COTY
Gallery 1
Cool ride; doesn’t get to saddle up for round two.
AUSTRALIA has so much residual love for the Ford Mustang that this ballsy two-door coupe/convertible was never going to fail in our market. Not at prices beginning in the mid-40s for a manual Ecoboost Fastback and stretching to a still-modest $66K for the flagship V8 rag-top. Nothing can match the traffic-stopping wow factor of a new Mustang for anything close to its price.
That’s a huge part of this car’s appeal – its egalitarian pricing strategy, hence why it’s been such a massive sales hit (see sidebar) – but there’s also an unexpected serving of substance to accompany the Mustang’s retro-modern styling. And as last year’s winner (the Mazda MX-5) proved, there’s nothing stopping a sports car from claiming a Car of the Year award.
There’s some cringeworthy heritage like ‘Ground Speed’ emblazoned in the over-crowded instrument dials (with mph as well as km/h markings), and some ironic heritage, too, like the protruding structural lumps of the convertible’s roof frame harking back to the Model T. But the new Mustang is such a likeable beast – even the Ecoboost auto convertible – that many of those issues can be overlooked in the real world … just not Car of the Year.
The driver’s Mustang is clearly the V8 manual Fastback. On the dirt handling circuit at You Yangs, it was an absolute riot (because dirt drifting is so important to Mustang owners…), combining innate chassis purchase with progressive dynamic response and great brakes. It continued this precise, poised, grip-laden display on bitumen, though wet-surface braking isn’t the Mustang’s forte, and it fails to build on the safety score of dual front knee airbags with any driver-assist technology.
SPECS
BODY Type: 2-door coupe, 2+2 seats Boot capacity: 324 – 383 litres Weight: 1664 – 1811kg
DRIVETRAIN Layout: front engine (north-south), RWD Engines: 2261cc 4cyl turbo (233kW/432Nm); 4951cc V8 (306kW/530Nm) Transmissions: 6-speed manual; 6-speed automatic
CHASSIS Tyres: 255/40R19 – 275/40R19 ADR81 fuel consumption: 8.5 – 13.1L/100km CO2 emissions: 199 – 306g/km Collision mitigation: No Crash rating: 5-star (US NHTSA) Prices: $45,990 – $66,490
