USED: Rainbow Wishes and Magic Pony Dreams: 2020 Ford Mustang 2.3L Ecoboost Convertible
Erica Mueller
|
When we were girls, we dreamed of ponies.
Cuddly and gentle with flowing manes and soft wet noses that twitched with excitement over apples and carrots. When we hit our mid-teens, many of us were ready to trade those 4-legged beauties for four wheels and an engine. A different kind of beauty.
This week, I got to live that dream in a manual 2020 Ford Mustang 2.3L Convertible. It may not have the biggest engine or the most horsepower, but it’s a wild pony no doubt, and this green broke jockey had a blast. Now this is what dreams are made of.
Related: Ford Mustang Ecoboost vs GT: Does a Sports Car Really Need a Big Engine?
My boys think they’re way too cool to stage photos so you get a fun pic where you can’t see their eyerolls… Photo: Erica Mueller
Top Up or Down, the Mustang Convertible is a Dream
The 2020 Ford Mustang 2.3L I drove was Velocity Blue on the outside, with a black soft top. The interior was black leather with blue stitching to match the paint. That was sharp! I got so many compliments on this car and its color. It really is a unique blue that is completely eye-catching.
The top was really easy to operate. One little twist of the lock handle and the rest is electronic! And it retracts and locks again just as easily. I didn’t get to drive top-down much thanks to the baby, but we did take it for a little spin around the square downtown, and the kids and I put the top down at Sonic when we got treats. It was really fun for all of us and I could see myself really enjoying a convertible in the future.
I was pleasantly surprised that even tho the convertible top is soft, the car is still pretty quiet. We could talk to one another and listen to music without a whole lot of road noise or vibration of the materials.
Related: Going Topless: What’s Your Convertible Car Style?
The 2020 Ford Mustang 2.3L is a 4-Passenger Sports Car… If Everyone is Short.
One of the most exciting things about the Mustang is that unlike many sports cars, it actually has a backseat. And the seats are nice! The only issue is legroom. If I am driving, a small person can fit behind me, but if my 6′ 3″ husband is in one of the front seats, the seat behind him is useless. To put my baby’s car seat in the backseat required the seat in front of it be all the way forward, leaving very little legroom for that passenger. So, while the possibility of getting four in this car is exciting, I wouldn’t exactly classify it as a practical family car. But you knew that. ?
Safety matters a lot when you’ve got precious cargo on board! Photo: Erica Mueller
Feeling Safe in a Sports Car, Especially a Convertible, Was a Nice Surprise
Ford must have done a lot of work on the suspension and handling of the Mustang because I felt like it handled the curves and our uneven county roads very well. Some cars with a lot of power can feel wild and unpredictable, but the Mustang made me feel safe. I think it also helped that I was more in-tune with what was going on since I was driving a manual. (Something to consider for young drivers… teach them to drive a manual and they HAVE to pay attention). Even Though I’m not a pro when it comes to driving a car with a manual transmission, I was impressed with the confidence I felt in this car.
Related: To Dads Everywhere on Father’s Day: Teach Someone to Drive a Manual Transmission
How about that cockpit? And may I just point out the blue stitching on those seats? All the heart-eyes. Photo: Erica Mueller
You Can Customize Everything
Along with memory seat and mirror settings, you can customize the driver’s display, including the primary and secondary colors for the display screen. Plus, there are fun ambient lights that you can customize to your favorite colors. I liked pairing the orange and blue. My kids thought green and purple looked cool together. We changed them a lot, just because we could, and I think that’s the point!
The drivers display changes based on the selected drive mode, but you can customize that some too. Because I’m pretty new to driving a manual I didn’t play around much with the drive modes, but I really like the display for the Sport and Sport+ modes and the Track mode. My brother has the same car from 2017 and his displays are all analog, so he loved the digital displays in this 2020 Ford Mustang 2.3L Ecoboost convertible.
Look at all that trunk space! Groceries for the whole family for a week. Not bad! Photo: Erica Mueller
Charge All the Things? No. Just Two.
The Mustang isn’t a people hauler and it’s configured that way: it has two standard USB ports but hasn’t yet upgraded to USB-C for rapid charging or added wireless charging. Space in the cockpit is tight, so it makes sense that you can’t have it all. Still, the Mustang is equipped with Sirius XM, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a wonderful infotainment system.
It also has two drink holders and a very small center console under the arm rest, so there’s not much storage for things like keys, sunglasses or hats, a necessity in a convertible.
What You Need to Know About the 2020 Ford Mustang 2.3L Ecoboost
- 4-passenger sports car
- 2.3L Ecoboost Engine
- 6-speed manual transmission (also available in automatic)
- 20 city / 28 highway miles per gallon
- 310 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
- LED lights all around
- Pushbutton start
- 12″ digital drivers display (LOVE)
- Rearview camera
- Reverse sensing system
- Selectable drive modes (ice/snow, normal, spot, sport+, track, and drag strip)
- 2 USB ports
- LATCH child safety system
- Customizable ambient lighting
- Starting price for the 2020 Ford Mustang: $26,670
- Starting price for the 2.3L Ecoboost: $32,170
- Price of the model we drove: $41,375
What We Loved
- 19″ polished wheels
- Premier trim with color accents
- Premium floor mats with accent stitching
- Voice-activated touchscreen with navigation
- Customizable drivers display (different layouts for drive modes and the colors are all customizable too!)
Click to Enlarge
Disclosure: Ford lent me the 2020 Ford Mustang 2.3L Ecoboost convertible for a week so that I could share my experience with you. All opinions are my own.
