Yahoo Autos Ford Mustang GT Performance Pack Level 2 Puts the Focus on the Track
The arrival of the 2018 model year brought a host of changes to the Mustang: styling tweaks, more power for the GT’s V-8, a 10-speed automatic, and new available features including a multimode exhaust system, magnetorheological dampers, a digital instrument cluster, Recaro seats, and more. But the highlights are the two new option packages that fill in some of the white space between the GT model and the Shelby GT350: the GT Performance Package (which we’ve already tested) and the even harder-core-if unimaginatively named-Performance Package Level 2, which is just going on sale and which we’ve now driven for the first time.
Both focus primarily on the chassis. They feature specific suspension, steering, and ABS tuning; new 19-inch wheels; upgraded brakes (15.0-inch front rotors with six-piston Brembo calipers); a Torsen limited-slip differential; and an underbody K-brace, strut-tower brace, and front-subframe brace. A chief differentiator for the Performance Package Level 2 is its wider, stickier rubber. Whereas the GT Performance Package gets 275/40R-19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires on 9.0-by-19-inch front and 9.5-by-19-inch rear wheels, the Level 2 jumps to 305/30R-19 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s on 10.5-inch-wide rollers up front and 11.0-inchers at the rear (the GT350 has the same tires and the same size front wheels). In addition to more grip, the lower-profile tires give the Level 2 a slightly lower ride height.
The Level 2 also comes standard with the magnetorheological dampers-they’re optional with the GT Performance Package-along with spring rates that are 20 percent stiffer up front and 13 percent firmer at the rear. The Level 2’s anti-roll bars are beefier, too, the front by 12 percent and the rear-which switches from a tubular bar to a solid one-by 67 percent. The Level 2 also gets a larger front splitter, said to be good for up to 60 pounds of downforce, and a modified rear spoiler. Unlike the GT Performance bundle, the Level 2 stuff is available only on the coupe and exclusively with the six-speed manual transmission.
Neither package touches the engine, although the V-8 did bulk up for 2018, adding 35 ponies to the stable for a new total of 460, as well as an additional 20 lb-ft of torque for a total of 420. Credit a higher compression ratio (12.0:1 up from 11.0:1), direct injection in addition to port injection, a higher redline (7400 rpm versus 7000), and thinner, spray-in cylinder liners, which nudge displacement from 4951 cubic centimeters to 5038-fortunately, a change small enough to preserve the “5.0” nomenclature, still proudly displayed on the front fender. With either package and the manual transmission, the Torsen limited-slip differential houses 3.73:1 gears versus 3.55:1 in the standard GT. That combination produced a 4.3-second run to 60 mph in our test of the GT Performance Package car; we estimate that the Level 2 version will perform essentially identically in that measure.
The Performance Package Level 2 is designed primarily to wring even better lap times out of the Mustang GT. As vehicle dynamics engineer Mike Delzio relates, in the team’s testing at Michigan’s Grattan Raceway the GT Performance Package was 3.0 seconds per lap faster than the stock Mustang GT, and the Level 2 car was an additional 3.5 seconds quicker still. We got our laps in not at Grattan but at the Monticello Motor Club in upstate New York.
Unfortunately, rain brought an early end to the proceedings-it could have been worse, as the area saw tornado activity the evening before-but our initial impression over a couple of laps is that this Mustang exhibits big power, big grip, and big brakes. It’s a highly capable track car, but not one you toss around. The car roars down even brief straights, the naturally aspirated engine’s exhaust note filling the cabin. On longer straights, we appreciated the revised V-8’s higher redline, and the Brembo brakes feel strong underfoot as they hauled the car back down again. The steering is meaty and reassuring as you bend the car into a curve; overcook a tighter corner, and the ultra-wide Sport Cup 2s let go gently. In the Sport+ driving mode the stability control allows some tail-out attitude, while Track mode permits more. The system also can be switched off altogether.
Although focused on the track, the Performance Package Level 2 also is supposed to preserve a measure of streetability-and it does, to a degree. Inevitably, though, the ultra-wide rubber leads to considerable tramlining on rutted secondary roads, and despite the capabilities of the adaptive dampers, the stiffer spring and anti-roll package creates some side-to-side body motion-neither of which you experience in the GT Performance Package car. We were enthralled by the 5.0-liter V-8, which has a big aural presence, although it can be mitigated with the multimode exhaust. The sound isn’t the exotic shriek of the Shelby GT350’s flat-plane-crank V-8; the Coyote engine speaks with a more traditional voice, one without the boy-racer pops and crackles. It’s a perfect pairing with the six-speed manual gearbox, which has somewhat long throws but a solid, mechanical feel.
All the cars we drove had the available Recaro buckets, and they proved great at holding you in place during our track session, with none of the straitjacket-like discomfort of their counterparts in the Focus RS. The Mustang cabin overall, though, is only okay, with cheap-seeming aluminum-look trim, soft-touch materials that look like hard plastic, and some gimmicky switchgear. Those elements are tempered by a comfortable steering wheel, a fairly easy-to-use touchscreen, and an available digital cluster with multiple layouts to choose from.
For the Mustang buyer who is never going to turn a lap in anger, it probably makes sense to stick with the more everyday-friendly GT Performance Package, which also opens up the possibility of the automatic transmission and the convertible body style. For dedicated track hounds, however, there’s a lot to like here. And the Level 2 bundle is even something of a bargain. At $6500, it’s $2505 more than the GT Performance Package, but it includes the dampers that are $1695 extra with the lesser package. Factor that in and the upcharge pencils out to $810 for the wider wheels, stickier rubber, more extreme aero bits, and the retuned chassis elements. A PPL2-equipped GT can be had for $44,590; the price increases by $4200 with the Premium package’s leather upholstery, digital instrument cluster, navigation, Wi-Fi hotspot, and heated steering wheel. In either case, budget another $1595 for the Recaro seats to hold you in place when you’re exercising all that cornering ability. In terms of price, you’re still some ways from a Shelby GT350 at $58,140-but handling-wise, you’re closer than ever.
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