The 1998 Ford Mustang appeared as the fifth and last model-year entry in the famed pony car's seventh generation of production, which ended when its immediate successor was the first to get Ford's angular New Edge styling. The '98 Mustang was manufactured and sold at a time when Ford was trying to make the vehicle more affordable for consumers. It came as a coupe and convertible, with base, GT and Cobra trims. A special higher-performance version of the Cobra, called the SVT Mustang Cobra, was also available.
Changes
Ford made a few changes to the 1998 Mustang over previous incarnations in the seventh generation. They removed the dash clock and gave the GT engines a slight bump in horsepower. They changed the performance tires from a "Z" to an "H" rating. Also, to increase affordability, Ford restricted the optional leather package to only the front bucket seats.
Engines and Performance
The base trim of the 1998 Mustang got a 3.8-liter, 150 horsepower V-6. The GTs got a 4.6-liter, 225-horsepower V-8; the Cobra's 4.6-liter V8 had 80 more horses. The Base, GT and Cobra trims could go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 9.9, 6.7 and 5.9 seconds, respectively. The five-speed manual with overdrive was the standard transmission, although the four-speed automatic was made optional for all trims except the Cobra. Depending on trim, engine and gearbox, the fuel economy was 17 to 20 miles per gallon (mpg) for city driving and 24 to 29 mpg for highway driving.
Interior and Exterior
Air conditioning, stereo system with radio and cassette/CD player, power door locks and windows, and driver and passenger airbags were some of the standard interior features of the 1998 Ford Mustang. The GT and Cobra also had driver multi-adjustable power seats, and the Cobra had anti-lock braking and cruise control. Exterior-wise, the '98 Mustang still had the Fox body-based styling the car had used since the late 1970s.
Reception
Customers reacted strongly to the 1998 Ford Mustang, just as they had to previous seventh-generation entries. Edmunds.com particularly recommended the GT, Cobra and SVT versions of the car, as the editors felt that the 4.6-liter engine was smoother than the 5-liter V8 that was in previous GT/Cobra trims. Ford produced more than 174,000 '98 Mustangs, including less than 10,000 of the SVT versions.
Price
The original manufacturer's suggested retail price of the 1998 Ford Mustang ranged from $16,150 for the base coupe to $28,510 for the Cobra convertible. As of 2010, Kelley Blue Book estimates the value of the '98 Mustang at around $5,000 to $12,000.
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