2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 is a fiercer road course runner
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The next big thing in the Ford Mustang world is the Shelby 500.
They'll pack more and 700 horsepower to go extinct in a straight line and allegedly get around a road course.
Well with something that serious on the horizon it's understandable if the top Mustang model presently in showrooms.
This Shelby GT350 is overshadowed in the minds of enthusiasts.
Thankfully, Ford hasn't forgotten about it and has made it an even better track star for 2019.
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On the outside there's nothing too drastically different about the GT350.
Which is fine because it's already a mean looking thing.
The wheels are new as are the grill close outs that cut front end lift and a rear spoiler upping downforce.
Both good thanks for wrapping around the track.
The arrow upgrades are the result of wind tunnel lessons Ford learned from developing the Mustang road race cars and Gt 500.
The slick for performance blue paint job on this car is also new for 2019 Changes in the cabin are limited to the machine aluminum dash trim and suede door panel inserts that during the standard Ricardo seats, which are both comfy and tightly hold people in place.
The rest is the same old Mustang with good but not great build quality, a tight backseat.
Best Use for small kids and a respectable 13.5 cubic feet truck.
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So detecting here it's the tried and true seeing three system for infotainment with a great eight inch touchscreen, nine speaker audio system, Wi Fi hotspot and both Apple Car Play in Android Auto standard, a 12 speaker be no audio setup and navigation or option options.
For safety, you get a standard rear view camera, while blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert are available.
And, that's it.
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If you're booing about the lack of tech features, then the GT350 probably isn't the Mustang for you.
But, if you're looking for a driver's car, then it probably is.
And the 2019 updates the grippier, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires in place of the Super Sports.
Reworked springs, a thicker rear and a roll bar, and recalibrated adaptive damper tuning, sharpen it and make it easier to drive in a spirited fashion.
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With all the stick available in the Shelby, it's impossible to not have a smile when you're tossing around on the road.
Activate sport mode, and it immediately turns in.
Steering is communicative, and body roll is controlled when hustling through bent corners.
The reflexes are impressive, especially considering that it's not exactly light, weighing nearly 3,800 Pounds.
The 5.2 litre flat plane V8 remains it's brilliant, itself making 526 horsepower and 429 pound foot of torque.
working with a sleek shifting, six speed manual transmission.
There is linear power delivery all the way up to the 8,250 RPM red line.
Right now, for a response, and the noises it makes is just fantastic.
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When you're not hoofing it, putting it in normal mode makes it a fine daily driver.
There's reasonable give from the dampeners, lighter steering and a calmer tone from the active exhaust system.
Yes, you're still gonna feel impacts from the bigger bumps, but even driving around on these wrecked metro Detroit roads, it's far from jarring, believe it, or not.
That doesnt mean it's not without issues for normal driving.
One, the big, aggressive 19 inch Michelin tires are proned to tram lining on run end roads.
And to EPA estimated few Academy figures have it returning 14 miles per gallon in the city and 21 miles per gallon on the highway, which are numbers low enough that the Shelby is slapped with a 1300 dollar gas guzzler tax.
So when you drive with the rush hour traffic, you're gonna notice the fuel needle drops Personally, those are tradeoffs I'm willing to live with to have such a capable and involving performance car, especially after sampling it on the M1 concourse track in Pontiac, Michigan.
Around the tight and challenging 1.5-mile course, it does everything asked of it.
The balanced chassis makes quick work of side to side transfers, stays firmly [UNKNOWN] turns and makes hitting turning apex and track out points easy enough.
Even through the track's ridiculously tight hair pin, the Shelby impresses.
A touch of understeer shows, but it's correctable by dialing in more throttle to get the rear end to rotate.
Down the half mile straight away, the naturally aspirated V8 gets the GT 350 to 116 miles per hour before having to jump hard on the breaks for the right-hand sweeper at the end.
Six fists in front and four piston rear Brymbo calipers calculate get it slowed and the brake zones the well space pedals allow for a smooth heel and toe shifting that together with instant throttle response make downshifting returns of switch.
But the most impressive thing about the GT 350 is how forgiving it is at the limit.
It's an approachable car gets still sufficiently raw.
People with moderate track experience will like it because they look like they really know what they're doing.
And full fledged track rats will like, too, because it's a blast and rewarding to drive hard.
[SOUND] The 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350 is in dealers now, running a base price of $59,140.
That puts it in an interesting spot, being slightly more affordable than the 650 horsepower Chevy Camaro ZL1, which starts at 62,000 bucks.
Put Tack on the optional 70 $500 one led track performance package, and the Camaro gets much more expensive.
In that, you'll get a lot more power but have to pay to make it more track worthy.
Put it next to $69,000 BMW 4 and this Shelby looks like a really good value for a coupe that feels special on the track.
So if it's the best handling Mustang you're looking for, the GT350 is definitely the one you want at least for now.
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