Where each one leads
Ford Mustang
- New Ford Mustang cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 266 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 270 for the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol Ford Mustang uses 13.9 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class 17.1.
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
- Against cars of the same year, the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 61% less often than average) than the Ford Mustang (fails 37% less often than average).
- Fewer Mercedes-Benz SL-Class cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (15.9% against 68.9%).
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Ford Mustang | Mercedes-Benz SL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1981–2026 | 1996–2013 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 55,766 (2010–2022) | 21,089 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 12,016 | 14,178 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 7,283 | 3,368 |
| In traffic in Finland | 1,553 | 520 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Ford Mustang | Mercedes-Benz SL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 83% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +6% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| … against cars of the same year | −37% | −61% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 68.9% | 15.9% |
| US owner complaints | 9,231 | 31 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Service brakes, hydraulic |
| Model year with most complaints | 2005 (705) | 1998 (12) |
| US recall campaigns | 81 | 7 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 3,373 | 102 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 95 | 5 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Ford Mustang | Mercedes-Benz SL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2027) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Ford Mustang | Mercedes-Benz SL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.1 l/100 km (2026) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 13.9 l/100 km | 17.1 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 12.1 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 266 g/km | 270 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 332 kW (445 hp) | 391 kW (524 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,851 kg | 1,935 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €85,667 | €154,478 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 92,000 km | 134,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).