In the past, Ford has made special-edition Mustangs not so special, giving them mild performance tweaks, custom paint jobs and not much else. The Boss 302 is not one of those Mustangs.
Track-ready yet fun for the street, the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 is a pure performance machine that may be the best version of the classic car I've driven. And it comes topped with a wicked custom paint job.
The Boss 302 sits amid a wide array of 2012 Mustang trim levels, including the base V6 that starts at $22,310, the 5.0-liter V-8 GT model that starts at $29,310, and the top-of-the-line supercharged V-8 Shelby GT500, which runs $48,810. The Boss starts at $40,310, falling between the GT and Shelby but so impressive that the GT500 seems like overkill.
Bare Bones Performance, Bare Bones Car
In today's auto market, even new subcompacts come loaded with advanced gadgetry of all kinds. Not the Boss 302.
The basic black interior is devoid of frills. There's no stereo upgrade, no Sync multimedia system, no navigation. That's because Boss buyers only care about what's under the hood and under their backsides.
The 5.0-liter V-8 engine that supplies the GT with 412 horsepower gets an upgrade to 444 horses in the Boss, using revised camshafts and intakes. There's also a quad exhaust system with two pipes heading out the back, as usual, and two side pipes exiting just in front of the rear wheels. The system generates an exhaust note so gratifying you'll never even turn on the rental-car-grade stereo.
Our test car was optioned with a $1,995 package that included a limited-slip differential and Recaro-brand sport seats. The seats were the lone comfort feature. Wider than most Recaros I've tested and with the right amount of support and bolstering for my frame, I fell in love … with a seat. So did the rest of the Cars.com staff, as well as my wife, who generally blanches at the thought of climbing into the sports cars I test. (Honestly, she will never get into another Corvette Z06.) If you don't get the optional "RECARO Seat & TORSEN Differential Package," you're missing out.
The Boss returns mileage of 17 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, which is identical to the GT's mileage with a manual transmission. The Boss is only available with a six-speed manual.
Putting the Power to the Pavement
The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is the most powerful Mustang, with 550 hp, but all the Cars.com editors agreed that the Boss does a better job of putting all its power to the road. All the performance upgrades come together so seamlessly that the Boss feels like the pure essence of what a car should be.
A cue-ball-style knob tops the manual six-speed shifter, giving drivers a unique feel when going through the gears, although it can get slippery if your palms are sweaty. Ford calls it a short-throw shifter, but that's only true if you compare it with other Fords. It was good, but it could have even shorter throws and be more precise.
The shifter/clutch combo was a highlight for our other editors, too. The clutch features upgraded materials to reduce wear at the extremes this car will likely experience, and it also means your left leg won't go through a "Biggest Loser"-style workout in gridlock traffic.
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