The Ford Mustang is such an iconic car that it needs no introduction. In recent months, the Mustang has again dominated the news cycle since Ford has been talking a lot about the Mustang Mach-E and the Mustang Mach 1 in particular. That being said, while those Mustangs are getting a lot of attention, the regular 2021 Ford Mustang is still pretty good, too. 

A new age for the Mustang

In fairness, the Mustang Mach-E certainly deserves all the attention that it’s getting. After all, Ford is trying to kill two birds with one stone with that car.

On one hand, Ford is bringing the Mustang brand into the future by creating a car like the Mach-E. On the other hand, Ford is firing back at Tesla with the Mach-E, since the Mach-E is an EV that is trying to be cooler and more high-tech than a Tesla. 

The Mach 1 isn’t trying to change the game as far as cars go like the Mach-E is, but the Mach 1 is still getting much-deserved love by Ford fans and the press. After all, the Mach 1 has a very powerful 5.0-liter V8 engine that gets about 480-hp.

That said, since the Mach 1 is supposed to be a performance trim for the regular ‘Stang, it will cost quite a lot. It starts at about $50,000, so that might turn a few customers off.

For Mustang fans who just want a piece of the iconic car at a more affordable price though, Ford still sells a regular old Mustang.

Why is the Ford Mustang so popular?

Like Motor Trend wrote, the 2021 Mustang has quite a few changes from the last model year. What hasn’t changed is its engine, however, and the regular Mustang will still come with a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as standard. While this engine isn’t big or ridiculously powerful, it’s still powerful enough for this car. 

This 2.3-liter engine gets about 310-hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, and that’s plenty of power for a car of its size. And, while many Mustang owners may not necessarily care about fuel economy, this standard engine is also not a gas-guzzler by any means. Motor Trend says that it gets an estimated 21 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on highways, which is respectable for a gas-powered Mustang.

Those are pretty good specs for its $27,155 starting price tag, but for the 2021 model year, Ford has added some upgrades. For example, Motor Trend writes that the standard Mustang will now have Ford Co-Pilot 360, and this gives the Mustang access to a bunch of smart safety features as standard.

A few of those standard smart safety features include, according to Motor Trend, blind-spot monitoring and lane keep assist just to name a few.

Other changes for the 2021 Ford Mustang

The addition of Ford Co-Pilot 360 as standard on all Mustangs was likely the largest change for 2021, but the other big change has to do with the Mustang’s options.

Motor Trend says that the GT Performance Pack Level 2 option for the Mustang is totally dead for this model year. That’s because the Mach 1 trim has completely replaced that option.

Ford made many other smaller changes to the Mustang, too. For example, Motor Trend writes that Ford has added a handful of new color options for the Mustang, and they include the likes of Antimatter Blue Metallic, Carbonized Gray Metallic, and Fighter Jet Gray.

That said, these color options will be replacing a handful of colors that Ford will be retiring. For example, Kona Blue and Dark Highland Green are two colors that will no longer be available.