2011 Ford Mustang Review and Prices
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Price: $22,995 - $38,695
MPG: 19 / 31 / 23
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Table of Contents
Rating
Past and Future Reviews
Related Articles
Calculators
Cons
- Cramped rear seating
- The day of the $36,000 V-6 Mustang is here
- No paddle shifters for automatic transmission; stubby manual-transmission shift lever
2011 Ford Mustang Buying Advice
The 2011 Ford Mustang is the best car for you if you want a reinvigorated American original.
The 2011 Ford Mustang leaps forward with two fresh 400-plus-horsepower V-8s and a modern new 305-horsepower V-6 that returns 31 mpg on the highway. Accompanied by new transmissions and revamped suspension and steering systems, Ford closes the power gap between Mustang and the rival Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger.
Should you buy a 2011 Ford Mustang or wait for the 2012 Ford Mustang? Unless you’re a stickler for added performance at any cost, buy the 2011 Mustang. The 2012 Mustang will offer a limited-edition Boss 302 version with additional horsepower and performance alterations for weekend racers. Otherwise, buying the 2011 Mustang gives you a jump on the styling, muscle, and technology that’ll see this pony car through to the end of its current design generation, likely in model-year 2014.
2011 Ford Mustang Changes back to top
Styling: The 2011 Ford Mustang returns as a fastback coupe and as a convertible with a power folding soft top. Both body styles have seating for four and each is offered in three models: a base version with a V-6 engine, a GT with a V-8, and as the high-performance Shelby GT500 with a supercharged V-8. All have subtle styling tweaks for 2011 designed to smooth aerodynamics for improved fuel economy and better high-speed stability. Most noticeable is the slightly reshaped front fascia.
For model-year 2011, the Mustang GT replaces chrome “GT” body-side badges with “5.0” tags to celebrate the return of the 5.0-liter V-8. GTs continue with grille-mounted driving lamps, while the Shelby GT500 returns with a specific nose and hood and its own rear spoiler.
Overall, the 2011 Mustang retains the sheet-metal redo this car received for model-year 2010. That update created a tucked-in-at-the-corners look with a newly aggressive nose and a trimmer tail. Throwback three-lens taillamps with sequential turn-signal illumination remain highlights. The entire car of course is a throwback to the classic Mustangs of the late 1960s and early 1970s. That includes the interior with its square-rigged dashboard, retro instrumentation, even Nixon-era upholstery patterns.
V-6 and GT versions of the 2011 Mustang come in base and Premium trim, while two new trim packages create ponies of a different color. Named for the Mustang Club of America, the MCA Special Edition package for V-6 Mustangs includes a billet-look grille with offset Mustang emblem, reverse “C” body-side stripe, blackout tail trim, specific decklid spoiler, and 18-inch alloy wheels in place of the standard 17s.
Last available in model-year 2007, the California Special returns as an option package for the 2011 Mustang GT. It includes an MCA-type billet grille and blackout tail panel but adds its own 18-inch alloys and stand-up rear wing and decorates the body side with unique “GT/CS” striping and fake air-intake scoops.
The original 1965 Ford Mustang’s wild popularity gave the “pony car” class its name, and Mustang’s continued success encouraged reintroduction of two rivals. The Dodge Challenger returned for 2009 as a modern take on the 1970 Challenger. And Chevy tapped the spirit of the 1969 Camaro to resurrect its pony car for 2010 after a seven-year hiatus. Both rivals are larger, heavier cars than the Mustang and neither offers a convertible version for model-year 2011.
Mechanical: Here’s where Ford rolled up its sleeves and went to work on the 2011 Mustang. The base model retains a V-6 engine but discards a heavy, single-overhead-cam 4.0-liter for an all-aluminum dual-overhead-cam, 24-valve 3.7-liter. Horsepower is 305, a jump of 95 over the 4.0-liter and equal to that of the 2010 V-8 Mustang GT. By comparison, V-6s in the 2011 Camaro and Challenger have 312 and 305 horsepower, respectively. Torque is the primary force in acceleration, and the 2011 Mustang’s V-6 generates 280 pound-feet of it, 40 pound-feet more than the outgoing V-6. (V-6 torque in the Camaro and Challenger is 278 and 268 pound-feet, respectively.) Advanced engineering like cold-air induction, twin independent variable camshaft timing, and a genuine dual exhaust system helps the Mustang V-6 rev to 7,000 rpm.
The 2011 Ford Mustang GT model says adios to an aging single-overhead-cam 24-valve 4.6-liter V-8 and welcomes the return of the “5.0.” That’s 5.0-liters of displacement and harkens to hot-rod V-8 Mustangs of the 1980s and early ’90s. But the new 5.0 is Ford’s state-of-the-art twin-cam 32-valve V-8 with 412 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. That’s a jump of 97 horsepower and 65 pound-feet over the 2010 GT. By comparison the 2011 Camaro SS V-8 has 426 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque with manual transmission and 400/410 with automatic. The 2011 Challenger’s Hemi V-8 has 383 horsepower/420 pound-feet in the R/T model and 470/470 in the SRT8 392 version.
The 2011 Ford Mustang’s performance-flagship Shelby GT500 retains a supercharged 5.4-liter dual-overhead-cam V-8. Horsepower is 550, at first blush a nominal increase of just 10 horses. And torque remains 510 pound-feet. But the 2011 GT500’s V-8 uses a new all-aluminum block that’s a significant 102 pounds lighter than the 2010 model’s cast-iron block. That creates a better power-to-weight ratio and improves fuel economy and steering response.
Ford compliments the revamped 2011 Mustang engine lineup with a new set of transmissions. The 2011 base and GT models continue with a choice of manual or automatic transmission but each now has six speeds instead of five. The 2011 GT500 continues only with a six-speed manual. The 2011 Mustang also gets revised suspension tuning and larger four-wheel disc brakes. A limited-slip differential is now standard on all models. In a significant change, the 2011 Mustang switches to electric power steering assist. This eliminates the power- and fuel-economy-reducing drag of an engine-operated hydraulic steering pump. It allows Ford to fine-tune steering effort and to introduce what it calls “Active Nibble Control” software that compensates for crosswinds, road crowning, even minor shimmy from a slightly out-of-balance wheel or warped rotor.
Features: The 2011 Ford Mustang is available in base and Premium trim levels in V-6 and GT coupe and convertible versions; the Shelby GT500 is offered only in base coupe and convertible models.
New features for the 2011 Mustang include a standard trip computer and first-time availability of Ford’s MyKey teen-driver-safety technology. MyKey allows an owner to limit vehicle speed and audio-system volume, insure that the traction-control system remain engaged, and activate persistence reminders of unbuckled safety belts.
The 2011 Mustang gets new outside mirrors with convex inserts designed to reduce blind spots. In recognition of the hot new engines, the speedometer now reads to 160 mph and new tachometer graphics extend the redline by 1000 rpm, to 7000 rpm. Base models are available with a new V-6 Performance Package option that substitutes a 3.31:1 axle ratio for the standard 2.73:1; replaces 17-inch all-season tires with performance-tread 19s; and adds a sport-calibrated antiskid system. It borrows the GT’s firmer suspension and includes a structure-reinforcing strut-tower brace that’s newly standard on the 2011 GT.
Also newly available is a Brembo-brand brake upgrade for GT models that includes summer performance-tread tires on unique 19-inch alloy wheels. An optional SVT Performance Package amps up the Shelby GT500 versions with specially calibrated front and rear springs and rear shocks, 19-inch wheels and tires up front and 20-inchers at the rear, along with assorted trim items.
Returning as standard equipment on every 2011 Mustang is Ford’s Easy Fuel system that eliminates the gas cap in favor of a filler-neck baffle arrangement. Air conditioning, power windows and locks, cruise control, antilock brakes, and Ford’s AdvanceTrac antiskid system are likewise standard. All Mustangs come with a CD audio system that includes an MP3 auxiliary jack. Mustang does without head-protecting curtain side airbags – the convertible body style is a complicating factor – using instead front-seat-mounted side airbags designed to protect both the torso and head.
The 2011 Ford Mustang Premium V-6 and GT versions add upgraded power seats, leather upholstery, a 500-watt Shaker audio system with Sirius satellite radio, a rear decklid spoiler, and lower tape stripe. The Premium models also include Ford’s Microsoft-developed Sync voice-activated multimedia control system with USB iPod interface and Bluetooth phone link and music streaming.
The Premium V-6 and GT trim levels can be further equipped with optional heated front seats, a large, smoked-glass roof panel, rear backup camera, a voice-activated navigation system with 10GB digital music storage, and a 1,000-watt audio setup.
2011 Ford Mustang Test Drive back to top
From behind the wheel: A rear-wheel-drive coupe or convertible with a cramped rear seat and marginal cargo space isn’t for everyone, but the 2011 Mustang manages to conjure up most of the magic that makes owning a car like this worth the trouble. It begins with V-6 performance that finally lives up to the racy exterior styling and V-8 muscle that cringes in the face of no competitor.
A smooth-revving overachiever, the 3.7-liter is the first Mustang six that can smoke the tires away from a stop and scrunch your spine when you pull out to pass. Ford says about 50 percent of 2011 Mustang buyers will choose the GT model and they’ll get a snarling beast of a V-8 that thankfully has no trouble minding its manners when you’re chillin’. Both engines have a fruitful relationship with Mustang’s new transmissions. The manual rarely needs more than a nudge to engage a gear and is the choice for true driving enthusiasts, though, at little more than a padded stub, the shifter would benefit from the leverage of a slightly longer stalk. The automatic is generally quick to the right gear and clean getting there, though the added control of manual-type gear selection is frustrated by lack of a separate gate for the floor lever and absence of shift paddles on the steering wheel.
The 2011 Mustang’s steering very well may set the standard for electrically assisted systems. While many others firm up suddenly in turns and never feel natural, Mustang’s is linear, progressive, and communicative. It’s a fine complement to the revised suspension, which works with the stiffened chassis to create a car that’s eager to change direction and balanced in the act. While Camaro and Challenger use modern independent rear suspensions, Mustang has been pilloried for retaining one built around an old-tech solid rear axle. In practice, the 2011 Mustang won’t skitter in corners unless the pavement is wretchedly bumpy and won’t lose its composure unless you’re traversing a terribly wavy surface at extralegal speed.
Dashboard and controls: Want to enjoy a 2011 Mustang interior in all its aluminum-accented, leather-lined, ambient-lit, Steve McQueen-cool-instrumentation glory? You’ll need to spring for a Premium version. Otherwise, you get a morose expanse of dashboard plastic, upholstery with the tactile richness of polyester, a steering wheel rim suited for a delivery van, and bleak-looking gauges.
Even in Premium trim, Mustang’s audio and climate controls are unimaginatively arranged along the dashboard’s spine. Presence of the navigation system brings the center stack to life, but the system itself isn’t notably user friendly and the low-mounted screen isn’t in the driver’s easy line of sight. Still, this cabin’s only real ergonomic shortfall may be that the manual gear lever is so short that shifting it forces the driver’s forearm into a nearly horizontal position, where its motion can be inhibited by a beverage in the center-console cupholders.
Aside from Ford’s dubious decisions about some base-model interior decor, the 2011 Mustang does feel soundly constructed and even pads the dashboard in places where Camaro and Challenger offer only unyielding surfaces. Top-down, the convertible suffers a perfectly acceptable degree of cowl shake. Deserving scrutiny, however, is the mismatched alignment between the 2011 Mustang’s tail panel and its rear light clusters and especially the exposed bare silver muffler metal visible beneath the rear valance.
Room, comfort, and utility: As pony cars go, the 2011 Mustang isn’t quite the Clydesdale Dodge’s Challenger is, so the Ford is really a comfortable four-passenger car only if the rear passengers haven’t grown taller than 5-foot-3 or so. As in the Camaro, front seaters get all the headroom and legroom one could reasonably expect. Mustang’s driver and co-pilot, however, enjoy an airier ambiance and better outward visibility than the Chevy’s, thanks to a taller roofline and more upright window pillars.
For ride comfort, the 2011 Mustang stands comparison with any sporty coupe or convertible, including some high-priced German coupes. Bumps are absorbed with a pleasing lack of jarring or jostling; this is really a very livable everyday performance car. Of similar merit is Mustang’s suppression of wind rustle and tire noise. Highest praise goes to the folks who tuned the exhaust-system acoustics. Get on the throttle and – V-6 or V-8 – you’re enveloped by a ripping symphony of power. Let off or maintain a cruising speed, and the notes are subdued enough to keep you calm for hours on the Interstate.
Mustang’s trunk is large enough to hold a weekending couple’s luggage, though some maneuvering may be necessary to get bulkier bags through the fairly constricted opening. The coupe’s rear seatbacks fold to extend the cargo area, but they don’t lay flat and dropping them exposes some ugly seat brackets and much low-budget fabric lining. Cabin storage is tight, with a minimum of cabin bins and pockets to hold small stuff.
2011 Ford Mustang Prices back to top
Base-price range for the 2011 Ford Mustang is $22,995-$38,695 for V-6 and GT models and $49,496-$54,495 for the Shelby GT500. (Base prices in this review include the manufacturer’s destination fee; Ford’s fee for the 2011 Mustang is $850.)
The 2011 Ford Mustang base model is priced from $22,995 for the coupe and from $27,995 for the convertible. The 2011 Mustang GT starts at $30,495 for the coupe and $35,495 for the convertible. The GT adds to the base model the 5.0-liter V-8, brake upgrades, larger wheels and tires, and a performance-calibrated antiskid system.
Premium versions of the 2011 Ford Mustang V-6 models start at $26,995 for the coupe and at $31,695 for the convertible. Premium versions of the GT start at $33,695 for thecoupe and $38,695 for the convertible. To both models, Premium trim adds leather upholstery with a leather wrapped steering wheel, power driver’s seat, the Sync system, and Ford’s 500-watt Shaker audio unit with Sirius satellite radio. Premium versions also get a variety of cabin enhancements, including real aluminum accents for the dashboard, pedals, steering wheel, and shifter knob.
To any 2011 Mustang base or GT model adding the automatic transmission is a $995 option. Among other key options, the navigation package on Premium models is priced at $2,340 and includes dual-zone automatic climate control; the glass roof panel is $1,995. The GT Premium’s Brembo brake/special wheel-and-tire package costs $1,695. The V-6 Mustang’s Performance Package costs $1,995 and the MCA package is $995. Well-equipped, a 2011 Mustang V-6 Premium coupe could list for just over $34,000, a convertible for around $36,200.
Base price for the 2011 Shelby GT500 model is $49,495 for the coupe and $54,495 for the convertible. The Shelby GT500 has specific exterior and interior trim, special instrumentation, sport seats with leather upholstery, and a short-throw shifter. The SVT Performance Package adds $3,495 to the cost, with the aforementioned navigation system again costing $2,340 and a 1,000-watt audio upgrade going for $1,295. Ford says the GT500 will account for about 10 percent of 2011 Mustang sales; the 2011 model was not available for test as part of this review.
2011 Ford Mustang Fuel Economy back to top
Mustang’s engine modernization and its switch to six-speed transmissions pay off in impressive fuel economy for a car this powerful.
The 2011 Mustang base model with the 3.7-liter V-6 and six-speed manual transmission is EPA rated at 19/29 mpg city/highway. That’s up from 18/26 for the 2010 model with its 4.0-liter V-6 and five-speed manual. With the six-speed automatic transmission, the 2011 V-6 Mustang coupe rates 19/31 mpg and the slightly heavier convertible 19/30. That’s up from 16/24 on the comparable 2010 models – roughly a 25 percent improvement.
Similarly, the 2011 Ford Mustang GT with the new 5.0-liter V-8 is more frugal than the 2010 Mustang GT with the less-powerful 4.6 V-8. The 2010 GT rated 16/24 mpg with the five-speed manual transmission and 17/23 with the five-speed automatic. The 2011 GT rates 17/26 mpg with manual transmission and 18/25 with the six-speed automatic transmission. The 2011 GT’s mileage advantage over its 2010 counterpart isn’t as dramatic as those of the V-6 Mustang, but any gain is impressive given the newer model’s substantial improvements in power and performance.
Fuel economy is not a central consideration for Shelby GT500 buyers, though the 2011 edition gains an extra mpg over the 2010 GT500 at 15/23. This means it avoids being subject to the federal gas-guzzler tax
Ford requires premium-octane gas for the GT500 and recommends it for the GT. The base Mustang uses regular-octane fuel.
2011 Ford Mustang Safety and Reliability back to top
In initial overall quality, the Ford brand was rated average by owners in studies conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, the leading automotive consumer survey firm (jdpower.com). The initial quality study covers problems experienced during the first 90 days of ownership. Ford also was rated average in J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study that surveys original owners of three-year-old vehicles, meaning 2007 models.
The 2011 Ford Mustang was too new to be included in J.D. Power initial-quality surveys. But the most recent Mustang covered in a J.D. Power initial-quality study – the 2009 model – was the highest-rated vehicle in the survey-firm’s “midsize sporty” category. Original owners of the 2007 Mustang rated it average for overall dependability after three years.
2011 Ford Mustang Release Date back to top
The 2011 Ford Mustang is in showrooms now.
What's next for the 2011 Ford Mustang back to top
The Mustang rumor mill was abuzz with anticipation about possible 2011 powertrain changes, and now that they’re set there’s as much interest in what the future does not hold for this car.
Don’t anticipate a twin-turbo EcoBoost-type V-6 the sort powering the 2011 Ford Taurus SHO. That’s an expensive design that doesn’t suit the base Mustang’s role as a value-oriented sporty car and doesn’t fit the GT’s image as a V-8 muscle machine.
Neither should you hope for an independent rear suspension. Camaro and Challenger have such a design, which typically optimizes ride, handling, and refinement by essentially isolating each rear wheel via its own suspension hardware. Mustang makes due with a solid rear axle, a less expensive technology that dates to the dawn of the motoring age. Its rear wheels aren’t as isolated or as free to move individually as those of an independent rear suspension. But Ford engineers have nonetheless honed Mustang’s rear suspension to deliver very good handling at cost savings that play into the car’s value proposition. Plus, the tough, simple solid rear axle is favored by drag racers, an important contingent in Mustang’s fan base.
As for what is on the docket for future Mustangs, Ford brings back the Boss 302 designation for a limited production model-year 2012 run. Based on the GT, its 5.0-liter V-8 will be tweaked to generate 440 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque and mates with an upgraded version of the six-speed manual transmission. Suspension, steering, and braking systems will also be beefed up for added overall performance, and the Boss 302 will ride on specific 19-inch wheels and tires. Cosmetically, the Boss 302 will stand apart with specific exterior colors and a choice of a black or white roof and coordinating side stripe. Also on tap are a limited number of further-modified Laguna Seca models, named for the California track where racing legend Parnelli Jones won the 1970 Trans-Am class season opener in a Boss 302.
Best bet for introduction of the next all-new Mustang is model year 2014.
2011 Ford Mustang Competition back to top
2011 Chevrolet Camaro: Resurrected for model-year 2010 as a new car faithful to the spirit of classic Camaros. On the upside: shark-on-the-hunt styling, sharp handling, and power that’s good with the 3.6-liter V-6 and prodigious with the 6.2-liter V-8. Six-speed transmissions serve both engines, and the automatic features paddle shifters. Downers include sunk-in-the-tub seating, pinched outward visibility, and absence of an available navigation system. Plus, the Cadillac-sourced V-6 does its best work at high rpm, making it better suited to the suave CTS than this snarling Chevy. Fuel economy tops out at 18/29 with the V-6 and 16/24 with the V-8. Camaro prices begin at $23,530 with the V-6 and $31,795 for the V-8 SS version. Next big changes involve two model-year 2012 additions: a soft-top convertible and a Z/28 coupe with a supercharged 6.2 V-8 of more than 550 horsepower.
2011 Dodge Challenger: This is basically a coupe version of the full-size Dodge Charger sedan, and it shows. Challenger is larger than Mustang and Camaro – wheelbase is longer by nearly 9 inches and 4 inches, respectively, and overall length is greater by some 10 and 7 inches, respectively. That translates into a less-agile feel on the road but also a calmer demeanor and a roomier interior; Challenger is the only one of the three that qualifies as a five-passenger car. It even has a 16.1-cubic-foot trunk, same as the Charger’s and much more useful than the Camaro’s 11.3 cubic feet or the Mustang coupe’s 13.4. It’s upgraded for 2011 with a new base 3.6-liter “Pentastar” V-6 engine that generates a competitive 305 horsepower. The R/T continues with a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, with either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic driving the rear wheels. The top version, now called the SRT8 392, packs a new 6.4-liter V-8; it’s scary fast. Fuel economy ratings are 17/25 mpg with the V-6, 16/25 with the 5.7 Hemi, and 14/22 (manual transmission), 13/19 (automatic) with the SRT 392. The SE model has a base price of $25,495, the R/T starts at $30,495, and the SRT 392 is priced from $43,380.
2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: Ford says many V-6 Mustang buyers cross-shop the Honda Accord coupe, a fine choice but with front-wheel-drive, it’s not the same breed of pony. So we’re compelled to point out the only other affordable, rear-wheel-drive coupe for sale in the U.S. comes from South Korea. Styling is sinuous and futuristic rather than sledgehammer and retro. And powertrains gallop to a different beat, too. The Genesis Coupe’s base engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that’s surprisingly lively if you’re handy with a six-speed stick. The available 3.8-liter V-6 is plenty strong enough, with 306 horsepower pulling just 3,400 pounds. A tiny rear seat that’s difficult to access and a trunk with a mere 10-cubic-feet of volume proves Hyundai has some pony-car traditions down pat. Handling is a high point, but models with the optional Track suspension are hard-riding and raucous. Fuel economy tops out at 21/30 with the turbo-four and 17/27 for the V-6. Base-price range is $23,050-$27,550 for four-cylinder models and $27,550-$31,750 for V-6 versions. The Genesis Coupe was introduced for model-year 2010 and won’t change significantly for several years.