Ford Mustang Convertible

Rain, rain, go away… Meaden’s longing for some top-down fun

IT’S TO MY IMMENSE FRUSTRATION that since the day I took possession of the Mustang it has rained almost incessantly, or failing that it has at least been unpleasantly blustery. Worse still, on the rare occasions the UK has seen the sun, EA17 PPZ has been parked at some airport or other.

Consequently I’ve still yet to drive it with the roof lowered. Ordinarily that wouldn’t be too big a deal, but I can’t help thinking – hoping, in fact – that folding back the canvas hood will be the key to unlocking more of this big-hearted car’s appeal.

If that sounds uncharitable, I don’t mean it to. I like the looks, love the sound and enjoy the impressive shove delivered by the smooth and sonorous V8. I don’t even mind the Mustang’s mildly wallowy handling, which lacks precision but at least feels like you’re making the car work at less than suicidal speeds on my local A- and B-roads.

My issue isn’t one thing in particular, but a general sense that the car lacks polish. The brakes are a bit grabby and the gearshift could be slicker. The revs rise quickly enough, but there’s a moment of inertia that holds on to them a fraction too long between shifts. It just feels a little bit clumsy.

Plenty of bangs for your buck has always been the American way, but the appeal is wearing a bit thin at the moment. From what I’ve heard the 2018MY Mustang is better, thanks to new magnetic dampers that bring a welcome degree of body control, and – whisper it – an automatic transmission that’s apparently pretty good, too.

We always tend to instinctively champion analogue cars, but what we can sometimes forget is for a manual transmission to be worth the effort the drivetrain needs to be excellent. The Mustang’s is great in parts, but it doesn’t quite gel. That means even when you put in more effort to drive it smoothly, you rarely find the sweet spot.

Despite this lack of dynamic polish and the driveline’s truculence, I can see that with the roof down on a sunny day and on a decent road some of those criticisms could melt away. The weather looks like it’s going to play ball in the coming weeks, so assuming I’m not away when it does, hopefully I’ll finally have a chance to bond with the Mustang.