I drove the Boss 302 for the better part of two weeks and don’t even remember turning on the radio (okay, maybe I did crank my iPod). It turns heads and makes you feel like you own the road. With it’s tunable steering, adjustable dampers, throaty pipes, and grippy brakes, the Boss is oh-so racy, but oh-so civilized. The Boss is definitely back—and I want one now!
| Run Summary |
| Run |
60-foot |
ET/MPH |
| 1. |
1.814 |
12.421/110.87 |
| 2. |
1.759 |
12.079/113.93 |
| 3. |
1.760 |
12.172/113.40 |
| 4. |
1.733 |
12.084/114.03 |
| 5. |
1.768 |
12.214/114.06 |
| Notes: All runs were made using a stock ’12 Boss 302 with 275/40R-17-inch M/T ET Street Radial tires. We cooled the engine between runs using fans, but ran with the engine at operating temperature since it made the most power on our dyno in this trim. Driving technique consisted of a short Second-gear burnout and while slipping the clutch slightly on launch, as opposed to completely dumping the clutch. We powershifted each time, keeping the throttle wide open during all upshifts and crossing the finish line in Fourth gear.—Ed. |
| Run 1 |
4,000-rpm launch, bogged slightly, missed Fourth gear |
| Run 2 |
4,800-rpm launch, slipped clutch slightly, very minor wheel spin, powershifted all gears at 7,400 rpm |
| Run 3 |
5,000-rpm launch, short-shifted at about 7,100 rpm |
| Run 4 |
5,000-rpm launch, same as run 2 |
| Run 5 |
Same technique, but far worse weather conditions with 100-percent humidity |
A unique feature of the Boss...
A unique feature of the Boss is the quad exhaust featuring side-exit pipes. Removing the two bolts on the sidepipes allows you to slip the baffles out for a much-improved sound quality.
Front office featured optional...
Front office featured optional cloth Recaro buckets and a short-throw shifter.
Ambient temperature approached...
Ambient temperature approached 90 degrees with 85 percent humidity during our track outing. We used fans to cool the engine between runs, but honestly, we don’t know if it did anything for performance as the plastic intake doesn’t get very hot.
Since our tester had the optional...
Since our tester had the optional Recaro seats, it also came with the Torsen differential.
Finding traction was not hard,...
Finding traction was not hard, as the Boss gripped the track quite well. Since we were going for 11s, we didn’t test on the stock tires, but can conclude from past tests that we’d lose about 0.2 in performance with them.
Our video team was on hand...
Our video team was on hand and you can check out the video of our drag test at musclemustangfastfords.com.