Old guy Mustang questions.

[PopsGT]

Getting ready to purchase my cross country sight seeing convertible used Mustang. Question 1 : does a GT really require 90+ octane? and realistically what highway mileage would one get at 80 mph? Questin 2: Since I can't locate GT with the options I want ( 401, active exhaust, safety stuff) would I regret settling for an Ecoboost?
Thanks!

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[Bikeman315]

Welcome to the forum Pop’s. Hopefully these answers will be helpful. Be forewarned though you are going to get many different answers.

1. Regardless of what anyone tells you a Mustang V8 can run all day long on plain old regular gas. That said, you will give up a few horsepower and a little fuel economy.

1a. Using premium gas I can get high twenties at a steady 70. At 80 I would drop down to mid 20’s You will get less with regular gas and the top down. Still not bad for a 460 HP car.

2. Maybe. I owned one and loved it. 51k trouble free miles and over 30 MPG on the highway. But you have to use premium. Ford says you can use regular but the power and economy loses aren’t worth it. If there are certain features you want and cannot find on a GT, an EB could be a good solution.
But the sound. That’s why I bought my V8. It will most likely be my last one and I’m not giving it up. But if that a big deal for you then the EB can make a lot of sense. One thing thought. You never hear about people regretting buying a GT. Same cannot be said about EB’s.

 

[Hack]

MPG on the highway can vary based on how the car is outfitted as well, but unless you are driving TONS of miles, the cost of gas is pretty low compared to what you will pay for a car. The Mustang will get better fuel economy than most SUVs and pickups, but worse than most cars. I used to get about 19 mpg mixed city/highway in my 2015 base GT. The GT350 got about 17. The GT I own now with the swing and Gurney flap gets about 18. I'm not sure whether a convertible will be worse or better, but I rarely drive 80 around here. I'd get pulled over for speeding. Economy starts to go down really fast when you eclipse 70 mph, so if economy is important to you, driving more slowly will help.

I'm also not sure about top down vs. top up. I wouldn't be surprised if top down is 1-2 mpg difference in mixed driving.

I would buy the GT because the Mustang is a big car built for the 5 liter. If I were buying a 4 cylinder turbo car, I'd try to find something smaller. That would also get you better fuel economy if that's important to you. Something like a Z4 could be an option. I think those come with a smaller engine and a convertible model.

 

[Justpassingas]

Having recently completed a 3 week 8000 mile trip out through Yellowstone I ran mostly 87 octane and had zero problems…I averaged just over 26MPG total trip at hiway speeds 80-90…plus it’s also my DD and I still run 87.

 

[Jpump]

Getting ready to purchase my cross country sight seeing convertible used Mustang. Question 1 : does a GT really require 90+ octane? and realistically what highway mileage would one get at 80 mph? Questin 2: Since I can't locate GT with the options I want ( 401, active exhaust, safety stuff) would I regret settling for an Ecoboost?
Thanks!

I bought my GT about 4 months ago across the country. I averaged 25MPG going from Indiana to Arizona. I would say the majority of the trip I was on cruise control at 75-85MPH. Trip was about 2100 miles.

You don't have to run premium, but as stated, you will lose some power and MPG.

As for the Ecoboost, I couldn't tell you. I've never driven one, or ridden in one or know anyone that owns one. I know I would be personally disappointed if I wanted a GT and settled for an Ecoboost.

 

[PoCoBob]

I guess the question about the octane lays with what are you ok with? I normally buy 91 octane but I was taking a drive to visit some friends who are about 5 hours away. I thought since I would use most of a tank of gas I'd just buy 87 for that trip. To get there I needed to cross through a mountain range and every time I stepped on the gas I could hear the engine ping. I hate that! Ford says some pinging is normal and perfectly fine, but not for me. So I stay away for 87 now.

The best my GT has gotten on the highway is 29 miles per U.S. gallon. But we can't get away with driving the speeds you're asking about.

 

[Shawn2018GT]

I have the 18 GT Convertible without the PP, but with the Premium package. LOVE IT!
You can expect 25-28mpg on the highway, with 87 gas, and it purrs. Running 91 gas gives you an extra 1mpg and it is more powerful. I looked for my used one, and nothing within 800 miles of me. Found 1 in Seattle, and flew there to drive it home. DO NOT GET the 4 cylinder! It doesn't have the power, and it's exhaust note SUCKS. Mine is a DD even in the Winter, and I LOVE this car.

 

[FlatRock]

Myself and a buddy did a run to the dry lakes in CA with a EcoBoost convertible a few years back (rental). Yes I had to keep my foot on it through the mountains (but I did not use premium like maybe i should have), but overall we managed 30/gallon and that was both mountain and LA driving. Pops your going to have a blast with that ragtop either way you go.

 

[2016S550]

There are always cars out there, you may have to do a fly and drive if you are dead set on certain options.

As far as comparing two identically optioned cars and price not being a concern here is my opinion. Imagine setting at a light one day and pondering. I can see someone in an Ecoboost wishing they had bought the GT, inversely I cannot fathom someone sitting in a GT wishing they had bought the Ecoboost. There’s a recent 10+ page Ecoboost vs GT thread with a lot of opinions.

I’m guessing that at this point in life you should not settle for anything less than what you want.

 

[Balr14]

I recently sold my 2018 GT premium convertible. The longest trips I took were around two hours. I managed to get 30 mpg in one direction, on one trip averaging about 75mph. I always use 93 octane premium. The only real complaints I had about the car are the seats. They don't have a lot of padding on the seat bottoms. Others who drove my car made the same comment. Old guys (like me) without much ass padding may find the seats are a problem.

 

[Obsidian]

I must have a heavy foot, I’m lucky if I get above 19 mpg combined

 

[black22gt]

Others have answered but here's my 2 cents.

1. No you don't have to run premium, but it will pull some timing and thusly make less power and slightly less mpg too i guess. When i go back to 87, i do notice some pinging at first, but the computer adjusts quickly.

1b. I dont really see a drop off at 80. I know i got 28 average on one tank in SC, on regular, that was on cruise control at 75 mostly. I have a manual. I now run premium exclusively and have noticed i get between 19 and 21 no matter how hard i drive it, and push up to 25 and above on road trips. I drive more than alot of mustang people and pay attention to this stuff as it's my cue for when things need attention. My 22 has 26k on it currently, i dd it about 70 miles most days.

2. I could only find one 21 with the exact options i wanted in the country, and it was on the other side of the country, so i ended up ordering a 22. My car is a 301a black with all options but the performance pack and above stuff. If you are asking if you'd regret it, I'd probably say yes you would. Maybe prioritize the options a bit and drop some of the less necessary ones. Definitely would recommend the active exhaust!

 

[skinnyb]

I never even considered an EB. I have wanted a GT since I was a teenager, bought mine for my 49th birthday and haven't looked back. If you get an EB, you will always do the shoulda woulda coulda. I bit the bullet and got exactly what I wanted the first time.

That said, I always feed mine premium. It technically can run 87 but mine pings and knocks like an old tractor, the ECM is constantly having to pull timing to keep detonation at bay., on a 12:1 compression motor, its not worth it. to run 87. As for mileage, mine gets mid 20's all day on the highway (mines a coupe, a vert might vary), I don't baby mine at all, mine is the 10 speed so only turns 1500 RPM at 70 MPH.

 

[junits15]

It’s fine on 87, people saying they hear pinging are exaggerating. The ECM automatically adjusts timing so that there is never dangerous knock. The knock intensity is the same on 93 and 87. It is 100% safe all the time there is no long term downside.

mileage will be noticeably worse but not enough that it negates the cost savings of running 87.

You’ll give up around 20 hp though and you’ll feel the difference for sure. If you’re looking for a car to beat up and drive hard, run premium, if you’re looking for a nice cruiser then 87 will do you fine.

Don’t get the EB unless you just want the car for the looks

 

[MAGS1]

I test drove an EB. It’s a fun car but I personally prefer the sound of the V8. If that doesn’t matter as much to you, the EB is a good option.

As for gas, yes you can run 87 with the GT but as others stated there are trade offs. I run 93 all the time and get about 17mpg with almost exclusively in town, stop and go driving. When I do get out on the highways, mid 20’s mpg is pretty common and that is with the GT500 swing (no gurney flap) and “keeping with the flow of traffic” . Personally, MPG was never a factor in ordering the GT. It’s not an MPG car, it’s an SPG car.

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