The 2025 Ford Mustang GT Convertible might not be the best-selling Mustang, but it brings a level of excitement that’s hard to ignore in this soon-to-be-electrified world. Dropping the top brought out the most smiles-per-kilometre from me than most other cars I’ve driven in a long time; we’ve covered faster, more luxurious, and more expensive cars this year, but this Mustang focuses on good old-fashioned fun in a reasonably priced package — to a certain degree, but I’ll touch on that later.

New last year, the current-generation Mustang can be configured several ways. You can choose between coupe or convertible, three pedals or two, and of course, EcoBoost or Coyote. The two main engine options today are a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder or a 5.0-litre normally aspirated V8. Ford even goes a step further, offering varying degrees of track-focused capability with the Dark Horse and GTD. There really is a Mustang for everyone, even if you want an electric SUV.

What’s under the hood?

This Mustang GT tester has Ford’s glorious 5.0L V8 under the hood, known as the Coyote. With the Camaro discontinued and no real competition from Dodge, they could’ve just as easily sat on their laurels, but Ford knew better. Producing 480 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque, the Coyote doesn’t mess around. It loves to be pushed and its au natural soundtrack is wonderful. With a zero-to-100 km/h run of 4.2 seconds, the GT convertible is no slouch. The Mach-E may be faster in a straight line, but it lacks this kind of soul.

Surely no one buying a Mustang GT is really concerned about fuel economy. Ford officially rates fuel economy at 16.6 L/100 km in the city, 10.2 highway, and 13.8 combined, but I observed it consume a full tank of 91 quite easily, averaging 15.7 L/100 km by the end of my week it. A car like this is all about how it makes you feel and smiles-per-gallon; let’s just say my lead foot took over, although city commuting won’t help the numbers, either.

Driving impressions

Like a true sports car, the Mustang GT convertible is rear-wheel-drive, and you have to respect it. It can bite you back if you’re not careful, but the Mustang nonetheless loves to play and break its rear end loose. While Ford offers a 10-speed automatic, skip it and opt for the six-speed manual. If you don’t know how to drive stick, learn. Previous manual Mustangs lacked a degree of precision and smoothness, but this isn’t an issue anymore. Shifts feel tight and crisp, the clutch is easy to learn and read; it’s simply a pleasure to row through the gears on a sunny day with the top down. You can even have the Mustang rev-match on its own if you feel a bit lazy.

Last year, we raved about the Mustang GT’s chassis improvements, and I’m happy to report the convertible feels just as good. It hides its weight well, corners flat, and offers lots of grip. There’s good weight to the steering, and it rides well. The Mustang was quieter than I expected with the top up, and didn’t feel like it wanted to fall apart over bumps, potholes, and railway crossings.

California dreamin’

Our particular tester is the California Special edition. It’s a cosmetic package, adding blue accents all over, inside and out. The blue trim on the wheels, front grille, and stripes can be a bit polarizing; it was a bit much in my opinion, and the blue wheels need to go. It’s a bit more tasteful inside, with blue stitching, trim, and two-tone blue-and-black seats.

The rest of the interior is pretty straightforward. Ford modernized the dash layout for this latest generation; the physical gauges and retro toggle switches of yore are a thing of the past now, moving to a dual-screen layout with a haptic feedback touch panel below. Purists might not be fans of the new layout, but this layout is more modern and has more mainstream appeal. Thankfully for the Mustang faithful, you can choose between three retro gauge cluster layouts. At least the screens are clear and easy to navigate, the infotainment worked like a charm, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and when you aren’t listening to the engine sing, the optional Bang & Olufsen sound system is pretty impressive.

The front seats are pretty comfortable but lack the bolstering needed to keep you in place in harder cornering. Unfortunately, the optional Recaros are exclusive to the Fastback, but at least our tester’s ventillated seats made going top-down in a heatwave more bearable. Rear seats are tight and best suited for children.

Final thoughts

Is the new Mustang a great value? That depends. The GT convertible starts at $64,630, but our tester was equipped with the aforementioned California Special package and Bang & Olufsen sound system, as well as the Performance Package and active exhaust among others, bringing the total to an eye-watering $78,680 as-tested. It’s not the best value when you consider you can get into a Dark Horse for about the same, but then again, Ford offers many configurations to suit your budget. Skipping a few of the packages saves a good chunk of cash, and if you don’t mind the four-cylinder, an EcoBoost convertible starts at under $50,000.

You might turn your nose up at the idea of spending nearly $80,000 on a convertible Mustang, but it’s really not that crazy. What other droptop out there offers a V8, manual transmission, four seats, and almost 500 horsepower? You literally have no other choice, but at least the 2025 Ford Mustang GT Convertible is a damn good one.