2019 Ford Mustang Roush Stage 3 Review
Veteran Ford performance tuner brings 700-plus hp to Blue Oval's latest pony car.
In the era of ZL1s, Hellcats, and ZR1s, Ford is undeniably late to the high-performance party. After its initial debut in 2015, the sixth-generation Mustang has added a number of performance iterations to the roster, like the track-focused Shelby GT350 and GT350R, as well as the more budget-friendly Performance Pack 2 options package for the standard GT and the Bullitt special edition. While every one of those hopped-up ponies is a solid performer in its own right, none have the sheer grunt required to go toe-to-toe with the most potent hardware coming out of Dodge and Chevrolet factories.
After years of teasing the Ford faithful, the company finally took the wraps off its response at the North American International Auto Show earlier this year. But while the GT500 looks promising, it still has yet to land in Ford’s showroom. And when it does, it will lack an option that all of the GT500’s direct competitors offer: A manual gearbox.
ANOTHER OPTION
For those who are tired of playing the waiting game, or want to row their own gears, or simply want something a little different that won’t be subject to exorbitant dealer markups, Roush Performance offers another option. Founded in 1995 by automotive industry luminary Jack Roush, the tuning company has specialized in hot-rodding Ford’s factory offerings for the past quarter century, amassing a collection of more than 1,500 performance parts for models like the Mustang, Focus, and F-Series pickups.
When it comes to Mustangs, the latest Stage 3 package sits at the top of Roush’s performance totem pole. Boasting 710 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque as well as your choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or a 10-speed automatic, the supercharged pony offers the necessary straight-line performance to run with the big dogs. Roush also provides all the right chassis tweaks to keep the package balanced, as well as a distinctive look to help set it apart from the crowd.
