Ford Mustang Performance Pack Level Two Review

Nov 01, 2023

When is development of a car over? Never.

ENGINEERS ARE NEVER SATISFIED. WHEN A PROJECT ENDS, they can't—or won't—stop tinkering. Take the Ford Mustang Performance Package Level Two, for example. It's the product of engineers who couldn't leave well enough alone.

"We were just like, ‘Hey, those GT350R tires, I wonder if those things would fit on the car?’" says Tom Barnes, Mustang's vehicle engineering manager. "They fit, but they also gave a ton of grip. And we realized, wow, there is a lot we can do here."

And that's on top of everything they were already doing for the original Performance Package (PP1), which was part of a broader 2018 refresh and is available on both the EcoBoost (for $2495) and GT Mustangs ($3995). It includes a larger rear anti-roll bar, 19-inch wheels, heavy-duty front springs, larger brakes (by Brembo, in the case of the GT), a Torsen limited-slip differential, a larger radiator, and revised tuning to the chassis, steering, ABS, and traction control.

In their off hours, engineers kept fiddling with the formula and concocted something even more extreme. They brought it to the final internal test for the PP1.

"We did the steering and handling course in Arizona with the Performance Pack One and some other vehicles," Barnes says. "At the end, we said, ‘Hey, if you want to see something cool, what about this thing?’ And the people who tried it, they were like, ‘Holy cow!’ So that was our sign to figure out what we can do."

The resulting Performance Package Two, or PP2, is available only on Mustang GT coupes with the six- speed manual. The tires are Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, 305/30/ZR-19 all around, which become bubblegum on the bottom of a shoe in the right conditions. MagneRide adaptive dampers—previously offered only on the GT350 and now optional on other 2018 Mustang variants—are standard on the PP2 and have been retuned. The front and rear anti-roll bars are stiffer by 12 and 67 percent, respectively, compared with the PP1, and the front and rear springs are 20 and 13 percent stiffer. These changes were all intended to make the Mustang corner flatter, deliver wicked turn-in, and make it a ton of fun on back roads.

Some people won't get it. The PP2-equipped Mustang tramlines on highways, and the ride is harsher than that of a PP1, although it's not uncomfortable or bouncy. The changes don't yield engine-bragging rights, either: For 2018, all Mustang GT models get an additional 25 hp and 20 lb-ft of torque. The Bullitt Mustang, due later this year, will have 15 more horsepower on top of that.

But you don't buy this car to be coddled or to win stoplight brawls. You buy a PP2 Mustang because you want a firm, controlled ride and one of the most aggressive road-legal tires you can get this side of Hoosier slicks. The trade-offs are worth it once launched down your favorite road.

On that road, with warm tires, the PP2 makes a lot of sense. It's a car with high limits, but you don't need to exploit them to feel involved. Even at a leisurely pace, the manual gearbox is satisfying to use, despite its tall gearing. Its throws have a direct, mechanical feel but none of the brutish clunkiness you expect in a V-8-powered muscle car. It's so enjoyable, you’ll find reasons to shift even when you don't need to. Everything feels in harmony, the rare modern performance car that doesn't have more power than the chassis, tires, or brakes can handle, chasing a mind-blowing stat or an internet headline.

You don't normally think of a 460-hp V-8 muscle car as a Zen experience, but to a very particular devotee, this Mustang is exactly that. You could spend hours running up and down a mountain and never get bored.

It just looks right, too. While the styling updates made to 2018 Mustangs are a bit finicky, there's something about the PP2 tweaks that bring it back into balance. The 19-inch wheels, 10.5 inches wide in front, 11 inches outback, are a distinct design. The car sits slightly lower than the PP1. There's also a massive front splitter and subdued rear spoiler, for aero balance.

All of these little updates make the PP2 reminiscent of a Boss 302 and Ford's most muscular Trans-Am racecars. It looks at home among Ferraris, Porsches, and Formula 3 cars on pit lane at Monticello Motor Club in upstate New York, where we came to test it—like the thing could lap all day.

It can't.

During a session on Monticello's North Course,the Mustang was keen to communicate that it needed a break, flashing an axle-temp warning after a handful of laps. Unlike the GT350, the PP2 doesn't have differential- or transmission-oil coolers to allow for extended track time. Why weren't they added?

"We obviously knew we could do that," Barnes says. "But I’d just say that we didn't want to go there. And there area lot of different reasons why. This is sandwiched between the GT350 and the PP1. If you start to add those [coolers], you add complexity, engineering, weight, cost. In the end, we didn't want to go that full track capability. We thought this was a good place."

If you want a full-on track car, get a Shelby GT350R or a Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE. If you want a car to live on the road, the PP2 is your choice. Barnes says that while people will still think it's a 1LE competitor, and it’ll perform well against a 1LE in a single lap, it's just not the right car for an extended lapping session. The aim of this passion project was to hone the ultimate street Mustang from a car they had already spent time developing.

The 5.0 V-8 is the same engine we’ve known and loved for a long time. Only now it's smoother, seems to rev forever, and with a new active exhaust, it sounds like a race car, with a guttural bellow you can feel in every nook and cranny of your body. Running repeatedly to redline is a joy. And with the extra power for 2018, the Mustang is now even quicker, hitting 60 mph in only4.1 seconds.

Where the PP1, itself fun on track, can feel hesitant on turn-in, the PP2 is pointed, direct. The front end is connected unlike any other Mustang without a Cobra badge. The steering, while accurate, could stand to be more talkative. Once the car turns in, it stays flat and grips far beyond where you think the limit is, which is evidenced in our 1.06 g-force on the skidpad.

On Monticello's full course, the Mustang nudges 150mph at the end of the long straight, and the huge Brembo brakes slow it for the blind chicane at the end without issue. It encourages you to jump on the power earlier than you’d think possible. Even through an elevation change, with stability control off, the Sport Cup 2s slip only a touch. It's a predictable, progressive car on track.

I can see these flooding the Tail of the Dragon in the Great Smoky Mountains; Highway 33 in Ojai, California; and the Hocking Hills of Ohio. Locals would buy them because they’re unassuming to the uninitiated—for a high-performance car, anyway—and Mustangs area dime a dozen. Nobody will look twice, let alone expect that a car that looks similar to a rental-fleet convertible is tuned to be a weapon.

The package is a $6500 option on a Mustang GT, which might sound like a lot, but includes MagneRide dampers, a $1695 option on a PP1. So equipped, a PP1 starts at $43,875, while the entry price to a PP2 is $44,685. That's only an $810 difference—less than what you’d shell out for a set of PS2s. Just as important, it's nearly $14,000 less than the cheapest GT350, which also requires an additional gas-guzzler tax. In other words, this Mustang is a screaming deal. Pretend you’re giving that extra cash directly to the engineering team for working nights and weekends to create it. They deserve it.

Travis is an editor at Road & Track. He was previously the Editor-in-Chief of Jalopnik.com and is a little too fond of the Mazda Miata.

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