Mustang still raw power refined more than a half century along
WITH PLENTY OF POWER, ACCELERATION AND SMOOTH HANDLING, FORD’S SIXTH GENERATION MUSTANG IS STILL A RACECAR AT HEART
There’s something quite brilliant about a sports car with a 52-yearold pedigree that still looks as fresh as the day it first hit showrooms and drives better than ever. And thanks to Ford’s respect for the brand, the 2017 Mustang would be instantly recognizable to the talented engineers who designed the first “pony” for a March 1964 debut— even with the incredible suite of refinements that weren’t available to that original bare-bones muscle car.
Easing into the driver’s seat of this sixth generation Mustang, you’ll notice that it provides a gauge to track your g-force. Yes, it’s that powerful. The Mustang comes with four available engines: 2.3L EcoBoost, 3.7L Ti-VCT V6, 5.0L Ti-VCT V8 and the insanely powerful 5.2L Ti-VCT V8 with Flat Plane Crank, which kicks out an incredible 526 horsepower at 7,500 rpm, using 93-octane fuel.
There’s more than enough power here for decisive acceleration anywhere from the Trans-Canada to the Sea to Sky and Crowsnest highways.
But the 2017 Mustang is raw power refined as fast meets smooth. It features an integral link independent rear suspension that helps to minimize body roll and isolate any road imperfections to offer both a responsive ride and precise handling.
Aluminum-alloy rear knuckles and H-arms help to reduce unsprung mass. That means demanding Mustang drivers get twice as much anti-squat and almost 10 times the amount of anti-lift for better pitch control during hard acceleration and braking compared with previous generation Stangs.
Whether you prefer your Mustang in fastback or convertible flavours, you’ll feel just as confident with the car’s precision handling while driving through downtown Vancouver or Victoria as you would on the open road.
Safe? In addition to a host of standard and optional safety features, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded its top rating — five stars — to the 2017 Ford Mustang TwoDoor for frontal crash, side crash and rollover safety.
“If you’ve stuck with another powerful luxury brands for a number of years, you probably have no idea what the sixth generation Mustang can offer,” says Dave Michnik, director of sales, Lower Mainland operations, Coastal Ford. “We’re seeing some amazing reactions form test drivers who are curious to see what the most powerful domestic brands are offering.”
Coastal Ford is currently awaiting delivery of a new addition to its Mustang family — a 2017 Ford Performance Shelby FP350S. It’s a turn-key race car designed for trackonly competition and one of only 50 serialized 2017 FP350S cars built for North America starting in the third quarter of 2017.
“We had to order it as a single item through the parts catalogue,” says Michnik. “But don’t come looking for a test drive. A serialized Mustang doesn’t have a VIN, so it’s definitely not street legal.”
However, area racing and power Mustang aficionados will still have a chance to get a good look at the collector car when it arrives, courtesy of Coastal dealers.
“Whether we race it at a local track or display it in the showrooms of our dealer family, Coastal Ford customers won’t miss out on meeting the latest addition to our Mustang stable,” says Michnik.