2018 Ford Mustang GT Base Price Rises $1,900; Pricier Options Take the Bill to New Heights

The 2018 Ford Mustang GT, freshly facelifted and powered up, will cost you 6 percent more than the 2017 Ford Mustang GT.

The base price for a Ford Mustang EcoBoost falls to $26,085, a $610 drop as Ford eliminates the basic Ford Mustang V6 from the lineup and moves the EcoBoost downmarket to aid affordability. Now with 310 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque, the least expensive 2018 Ford Mustang is $400 more than the least expensive 2017 Ford Mustang.

But it’s the 2018 Mustang GT, now priced from $35,995, that’s growing increasingly expensive. A $1,900 jump is nothing to sneeze at, particularly given the speed with which the $40K barrier is now crossed.

Non-Shelby Mustangs can get pricey in a hurry.

Replacing 2017’s $1,195 optional six-speed automatic transmission is a new 10-speed automatic co-developed with General Motors — it’s where the Camaro and Mustang showcase a most American form of overlap — that costs $1,595. Meanwhile, in order to match Ford’s hyped sub-4.0-second 0-60 miles per hour time, you’ll need to add a GT Performance Package that costs $3,995.

Back in the halcyon days of 2017, in which we still reside, the Mustang’s GT Performance Package was a $2,995 option group. You can now add MagneRide damping to a regular (i.e. non-Shelby) Mustang, for $1,695. There’s also a new $895 active valve performance exhaust.

Thus, to a Mustang GT Premium, add an automatic transmission, orange paint, the 401A option group (with a 12-inch digital instrument cluster, heated steering wheel, navigation, and nicer trim), a security package, performance exhaust, the performance package, blind spot monitoring, MagneRide, Shaker audio, and Recaro seats, and the price climbs to $55,250.

The 2018 Shelby GT350 starts at $58,045, a $1,000 increase over 2017.

Undoubtedly, there’s more for your money with the 2018 Mustang. The EcoBoost now generates 30 additional lb-ft of torque. The 5.0 GT produces 25 more horsepower and 20 more lb-ft of torque than in 2017. Two-pedal drivers will appreciate the benefits of the 10-speed transmission.

But you’re also seeing the impact of steadily decreasing Mustang sales. Ford wants to make money on the Mustang, a global success story for the Blue Oval. With U.S. Mustang sales falling, doing so requires making more money per Mustang.

Mustang volume tumbled 13 percent in 2016. Through the first-half of 2017, U.S. Mustang sales are down 29 percent, with Ford on track to sell only 75,000 Mustangs by year’s end. That’d be a six-year low, and a 55-percent drop from 2006, when Ford didn’t have pesky rivals from Chevrolet and Dodge stealing market share.

[Image: Ford Motor Company]

Timothy Cain is a contributing analyst at The Truth About Cars and Autofocus.ca and the founder and former editor of GoodCarBadCar.net. Follow on Twitter @timcaincars.