2018 Ford Mustang GT Premium Reviewed

Ryan takes the 2018 Ford Mustang GT Premium into the California desert to test its sound modes, 10-speed automatic, launch control, and line lock — then issues a mid-review correction on how it actually stacks up against the Camaro SS. Watch to see why this review is still drawing comparisons to the Challenger Scat Pack years later.

A million and a half people have watched this review, which is a strange amount of attention for what is, on paper, just another trim-level test drive. But the 2018 Mustang GT Premium isn’t being judged on paper here — it’s being judged on sound, on drag mode, on whether a car this loud can also behave itself in a parking garage at 3 AM. Ryan took it into the California desert to find out, and one correction issued mid-video changes the entire Camaro comparison everyone in the comments wants to have.

Four Driving Modes, Four Different Cars

The 2018 Mustang GT’s active exhaust system gives it a genuinely wide personality range, and this review spends real time on that flexibility — testing Quiet Mode for early departures and residential neighborhoods against the louder Track Mode setting for when the car is meant to be heard. One commenter jokes that Quiet Mode is like that friend who doesn’t know how to whisper, while another says they’d never use anything but Track Mode regardless of the hour, shifting at 5,000 RPM and heel-toeing everywhere they go. That split in owner preference says as much about the car’s flexibility as any spec number could.

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A Horsepower Correction Mid-Review

Partway through, the review issues a correction on its own numbers: the 2018 Mustang GT actually produces 5 more horsepower than the Camaro SS it’s frequently cross-shopped against, not the 20-horsepower gap originally stated. That’s a small adjustment, but it matters — in a segment where bragging rights often come down to single-digit horsepower differences, getting the Mustang-versus-Camaro number right is exactly the kind of detail this audience holds a reviewer accountable for.

The 10-Speed Automatic Surprise

Ford’s then-new 10-speed automatic transmission gets specific attention in the review, including a look at launch control and line lock — features aimed squarely at drag strip use rather than daily commuting. In the comments, a self-described lifelong manual-only driver admits the automatic genuinely impressed them after a week behind the wheel, singling out Drag Mode as insane despite going in with low expectations for a two-pedal Mustang. That kind of converted skeptic carries more weight than a press release ever could.

The Seat-Kicking Moment Everyone Remembers

Not every detail from this review is about performance. At the 2:22 mark, the host plants a dirty boot on the back of the seat while demonstrating something in the car, and multiple commenters flag the moment with genuine frustration — one calling it something that would really bother them if it were their own seat. It’s a small thing, but it’s telling that a moment about seat cleanliness generated as much comment engagement as the horsepower correction, a reminder that car reviews live or die on small details as much as big numbers.

Mustang GT vs. Challenger Scat Pack: A Reader’s Verdict

One of the most detailed comments on this video comes from a viewer who directly cross-shopped the 2018 Mustang GT against the Dodge Challenger 6.4-liter Scat Pack and ultimately preferred the Mustang. Despite the Scat Pack’s 25-horsepower advantage, the commenter points to the Mustang’s line lock feature, lighter curb weight, comparably aggressive exhaust note, better handling, and a price roughly 8,000 to 10,000 Canadian dollars cheaper as the deciding factors — a genuinely useful real-world comparison for anyone weighing the same decision.

The Last Mustang With a CD Player

In a smaller but oddly specific comment, one owner mentions special-ordering their 2018 GT specifically because it was the last model year to offer a CD player — a detail that says something about how quickly infotainment moved on from physical media, and how enthusiast buyers sometimes chase details that have nothing to do with horsepower at all when picking a model year to commit to.

Why This Review Still Racks Up Views

Between the exhaust mode breakdown, the corrected horsepower figure, and a rental-car road trip anecdote from a viewer who found the 10-speed automatic more capable than expected during a California vacation, this review has accumulated the kind of specific, ongoing engagement that keeps a car review relevant years after its model year has passed. For anyone shopping a used 2018 GT Premium today, the comments section has become almost as useful as the review itself.

A Reader’s Real-World Test

One comment adds a genuinely unscripted data point: a viewer who rented a 2019 Mustang GT Premium with the 10-speed automatic for a California trip shortly before the coronavirus outbreak came away surprised at how capable the transmission felt in daily use, noting it stayed fun to drive even in a rental-spec car with no personal investment in the outcome. That kind of unplanned, real-world endorsement — from someone who had no reason to be generous about a rental car — tends to carry more weight with skeptical manual-transmission loyalists than anything a manufacturer could say in its own marketing.

Why the Depth of This Review Still Matters

Driving Sports TV built its reputation on exactly this kind of hands-on, feature-by-feature testing rather than a quick highlight reel, and a review that spends real time on exhaust modes, transmission behavior, and everyday livability details like the CD player gives shoppers a far more complete picture than a thirty-second social clip ever could. That depth is part of why a trim-level review of a mainstream Mustang can still cross a million views years after its model year has come and gone.

What Launch Control Actually Does

Launch control on the 10-speed automatic works differently than the manual car’s system, holding a preset RPM against the brake before releasing power in a way designed to minimize wheel spin off the line — a feature the review demonstrates directly in the desert rather than just describing. For owners cross-shopping automatic versus manual GT models specifically for drag strip use, that demonstrated launch behavior is often the deciding factor, since a well-executed automatic launch can consistently out-perform an inexperienced manual driver’s clutch dump. That kind of demonstrated, repeatable performance is exactly what a used-car buyer wants to see before trusting a dealer’s spec sheet.

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