Compare the2024 Volkswagen GTIVS 2024 Ford Mustang

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen GTI are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Ford Mustang doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The GTI’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Mustang doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The GTI has standard Maneuver Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Mustang doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The GTI has standard Park Distance Control to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Mustang doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

Both the GTI and the Mustang have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the GTI the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 174 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mustang has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The GTI comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car. The Mustang’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The GTI’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Mustang’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the GTI for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Mustang.

Reliability

The Volkswagen GTI’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Mustang’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the GTI’s fuel efficiency. The Mustang doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The GTI has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Mustang. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The GTI offers an optional sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Mustang doesn’t offer an SMG.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the GTI’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Mustang:

	GTI	Mustang
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	12.6 inches

Tires and Wheels

The GTI’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mustang EcoBoost’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GTI has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Mustang EcoBoost.

Chassis

The Volkswagen GTI may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 850 pounds less than the Ford Mustang.

The GTI is 1 foot, 8.6 inches shorter than the Mustang, making the GTI easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces. The GTI is 1 foot, 8.9 inches shorter than the Mustang Dark Horse.

The GTI is 5 inches narrower on average than the Mustang, making the GTI easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the GTI a Compact car, while the Mustang Fastback is rated a Subcompact.

The GTI has standard seating for 5 passengers; the Mustang can only carry 4.

The GTI has 9.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mustang Fastback (91.9 vs. 82.8).

The GTI has .9 inches more front headroom, 3.3 inches more rear headroom, 6 inches more rear legroom and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mustang Fastback.

Cargo Capacity

The GTI has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the Mustang Fastback (19.9 vs. 13.5 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The GTI Autobahn has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Mustang doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The GTI’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Mustang’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The GTI has two rear doors to provide better access for cargo and rear passengers. The Mustang doesn’t offer rear doors.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the GTI to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Mustang doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the GTI has a standard rear wiper. The Mustang doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the GTI has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Mustang doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The GTI’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Mustang Premium/Convertible/Dark Horse.

When the GTI is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Mustang’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The GTI’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Mustang offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The GTI has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Mustang. The GTI Autobahn also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Mustang.

The GTI has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Mustang Premium/Dark Horse.

The GTI has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Mustang doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the GTI has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Mustang doesn’t offer rear vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen GTI has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Mustang.

The GTI Autobahn’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Mustang doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Motor Trend selected the GTI as their 2015 Car of the Year. The Mustang has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Golf as the 2015 North American Car of the Year. The Mustang has never been chosen.