The all-American ride

There are very few cars that can wear the ‘American Icon’ badge with as much pride as the Mustang. Definitely eye-catching, the car has a throaty sound and is great fun behind the wheel. The Mustang has been all this for decades. Now in its 50th year of continuous production, manufactured for the first time as a right-hand drive (RHD), the car is now available in India.

America’s sweetheart

The Ford Mustang has long been known for its five-litre V8 engine, and ‘Mustang’ and ‘V8’ are two American words that belong to each other in the same way as ‘mac-and-cheese’. This is the car that Ford has just brought to India.

Since the Mustang has been in existence for over half a century now, the model that has arrived on our shores has got a lot from the retro gene pool with its classic long nose, short deck proportions and the characteristic crease that connects the front and rear-wheel arches. It took 50 years for Mustang to make a right-hand drive (RHD) version because the Pony car will only now be sold in RHD countries like Australia, the UK and, of course, India.

There is also another first: the independent rear suspension that replaces the solid rear axle. One can only guess that while this wouldn’t make much of a difference on the generally arrow-straight roads in the US, it would mean staying on the road, rather than flying off it, on the twisty roads in the Himalayas or Wales, for example.

Sheer horsepower You do need every bit of handling capability and electronic aids like traction control because of the rampant power that the V8 (almost 400 bhp) pumps out along with the massive thrust of torque (515 Nm) this car can get as frenzied as a maniacal race horse. Yet, for when you want to pit your driving prowess against the ‘Coyote’ as the all-new aluminium V8 of the Mustang has been tagged, there are switches that will let you choose Normal, Spot+ or Track modes.

In previous models, changing modes would do little more than just firming up the steering wheel. The new mode selector changes a plethora of functions within the Mustang, including steering feedback, throttle mapping, shift points, plus traction and stability control sensitivity. The Track mode fully disables traction control but retains a stability control programme. In addition to this there are three modes for steering feedback too — Normal, Sport and Comfort.

Bang for your buck Want a real challenge? Drive up to Ooty on the Maisinagudi road with the car in Track mode. It is scary but also exciting. However, with the electronic aids on and in Sports+ mode, it is also sensational through the corners. While the electronics will catch and correct most overambitious cornering manoeuvres it does throw its tail out — inevitable with all that massive power — before the electronics catches it and brings it back to heel. The chassis, which is 28 per cent more twist resistant than the previous generation, definitely helps. With a price tag of ₹65 lakh you would expect a sophisticated cabin, or cockpit as Ford prefers to call it. Indeed, the speedometer is labelled ‘Ground Speed’ with 120 kmph at less than the halfway mark.

It is also stuffed to the gills with equipment — Bluetooth, touchscreen multimedia, two-zone climate control, SATNAV, reversing camera and even ventilation for the front and rear seats. But the rear seats are only good enough to seat children.

You also get a fair amount of bling. Like holographic projections of the logo from under the outdoor rearview mirrors, in car and dial illumination that can be set to various colours and an electronic Line-Lock feature that brakes the front wheels so that you can spin the rear wheels on the spot.

The other Mustang There is certainly an emotional connect driving this car with its V8 engine and loud exhaust roar and the sledgehammer-like rear wheel torque that propels it forward. And the very name, V8, screams power and speed. This is probably the challenge that the Mustang with the 2.4 litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine has to face. Although not available in India yet, a Mustang with this engine will certainly be scoffed by purists who keep chanting the ‘there is no replacement for displacement’ mantra.

But honestly, when I spent a week last year with the EcoBoost engined Mustang all over Northern California and Oregon, I found it to be a potent and exciting sports tourer, never mind that behind the headlights sat an engine with four cylinders arranged in-line. It is a car that goes into the ring as a scrawny boxer who may not win the bout, but he will certainly bloody the nose of the established heavyweight.

Even with the gentlest foot on the accelerator the V8 Mustang will rarely return more than 8 or 9 kmpl. But with a rampant foot on the throttle, the EcoBoost returned a respectable and pocket friendly 10.4 kmpl. Which again tells us how much more the EcoBoost can do even though it is less than half the cubic capacity.

Even though the car makes you go through a lot of trouble, ultimately the Mustang is a car that you buy with your heart not your head, and your heart will always beat for the V8.

Rishad Mehtais a travel writer and author of Fast Cars & Fidgety Feet

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