The retro engine: it also sells
Although a V6 is available, a Mustang just isn't a Mustang without a good old pushrod V8. When you start up the car, the 4.6-liter fires up with a deep growl that will wake up your neighbours in the morning. Like a loudmouth colleague that's had too much to drink at the office Christmas party (and I've got plenty of those), the Mustang is quite noisy. Yet nobody seems to complain about that, because the V8's burble tingles your spine as it rushes to its redline.
A few staffers complained about the heavy clutch pedal as well as the shift lever's lack of precision, but 0 to 100 km/h dashes take about 6 seconds nonetheless. The Mustang GT is so much fun to drive, and we're always gunning it just to hear that engine roaring.
Fuel consumption is always something you have to keep an eye on in a Mustang, even those with V6 engines. In our case, the average of 13.9 L/100 km is reasonable. With the pedal to the metal, though, the average will easily climb to 16 or 17 litres.
And unlike the musclecars of the '60s, this Mustang has handling that matches its straight-line performance. In fact, I'd even go to say that it's much better than in Mustangs of just 10 years ago.
The lack of refinement: it doesn't sell, but...
After only a few minutes aboard the Mustang, and particularly in the convertible, you'll get the feeling that this is the least-refined car on the market. While we're driving, the shift lever makes noise while vibrating; the top lets in a lot of wind noise; there are squeaks everywhere in the cockpit; we hear the suspension pounding at each pothole; and something's rattling inside the passenger door.
The instrument panel is assembled with a lot of plastic. In addition, the top locks in place with two handles that must be twisted; with metal-against-metal grinding, they're hard to close for certain people. At every bump, you can feel the car bending, as if Ford didn't initially design the car to be a convertible. At least the Mustang's top didn't leak during a trip in the automatic car wash.
In short, the car has an obvious lack of refinement. It's noisy, the suspension hits hard on the road, and we're constantly hearing dashboard buzzing inside. Those who step out of a good Japanese car and climb up the Mustang might be shocked at the striking difference.
Although a V6 is available, a Mustang just isn't a Mustang without a good old pushrod V8. When you start up the car, the 4.6-liter fires up with a deep growl that will wake up your neighbours in the morning. Like a loudmouth colleague that's had too much to drink at the office Christmas party (and I've got plenty of those), the Mustang is quite noisy. Yet nobody seems to complain about that, because the V8's burble tingles your spine as it rushes to its redline.
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| A potent yet archaic engine. |
A few staffers complained about the heavy clutch pedal as well as the shift lever's lack of precision, but 0 to 100 km/h dashes take about 6 seconds nonetheless. The Mustang GT is so much fun to drive, and we're always gunning it just to hear that engine roaring.
Fuel consumption is always something you have to keep an eye on in a Mustang, even those with V6 engines. In our case, the average of 13.9 L/100 km is reasonable. With the pedal to the metal, though, the average will easily climb to 16 or 17 litres.
And unlike the musclecars of the '60s, this Mustang has handling that matches its straight-line performance. In fact, I'd even go to say that it's much better than in Mustangs of just 10 years ago.
The lack of refinement: it doesn't sell, but...
After only a few minutes aboard the Mustang, and particularly in the convertible, you'll get the feeling that this is the least-refined car on the market. While we're driving, the shift lever makes noise while vibrating; the top lets in a lot of wind noise; there are squeaks everywhere in the cockpit; we hear the suspension pounding at each pothole; and something's rattling inside the passenger door.
The instrument panel is assembled with a lot of plastic. In addition, the top locks in place with two handles that must be twisted; with metal-against-metal grinding, they're hard to close for certain people. At every bump, you can feel the car bending, as if Ford didn't initially design the car to be a convertible. At least the Mustang's top didn't leak during a trip in the automatic car wash.
In short, the car has an obvious lack of refinement. It's noisy, the suspension hits hard on the road, and we're constantly hearing dashboard buzzing inside. Those who step out of a good Japanese car and climb up the Mustang might be shocked at the striking difference.
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| It may be beautiful, but the interior build quality is not up to par. |