Automotive - Faster, better, stronger Mustang

Details

Published on Friday, June 30, 2017

Ben Castle
The Neepawa Banner

Goldfinger, Thunderball, Bullitt, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Fast and the Furious, I am Legend, John Wick, Need for Speed— the Ford Mustang is arguably the biggest automotive icon of the silver screen.  The original Ford Mustang, launched in 1964 for the 1965 model year, created the popular “pony car” class, affordable 2+2 sporty coupes with long hoods and short rear decks. To commemorate 50 years of continuous production, Ford released an all-new, sixth generation Mustang for the 2015 model year.  The cheap interior was out and also controversially, the live rear axle replaced by a fully independent multi-link rear suspension.  However, this is the first Mustang to be officially sold globally and finally has the mechanical sophistication to compete with the best sports cars that Europe and Asia can offer.

Road presence

The $54,098 tester supplied by Kelleher Ford in Brandon was the GT Premium Convertible, with the six-speed manual transmission and optional Performance Package ($3,700).  Available on both the Ecoboost and GT fastback and convertible models, this package adds 19 inch black aluminum wheels, uprated brakes, stiffened chassis, a gauge pack with oil pressure and boost/vacuum gauges and a torsen rear differential with a 3.73 axle ratio for better acceleration, amongst other features.

In eye-catching “Grabber Blue”, this car has massive road presence.  In my opinion, this is the best-looking Mustang since the first generation, with some really nice design details.  It has the signature long hood and short rear deck stance, but also with some nice modern design touches, such as the HID headlights, sequential rear indicators and some fun design features, like the illuminated kick plates and on this model, lights mounted in the base of the door mirrors that project the famous Mustang Pony logo on the ground!  Parked up with Allan Hyndman of Cardale’s beautiful original and fully restored 1967 Mustang convertible, the 2017 Mustang looks very large in comparison, but the 50 year lineage is certainly there.

Ford has also managed to maintain the character inside the car.  The plastics are now of decent quality and the twin cowl dashboard and rocker switches gives Mustang a cockpit-like feel, with figure-hugging seats and an evocative view over the long hood.   The roof on all convertibles is fully powered, with a heated glass rear windshield.  All you need to do to lower the roof is release one handle manually and then let the motor do the rest of the work.  The roof lowers onto the rear deck, so doesn’t impede on trunk space, like in a lot of convertibles, and you have a usefully shaped 323 litres of cargo space with either the roof up or down (the fastback has slightly more space, at 382 litres and also benefits from split folding rear seats).  This is pretty decent for a sports car and crucially, over 50 per cent more than its main rival, Chevrolet Camaro.

The two rear seats, although by no means commodious, are useable for small children or small adults on short journeys and the convertible actually offers marginally more headroom and an airier feel for  rear passengers than the fastback.   

The driving experience

All these practical observations are kind of missing the point though.  This car is all about the driving experience.  I was insanely excited about driving this car, as driving a V8 Mustang, not least a convertible, was the fulfilment of a life-long dream and it certainly didn’t disappoint!  The 5 litre V8 roars into life with a glorious rumble that is always present and never really goes away, whether you’re doing 30 km/h or 130! As you would expect, pick a gear and you have instant acceleration at any speed and the engine is very free-revving for a big V8 and happy to howl to the red line. The manual transmission has a nice and precise short-throw,  but due to a very light clutch, can be quite difficult to drive smoothly at low speed.  Kangarooing off the forecourt is not a good look, but personally, I would still go for the manual transmission, as it’s a nice shift and worth persevering with, as you learn to finesse your low speed gear changes.

I can fully understand why some may prefer the more easy-going nature of the six-speed auto though and with steering-wheel mounted paddles, you can still fully exploit the considerable performance at the beck and call of your right foot.

What might surprise you though is how well this car grips and puts its power down with no drama.  I’m sure that you can provoke it into lurid power slides with the stability and traction control off, but this much power through just the rear wheels doesn’t have to be intimidating.  For a car on 19 inch wheels and 40 sidewall tires, the ride is also remarkable.  This car rides better than most non-sporting cars and actually deals with our patchy rural road surfaces really well.

You get a bit more body roll and dive under braking than you would expect, but this encourages you to drive smoothly and feel the limits of the car.  One minor gripe is that there is some wind noise from the roof at highway speeds and some wind whistle with the roof down.  Rear visibility is also poor roof up, but you do get a standard backup camera.  I recorded an average of 14.3 litres per 100 kilometres during my test, which isn’t going to win any green awards, but is on a par with a V8 half-ton truck and I was having a lot more fun!  Up to 10.2 litres per 100 kilometres highway should be possible on this model and opting out of the Performance Package would certainly benefit fuel economy.

Excellent value for money

Mustang starts at a bargain $26,398 for the well equipped V6 Fastback with the six-speed manual transmission.  Add $1,500 for the automatic transmission and a $1,000 package adds a rear spoiler, power driver’s seat and 18 inch wheels.  The four cylinder turbo (Ecoboost) is actually the upgraded engine with more power and torque, combined with better fuel economy and costs $3,000 over the V6.  If you want the V8 (GT model) though, you’ll need to shell out an extra $9,000.  You also get uprated brakes, an engine oil cooler, a decklid spoiler, electronic line-lock to allow burnouts and launch control with the manual transmission.  The $5,500 Premium pack, available with both Ecoboost and V8 (GT) engines, adds selectable drive modes and more comfort, entertainment and trim features such as leather seating. The convertible is only available in base V6 and Ecoboost Premium and GT Premium specs.  Budget $5,000 to $5,500 more for the convertible, depending on spec.  Finally, the fastback only GT350 and GT350R offer more power and upgraded brakes, suspension and drivetrain if you intend to take your car on track regularly, but you’ll need to budget at least $20,000 over a GT Premium for these limited-edition models!

The “base” V6 coupe offers excellent value for money.  Even with the optional package and an automatic transmission, for less than $30,000 you have a fantastic looking, fast, fairly practical and decently equipped sports coupe.   The Ecoboost Premium also looks like a very fast and well-equipped car for the money and if you’re daily driving it, should offer reasonable fuel economy too.  However, in my opinion, if you’re going to spend the extra, you’ll want the V8 (GT) and while you’re at it, the optional Performance Package to give you the full-on muscle car experience.  It won’t be a cheap car to run day-to-day, but it will have character in spades and make you smile every time you drive it.

Fastback or convertible?  Again, if it’s your daily drive, the fastback will be quieter on the highway, cheaper to buy and a bit more practical.  If it’s your summer toy however, undoubtedly being able to put the roof down adds an extra dimension to the experience.

So, in any spec, the 2017 Mustang offers strong performance for the money and the latest model adds more power, handling finesse and refinement to the already enticing Mustang recipe.  This car now offers as much performance and heritage as European favourites such as the Porsche 911, for a fraction of the price and in the process of driving it, makes you feel like a movie star.  It’s difficult to put a price on that and if it’s a car that you’ve always promised yourself, try one out, it’s better than ever.