2022 Mustang GT500: Unveiling the Limited Driving Range Beast

Summary

• The GT500 Mustang, born from Carroll Shelby’s vision, boasts a powerful supercharged V-8 engine for high performance like never before.
• Despite its impressive power and track-ready design, the GT500 suffers from a limited driving range due to its large engine and small fuel tank.
• With the GT500 ending production, the new Dark Horse Mustang takes its place, offering track-focused performance and improvements over its predecessor.

One of the most exciting badges that can grace the body of a Mustang is the GT500 badge. It started with one of the biggest legends in the motoring world, Carroll Shelby. He started with the GT350, the ultimate Mustang of the time, but as soon as the Mustang’s platform was large enough to fit a big-block V-8, the GT500 was born.

While there hasn’t been a GT500 for the last while, the last generation, which ran from 2020 to 2022, was one of the purest examples of modern American muscle. With a massive engine under the hood, Ford had created one of the quickest, most powerful Mustangs that history has ever seen.

One of the biggest downsides to the 2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 was its driving range. We take a look at all the factors, including its beastly engine, which contributed to this monster burning so much fuel so quickly.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from the Ford and Shelby American websites and other authoritative sources, including Car and Driver and the EPA.

The 5.2-Liter Supercharged V-8 At The Heart Of The GT500 Is A Powerful Gas-Guzzler

One of the biggest factors in the fuel economy of any car is its powertrain. While many modern-day manufacturers have been worried about emissions, opting for forced induction instead of displacement, or simply electrifying their cars, Ford had other ideas. Regardless of that, the Mustang has many trims to cater to different needs.

Performance Specs

(Source: Ford and Car and Driver)

The newest GT500 has a massive supercharged engine outputting a ludicrous amount of horsepower, much more than the previous model. This 5.2-liter behemoth was dubbed the “Predator” engine. Muscle cars have always been quick off the line, but the GT500 beats most of its peers to the 60-mile-per-hour mark from a standstill.

The 2022 Ford Mustang GT500 is one of the quickest muscle cars ever built and wasn’t just designed to tackle a drag strip. Ford precision-engineered the GT500 to be a track beast, just as Carroll Shelby would have wanted. In Car And Driver’s lighting lap event, the GT500 managed to beat tons of six-figure exotic cars around a track.

Fuel Economy And Range

(Source: EPA)

While Ford’s Mustang GT500 might not be the heaviest car on fuel in the world, with the likes of the Chiron beating it, its driving range is actually far worse. Of course, 14 miles per gallon combined is not the most impressive figure, but what really makes the difference is the size of the Mustang’s fuel tank.

The Bugatti Chiron has a fuel capacity of around 26.5 gallons, which is an absurd amount of fuel. Other large exotics with worse fuel economy than the Mustang also have similarly sized tanks. In comparison, the GT500 has a 16-gallon tank, meaning that it hits empty faster than any other gas-powered car out there.

Ford Fits The GT500 With A Snazzy Interior

Despite being a car that is clearly built to dominate on the track, the 2022 Mustang GT500 is actually quite livable. Its interior is impressively fitted for a car that is so cheap compared to the supercars that it rivals in terms of performance. It’s all the little details that add up to make this one of the best Ford muscle cars ever built.

Key Features

The 2022 Shelby Mustang GT500 is surprisingly similar to the mainstream Mustang on the inside. There are a few changes here and there but overall, the design ideology and the space for passengers are very similar.

Ford kits the Mustang out with a carbon fiber instrument panel and sportier-looking, Recaro bucket seats. The Mustang has a ton of desirable features as standard, including dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, and a 12-inch customizable digital gauge cluster.

Interior Space

In terms of space on the inside, the GT500 is identical to the base Mustang. It features pretty standard levels of space for a 2+2 coupe, with those in the front row having ample legroom and headroom and those in the back row being a bit squished. However, if you’re someone who doesn’t really care for the rear seats, and you want to save a bit of weight, you can delete the back row entirely. This does, however, require you to opt for the more expensive Carbon Fiber Track Package.

The 2022 Mustang GT500 Marked The 55th Anniversary Of The Iconic Muscle Car

The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 has one of the most prestigious histories of any sports car, let alone a muscle car. 2022 marked the 55th anniversary of the legendary GT500 name and, as such, Ford produced a special edition version.

Heritage Edition

The Heritage Edition Package was offered on the 2022 GT500 to celebrate 55 years since the inception of the badge. The package is inspired by the livery of the original GT500 and comes in Brittany Blue with a choice of Wimbledon White or Absolute Black racing stripes. There is also a hand-painted option which added $10,000 to the cost of the car.

This Heritage Edition was simply an appearance package, but it was a good send-off for the muscle car. While the Heritage Edition wasn’t exactly particularly pricey, and it wasn’t a limited run, it isn’t a particularly rare example, but collectors nonetheless will treasure what might have been the final run of the GT500.

King Of The Road Edition

While the Heritage Edition wasn’t particularly rare, the limited-run King Of The Road edition is likely to become a future classic. Shelby American offered the package to a limited number of customers, only 180 in total, as a celebration of their 60th anniversary. The MSRP of this package was $54,995 and could be built on any 2020 to 2022 Mustang GT500.

The package took the already monstrous GT500 and pushed it to its limits. While it used the same 5.2-liter V-8, Shelby American urged the engine along to produce around 900 horsepower. The package also made the car lighter, partially by replacing tons of the car with carbon fiber. We would assume that the 900 horsepower version would have a lower range than the base GT500, but there are no official figures to support this.

The Mustang GT500 Is Dead And In Its Spot Stands The Dark Horse

The Mustang GT500 saw a sad and unfortunate end with the 2022 model year. While there’s no telling whether or not the badge will make a fabled comeback, it is gone for now. Instead, there is a new track-focused Mustang leading the pack, with a new name-calling in the new era for Ford’s household muscle car.

Dark Horse Performance

(Source: Ford and Car and Driver)

The Ford Mustang Dark Horse is the newest Mustang and stands at the top of the performance charts for now. While it may not offer the power or the roaring acceleration that the GT500 did, it still prides itself on being track-focused. It comes kitted with just about every piece of Ford performance equipment that you could possibly want. Brembo calipers and an active valve performance exhaust are just some of the improvements Ford has made over the regular GT.

For those wanting a track-only experience, Ford has released the track-only Dark Horse R which aims to make track racing more accessible to the everyday person. It is race-ready from the moment it gets delivered, and you will be able to race it in a series run by Ford around the country.