Compare the2024 Volkswagen Golf RVS 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 Golf R 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 Golf R’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 Golf R 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 Golf R has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Mustang doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Golf R 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 Golf R 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 standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Golf R its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mustang has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

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

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Golf R 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 Golf R’s engines use 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

Regardless of its engine, the Golf R’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Ford only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Mustang EcoBoost.

The Golf R has a standard locking fuel door with a power remote release convenient to the driver. 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 Golf R offers an available 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 Golf R’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Mustang:

	Golf R	Mustang
Front Rotors	14.1 inches	12.6 inches

The Golf R stops shorter than the Mustang:

	Golf R	Mustang
70 to 0 MPH	151 feet	153 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

The Golf R’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 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 Golf R has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Mustang EcoBoost.

Chassis

The Golf R is 1 foot, 8.5 inches shorter than the Mustang, making the Golf R easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces. The Golf R is 1 foot, 8.8 inches shorter than the Mustang Dark Horse.

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

Passenger Space

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

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

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

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

Ergonomics

The Golf R 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 Golf R’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 Golf R 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 Golf R 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 Golf R has a standard rear wiper. The Mustang doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Golf R has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Mustang doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Golf R’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 Golf R 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 Golf R has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Mustang. The Golf R 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 Golf R 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 Golf R 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.

The Golf R has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Mustang.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Golf R 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 Golf R has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Mustang.

The Golf R’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 Golf R 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.