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Review


The 2020 Mustang EcoBoost is powered by a 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine producing 310 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or an optional 10-speed automatic gearbox. While that’s quite a respectable power from a 2.3-liter turbo-four engine, the best thing about the Mustang Ecoboost is that it costs just $26,670. That’s a huge bargain for a muscle car.

Gone are the days when the four-cylinder engine powered Mustangs used to be boring. Come 2020 and the Ford Mustang EcoBoost packs in a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine that puts out a tall 310 hp. On top of that if you get the High Performance package added this year the power goes up to 330 hp. That's not all the 2020 Mustang EcoBoost apart from going fast also handles and rides like a charm courtesy of the optional Handling package. 

Moving inside the Mustang EcoBoost you would find the perfect amalgamation of retro and modern. The overall material quality is good although there is some cost-cutting done on not-so-evident areas. Apart from this, the lack of standard safety features, cramped rear seats, and average trunk space remain Mustang's Achilles heel even in 2020. With that being said, let's see how the Ford Mustang which is now an iconic muscle car priced at just $26,670 fares in 2020. 

Features
8.0/10


The 2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost comes in two trims – the base version i.e. EcoBoost and EcoBoost Premium. Both trims are the same mechanically in that they are powered by the same engine and gearbox. The EcoBoost Premium trim gets you more comfort and convenience features on board. Both the trims being the entry-level Mustang models are sparsely equipped so you have several optional packages on offer to better equip your Mustang. The High Performance package introduced this year priced at $4,995 can be had to get 20 hp bump in power output, larger brakes, turbocharger, and radiator, active exhaust, limited-slip rear differential, stiffer front springs, and a few more. 

Other than that you also have the EcoBoost Handling Package (can be added only when equipped with High Performance package) available for $1,995 adding larger brakes, summer tires, and MagneRide adaptive suspension. While there is also a Safe and Smart package available that adds advanced driver-assist features. The EcoBoost Premium trim on the other hand offers a Premium Plus package that adds driver seat memory function, 12-inch digital instrument cluster, navigation, unique interior trims, heated steering wheel, rear cross-traffic alert, and blind-spot monitoring.

Trims

EcoBoost

EcoBoost Premium

MSRP

$26,670

$31,865

Key Features

310 hp, 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine

Adds or upgrades to 'EcoBoost'

 

17-inch alloy wheels

Leather upholstery

 

Keyless ignition

Sync 3 infotainment w/ 8.0-inch touchscreen

 

Leather-wrapped steering wheel

Dual-zone automatic climate control

 

SYNC infotainment system w/ six-speaker sound system

18-inch alloy wheels

 

Rearview camera

Power-adjustable front seats

 

FordPass Connect

Heated and ventilated front seats

 

 

Rear parking sensors

We Recommend

The base version falls a little on creature comfort so we’d recommend the Ecoboost Premium version as it comes decently packed with quite some standard equipment. Also if you are buying a Mustang in EcoBoost trims then the Ecoboost Performance Package is a worthy upgrade. While the handling department can be further improved by adding the MagneRide adaptive suspension and summer tires both of which are available under the EcoBoost Handling package.

Fuel Economy
7.0/10


Powered by the turbo-four engine the 2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost has an EPA estimated gas mileage of 21 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 24 mpg combined. The EPA-estimated gas mileage is competitive for its class and strikes a good balance between performance and efficiency.

Model

2020 Ford Mustang

2020 Dodge Challenger

2020 BMW 2 Series

2020 Chevrolet Camaro

MPG (city)

21

19

24

20

MPG (highway)

30

30

32

30

MPG (combined)

24

23

27

23

Fuel Capacity (gal)

15.5

18.5

13.7

19.0

Range (City / Highway) (mi.)

326 / 465

352 / 555

329 / 438

380 / 570

The Mustang EcoBoost is at par with its direct rival the Camaro and Challenger when it comes to highway gas mileage. But it’s not the best as that title goes to the BMW 2-Series, of course, it does. The Mustang returns 3 mpg less in the city and 2 mpg less on the highway compared to the 2-Series.

Interior
9.4/10


“The standard leather seats feel plush, but have narrow cushions, which is surprising considering the size of the average American derriere.” – Which Car

The interiors of the 2020 Mustang EcoBoost are characterized by strong lines and bold surfaces which try to blend in the contemporary style form without missing the classic design language. The interior design is sporty but there are quite a few cheap plastics which is a letdown in such a car. The circular AC vents sit on top of the dashboard above the available touchscreen infotainment system. Further below the center console, you have the climate controls and toggle switches for various vehicle settings. To fit with modern times Ford offers the option of getting the 12-inch digital instrument cluster on the EcoBoost Premium trim which looks quite cool and is worth the upgrade.

Overall, the front seats are a good place to be. The seats are nice and supportive and they hold you well with good bolstering. The seats are fabric-trimmed as standard while leather upholstery, power adjustment, and heating and ventilation are offered for the front seats. The rear seats are very cramped and are strictly for children. Thus in the real world, the Mustang is strictly a two-seater. Moving to the infotainment system you get a voice-activated SYNC system as standard while the EcoBoost Premium trim offers an 8-inch touchscreen with an SYNC3 system.

The infotainment system is pretty easy to use and responds to touch quite adequately. In the base trim, audio is played via a six-speaker setup while the Premium trim offers a nine-speaker setup with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with navigation. These upgrades are also available in the form of a bundled option on the base trim. Moving to the rear, the Mustang EcoBoost offers a modest 13.5 cubic feet of space which is enough for small grocery shopping and a short vacation but anything beyond that would require folding the rear seats down.

Model

2020 Ford Mustang

2020 Dodge Challenger

2020 BMW 2 Series

2020 Chevrolet Camaro

Passenger capacity

4

5

4

4

Front (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)

37.6/ 56.3/ 45.1

39.3/ 58.5/ 42.0

40.1/ 54.4/ 41.5

38.5/ 55.0/ 43.9

Second (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)

34.8/ 52.2/ 29.0

37.1/ 53.9/ 33.1

36.5/ 53.4/ 33.0

33.5/ 50.3/ 29.9

Cargo Capacity (ft.³)

13.5

16.2

13.8

9.1

While technically all of the vehicles in this bunch are 4 seaters, except for the Challenger which not only offers to seat five but is also spacious enough to allow that, but none of them offer enough space in the rear seats. Also, the Dodge Challenger is much better both in the case of luggage and passenger space. While in terms of the trunk space the Mustang and the 2-Series both do better than the Camaro, which boasts a paltry 9.1 cubic feet in the trunk. Moreover, the trunk on the Mustang can be remotely operated and is easy to load in stuff thanks to its wide opening.

Interior Features

  • 4.2-inch center display screen
  • 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot
  • Remote start
  • Available heated and ventilated front seats
  • Available dual-zone automatic climate control
  • Available leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel

Exterior
9.4/10


“First impressions are strong, thanks to muscular bodywork set off by black wheels and massive quad exhaust pipes. It’s fair to assume retro-tough styling is backed up by a throbbing V8 under the bonnet, but that isn’t the case here.” – The Drive

The 2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost even though without any fanfare on the exterior like the Shelby GT500 or the Bullitt is still a head-turner. It’s probably one of the best-looking muscle cars that you can buy. This year, the bonnet has been made to swoop further into the large grille with strong character lines to give it an aggressive stance and also make it aerodynamic. The headlamps are sleek and full LED. The bumper has triangular air intakes along with LED fog lamps and also a subtle bumper lip. The front is bold and if you have a keen eye, you’d notice the subtle difference it carries over the Mustang GT.

The standard 18-inch wheels look good enough but you can, of course, opt for larger ones to give it an even sportier look. At the rear, the Pony badge sits in the middle flanked by the signature sequential LED tail lamps on the two sides. The rear is otherwise typically Mustang finished off with dual exhaust pipes. When it comes to performance-oriented cars, exterior dimensions do matter a lot. By no means is the Mustang small. It measures over 188-inches bumper to bumper and offers 107.1-inches between the wheels.   

Model

2020 Ford Mustang

2020 Dodge Challenger

2020 BMW 2 Series

2020 Chevrolet Camaro

Curb weight (lbs.)

3542

3858 3386 3351

Length(in)

188.5

197.9

174.7

188.3

Width(in)

75.4

75.7

69.8

74.7

Height(in)

54.3

57.5

55.8

53.1

Ground clearance (in)

N/A

5.2

5.5

N/A

Wheelbase (in)

107.1

116.2

105.9

110.7

The Mustang EcoBoost is certainly a large car. It is the second-longest vehicle after the Dodge Challenger in terms of length and width. While it may be a large car, it strictly remains a two-seater car and with the smaller 54.3-inches of height, the headroom is already snug in the front forget about the rear with the sloping roofline. What's surprising is though the Camaro is almost similar in length to the Mustang and offers around 3 inches of wheelbase it neither offers rear space nor a bigger trunk compared to the former.

Exterior Features:

  • 18-inch silver aluminum wheels
  • Dual Exhaust tips
  • LED Headlights w/ LED signature lighting
  • LED sequential taillights
  • Heated body-color mirrors with turn signals
  • Rear diffuser

Safety
9.7/10


The 2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost packs in several safety features but sadly most of them are part of either a standalone options list or packages. As standard, you only get a rearview camera. But when it comes to safety ratings the 2020 Mustang didn't fail to impress as it got the perfect score of five stars in overall safety ratings from NHTSA while the IIHS gave it the top rating of 'Good' in four out of five parameters. Although in the driver-side small overlap test the IIHS only gave the Mustang the second-best rating of 'Acceptable'.

Safety Features:

  • Rearview camera
  • Available rear parking sensors
  • Available forward-collision warning
  • Available automatic high-beam headlight
  • Available adaptive cruise control
  • Available forward automatic emergency brain w/ pedestrian detection

Competition
7.0/10


2020 Ford Mustang vs 2020 Dodge Challenger

The Dodge Challenger looks like an old-school muscle car on the outside and rather cool that way and yet its tech loaded and comfortable on the inside. It certainly has better interiors than the Mustang but both cars look differently handsome. The engine in the Dodge is better than the one in the Mustang. It’s a 3.6-liter, naturally aspirated V6 and it sounds amazing. It also has better power delivery than the Mustang.

The Challenger also offers supple ride quality and has very good straight-line performance but isn’t so good around the corners. The Mustang on the other hand offers good handling and is faster. Between the two choosing one over the other is difficult and it probably comes down to the fact that if you need a bigger boot and have a couple of passengers frequently on-board then the Challenger is a better choice over the Mustang.

2020 Ford Mustang vs 2020 Chevrolet Camaro

The Chevrolet Camaro is a great daily driver and could still make you look very cool. It does not have quite the performance of the Mustang or the practicality of the Challenger but it’s certainly not far behind. In fact, it seems capable of more than what it is and sounds like you wouldn’t expect a 4-cylinder engine to sound. The interiors are very stylish but the infotainment system might be a little cumbersome to use.

The Camaro does not have the best ride quality. On the upside, it has been rewarded with good handling just like the Mustang. There’s no beating the looks of the Camaro though. It’s very busy but you just can’t ignore it. Boiling down to a choice between these cars is about your preferences. If you want a great daily driver with good performance and stunning looks, it’s the Camaro. If performance is your priority, it’s the Mustang any day.

Final Verdict


The 2020 Mustang Ecoboost being powered by a 2.3-liter turbo-four engine, you’d expect it to be mellow and underpowered but the small turbo-four is a cracker. The ride and handling of the Mustang in the stock form are decent but with the optional performance and handling package, the Mustang can surely give a few track-focused cars a run for their money. 

However, by the time it does perform well, you have already specked it up pretty well and the price would have breached the base MSRP of the more powerful Mustang GT for instance.

Thus if performance is all that this car has to offer, then it makes much more sense to save a little more and buy the Mustang GT with a V8 engine, and if you have some money left, you can spec it up even further to make yourself a really capable muscle car.