Mustang most genuine
Road Test: 2017 Ford Mustang GT Convertible
Occasionally, we hand the keys of a test vehicle to two of our experts to hear what they have to say. Here’s what auto journalists David Booth and Lesley Wimbush think about the 2017 Ford Mustang GT convertible.
I really like the Mustang’s take on the ragtop theme. I’ve always found the clean roofline of a coupe more aesthetically appealing; even the nicest convertibles have the look of sneakers paired with a tux.
But this is a pretty car, and I particularly like how the black racing stripes fade across the hood. The red leather interior is a stunner, but perhaps I’m a little too old and grouchy to appreciate the ambient lighting’s customizable palette. Glowing purple gauges and footwells are more Lady Gaga than the classic rock I listen to.
What, you’re dissing Lady Gaga? You don’t think she could get a funk on? Tony Bennett thought her sufficiently silvery to do the duet thing with, so now you really are showing your age.
Musical issues aside, however, I did find the glowing purple gauges a little juvenile. Besides, I don’t think there’s much cross shopping between the raver crowd and Mustangs. That said, good looks have always been a Mustang forte and this one is no exception.
And the GT still projects the swaggering attitude of its musclecar roots, don’t you think? Dropping down into the deep bucket seat, you grip a fat, solid wheel and peer over a brawny, muscular snout.
And like a good North American muscle car should, it has a clutch to bang it into first gear. A pleasant surprise was my expectations of a heavy clutch being dashed. Remember the cement-mixer take-up of the previous Shelby-tuned Mustang GT500? But clutch and gearbox are delightful, really encouraging footwork and shift interplay as you row your way through the nicely positioned throws.
Sorry, Lesley, we were on the same page until the transmission accolades. And while the manual is not the rock crushers of yore, it’s difficult to see it as sophisticated and buttery smooth as Europe’s finest. And, yes, to you Trumpites already putting pen to paper denouncing me as eurozone apologist, some of those European transmissions do have to put up with the same level of torque as a good ol’ Yankee Doodle Dandy V8.
OK, but you have to agree Ford’s monster 5.0-litre V8 sings the siren song of an angry brontosaurus. The rumbling exhaust note is music to the ears of every musclecar aficionado. Its 435 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque are sufficient to leave two black strips at every stop light, if that’s your thing.
But it’s the chassis and suspension engineering that are truly impressive. The Mustang has been around for 52 years, and while the original pony cars are iconic collectibles, they weren’t known for their handling. Like most muscle cars, they were able to drop the hammer and look pretty saucy while doing so, but turning wasn’t really their forté.
I’ll probably take some heat for saying this, but these new Mustangs handle as well as some of the twodoors from Audi and BMW. Instead of the brute, unpredictability of the more powerful Mustangs from even a few years ago, the GT’s sophisticated suspension is pliable, yet firm. It soaks up bumps and potholes, yet stays flat and composed through the tightest on-ramps.
Do brontosaurs actually sing before they mate? I don’t think there’s archeological proof of that one. Nor do I imagine any forthcoming. Nonetheless, Ford’s big V8 truly does sing. Mercedes has been copying its basso profundo for years, so you might as well get the real deal. And it’s also plenty grunty for those needing to peel out, which is seemingly a Mustang owner’s favourite pastime. Whatever the case, the big V8 is a gem.
As for Mustangs handling as well as “some” BMWs, I’d counter that it says more about BMW going soft than Ford suddenly becoming more sophisticated. The steering is a bit more communicative and the brakes are not so bad, but it must be said that this Mustang still feels a bit brutish in the way it plows around corners. Give it full points for precision, a few less for finesse.
Can we at least agree that the current gen is the most refined in its 50-year history? Give me the streamlined simplicity of a hardtop coupe over the ragtop’s novelty, and I’ll drive this Mustang all day long.
The Mustang is not my cup of tea, but I see why you and others like it so much. It feels more North American than the Chevrolet Camaro, which still looks vaguely foreign and sounds — in V6 guise, at least — decidedly European. The Dodge Challenger, authentic to its core, is a portly beast sportified only by outrageous amounts of power. Fast it may be, but corners flummox it.
That leaves the Mustang, master of perhaps no specific attribute, but sufficiently capable in all to be first choice among those looking for a genuinely North American pony car. Driving.ca
BMW has teased a dramatic rendering of an open-topped sports car in profile ahead of the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours. The concept car will be revealed at the event on August 17.
The rendering likely depicts the upcoming Z4, being developed alongside the upcoming Toyota Supra.
The large headrests seem to indicate it will blur the line between a targa top and a traditional full convertible.
The powertrain is hopefully a turbocharged in-line six-cylinder engine, free from hybrid hoopla.
The profile seems notably different from the i8 roadster shown previously and it seems too rakish to be the 8 Series convertible.
We’ll have full information on the car when the concept is revealed at the show.