Mustang magic
Ford’s American icon really deserves its legendary status
The Ford Mustang is one of the most famous cars of all-time - a true American icon - and at long last we can now buy it in the UK
Ford’s most famous product has never been officially available here and special imports that have been brought to these shores have all been left-hand drives.
On sale for over 50 years, the Mustang has gained cult status and is one of the most recognised cars across the globe.
Available in coupe and convertible body styles and with a choice of two engines, the current Mustang was designed from the start as a global car, and it has been on sale in the USA for the past two years.
Penned by a design team headed by Scot Moray Callum, brother of Jaguar’s design director Ian, UK cars are available with Ford’s impressive 5.0-litre V8 or a slightly more economical 2.3-litre fourcylinder turbo EcoBoost engine and you can match both to six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes.
The Mustang certainly looks stunning and is surprisingly affordable. You can tell just by looking at it that this car means business and its bulging bonnet seems to go on for ever while its muscular wheelarches, huge alloys and shark-like front end add to the drama.
If you want the car that handles best on our roads you should opt for the coupe. Both the coupe and the convertible have fully independent front and rear suspension resulting in more European handling but the convertible naturally suffers from losing the roof and it is more of a cruiser.
You can feel more flex in its body on rough surfaces or tight corners but it is a price worth paying if you really want to pose.
I managed to get my hands on the convertible model with the 5.0-litre V8 and automatic box costing £39,995 - a real bargain when compared to prestige European models that can’t match the Mustang’s power or dramatic looks.
The V8 does cost an extra £4,000 but it is well worth the extra cash. Fire it up and you get that superb burble from the exhaust and you can really enjoy the noise with the roof down.
It is good for 62mph in just 4.8 seconds before going on to a top speed of 155mph.
Running costs with emissions of 289g/km and an average 22mpg will not be cheap but that will not matter to most owners.
The Mustang features selectable drive modes operated via toggle switches in the centre console and these can be used to adjust the electronic stability control, throttle responses, automatic gear-shift patterns and steering to match Normal, Sport+, Track or Snow/Wet settings. There are also options to adjust the weight and feel of the steering.
The acceleration is blistering and the steering light and precise while the Brembo brakes fitted to the 5.0-litre help you to slow it down quickly when you need to.
Inside the Mustang offers bags of equipment coupled with some neat retro touches and all the latest technology including an 8-inch colour touchscreen with a 9-speaker sound system with SYNC 2 connectivity to multi-media devices. You also get Bluetooth, a rear view camera and lots of other toys.
Fork out an extra £795 and you add satnav with a premium a 12-speaker Shaker Pro Premium audio system.
Some of the plastics are a bit scratchy and not up to top European standards but this car has so much going for it that you won’t care.
With four seats and a decent sized boot, the Mustang convertible is also surprisingly practical.
It attracts attention everywhere you go and 99 per cent of it is positive with other motorists and pedestrians admiring its sensational looks and fabulous noise.
As you would expect, demand has exceeded supply and if you order now you may have to wait up to a year to get behind the wheel of a legend - trust me the wait will be worth it. Price: £39,995 Mechanical: 421PS 5.0-litre 8cyl petrol engine driving rear wheels via 6-speed automatic gearbox
Max speed: 155 mph 0-62mph: 4.8 seconds Combined mpg: 22.1 Insurance group: 46E CO2 emissions: 289g/km Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles