Ford Mustang GT Fastback Auto 2025 Review

No longer the blue-collar performance bargain it once was, the 2025 Ford Mustang GT Fastback Auto we’ve snaffled for this test retails for $81,990 plus on-road costs.

The most popular model in the range combines the traditional two-door coupe body style with a 345kW/550Nm version of the famed Coyote V8 engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission to drive the rear wheels.

If you want to stick with tradition and the six-speed manual gearbox, that’s a $3000 discount. The cheapest Mustang is a four-cylinder petrol-turbo dubbed the Ecoboost (sounds tempting – not!) priced at $66,990, while the flagship price-wise is the $87,667 GT convertible V8 auto.

In a country once loaded down with affordable V8s, the Mustang has a dearth of similarly-engined opposition. The Chevy Corvette is $100,000 up the road and is the next most affordable V8 sports car.

Vehicles such as the Toyota Supra and Nissan Z are more in the Mustang’s pricing circle and are its most relevant opposition these days.

Externally the shape is clearly still Mustang, just more chiselled. Staggered 19-inch grey alloy wheels housing Brembo brakes and rolling on Pirelli PZero rubber are standard.

A more dramatically overhauled interior includes a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster that sits behind a single piece of glass alongside a 13.2-inch information touchscreen. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a digital radio and embedded satellite navigation are all supported. Audio booms through a 12-speaker B&O system.

The front seats are trimmed in a combination of fake and real leather and come with heating and cooling. Both are also partially powered, with backrest adjustment still manual.

Also included are keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, adjustable ambient lighting and the FordPass connected car system with smartphone app that offers a combination of safety and convenience features.

There’s a big boost in safety equipment with blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert included alongside autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with deployable lane centring, lane keeping, traffic sign recognition and tyre pressure monitoring.

There are seven airbags but no front-centre airbag. What we don’t know yet is how the Mustang will go in ANCAP testing. The old one only got three stars.

The Mustang is covered by Ford’s five-year/unlimited km warranty and comes with capped price servicing program that costs $1500 across the first four visits to the workshop. They are scheduled at 12 month/15,000km intervals.

The Coyote V8 engine is the loud, proud beating heat of the 2025 Ford Mustang GT Fastback.

With the ability to tune the active exhaust through four different modes from mild to wild you can avoid disturbing the neighbours or you can shake their foundations!

The engine’s behaviour can go through the same sort of transition depending on how hard you work the throttle.

It can be a bit lazy and slow to rev when you first crack the throttle, but add percentage and it just gets stronger and stronger until it's flying.

It revs quick and clean all the way out to its redline beyond 7000rpm. By now it's bellowing in a way no small-bore turbo can possibly emulate.

Not only is the Coyote a performer but it can be frugal as well, comfortably undercutting its somewhat disastrous 12.8L/100km consumption claim during our test. More urban work wouldn’t help though, while the small-ish 60-litre tank will have you pumping 98 RON regularly.

The Mustang story doesn’t end under the bonnet. It also has a handling balance that allows the engine to be exploited in more than a straight line.

It's an evolution of the old model’s platform and suspension that’s become that bit more honed and sharpened. With those Pirellis providing important assistance, the Mustang has really confident grip cornering balance.

It's backed up by electric-assist steering that is surprisingly light at speed, even when set in the most weighty sport mode. It might not sound quite right for a substantial car like this, but it works because the Mustang has really nimble desire to turn-in.

Those powerful Brembos complete a purposeful driving package.

Some interesting assistants come with the Mustang that help it drift, do burnouts and drag race. This was an on-road test so we avoided all that.

The new interior of the Mustang provides another highlight for the driver because its instrument panel is so configurable.

It has different views depending on what drive mode you choose from eco to track, which is nice. But even cooler, you can also dive into the My Mustang menu on the touchscreen and set up the instrument panel to look like one from a series of previous-generation Mustangs dating back to the 1960s.

You’ve probably noticed the transmission didn’t get a mention in the ‘good’ section. That doesn’t make it bad, just not as good as we’d hoped. Thankfully, it doesn’t douse that brilliant engine.

The transmission is a bit passive in normal mode and can trip over its tightly stacked gears in sport, especially when digging out from low revs. Switch to manual mode and you have to be decisive because it won’t always register the shift.

The actual experience of manually changing lacks the mechanical tactility some paddles deliver, which is disappointing in a car like this.

So I’d still back the manual for sports driving. The problem is the auto’s gonna be so much easier for commuting if your Mustang is pressed into service for such things.

And while we’ve praised the dynamics of the Mustang that does come at the expense of the ride, which is sharp to the point of wincing on some of our rubbish Aussie bitumen roads.

At this money, the GT Fastback should have standard adaptive suspension so the driver can choose the level of comfort.

And while we’re on controls, the configurability of the digital screens is great fun, but the practicality factor is reduced along with the hard-button count.

Beyond the interior tech, the GT offers big and comfy front seats designed for meaty blokes rather than boy racers.

The trims and materials of the US-built Mustang look good at a glance. But examine more closely and it’s noticeable how many hard surfaces there are. Once again, not good enough for $90,000.

A few quality glitches were also disappointing. They included a buzzing rattle from the dash, a weird gurgling noise when accelerating that could have been the artificial sound enhancer having a lapse and instructions to place my hands on the steering wheel when they already were.

And, finally, we’re stating the very obvious here but if you are after a functional everyday family vehicle look elsewhere!

Rear seat space is hopeless, cabin storage is limited, it’s a hard car to see out of in most directions – not helped by the lack of a 360-degree camera. Funnily enough, the big boot with a folding rear seat offering further versatility is actually pretty darn useable.

Ford’s regular Mustang price rises mean it has now exceeded the grasp of many of its most ardent fans.

That’s a real pity, because the 2025 Ford Mustang GT Fastback is a really characterful and enjoyable bit of driving kit.

Sure, it has its negatives and some things like the rear seat are just plain silly, but at its core this is an inspiring old-school V8 beast with a modern edge.

But should you buy the auto or the manual? Personally, I’d take the manual because it’s closer to the car’s core reason for existence – driving connection.

But the auto, while not outstanding in itself, doesn’t dilute the experience to an objectionable degree.

That fantastic engine ensures that!

2025 Ford Mustang GT Fastback Auto at a glance:
Price: $81,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 5.0-litre V8 petrol
Output: 345kW/550Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 12.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 293g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

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