FORD MUSTANG 5.0 V8 GT
Chassis tweaks help transform Ford’s facelifted muscle car
IT’S A GUILTY PLEASURE, THE FORD Mustang; a sports coupe that’s hard to justify in a world of C63s, M4s and RS5S. But its charm and charisma make it hard to ignore. It’s a car that wears its blue-collar heart on its sleeve in the guise of a 5.0 badge, shuns turbocharging for cubic capacity and still prefers six on the floor (although a new ten-speed auto is also available). A rough diamond on a road of polished performers, the Stang puts entertainment and thrills first. The outgoing version was far from perfect, but when it cost less than £40,000 it’s little wonder Fold sold 33,000 of them across Europe.
For 2018 the Mustang receives a midlife facelift, most of which is incredibly subtle for a car that can now be ordered in a colour called Orange Fury. There are new LED lights front and rear, reprofiled bumpers, and the aluminium bonnet has a lower profile and a pair of vents cut into it. The front splitter has grown in a bid to reduce lift, with the rear diffuser subtly tweaked, too. Thankfully, the car as a whole still looks like an all-american hero. Inside, the focus has been on improving the quality of the plastics, and there’s also a new 12-inch digital instrument cluster.
But it’s beneath the familiar looks where the serious developments can be found. There’s a new direct fuel-injection system and a new exhaust that bring more power (up 34bhp to 444bhp, with torque down a single point to 390lb ft), and the six-speed manual’s twinplate clutch and dual-mass flywheel are also improved. The new ten-speed auto is smooth to change but too slow to downshift, although it’s light and day better than the old self-shifter. However, the manual remains the one to have.
It’s still not a particularly quick manual shift: it doesn’t like being rushed and the gate feels as wide as the Grand Canyon compared with those of rivals. But it suits the bent-eight so well, and you can leave it in third and fourth for pretty much every permutation of curve, turn, sweeper and hairpin. And the pedal layout is pretty much perfect for heel-and-toe downshifts, making Ford’s decision to include a rev-matching system a curious one.
The pre-facelift Mustang’s powertrain was never really something to question, but its chassis was. A little too slow and ponderous, and struggling to hide its 1711kg kerb weight, the Mustang was good, but only good for a car developed on that side of the Atlantic. This updated car is an eye-widening step up. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres (replacing Pirelli P Zeros) and the optional (£1600) Magneride adaptive dampers are the real heroes – although the thicker anti-roll bars are welcome, too, as is a 43kg reduction in weight. Gone is the float and wobble of the old car, replaced with a much more sophisticated and wider operating window. The front end is much sharper, reacting quicker and cleaner, there’s less body roll, and the roll-oversteer sensation is banished, replaced by an athletic approach to how the car transitions from turn-in to corner exit.
Ultimately, a set of tyres and some trick dampers don’t turn the Mustang GT into an M4 beater – and Ford wouldn’t claim such – but they do leave you with two fewer excuses not to look to a Mustang for your kicks.