2013 Ford Mustang V-6 Premium

                             Without question, the Shelby GT500 and its claimed 200-mph top speed headline the 2013 Ford Mustang range. But all models received design and packaging updates that make them about as advanced as they’re going to get before a new, more sophisticated pony car arrives for 2015.

Much farther down the hierarchy than the Shelby is this V-6 Premium model—ours was slathered in new-for-2013 Gotta Have It Green metallic. The V-6 car has a more modern look this year yet still embraces the bold, retro-themed goodness that we’ve come to expect from the current car—we’ve already driven a 2013 GT convertible, and you can read our test of a mechanically similar 2011 V-6 coupe here.

Arresting Looks

While the 2013 car retains the classic long-hood/short-tail silhouette, a new snout with a gaping, Shelby-esque grille lends a more sinister air. Restyled HID headlights with LED accents are standard, and revised, sequential taillights with LED elements also are new.


Our test car’s arresting green paint, a $495 option, was divisive; several passersby thought it was pretty sweet, but others weren’t as seduced by its retina-searing glow. Like it or not, it makes the car impossible to miss. (Deep Impact Blue also is new for 2013, but nowhere near as controversial or spotlight-grabbing.)

This V-6 coupe was further kitted up with the $995 Mustang Club of America package, which adds dark stainless-steel inserts for the upper and lower front grilles, fog lights, black rocker-panel stripes, gray 18-inch wheels, MCA-embroidered floor mats, and a trunk spoiler. Unlike the paintwork, this option was universally chided as gaudy, and we felt it cheapened the car’s look. Club members surely will love the unique touches, but we can think of better ways to spend a grand.

New Chairs and Video Games

Very little changes in the Mustang’s cabin for 2013, with the most notable feature being optional Recaro leather sport seats ($1595). They’re worth every penny and make it easier to get cozy behind the non-telescoping steering wheel. Initially developed for the GT500 and Boss 302, the stylish and super-supportive thrones can now be fitted across the range, although the Boss is the only model that offers them wrapped in cloth instead of animal hide.

Other 2013 updates include the addition of Ford’s Track Apps, which reside in a new 4.2-inch cluster display and measure real-time acceleration, braking, and handling performance. The same info screen—operated by a four-way steering-wheel-mounted switch—now includes a menu to adjust the firmness of the electric power steering between Comfort, Standard, and Sport settings, which were added for 2012. Actual steering feedback is still rather vague, but the heavier Sport setting addresses the overly light feel we’ve noted on previous Mustangs. An updated Shaker audio system actually has the volume to match our tester’s exterior.

A Solid Performer

While V-8­–powered models received noteworthy mechanical updates for 2013, V-6 cars didn’t, and so drive much the same as they have since the 2011 refresh, which is to say with zeal. The car is even better with the $1495 V-6 Performance package—a strut-tower brace, thicker anti-roll bars, stiffer front springs, unique front and rear brake calipers with performance pads, new 19-inch wheels with Pirelli P Zero summer tires, more-aggressive stability-control programming, shorter (3.31:1) gearing with a limited-slip differential, gloss black exterior mirrors, and a deleted spare tire. Our car had the pack, and it felt light on its feet yet still rode pretty well. It feels slightly better balanced than the heavier GT, too

The live rear axle has been well and truly tamed at this point, only occasionally jumping over rough pavement, just in time for the next-gen car’s independent rear. This example circled the skidpad at 0.91 g and stopped from 70 mph in 164 feet at our usual Michigan-based testing venue; a similar 2011 model tested in California posted a sports-car-like 0.95 g and a 152-foot stop.

Output from the 3.7-liter V-6 is unchanged at 305 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. This car’s exhaust note was less inspiring than we remember from other V-6 models, but those seeking auditory pleasure should be looking at the GT and its 5.0-liter V-8 anyway.

The stubby, closely gated shifter for the six-speed manual transmission (a six-speed auto is an $1195 option) made for tricky two-to-three shifts when charging hard through the gears. But when that shift is nailed, 60 mph comes up in 5.2 seconds and the quarter-mile passes in 13.9 at 102 mph. Terminal velocity is limited to a wimpy 112 mph on account of V-6 models having a one-piece driveshaft versus the GT’s two-piece unit. We managed a 21-mpg average with the 2013 car.

Choices, Choices

This coupe also had a $695 reverse-sensing system/security package and a $385 rearview camera. A solidly fun package, then, at an as-tested $32,655, the V-6 Mustang continues to distance itself from the low-rent image with which it was saddled for years. The 420-hp GT coupe becomes a tantalizing option when you consider its starting price of $31,095, but that’s with dreary, non-Premium interior furnishings and none of the performance options that can make the GT such a hoot on back roads.

The default comparisons include the six-cylinder Dodge Challenger, which is feeling dated, and the updated, 323-hp Chevrolet Camaro V-6, both of which are heavier and less playful than the Ford. And now there’s a crop of new or heavily revised affordable sports coupes: the lightweight Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S twins and the updated Hyundai Genesis coupe, which all start in the mid-$20,000s and further complicate the decision for those willing to abandon the domestic stronghold.

Whatever you choose, now is a great time to be in the market for a fun-yet-practical two-door that’s relatively cheap to own and operate. The Mustang’s strengths are its lengthy heritage and lively attitude, as well as old-school looks that seem to improve with each revision. For 2013, it’s also the only choice in this segment for those who want their car in tree-frog green.

sourcecaranddriver