MUSCLE UP AND GO

Mustang makeover adds punch via 10-speed auto

Sports cars are always polarising and, as good as the Ford Mustang is, it still attracted some criticism. A midlife makeover not only addresses the obvious ones but is also substantial, transforming the two-door from muscle car into a truly accomplished performer.

Pundits complained about the lack of a digital speedo; the 2018 model now has a 12-inch digital driver’s display that changes to match the driving mode you choose.

Those who thought the Mustang lacked the bark to go with its bite will have to think again as Ford has fitted an active exhaust that can quell the V8 burble for early-morning suburban trips or crank it up to cacophonous for back roads, track work and time in tunnels.

There were also a few — including me — who reckoned the Mustang’s cornering wasn’t on a par with its acceleration. Ford has responded by retuning the suspension and fitting a new rear link to improve lateral grip. Beyond that, adaptive dampers are a $2750 option that I’d argue should be standard.

The only things Ford can’t address — short of a full redesign of the Pony Car — is some of the cheaper looking and feeling plastics in the lower areas of the cabin.

With the 2015 car, Ford also was kicked for active safety aids so the Blue Oval has responded by adding autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist.

ANCAP’s riposte was a three-star rating, chief executive James Goodwin noting: “The inclusion of driver assistance aids such as AEB and lane-keep assist is a definite step in the right direction, yet these upgrades have neglected to address the injury risk posed to rear seat occupants as well as whiplash protection.”

Safety apart, this update does a lot more than address minor issues or add the obligatory subtle styling changes. The V8 has been reworked to add power and fatten up the torque curve, the manual transmission now uses a twin-disc clutch to lighten the pedal feel and there’s a 10-speed automatic.

Such improvements don’t come cheap and V8 prices are up between $5500 and $8793, with the V8 Fastback manual now costing $62,990 before on roads, rising to $74,709 for the autoequipped convertible.

ON THE ROAD/TRACK

Chief dynamics engineer James Cullen cites the BMW M4 as the benchmark competitor when the updated Mustang was under development.

At a dust-coated and yet-to-be-run-in Tailem Bend racetrack in South Australia, Callen showed, repeatedly, how composed the Mustang is while being balanced on the throttle blasting out of the corner. Try the same thing at the same pace in the outgoing car and the back end will be swapping places with the front.

“We really wanted to make this a driver’s car whether you’re cruising with friends or taking it to the track,” Callen says.

“We’re proud of our muscle car heritage and the looks and sound of this car still evoke that. We’ve just put the Mustang forward as a rival to some of the more expensive sports cars we’re being compared to. We’ve never wanted for pace and now we’ve focused on lateral grip. Between the new suspension and new (Michelin) tyres we’ve achieved that.”

On the way to the track, it was hard to fault the 10-speeder as it skipped multiple gears on up and downshifts without jolting the occupants.

The ride is lumpy over recessed manhole covers and potholes at low speeds — even in the default normal setting — but becomes better as the speedo climbs to 80km/h.

VERDICT

The Mustang can now muscle in on the sportscar scene with handling that finally matches its phenomenal acceleration.