2013 Ford Mustang GT Coupe

The MSRP of the 2013 Mustang begins at $31,545, which is very competitively priced against its ancient rival American muscle cars, the Chevrolet Camaro SS and the Dodge Challenger R/T alongside undercutting the best of Japan, the Nissan 370Z NISMO. 

The 2013 Ford Mustang GT is offered in only two major trims, namely the base and Premium. The base trim offers pretty much all the basics and a few more additional functionalities, while the Premium trim adds more technology and creature comforts. Though most of the premium features are offered only on the higher trim, one can opt for optional packages to save some money as well. 

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As the price hikes considerably for the Premium trim, it is preferred to just opt for the base trim and then further choose the preferred features through the optional packages and get the Mustang GT tailor-made at an affordable price. For us, spending an additional 4,000 dollars for the Premium trim is not a sensible choice. 

The 2013 Ford Mustang GT is powered by a mighty 5-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine grunting under its hood that generates a whopping 420 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission with an option to choose from a six-speed automatic transmission with a manual shifting mode, both of which power the rear wheels as standard. 

The performance of the Mustang GT is exceptional, managing a 0-60 mph sprint in just 4.3 seconds while covering the quarter-mile in 12.7 seconds. With so much power available, the Mustang is pretty light on its feet and yet does not feel too imposing to drive. It handles and rides well in most scenarios, but the heavy rear suspension setup does rattle the car when encountering a bump at high speeds. 

The Dodge Challenger R/T, with lower power but higher torque output, is more affordable than the Mustang, while the Chevrolet Camaro SS has much more power and torque to offer and hence costs more too. That being said, it is only marginally quicker than the Mustang, while the Challenger is over a second slower off the line. The Nissan 370Z has the smallest engine on offer with two less cylinders, and although it is quicker than the Dodge, it costs a whopping $10k more than even the Camaro.

The higher-performance V8 engines were never meant to be frugal, and frankly, the ones buying this coupe don't really care much about either the government or even the rising fuel prices. Therefore, the 19 mpg rating for a combined city and highway driving should not upset most of the target audience of the Mustang GT. Although the smaller 16-gallon fuel tank would mean that one has to visit the gas station a lot more frequently with a maximum driving range limited to about 400 miles. 

The Camaro SS also has similar fuel efficiency ratings from the EPA, while the Dodge Challenger R/T sips more fuel due to the larger dimensions and heavier weight of the car. The smaller capacity V6 engine under the hood of theNissan 370Z returns a much better fuel economy, and together with a large gas tank on offer, the driving range is pretty usable. The Camaro and Challenger both employ much larger gas tanks than the one on the Mustang GT. 

The Ford Mustang features all the modern-day conveniences that we would expect from it and yet feels very classy and old-school in terms of its feel. The lack of telescopic adjustment for the steering wheel is something that we don’t understand in a car of this segment and price, but luckily, most drivers would be able to find a comfortable driving position in the driver seat. The cabin is almost identical to the regular Mustang, hence the lower quality plastic door panels and the center console are what you get here as well.

The standard front seats are very supportive and comfortable, but the new optional Recaro sport seats available this year take things up a notch further. There is plenty of space at the front, but the rear seat is better to be used as an additional luggage storage space as even kids wouldn’t be much happy here. The trunk is pretty large for a coupe at 13.4 cu-ft but does not expect folding rear seats here.

Both the Mustang GT and Chevrolet Camaro SS have similar cabin space to offer, with the Camaro being slightly wider than the Ford. That being said, the Mustang GT has a much larger trunk to offer. TheDodge Challenger is the go-to choice if practicality is what you need, while the 370Z lies on exactly the opposite end of the spectrum. The Challenger offers a much more usable rear seat, while the Nissan does not even offer one. Major interior features include:

• 6-way power driver seat w/4-way adjustable head restraint and power lumbar
• Leather front bucket seats
• Rear split fold-down seat
• Leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel
• 4.2-inch MyColor instrument cluster
• MyColor customizable interior lighting system
• Bright aluminum accent dash appliques and shift knob w/chrome speaker surrounds
• Universal garage door opener

How intuitive is the 2013 Ford Mustang GT Coupe’s infotainment unit?

The SYNC infotainment system on offer with the 2013 Mustang GT is something that we have seen and used on various other Ford products in the recent past. It is slick and intuitive to use, but the quality of buttons and knobs isn’t very confidence-inspiring and feels like it would break loose over the course of time. The voice commands work very well and offer a layer of convenience for the driver while on the move. Major infotainment features include:

• SYNC infotainment system w/voice commands
• 6-speaker Shaker sound system w/8-inch subwoofers
• SIRIUS satellite radio w/6-month subscription
• Turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic
• 911 assist
• Bluetooth capability

The exterior styling and silhouette of the Mustang, although very iconic, now has started to age as well. Yet, the Mustang hasn’t lost its appeal, and the GT with its large grille at the rear, muscular hood, and the dark chrome pony emblem on the grille looks particularly appealing. The LED fog lights and LED sequential tail lamps do add a modern element to the car and are specific to the Mustang GT only. 

Although theChevrolet Camaro is larger than the Mustang, both have similar cabin space, while the Mustang in fact offers a larger boot than the Camaro. The Dodge Challenger is obviously much larger than all the coupes in this comparison and hence it also weighs the most. It also offers the best ground clearance. while the Camaro has the lowest stance here. The Nissan, on the other hand, is the most compact and lightweight coupe here. Major exterior highlights of the coupe include:

• HID headlamps and LED fog lamps
• LED sequential tail lamps
• Body-color pwr mirrors w/integrated blind spot mirror
• Dark chrome grille pony emblem
• Rear spoiler
• 18-inch sparkle silver-painted aluminum wheels

The high-performance nature of the Mustang GT might make a few people anxious about their safety, but Ford has all of you covered. With plenty of safety features available as standard and solid safety test ratings, the 2013 Mustang GT should offer a safe haven for you no matter the scenario. The NHTSA has rated the Mustang with a 4-star overall rating, and it also does well in the crash tests conducted by the IIHS for the 2013 model year. Major safety features include:

• AdvanceTrac electronic stability control (ESC)
• SOS Post Crash Alert System
• MyKey system
• Driver/front passenger airbags w/occupant sensor
• Seat-mounted side-impact airbags for driver & front passenger w/head extensions
• Tire pressure monitoring system

The Ford Mustang GT is one of the most iconic muscle cars all over the world and is one of the major reasons for the popularity and growth of Ford as well. Even after being in production in its current incarnation for so long, the 2013 Mustang still offers an appealing value to its customers with potent performance, a striking exterior, a feature-loaded cabin, and a price that isn’t out of reach.