The updated 2018 Ford Mustang GT with its more powerful 460-horse 5.0-liter V8, new 10-speed automatic transmission and optional Performance Package with Drag Strip mode is the fastest-launching, quickest-to-60-mph production version of the company’s legendary pony car ever to roll off the assembly line.
Ratcheting up responsiveness
The 2018 Mustang GT’s drivetrain updates start with 25 additional horses in the underhood corral and 420 lb-ft of torque–20 more of those critical twist units. Backing the revamped 5.0-liter is Ford’s new 10-speed SelectShift automatic that offers greater responsiveness thanks to a wider ratio spread. Coupled with real-time adaptive shift-programming algorithms, the transmission further optimizes gear choices while speeding up the actual cog-changing process.
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Add in the new Drag Strip mode–one of five driver-selectable programs available in the Mustang’s Performance Package–and things get even better. That setting further reduces gear-to-gear interval times for the paddle-shift automatic, with the net result being a claimed 0-60 mph blast in less than 4.0 seconds. “In Drag Strip mode, the engine torque doesn’t drop when you’re shifting,” noted Carl Widmann, Mustang chief engineer. “You get peak engine torque and horsepower straight through.”
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For the record, achieving that pace also requires new custom-designed Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires, stickier shoes that are part of the 2018 Mustang GT’s Performance Package. Due in dealers this fall, pricing for the 2018 Ford Mustang is expected soon.
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