Telegraph (UK) Review: GT & Ecoboost

They played Bullitt on the plane to the Los Angeles launch of the new Ford Mustang, Peter Yates’s achingly stylish mess of continuity errors and flying hub caps, where the cars get longer scripts than the actors and Steve McQueen eyebrows have their own credits. It’s a love letter to McQueen and the ’68 Fastback Mustang and that iconic chase scene is still a cinematic spine shiver.

It’s also one of the problems of road testing a ’stang. Well that and the 50 or so songs that name check Ford’s pony car, the 1965 film of Martha (Reeves) and the Vandellas singing Nowhere To Run on the old River Rouge Mustang assembly line, the owners’ clubs, the internet sites, the Facebook pages and the miasma of a half-century American love story. The US Navy even had a recruitment advert that ran: "The Beach Boys. Apple pie. The ’67 Mustang. Three things worth fighting for..."

Launched in April 1964 for around $2,500, the Mustang was the world’s fastest-ever selling car - Ford shifted 700,000 in the first nine months. So great was the launch excitement that demand exceeded supply by 15:1 and in 50 years, over 9.2 million Mustangs have been sold. By using very ordinary chassis parts from the Falcon and Fairlane saloons, covered with muscular sheet metal, Ford spawned a new sort of cheap sports coupé, aimed at post-war baby boomers.

Yet most Mustangs were pretty terrible to drive; blame rudimentary suspension and heavy iron V8s. They were quick and cheap and that was the main point about Ford’s blue collar super car. And as the years rolled by, Ford milked the Mustang until Lee Iacocca, Ford's general manager at the original launch, said: "our customers abandoned us, because we'd abandoned their car."

Ford reloaded the franchise in 2002 with a brilliant concept car based around the old ’67 Fastback. Unashamedly retro it was nicely engineered by a team under Hau Thai-Tang (the man who put the ‘Tang’ into Mustang), and it was on sale in 2004 in time for the Mustang’s 40th anniversary when 100,000 people and 4,000 Mustangs gathered in Nashville to celebrate the car they fell in love with and most likely in.

America adored the car, sales climbed and even General Motors, after initially heckling from the side lines, was forced to redesign a retro version of its own pony-car rival, the Camaro. But this was a strictly American thing. While the Yanks had their Mustang, we had our Capri and although plenty of Mustangs were imported as left-hand-drive cars, they never looked quite right on British roads. Too big, too clumsy and simplistic, and without the cultural references; when you saw a Mustang, it was a sure sign that line dancing would be taking place somewhere close by.

For the 50th anniversary, however, Ford is bringing the latest Mark VI Mustang to Britain in right-hand drive. It lands next spring, and while prices are approximate, we’re being softened up for a 30-grand Ford here. A Mustang coupé with the 305bhp/300lb ft, 2.3-litre turbo four cylinder and manual six speed gearbox will be just under £30,000. Add £4,000 for the 420bhp/390lb ft 5.0-litre V8, another £4,000 for the cabriolet version and £1,500 for the six-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. Ford wants to sell upwards of 1,500 in the UK and a total of 10,000 Mustangs in Europe as a whole; it’s a modest target.

The suspension has been reworked, with for the first time an independent rear end on a mainstream Mustang, plus the wings and bonnet are aluminium to trim weight. All the European cars come with Ford’s Performance Pack as standard, which includes hepped up suspension, wider wheels and tyres, and selectable responses for the steering, stability control and automatic gearbox (where fitted). In addition, all cars will be supplied with a plate-type limited slip differential and a line lock, which is a method of locking the front brakes to do rear-tyre burn outs.

We picked our test car up on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and of course the Mustang looks great there. It has always walked a fine line between posturing aggression and preposterous pastiche and this one pulls it off cleverly. It’s a big car, but not gargantuan, and the style relieves some of the visual weight. There is a slightly over surfaced quality about the bodywork, however. It’s been designed on the watch of Moray Callum, Ford’s design head, who says the redesign was a massive responsibility, with members of the Ford family arriving unannounced at his office to check on progress.

The interior has been given a much needed upgrade, but while this is an improvement for the Mustang, it still lags behind European class standards. The standard seats aren’t the most comfortable, but the optional Recaros are nicely snug. The driving position is good and there’s plenty of space around the driver and big pedals – you could drive this car in rigger boots. By contrast the rear seats are very cramped and there’s a knack to getting into the back, although the front seats usefully return to their original places when swung back into place.

The dash has the traditional chromium rimmed speedometer and rev counter, but these are no longer marked with radial digits as on original Mustangs. You do get aluminium rotary dials and piano switches which feel well made and work well, and so does the centre touch screen, but the spelled-out graphics can be confusing and it’s difficult to touch them accurately in a bouncing Mustang. Also, the rest of the interior is quite low rent, with scratchy plastics, embossed ersatz stitching, and fit-where-they-touch panels, which is standard fare for a Mustang, but might shock European buyers. The boot is considerably bigger than a Focus’s at 408 litres.

The 5.0-litre V8 is heartland Mustang and fires with a reassuringly bombastic boom. It’s a rework of the previous 302cu in Boss spec mill and does its good work in the mid range, although it will freely rev round the clock, while slurping fuel like a thirsty pachyderm. Raw data is a top speed of 155mph, 0-60mph in 4.4sec and a US Combined consumption of 22.8mpg. The equivalent for the four cylinder is 150mph, 5.4sec and 31.2mpg. So you need to think carefully before pressing the buy button on a V8 Mustang, but it’s a gorgeously charismatic engine.

The transmission is the same Getrag six speed manual for both cars. It’s a heavy ’box, but has well spaced ratios and unobstructed changes. The Torsen differential supplied with US-spec V8 cars meant there was a lot of transmission shunt around town, but European cars should be easier to drive.

Weight and cost play a big part in the handling. Ford has done a great job of taming the V8’s tendency to try to go straight on when it comes to a corner, but this is still a fast, front-heavy 1.7-ton car, suspended on pretty rudimentary dampers. The ride is stiff, and while the Mustang turns into corners pretty well, mid corner bumps have it bouncing uncomfortably.

The steering doesn’t have the exactitude of German or Jaguar rivals, it’s a bit rubbery and numb, but has good linearity and response. Freeing the rear wheels from each other has given the Mustang a new stability and accuracy on undulating roads and the rear wheels now follow the fronts instead of steering themselves. And the grip levels are simply eye popping, especially from the 275/40/19 Pirelli P-Zero tyres on the rear of the V8. The car will drift sideways, but only when you want it to. Stopping is assured with big Brembo anchors on the V8, but they are grabby at all speeds so need a sensitive foot.

By contrast the 1.6-ton, 2.3-litre Ecoboost model feels more wieldy, rides and stops better and turns in with more alacrity. The engine note is artificially enhanced to give a pronounced warble, but it’s not a patch on the V8’s soundtrack. And in the end it isn’t a V8 and that’s what the Mustang is all about.

The Mustang is an American phenomenon, known about and respected in the UK, but like Japanese animation or South African biltong, not totally understood. The new ’stang goes some way to answering the criticisms of the pony car in Britain, but it’s still a simple, raw car, requiring respect, a physical approach to driving and strong shoulders – that’s just how they are.


THE FACTS

Ford Mustang Mk VI

Tested: 4,951cc V8 petrol engine, six-speed manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive

Price/on sale: From just under £30,000 for the base 2.3 Ecoboost four-cylinder. Add £4,000 for a V8, £4,000 for a convertible roof and £1,500 for automatic transmission/early 2015

Power/torque: 420bhp @ 6,500rpm (approx)/390lb ft @ 4,250rpm

Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)

Acceleration: 0-60mph in 4.4sec

Fuel economy: US City 18mpg/Highway 30mpg/Combined 22.8mpg. On test 13.7mpg

CO² emissions: n/a

VED band: n/a

Verdict: Design notwithstanding, this is a great Mustang – but that doesn’t make it a great car. Hired in the States, on the epic mountain passes with the exhaust booming against the rocks, is one thing. A wet November commute into Birmingham is another and if you open up the rivals on narrow, bumpy British roads, the Mustang will wonder where they went.
Telegraph rating: Two stars out of five

THE RIVALS

Audi A5, from £32,865

This is the price for the cheapest A5, but to get on terms with the Mustang you’d need to fork out £42,260 for the Black Edition 242bhp 3.0-litre TDI, with a 155mph top speed, 0-62mph in 5.8sec, 49.6mpg and 149g/km of CO². Peerless cabin, superb build quality, a different league really.

BMW M235i, from £34,260

Ford would rather we mentioned the 4-series, but this is our favourite fast car of the moment and it just about rivals the Mustang in size, while blowing it into a Stetson for pace, interior quality, ride comfort and handling. Expect 155mph, 0-62mph in 5sec, 34.9mpg, and 189g/km of CO².

Nissan 370Z, from £27,015

Bit of a Japanese bruiser with looks that go back to the 240Z. Ride is harsh, the accommodation is compromised and the 323bhp V6 engine is thirsty, with 26.6mpg consumption and 248g/km CO² emissions. Top speed is 155mph, with 0-62mph in 5.3sec.

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Brent302 said:

Wow what a turd. Move along people nothing to see here but an uppity snob

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"Verdict: Design notwithstanding, this is a great Mustang – but that doesn’t make it a great car. Hired in the States, on the epic mountain passes with the exhaust booming against the rocks, is one thing. A wet November commute into Birmingham is another and if you open up the rivals on narrow, bumpy British roads, the Mustang will wonder where they went.
Telegraph rating: Two stars out of five

THE RIVALS

Audi A5, from £32,865

This is the price for the cheapest A5, but to get on terms with the Mustang you’d need to fork out £42,260 for the Black Edition 242bhp 3.0-litre TDI, with a 155mph top speed, 0-62mph in 5.8sec, 49.6mpg and 149g/km of CO². Peerless cabin, superb build quality, a different league really.

BMW M235i, from £34,260

Ford would rather we mentioned the 4-series, but this is our favourite fast car of the moment and it just about rivals the Mustang in size, while blowing it into a Stetson for pace, interior quality, ride comfort and handling. Expect 155mph, 0-62mph in 5sec, 34.9mpg, and 189g/km of CO².

Nissan 370Z, from £27,015

Bit of a Japanese bruiser with looks that go back to the 240Z. Ride is harsh, the accommodation is compromised and the 323bhp V6 engine is thirsty, with 26.6mpg consumption and 248g/km CO² emissions. Top speed is 155mph, with 0-62mph in 5.3sec."

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fionic said:

why are all the 'rivals' MUCH slower cars?

also... STOP GIVING REVIEWERS NON-PP CARS TO TEST

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fionic said:

why are all the 'rivals' MUCH slower cars?

also... STOP GIVING REVIEWERS NON-PP CARS TO TEST

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mikeyw said:

They're comparisons for the EB as well. For the UK there's probably not a lot else they can be compared to. There's not much in the way of performance coupes over here. Anyway, the M235i might be quicker at anything other than a drag race.

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RocketGuy3 said:

I've driven in/ridden in the cars he's comparing it to, and done the same in the 2014 Mustang GT Premium... I really don't see what he thinks is so much better about those, especially considering that the 2015 is supposed to be so much better than the 2014.

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OppoLock said:

Nothing snobby about it to me. Care to point out the snobby bits? It seemed very honest to me, and much more descriptive than a lot of American reviews we've been getting that are largely fact regurgitation and hyperbole.

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