There's a very heavy dose of 1967 Mustang inside, with two distinct right and left pods, blended with modern touches. Chrome-ringed air vents align across the dash, precisely in line with the gauges, and the steering wheel has three spokes with a center hub marked by the horse and tricolor bars logo. While some of the materials have a cost-saving look and feel, the package is not bad given the high style and price of entry. An interior upgrade package, with satin or dark-finish aluminum inserts, goes a long way toward eliminating traces of cheapness. Another interior upgrade package adds red leather seats, red door inserts and red floor mats on cars with appropriate exterior colors.
With its new duds inside, Mustang offers a color-changeable instrument panel display, with 125 color schemes to choose from. It's a gimmick, to be sure, but it's easy to use, and it can brighten your day, and especially your night, as you drive. We're all for that. Speaking of brightening, however, there's enough shiny metal on this car's dash and steering wheel to create some glare problems for drivers on sunny days. Just like the old days.
These are the good old days in terms of roominess in the Mustang. Thanks to a longer wheelbase and larger overall size, there is a lot more hip, leg, elbow and shoulder room inside this Mustang that in any previous generation. We found the front bucket seats to be comfortable, supportive and retentive in hard corners. The 2+2 back seat, however, isn't much more accommodating than before, and it's not a place adults will want to spend any time.
The trunk, however, is as large as those in some more overtly practical sedans, and the folding rear seat expands cargo space even further.
The basic sound system that comes with the car is pretty darn good. The 500-watt upgrade is reasonably priced in the premium package, and adds a six-CD changer. The 1000-watt upgrade will impress most audiophiles, but the extra subwoofers in the trunk steal a good chunk of cargo space. We'd be inclined to pass on those.
