As far as I can tell – everyone loves a Mustang. The reason for this is plainly simple – just look at that picture you see before you and you will soon begin to understand why. It is simply a work of art – a work of such brilliance that when it first arrived on my drive, I just sat there and stared at it for about an hour. I’m not joking either I really did just sit there and stare.
Ok, I know what some of you are thinking – a big fat muscle car that is draining the earth of all its fossil fuels is about as useful as a watch with no hands – but you would be wrong – because what the Mustang does do is excite every strand of your body’s nervous system and then if that’s not enough – it will then swing into full attack mode on your internal organs and present you with one of the most thrilling drives you might ever undertake.
Of course you may consider yourself to be a very boring person and that a car like this would be the last thing that would excite you – but believe me –when you get behind the wheel of a Mustang V8 it instantly turns you into one of those little excited puppies that wets itself – and you will do this every time you press the loud pedal or maybe, you will just end up dribbling out of the side of your mouth because you just realised that you have just engaged yourself in what can only be described as ‘DEFCON 1’
Here’s the thing – driving around in a Mustang is no different really than driving around in a Fiat Punto – and here’s why. For instance – you can take your children to school in it – the boot is more than big enough to do the weekly shop – and if you needed to – it will carry four adults in perfect comfort (just).
So, just because it has a very powerful V8 engine – does not automatically mean that you have to drive it everywhere with your hair on fire – to be honest – I spent most of my week with the Mustang just driving about like Mrs Daisy because it felt like the right thing to do.
There is of course another reason why owning a Mustang is such an epic tale of joy and happiness. Wherever I went it the Mustang people were just looking and smiling – it was I have to say bizarre. I parked up at my local supermarket to by a copy of The Daily Mail (joking) – when two random guys in their 40s just came over and started talking to me about it – half an hour had passed and I was still there just chatting away to a couple of guys who I had never met before in my life.
Then there were the traffic light conversations. I’m not kidding either – men and women were winding down their windows just to get my attention and saying stuff like; ‘Is it as good as it looks mate’; ‘nice car pal – can I get a ride’; ‘that is mint pal’; ‘is that a V8’; ‘do you need a new friend for that spare seat’(that was a female).
You probably think I’m just joking here – but I’m not honest – it was epic. I have never in all the years of being a motoring journalist driven a car that has attracted so much attention from pretty much everyone who came across it.
This of course brings me back to the reason for owning a Mustang in the first place. By owning a V8 Mustang you will immediately make many hundreds of people smile and singly make the nation that little bit happier – and if that’s not enough of an incentive for you to sign away 40k– then remember you will also become one of the most coolest people on the planet.
Power and Efficiency:
Powered by a 5.0-litre V8 quad cam 32 valve engine with induction sound tube. Max power comes in at 421PS with the addition of 530Nm of torque. Max speed is around155mph and a 0-62 time of around 4sec (estimated).
I have to say that the sound from that V8 is intoxicating and it never gets boring. I am sure you all want to know what the MPG is so for all you eco warriors – please turn away now.
You can at a push return a combined 23.5mpg – not bad then when you consider the size of the engine. Also, I own a little Fiat 500 Abarth and on a good day that will only return 32.4. – So, when you weigh all that up is 23.5mpg really that bad.
On the road:
A joy to drive no matter where you are going or on what road surface you are driving it on – also, as the Mustang is rear wheel drive you do need to remember that its very easy to spin up the rear wheels due to the massive amount of torque coming from that V8 engine.
Into the corners it felt planted and not heavy or cumbersome at all. If you feed in the power at the right time into the right corner then you will be rewarded with a massive amount of traction and speed in and out of every corner. Again, overtaking in a Mustang really is its party piece – because there is little effort needed from that big V8 to propel you past pretty much anything that takes your fancy.
Design & Technology
The look says it all really – owning a Mustang for me is about as exciting as it gets because it’s all about presence on the road and as I said earlier – that is something you just can’t ignore. Remember Mustang is an icon of such brilliance right back from when V8’s were first produced and even in today’s eco friendly society the Mustang is still very much the star performer – the real deal as to say. Just looking at the design of those Xenon headlights and those sharp bodylines makes most people go weak at the knees and in need of a lie down moments later.
Inside you will find an 8” touchscreen with a 9-speaker DAB radio, auto headlamps, and rain sensing wipers. Along with Dual Zone Electronic Temperature Control, 6-way power front seats, ESP, Brembo 6-piston front callipers, selectable driving modes; Snow/wet; Normal; Sport and Track. You will also find additions such as; Ford My Key, Isofix rear seats, Ford Key Free System and a whole host of extras that are a real pleasure and something you will look forward to investigating later on.
Safety:
Advanced Trac Electronic Stability Control, TPMS, Hill Start Assist, EBA, driver and front passenger airbags including front, side (pelvic & thorax) and drivers knee airbag.
To sum up: The Mustang is an epic car and I am now a lost soul who is in need of some additional therapy – so I will be saving every penny I can – because I want to continue to be that person that makes everybody who comes into contact with the Mustang – turn and give me a great big ‘smile’
Price: (from) £35,995 (standard vehicle) – not including fitted options.