What is it?
American Muscle. That in two words is the gist of the new Ford. And, after two decades of selling cars in India, Ford has finally given us a car that is truly American. Sure, Ford’s Endeavour does have lots of American DNA, but it isn’t even on sale in the US market. So,if you are craving for a set of wheels that is as American as McDonalds and the Statue of Liberty, then Ford today has just given us that today – the legendary Mustang now in its sixth generation.While all new, the style is unmistakably Mustang. The familiar grille dominates the front and this time round, it’s flanked by narrow sinewy headlights. The bonnet bulges strongly and is a clear nod to the massive engine that is beneath. The new car also has a far sleeker profile with a steeply sloped windscreen and rear glass. Over to the rear, the vertical tri-bar tail-lights stand out and have the retro Mustang appeal. Overall, the new car has a lower and wider stance with the glasshouse styled like a fighter jet canopy. It’s all quite intentional – Ford tells us that aviation did influence the Mustang’s styling especially on the inside. And just to bring the point home, the speedo reads ‘ground speed'.
What’s it like from the inside?
The drive today was more jump in, drive flat out and then jump out, so we really didn’t get to soak in the interiors. What we can say however, is that the car has retro cool as its design theme. The Mustang isn’t about design chic and so it’s not crammed full of little details like you would find in a Mini, but it has its fair bit of retro touches and even nifty aviation-style toggle switches. The interior seats four and the front buckets are quite comfortable and large. The Mustang also gets a fair bit of kit, so you will find ambient lighting, eight airbags, dual-zone climate control, heated, cooled leather seats and six-way power adjustable driver and passenger seats. The car features Ford’s SYNC 2 connectivity system with voice commands and an 8.0-inch touchscreen. What owners will love is what Ford calls ‘track apps’. This essentially has an accelerometer which measures acceleration times and braking performance. The Mustang has a lots of other gizmos that we didn’t have enough time to play with.
What’s it like to drive?
What is fun though is how the car accelerates. Stamp down on the large and nicely sprung pedal and the car squats onto its haunches. Braking is handled by discs all round naturally and provide a decent amount of stopping power, but after repeated hard use on the track there were signs of brake fade. The sixth-generation Ford has for the first time in its history, an all independent suspension setup and out on the track this probably does help. The handling is quite predictable but the car does roll a lot. Remember this is more cruiser than track star. The steering though is a delight with the right amount of weight and good feedback from the road. It’s nicely weighted-up for everyday driving too.
Should I buy one?
At Rs 65 lakh, the Mustang is priced quite well – you get a lot of metal for your money. But for this amount, you can also buy an Audi TT, which is more agile, sportier and better built. But what you don’t get is the Mustang’s 'muscle-car' character. It’s for the hairy-chested enthusiast who likes the idea of having a lot of oomph under the bonnet and the ability to spin the rear wheels (with the traction control off, of course) with just a flex of the right foot. And apparently there are lots of such enthusiasts as the first lot of Mustangs is already sold out.
Fact File
Engine
| Type | V8, 4951cc |
| Bore/stroke | 92.2mmX92.7mm |
| Power | 401hp |
| Torque | 515Nm |
Transmission
| Type | rear-wheel drive |
| Gearbox | six-speed automatic |
Dimensions
| Length | 4784mm |
| Width | 2080mm |
| Height | 1391mm |
| Wheel base | 2720mm |
| Boot volume | 383 litres |
| Ground clearance | 137mm |
Chassis & Body
| Weight | 1770kg |
| Wheels | 19-inch alloy |
| Tyres | (F-R) 255/40 ZR19 96Y - 275/40 ZR19 101Y |
| Spare | full size |
Suspension
| Front | Double ball joint MacPherson strut with stabilizer bar |
| Rear | Integral link, independent with coil springs and stabilizer bar |
Steering
| Type of power assist | Electric |
Brakes
| Front | Disc |
| Rear | Disc |
| Anti-lock | Yes |
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