Ford Mustang GT 2016 new convertible review
The Ford Mustang GT has always been a greater car than the sum of its parts.
The Ford Mustang GT has always been a greater car than the sum of its parts. This particular Ford model always seems to capture people’s hearts and minds.
Perhaps it’s the fact that Mustang’s lineage goes back to 1964, perhaps there’s a romanticism that I don’t understand, or perhaps it’s the reinterpretation of the classic muscle car that marries safety, technology and design cues harmoniously.
I lost count of the number of people who smiled, gave me the thumbs up, or yelled out “nice car mate” as I meandered around the streets of Auckland, seemingly minding my own business.
And that was with the roof up as well as down. Go figure.
American muscle
Real Mustangs have a V8 engine. Yes, I know that during the car’s 50-year production history it had a turbocharged four-cylinder under the bonnet before, and yes, the new 2.3-litre Ecoboost four-pot is a great engine that can have the wick turned up from mild to stupidly mental, but it’s not a V8.
There’s no substitute for cubic-inches in a Muscle car born in the USA as they say, and the Mustang stays true to its heritage.
The 5-litre Coyote V8 puts out 306kW of engine power and 530Nm of torque, and while this may not be as feral as the high-performance Australia Fords and Holdens, the Mustang GT is never lacking for on-tap power.
That power is fed to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission which has an engaging sport mode and will shift down on a trailing throttle while the driver brakes for a corner unless they have already overridden the transmission by pulling back a gear manually using the flappy paddles.
Say what?
That delicious V8 rumble inside the cabin is being fed to your ears through a speaker. Yes folks, thanks to drive-by noise regulations, Ford has engineered a mechanical sound generator under the bonnet to help create the muscle car sound that Mustang customers expect.
Despite the under bonnet trickery, the V8 sound is an important part of the Mustang GT package and it doesn’t fail to deliver, even at low speeds when seeking out a parking space in the downtown car park building.
Giving it a squirt in the nearest motorway tunnel also brings a smile to your dial.
Pony tail
Unlike classic Mustangs the 2016 Ford Mustang GT has a unique trick in its arsenal, and I’m not talking about the selectable drive modes, but thanks to an independent rear suspension package, the GT will track nicely around a corner.
There are several driving modes including normal, sport+, racetrack and snow, which are all quite self-explanatory, and the transmission lever also offers an S model that is independent of them.
Beware though, Ford engineers haven’t completely dialled out the Mustang’s ability to wag its tail should you boot the throttle too firmly when exiting a corner or accelerating away from rest on a wet road.
It’s a subtle reminder that this is still a car that deserves respect for its power and performance and that behaving like hoon behind the wheel will come back and bite you on the bum.
Nimble, and responsive to steering inputs are normally phrases heard in the USA muscle car lexicon, but the Mustang GT does provide good fun with a bit of effort from a skilled yet sympathetic driver.
American beauty
Beauty is often skin deep, and the cabin of the Mustang GT convertible betrays its mass-market origin with some hard to touch plastics and an iffy fitting glove box, but in fairness, it’s not badly put together and ventilated and heated leather pews for driver and front passenger are comfortable for long periods of driving.
The toggle switches are a nice touch and work well, and the touch of alloy and chrome around the dashboard and door cards add to unique Mustang ambiance, but the rest of the switchgear is straight out of the Ford parts’ bin, but at least the wiper and indicator stalks are set up for right-hand drive markets.
Some minor niggles, well, the handbrake hasn't changed over for right-hand drive, and despite Ford’s insistence that the coupe and convertible body architecture were developed together, the convertible does suffer from somebody flex, particularly over rough road surfaces, most notably when the soft top is down.
Conclusion
If you are expecting European levels of fit and finish in this car, as well as razor-sharp handling and performance, then it’s not for you.
Most owners will look past the lesser quality plastics, and the ill-fitting glove box, because these are part of the charm of owning a proper muscle car from the US of A, and better yet, it’s now available in factory-built right-hand drive, with a warranty from your nearest Ford dealer.
Price: $82,990
Note: This was reviewed as a new vehicle.
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