Ford Mustang Boss 302 Leads MotorWeek Drivers’ Choice Winners

by Charles Krome

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February 10, 2012

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1 min. Reading Time

The grand-daddy of all automotive-oriented television shows—PBS’ MotorWeek—presented its 29th annual Drivers’ Choice Awards in conjunction with the 2012 Chicago Auto Show recently, and this year’s top dog turned out to be a Mustang: The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302, to be exact. MotorWeek named the Blue Oval’s much-lauded masterpiece its Drivers' Choice “Best of the Year” for features including:

• A powertrain that combines a 444-hp 5.0-liter V8 with a six-speed manual transmission that MotorWeek called “one of the best shifters we’ve ever laid our hands on”

• Quad-exhaust outlets and an exhaust system that “must be experienced to be fully appreciated”

• Its driver-adjustable shocks, struts and steering system

• Design language inspired by the original 1969-1970 Boss 302 Mustang

• SVT-designed Recaro seats and a leather-wrapped wheel that “add perfectly to an already well-done interior”

The bottom line according to MotorWeek editors, who chose the Boss 302 as Best of the Year in a unanimous vote: “We’ve driven our share of performance cars over the years, and we’ve probably driven more than our share of Mustangs, but we’ve never been quite as enamored with one as we are with the 2012 Boss 302. … [W]hen it comes to a total package that just does everything right, for us, it’s the Boss.”

In addition, MotorWeek also named its Drivers’ Choices in 14 individual segments:

Best Subcompact Car—Hyundai Accent/Kia Rio

Best Compact Car—Subaru Impreza

Best Family Sedan—Hyundai Sonata/Kia Optima

Best Minivan—Honda Odyssey

Best Convertible—Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

Best Luxury Sedan—Infiniti M

Best Sport Sedan—Volkswagen Jetta GLI

Best Sport Coupe—Cadillac CTS Coupe

Best Performance Car—Ford Mustang Boss 302

Best Small Utility—Mazda CX-5

Best Large Utility—Jeep Grand Cherokee/Dodge Durango