2021 Ford Mustang GT v Ford Mustang Mach 1 comparison
Flagship. Hero. Icon. There's plenty of ways to refer to the Ford Mustang, but when it comes to driver engagement, should you opt for the Mustang GT, or is the Mach 1 worth it for the road?
Introduction
The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 appears to be the choice if you're a keen and discerning driver.
Wearing a $16,000 premium versus the regular V8-powered Mustang GT, it promises more enjoyment thanks to hardware and calibration upgrades from the fire-breathing and US-only Shelby GT350 and GT500 models.
Think upgraded steering and chassis components, a better transmission (with manual models), extra cooling, and some aero. As we found out earlier in the year, the Mach 1's upgrades earn their keep on the racetrack where the limits are high and the speeds are open.
But how about on the road?
Are you better off in a GT, or are those fruity Mach 1 extras still paying themselves off on a fun road? Let's take a look.
The Ford Mustang GT has been a runaway sales success in Australia. It's also the most popular model, too, likely because it's the first one in the range with a V8.
Starting with the cheaper car on test, the 2021 Ford Mustang GT starts from $64,390 before on-roads, some $12,700 more than the four-cylinder turbocharged 'Mustang High Performance'. If you want your V8 with a 10-speed automatic – like our test car – it'll cost another $3000, or $67,390.
If you like the look as well, sorry, that costs more. Our test car wore a handful of options including new-for-2021 Yellow Peel paint ($650), racing stripes ($650), high-rise spoiler ($750), Recaro sports seats trimmed in leather ($3000) and GT-specific MagneRide adaptive suspension ($2750). It's worth noting that if you pay for the buckets, you lose seat heating and cooling.
All in all, the $7800 worth of options take our 2021 Ford Mustang GT's price to $75,190 before on-roads, or around $83K drive-away.
The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is technically sold out, but it's worth recapping on pricing for the sake of this comparison. Brand new, from Ford, the damage for a Mach 1 was $83,365 before on-roads regardless of the transmission. Our test car is an automatic to keep this comparison fair.
It wears Velocity Blue paintwork ($650) and internally has the same Recaro seats ($3000). All in all, this 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 would've cost $87,015 before on-roads, or a touch under $95K on the road.
With these two configurations, the cost difference to your back pocket for a Mach 1 would've been around $12K depending on where you lived, and how friendly you are with your local Ford dealer.
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Key details | 2021 Ford Mustang GT | 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 |
Price (MSRP) | $67,390 plus on-road costs | $83,365 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Peel Yellow | Velocity Blue |
Options | Peel Yellow paint – $650 Black stripes – $650 High-rise spoiler – $750 MagneRide suspension – $2750 Recaro bucket seats – $3000 | Velocity Blue paint – $650 Recaro bucket seats – $3000 |
Price as tested | $75,190 plus on-road costs | $87,015 plu on-road costs |
Hardware
Both cars feature the same core powerplant: Ford's Coyote 5.0-litre, all-alloy, dual-overhead-cam V8. The GT's produces a sparkly 339kW at 7000rpm, 556Nm at 4600rpm, and comes attached to other performance-oriented things like a standard-fit active exhaust with 'racetrack' mode and limited-slip rear differential.
The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 steps up the hardware some more. Further attached to the motor is a new intake manifold with 87mm throttle bodies and pod-filter-style air induction system, all pilfered from the Shelby GT350 parts bin.
Aside from making just 6kW more, or 345kW/556Nm in total, Ford's calibration team has also employed clever fuelling tactics with the engine tune. The brand suggests the calibration promotes a "reward-to-rev" character with a heightened redline of 7500rpm. More on that later.
In terms of the chassis, there are both differences and similarities. Both cars wear an identical staggered tyre set-up (Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 255/40 R19 front and 275/40 R19 rear), e ven the hefty-looking Brembo brake package is common too.
However, the main Mach 1 additions lie under the skin. Up front, the electric power-steering system has been revised, thicker swaybars introduced, and unique settings for the standard-fit MagneRide dampers. At the rear, there are new springs again, and suspension arms (toe links) coming from a different Shelby car, this time the big bad GT500. The Mach 1's rear diff carrier bushings have also been toughened up to reduce slop.
If you opt for a manual, you'll get the excellent weapons-grade Tremec 3160 six-speed manual from a Shelby GT350, too, complete with a factory-fitted twin-plate clutch. In terms of some exotic hardware that's got heaps of head room for the future, it's a great get. Sadly, by opting for the auto, you're short-changed by paying the same amount and getting a regular 10-speed transmission as per the GT.
Rounding out the Mach 1 improvements are selection of air-to-air coolers, specifically an engine oil cooler, transmission cooler, and rear differential cooler. On paper, you get some good gear for $12K extra, even if only visible on a hoist.
Key details | 2021 Ford Mustang GT | 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 |
Engine | 5.0-litre V8 petrol | 5.0-litre V8 petrol |
Power | 339kW @ 7000rpm | 345kW @ 7500rpm |
Torque | 556Nm @ 4600rpm | 556Nm @ 4600rpm |
Transmission | 10-speed torque-converter auto | 10-speed torque-converter auto |
Power to weight ratio | 195.7kW/t | 196.7kW/t |
Interior
As both of our Mustangs have the same optional Recaro sports seats, there's little difference inside.
Other than some Mach 1 kick panels and a uniquely numbered dash badge, it's hard to tell them apart. Like the hardware upgrades, you'll find the goodies after prying.
The optional Recaro seats are deeply bolstered and supportive of my 183cm tall and 75kg frame. They offer excellent lumbar adjustment. My co-tester did comment on a lack of squab adjustment, but I found no issue personally. If you're looking to use the back seats often, think carefully about the Recaros, as sliding them forward is a two-step process: using the electric adjustment first, then the manual lever second.
Something else annoying comes from jumping back into the car solo after leaving the second-row seat forward (it happens). It means you must stretch right around the seat to access the lever on the opposite side to move it back. Or, get out of the car and annoyingly walk around to do it.
Whatever your solution, it can be trivial and irritating, but the support and 'cockpit jewelry' they bring is worth it. As mentioned earlier, if you pick the seats, you lose seat heating and ventilated too.
More generally, the cabin is a decent-enough place to be. Design is subjective, and you either love the Americanisms or hate them. The plastics are a bit cheap-looking, and everything a bit flimsy, but it doesn't really matter. What does is that awesome view down the long bonnet – snouts included – and some defined rear haunches in the side mirrors.
Despite being a low-slung coupe, the only real visibility challenge comes from deeply set A-pillars, but other than that, it's useable as an everyday car. Space in the back is non-existent for adults, but a Britax Graphene convertible child seat fits nicely. I took my four-year-old on a good drive for well over an hour, and he didn't seem to find the experience uncomfortable, like he has the back of other two-door coupes.
Boot space is decent at 408L, but the aperture itself stymied. There are two big sections of metalwork just shy of the tail-lights that crowd the boot opening and make it hard to wedge longer things in. Things like a set of clubs or a foldable stroller are two such items challenged by this packaging nuance.
It's not the end of the world, but a sign that vanity proudly outweighs ergonomics. If you're loading in smaller goods, like groceries, you'll find plenty of room.
2021 Ford Mustang GT | 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 | |
Seats | Four | Four |
Boot volume | 408L | 408L |
Length | 4789mm | 4789mm |
Width | 1916mm | 1916mm |
Height | 1387mm | 1387mm |
Wheelbase | 2720mm | 2720mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Unlike the rest of the interior, the interiors' various displays are quick to shout their differences.
Starting up the Mach 1 reveals a unique welcome screen on its 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster. After poking around other functionality that's needlessly located in the gauge cluster, you'll also find a set of excellent performance meters.
For both cars, there is a dizzying array of themes and dial configurations to pick from, including the ability to change the accent colour of the whole shebang. It's not for everyone, but worth a mention.
Both cars get the same 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and the same B&O Play 12-speaker sound system. The system – with dedicated amplifier and subwoofer – is fantastic, and has enough punch to drive low-end and heavy classics from Leftfield's Leftism.
Driving
To discover if there were any real-world differences, we picked roads in favour of the Mach 1. Basically that means a nice set of sweeping country lanes, with one deviation through the town of Cattai, north-west of Sydney.
The reason for the detour was to hit a sweet and particularly technical section of road that rewards a confident set of hands and good set of wheels. Given a quick test of the Mach 1 on-track at Sydney Motorsport Park revealed its upgrades were best felt in the slower, sharper sections, the idea was to give it the best chance possible on-road.
Don't forget, even though public roads have rules, varying surfaces and grip levels not only reduce the speed, but keep the excitement high. Basically, you don't need to be going fast to be engaged.
After tackling the same roads on different days with the pair, some differences were clear. The starkest of all was the suspension, as the Mach 1's standard-fit and uniquely tuned MagneRide dampers are more complex than the 'regular' adaptive extra-cost items in the GT. The ones in the cheaper car are supported by softer springs and have a narrower window of damping stiffness.
The Mach 1 excels in terms of body control and bump absorption most. In its normal setting it outperforms the GT, especially through sections of road where the mid-corner areas were dappled with imperfections. There's more composure, and it's evident, even after a day apart.
The way it irons out the road helps to make it feel more secure, but in ways less communicative. The jiggly movement you get from the softer GT in higher-stakes road driving isn't scary and life-threatening, so some would consider it welcome feedback and engagement.
Forget about using the Mach 1's sport setting on a good old Aussie B-road. If the road surface is poor, like most are, you'll be left with endless movement and unsettledness. Another setting best left in regular is the steering, as despite the Mach 1 feeling keener off-centre, both cars felt most natural in the halfway setting.
After days apart, we got both cars out on the road together to conduct the proper back-to-back testing and see what we missed. Here, the steering differences became more obvious, as not only does the Mach 1 turn in better, but also feels more trustworthy under power on the way out.
The way the motor revs is another point that's detectable on the day, but glaringly obvious when back-to-backed. It's not the extra power making a difference, rather the eagerness of the engine that stands out. The clever Mach 1-exclusive fueling strategy means the motor turns harder, spins faster (7500rpm versus 7000rpm), and feels more invigorated.
I'd wager that drivability was the target focus of Ford's engineers, not just numbers on a spec sheet. Up through the mid-range it pulls more urgently, and its top end is just that much sweeter. After all, with the Mach 1's weight gain factored in, it wears a power-to-weight advantage of just 1kW.
Even though both cars feature an "active sports exhaust with race mode", the Mach 1's is different, both according to the marketing materials and a visual inspection after shoving my head underneath to check.
The GT has a more classic bark, whereas the Mach 1 seems to magnify the stereo 1-2 drumbeat, sounding deeper and more bassy. It feels like semantics to be debating two tunes, but I think it matters, as half the reason you'd buy a V8 is for the fantastic yet sadly endangered soundtrack.
Something common across both cars, however, is a general uncouth nature, love or hate it. During testing, roads were both wet and dry. In the wet, both cars can be a handful, especially for this novice. Those with ability will love to lock horns and go toe-to-toe, likely revelling in the challenge.
Neither is precise, but still a whole lot of fun. I'll also throw in a low blow and suggest that if both cars were manual, the Shelby GT350 gearbox upgrade that comes exclusive to the Mach 1 may have earned it more points in this head-to-head.
Conclusion
Those who seek a quiet road on Sunday mornings will prefer the Ford Mustang Mach 1.
It's a car that rewards someone in search of small gains in their driving, or alternatively someone who has the ability to truly exploit the extra hardware on offer. You will feel the difference if you're keen, or maybe having upgraded from your earlier model Mustang GT.
The other side of the deal is the rarity and exclusivity that comes with owning a Mach 1, too, as only 700 examples came to Australia. Still, the $12,000-or-so premium may be lost on people who just want to own an attainable pin-up car.
Something worth departing on was that the average punter flocked to the Peel Yellow GT, not even realising the deep blue Mach 1 was the special one.
It says a lot about the Mustang given part of its purpose is to please the crowd. In its most standard form, the GT still oozes cool, is comfortable and easy enough to use every day, and in 90 per cent of driving scenarios will provide enough thrills.
Given you can't buy a Mach 1 anymore, don't feel too bad if you missed out. The GT is the better-value proposition, and if you're not re-enacting Bullitt twice a year, you'll appreciate the $12K you've saved too.