torque and power ratings, the Camaro is almost as quick as the Mustang as well. The Dodge Challenger gets a proper setup here, a 3.6-liter naturally aspirated V6 motor with 305 horsepower but a disappointing 268 lb-ft of torque. It is also the slowest accelerating car among the rivals here.

How well does the Ford Mustang Coupe handle?

Muscle cars and agile handling doesn’t quite mix well yet, with the advancement of technology and demand from buyers, the modern iteration of the iconic muscle cars can tackle corners quite well too. When pitted against its rivals, the 2018 Mustang is rather agile and surprisingly sporty with standard sporty bits of equipment such as the limited-slip differential, stabilizer bars, and variable differential ratio. In its normal avatar, the Mustang offers a balanced ride and impresses out on the twisty roads too. Over bad patches of roads, the suspension setup absorbs almost everything with ease.

Braking performance

Muscle cars are generally quite hefty and so is the 2018 Ford Mustang Coupe. To tame all of the 3,542 lbs of weight, the car gets 12.6-inch rotors at the front and similar 12.6-inch rotors at the rear as well. The brakes are ventilated units and offer excellent performance even under stress as well. The brakes offer a commendable performance by stopping the Mustang to a standstill from 60mph within 106 ft.

The Chevrolet Camaro gets bigger 13.6-inch rotors at the front and 13.3-inch rotors at the back. Despite the promising braking hardware, the car covers a foot more than the Mustang before coming to a halt at 107 ft. The Dodge Challenger is the heaviest one here yet it has the shortest stopping distance of 105 ft, a mesmerizing feat.

Muscle cars were and are still notorious for being gas guzzlers yet the latter is true when they are equipped with those big and burly V8s. The scenario changes completely with the compact and turbocharged four-pot motors. The 2018 Ford Mustang with its 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder motor returns an average of 21mpg in the city limits and 31mpg out on the highways. The combined mileage is rated at 25mpg. The gasoline tank of the Mustang is rather compact at 16 gallons yet, it still manages to offer some impressive driving range numbers.

The Chevrolet Camaro is marginally less fuel-efficient than the Mustang despite getting a smaller engine and lower power output numbers. It returns an average of 20mpg within the cities and 30mpg out on the highways along with a combined mpg rating of 24.5. It gets a sizable gas tank of 19 gallons and delivers some segment-leading driving range figures such as 570 miles of highway driving range. The Dodge Challenger has the least city mileage rating here at 19mpg that is acceptable owing to its V6 yet, it might not be justified considering its power to performance ratio.

The 2018 Ford Mustang interior is quite impressive when compared to the interiors of its rivals and despite getting an affordable base price, the cabin impresses with its robust build and high-quality materials. The most interesting bit of the cabin is the dual-cowl design of the dashboard that looks both sporty and classic while the round air-con vents along with the analog instrument cluster add to the retro feeling of the car as well. The base trim might feel a bit bland owing to its cloth upholstery but the Premium trim gets a high-quality leather upholstery. The front seats are power-adjustable and offer excellent comfort along with adequate bolstering as well. The rear seats are adequate for small children at the most apart from keeping extra luggage items. The cargo capacity of the Mustang is decent at 13.5 cu-ft.

The Chevrolet Camaro comes with a minimalistic yet sporty interior design. The dashboard design of the car stands out with a different placement of the aircon vents and the unique design of the cowl above the driver’s instrument cluster. The center stack is rather thick with a few controls and two sizable cup holders. The rear seats of the Camaro are the smallest one among the rivals mentioned here and the cargo capacity is equally dismal at a mere 9.1 cu-ft. The Dodge Challenger gets the most budget-oriented cabin here with an inferior design and quality of materials as compared to the Mustang. However, the interior manages to entice retro lovers with its retro speedometer and tachometer design and has a generous 16.2 cu-ft of cargo space.

Some standout interior features are:

• Manually-adjustable seats
• Cloth upholstery
• Keyless entry and ignition
• Auto-dimming IRVM

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The 2018 Ford Mustang gets a standard 4.2-inch infotainment display that is pretty basic and offers some basic features such as Bluetooth, a couple of USB ports, and a 6-speaker audio system. The optional 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display(standard on Premium model) runs Ford’s latest Sync3 user interface that has a simple and user-friendly layout. On the features front, the system provides standard Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a premium 9-speaker audio system, Sirius XM satellite radio, and a voice-activated navigation system.

Some infotainment features are:

• 4.2-inch display(base model)
• Ford Sync3 with 8-inch touchscreen display(Premium model)
• Bluetooth
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• Sirius XM satellite radio
• 12-speaker Shaker audio system(optional)

The 2018 Ford Mustang coupe exterior is bestowed with a refreshed styling for this year and it looks as enticing as ever. Yes, we do love the ‘66 Mustang design yet, the new model with its sharp design cues and a more muscular design doesn’t fail to appeal wither. The blacked-out front grille with the sporty placement of the headlamp units combined with the single-piece front bumper gives a distinctly aggressive look to the car’s front end while the slightly downward-curved hood with reverse scoops gives it a strong character. The side profile remains similar to last year’s model and so does the rear end with its triple-slot LED taillight units.

The Chevrolet Camaro gets the most aggressive front fascia among the competition here and has some proper chubby and chunky exterior design as well. The sleek front grille with sleek headlamp units makes it stand out from the crowd and also gives the car a favorable angry look. Unfortunately, the Camaro comes with the lowest ground clearance of 3.5 inches. The basic design language of the Dodge Challenger has remained the same over its entire production run even to this day and it deserved enough appreciation. Those round headlamp units and the wide stance of the Challenger give it a menacing road presence and it also has the longest wheelbase too, resulting in that spacious cabin.

Some standout exterior features are:

• 17-inch wheels
• Rear spoiler
• Automatic LED headlamps with LED DRLs
• Blacked out front grille and window trims
• Rear window defroster

The Ford Mustang comes with some excellent crash ratings with a top 5-star rating from the NHTSA and the best possible “Good” rating from the IIHS. Apart from that, the car gets all the basic safety features onboard such as a rearview camera, anti-lock braking system, and airbags for both the driver and the passenger. Some of the advanced safety techs are offered as optional extras such as forward collision warning with brake assist, lane-keeping assist, pedestrian detection, and rear cross-traffic alert among others.

Some important safety features of the Equinox are:

• 3-point safety belt restraint system for all seating positions
• Driver's knee airbag
• Front safety belt reminder
• Front-seat side-impact airbags
• LATCH 
• Rearview camera
• Forward collision warning with brake assist

Ford Mustang Coupe vs Dodge Challenger

The Dodge Challenger gives stiff competition to the Mustang in terms of practicality and comfort. It has a more spacious cabin, a generous cargo hold, comfortable seats, and excellent driving range figures courtesy of its sizable gas tank. However, in terms of interior design and features, it lacks in front of the Mustang.

Ford Mustang Coupe vs Chevrolet Camaro

The Chevrolet Camaro is the most radical coupe in the segment by virtue of its design and road presence. In terms of performance, it matches up evenly to the Mustang. However, it lacks disappointingly in terms of practicality with its overly cramped rear seats and cramped cargo space as well.

The Ford Mustang is one of the favorite muscle cars in the US market and it does offer some promising characteristics to stand out such as its brilliant base four-pot engine with overwhelming power and torque levels. It can be used as a daily driver too owing to its superb fuel economy numbers and competitive driving range figures as well. Overall, among all the rivals in this segment, the Mustang is the most sensible option to go for.