Brilliant Bullitt

IAM NOT Steve McQueen. I am not Steve McQueen. Without the good looks, millions in the bank, Hollywood lifestyle, glamorous wives and the plentiful numbers of exotic cars and motorbikes in the garage, you might think that that last statement was fairly obvious.

However, it’s always worth reminding yourself when driving the new Ford Mustang, especially this new Bullitt special edition version. Produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic McQueen film last year, this

Bullitt model comes complete with the same dark green paintwork, Bullitt badges outside and in and various iconic touches inside to make it a modern match for that 1968 celluloid original.

All that of course is in addition to the most recent updates that Ford’s famous muscle car has had to bring it into the 21st century. To be fair, it needed it. When introduced to British showrooms in 2015 after a 51-year wait, the Mustang was undoubtedly very welcome and very appealing, but it wasn’t without its flaws.

Muscle cars tend to be fairly blunt instruments, powerful and fast in a straight line but not especially refined and perhaps not best suited to European roads. It wasn’t the safest car either returning some distressingly low scores during crash testing.

Thankfully that’s all changed for this model, with safety systems that should really have been standard in the first place. One thing that we’re glad hasn’t been changed is its looks and engine.

For all the Mustang’s flaws, there is no question that its styling is second to none. Pick pretty much any rival in this bracket – Audi RS5, BMW 4-Series, even the Porsche Cayman – and none will turn pedestrian heads quite like this.

OK, so this Bullitt’s green bodywork might not be the most stand-out colour available in the rest of the Mustang range (you can also have it in black), but it’s still easy to see the appeal with the large gloss black alloy wheels and the Bullitt also getting a mild retune to the engine for slightly more power.

Talking of which, at the mercy of your right foot is a 5.0-litre V8 with 459bhp (up from 450bhp) giving it a 0 to 60mph time of 4.6 seconds and a 163mph top speed with a six-speed manual gearbox fitted as standard. Elsewhere in the range, there’s a turbo-charged 2.3-litre petrol and a 10-speed automatic, but for us, if you’ve committed to buying a car like the Mustang, you ought to get the V8 at the very least. You should be committed to its running costs too, with an official 22.8mpg average fuel economy (we managed just 18.7 mpg during our time with the car) and 277g/km emissions.

However, Ford’s latest Mustang, and especially this Bullitt version, is all about the driving experience as a whole. Push the start button and that V8 engine roars into life before settling down to a very deep and loud burble.

Move off and it’s clear this is not a set of wheels for the shy and retiring. This is a big car and the six-speed manual gearbox requires a confident, deliberate shove into gear at times with a reasonably heavy clutch pedal too. But while the Mustang feels every inch of its substantial size on the road, it’s also very quick when the traffic ahead clears.

Flex your right foot and the car leaps up the road with an emotive roar from the V8 engine on a surge of grunt that often has you running out of road or fear for your licence before running out of power. Make no mistake, this Mustang is a feast for all the senses and will easily put a smile on your face with that ever-present mechanical soundtrack.

For all that, what the big Ford isn’t however is especially sporty. Its sheer size and steering that is direct enough but could be more communicative, it’s good enough for you to have fun and steer the car through tighter corners with your right foot when conditions allow, but this is a blunt instrument rather than a surgeon’s scalpel.

If you want absolute driving pleasure, buy a BMW M4, Alpine A110 or Porsche Cayman, because while it may be new this Mustang is still a muscle car and therefore more about being swept up with the whole experience, rather than simply how fast you can go crosscountry. We’re also not convinced by the rev-matching technology that blips the throttle for you when changing down a gear. It may sound great, but somehow it takes some of that mechanical pleasure out of doing that yourself.

With almost any other car in this sector, all that would be a major shortfall, but the reality is that with the Mustang, it’s such a unique proposition that it’s hard to view with cold, hard logic. Yes, the interior could be better but it’s in keeping with the nature of the car that somehow it all works together as a package, logical or not.

That logic needs to be somewhat suspended when it comes to the Bullitt’s price too. Its £48,145 price tag is five grand over and above the standard car, although we’re of the firm belief that this particular Bullitt version may well hold its value better in years to come. And that may be the closest thing you’ll find to a logical reason to buy this car, which should otherwise be bought purely with your heart rather than your head.