2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Review: Supercar Muscle

If you've ever been entranced by the sound of a high-revving Ferrari V8 but can't see yourself shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars on Italian exotica, the Mustang Shelby GT350 may be for you. Okay, that's not the reason the vehicle was created, but hey, it's still pretty cool to have a Mustang that sounds like a Fezza. The GT350 and GT350R start at $60,440 and $73,435, respectively, and each is intended to provide the owner with an exhilarating driving experience on the daily commute and the track. The saucily-named 5.2-liter Voodoo V8 develops 526 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque in the GT350, with the R variant gaining one hp and losing a lot of weight. The flat-plane crank in this driver's car is the cause of that high-pitched howl, but the real trick bits are in the suspension and on the body. A six-speed manual and rear-wheel drive are the only options, as they should be, ensuring that posers and the lazy avoid this enthusiasts' machine.

What's the Price of the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350?

The GT350 starts at $60,440 before Blue Oval's $1,095 destination charge and other fees and taxes. This buys you the Voodoo V8, a manual gearbox, and Recaro seats. Opting for the GT350R gets you some upgraded aero kit on the body with smatterings of carbon fiber, a substantial reduction in weight, more track-focused suspension, composite wheels, and an extra horse under the hood. This model starts at $73,435 before taxes and charges. Fully-loaded with options and the Heritage Edition package, you'll pay around $80,000 for this top spec.

Handling and Driving Impressions

Stringing corners together and setting lap times is what the GT350 is all about. Take it to a track and you'll find that the GT350 is docile and grippy enough to be exploited by less experienced drivers and responsive and capable enough to entertain the pros. The level of grip through the corners is just mesmerizing, and having a manual gearbox just makes it all the more rewarding.

Typically for a car that's capable of attacking circuits, you'd expect road manners to be an absolutely justifiable area of expertise for the engineers to overlook. After all, this car is meant to be enjoyed by the enthusiasts who care more about how a car feels and reacts than its quarter-mile times and horsepower figures. Nevertheless, this is one rare beast that won't crack your vertebrae over bumps, its adaptive dampers working to absorb bumps and maintain stability. Mid-corner bumps do little to unsettle the car, and its massive brakes have been vastly improved over those of previous generations, proving much easier to modulate and manage in town, while still offering phenomenal stopping power. The GT350R, in particular, has been upgraded in this department, with cross-drilled discs no longer featuring. Instead, solid discs are fitted for less fade and better wear. You can, therefore, rack up more miles without cringing every time you brake, no longer have to worry about how much replacement pads and discs are going to cost.

Verdict: Is the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 A Good car?

If you want bragging rights and the most powerful pony car on offer, the GT350 is not for you. The GT500, the Dodge Challenger Redeye, and the Camaro ZL1 all offer more. However, none of them come with that magnificent Voodoo power plant with its flat-plane crank and 8,250 rpm redline. The GT350 is more than just a uniquely special-sounding pony car. It's a genuine enthusiasts' machine with astonishing approachability thanks to its brilliant suspension and seemingly insurmountable levels of grip. When you want to behave like a hooligan and slide the tail out, it'll let you. When you want to slice through corners with scalpel-like precision, it'll help you. When you want to cruise home in comfort, it'll accommodate you. There are more powerful and better-looking cars out there, but when a true driving aficionado sees you pull up in a GT350, you'll get a knowing nod and that individual's respect.

What Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Model Should I Buy?

If you intend to use your Shelby almost exclusively for track use, we'd recommend the GT350R for its lighter weight as well as its aerodynamic improvements and more focused suspension. If you're going to use the car every day but still do some track stuff, we'd go for the regular GT350. We'd add the leather seats for their heating and ventilation, as well as their improved comfort for larger body types, and spend two grand on the upgraded sound system, navigation, and blind-spot monitoring system. Thus, you have a car that's a weapon on the track, is more comfortable and usable in day-to-day traffic, and costs under 65 grand - almost $10k less than a GT350R's starting price.

2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Comparisons

2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 vs Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Neither Shelby variant is cheap. Neither Shelby variant is slow. So which one do you choose? Well, on paper, you'd have to say that the GT350 Voodoo's howling engine note, manual gearbox, and lighter weight make it a much better track car and driver's car. However, driving impressions of the GT500 have shown it to be a surprisingly manageable and capable car in the bends, with the power plant not offering too much grunt to handle, despite 760 hp and 625 lb-ft of torque being sent to just the rear wheels. The dual-clutch transmission is also a joy to use and the Predator pushrod V8's supercharged output is impressively linear. Of course, it does weld your back to the seat, but it's never sudden or overly scary and won't force you to change gears before the limiter. Overall, on facts alone, you'd expect the GT350 to be the better driver's car, but the GT500 is worth every penny of its $73,995 asking price.

2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 vs Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

Pricing for the two monstrous V8's is just as dissimilar as in the above comparison, with the Mopar car starting at $78,295. The Hellcat's 6.2-liter supercharged engine has been updated to produce a ridiculous 797 hp and 707 lb-ft of torque in Redeye guise, and the differences extend to the drivetrain, with the Dodge making use of an eight-speed auto compared to the six-speed self-shifter of the Shelby. We know that the trunk is bigger by a few cubic feet, and that it'll decimate the GT350 on the drag strip, but with a more engaging experience in the Mustang and a completely different approach, the choice between these cars is not so much about how good they are on the road or the track, but rather about what kind of road or track you frequent. If you want to obliterate the quarter-mile, the Hellcat is the one to go for. If you want to become a better driver in the corners, the Mustang is without a doubt the better option.