It's amazing the way this Ford Mustang GT V8 Fastback catches attention. Everyone looks at him, some point with their finger and I can read on their lips “Look! A Mustang!…” Others take their smartphones to photograph or videograph it and the more knowledgeable ones, keep their ears alert at the start of the traffic lights to say: “and this is the V8!…”
The “Orange Fury” that he paints is just the poster that presents him, the style is a hymn to the past, without being a nostalgic imitation. There are all the tics of the original, such as the long, flat bonnet, the vertical grille with the galloping horse, the fastback tilt of the rear window and even the taillights divided into three vertical segments.
It couldn't be anything but a Mustang, so everyone recognizes it.
But it's not a car with basic, old-fashioned mechanics, as it was until a few years ago. This generation of Mustang has updated itself and now received some improvements, which are told in a nutshell. The bumpers were redesigned and the bonnet lost those two ribs which, seen from the inside, looked a little artificial.
The suspension was reinforced in its struts and stabilizer bars, but received magnetic adjustable shock absorbers. The V8 engine was recalibrated to reduce emissions and gained 29 hp along the way, now making 450 hp , a nice round number.
One touch of the button that throbs in red at the base of the console and the V8 wakes up with a very bad temper.
Driving modes are now Snow/Normal/Drag/Sport+/Track/My Mode, with Drag serving to “optimize track starts” and My Mode allowing you to customize some choices. There is always a separate knob to adjust the steering assistance and another to turn the ESC off or put it in an intermediate position. Plus, there's still Launch Control — does 0-100 km/h in 4.3s , if the driver makes the passages well — and the Line Lock, which locks the front wheels to burn out the rear and increase the tire count. The sports exhaust now also has a silent mode, so as not to disturb the neighbours.
worse than the fiesta
Recaro seats provide the first sensation on board, with good lateral support but more comfort than you might expect. The 12” instrument panel is digital and configurable in a variety of looks, from the classic to the most extreme, including one with shift-lights. Several indicators of engine functioning or dynamics can be called, which are difficult to consult while driving, despite the numbers and letters being quite large. Ford knows the age and eyesight of Mustang customers…
The steering wheel has a large rim and wide adjustments: anyone who wants to can tune into an old-fashioned position, with the steering wheel close to the chest and legs bent. Or choose a more modern and efficient attitude, with the short six-handed gearshift lever fitting perfectly into your right hand. The seat is not too low and visibility is good all around. In the back, there are two seats that adults can take if they're flexible and really want to take a ride in the Mustang. The kids don't complain either… a lot.
It's not difficult to find a good driving position
Looking around, you can see that the materials that make up the Mustang's interior are at their usual level, which is below the new Fiesta . But that has to be understood, looking at the price of this version in the US, which is 35,550 dollars, half of what a BMW M4 costs there. Here, taxes exceed the base price: 40 765 euros for finance and 36 268 euros for Ford.
moments that stay
Living with the Mustang is made up of memorable moments. First the style, then the position behind the wheel, then turn on the V8 . One touch of the button that throbs in red at the base of the console and the V8 wakes up with a very bad temper. The sound emitted by the sports exhaust is real music, for those who love cars and for those who are not used to this style of sound, blared by eight cylinders. At start-up, the exhaust goes straight to the maximum volume setting: in a garage, it puffs up your ears and makes your neurons dance. After a few seconds, it lowers the volume and stabilizes in that typical American V8 gargle. Ford has a sense of the spectacle, that's for sure.
This unit did not have the new ten-speed automatic transmission, but the retouched six manual , with "stick" as the Americans say. The double-disc clutch requires some force, the lever some decision, and the steering with large movements to get the Mustang out of the garage and up the snail ramp. It's wide, long and the turning radius isn't made for it.
Outside, on the bumpy streets, it starts by pleasing for its comfort, compared to what is expected from a sports car of this caliber. The controls seem to get softer once they heat up a little, but the length of the front always imposes extra caution.
I'm looking for a “highway” thinking that it will be more at home, and it does. The bodywork has fewer parasitic oscillations than in the previous iteration, it no longer wobbles over imperfections in the floor as if it had a rigid axle at the back. The engine purrs in sixth, at legal speeds, the steering doesn't ask for a firm grip to keep the course and it's not difficult to fix the average consumptions at around 9.0 l, in this long journey pace. Only, having no long drive ahead and being surrounded by cars that get as close as they can to see the Mustang up close, I decide I'm done with it and head for a good back road.
(...) with some practice, it's perfectly possible to bend almost as much with the throttle than with the steering,
an engine with soul
A good straight, second gear and engine almost “knocking valves”, I accelerate to full from practically stopped, to see what this atmospheric V8 has to give. Below 2000 rpm, there's not much, even in Track mode. Then it does the minimum and starts to attract attention around 3000 rpm, with such gargling that delights the ears. At 5500 rpm it radically changes its tone, becoming much more metallic and machine-gunned, like a racing V8, light and ready to devour 7000 rpm.This dual personality is what makes the magic of good atmospheric engines and that a turbo engine can hardly imitate. But it's also proof that this V8 is a beautiful piece of modern engineering. : all-aluminum, with direct and indirect injection, dual-phase variable speed drive and two camshafts per cylinder bank, each with four valves. Do you spend a lot? to walk moderately, it is possible to stay at 12 l/100 km , charging more, he rang the thirty several times, because he doesn't score anymore. But, there it is, as you don't have a turbocharger sucking in gasoline all the time, it's possible to spend little if you go slowly.
But what about that secondary road?
I guarantee it has curves that really show what a sports car is worth and it was perfect to characterize this Mustang GT V8 Fastback. I start at the front. The steering requires wide movements and, just because of that, it loses a little accuracy, nothing to worry about, not least because, in Track mode, the suspension controls the parasitic movements well and keeps the Mustang stable.
The front withstands cornering understeer well and the effort is well distributed across the four Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. This, if guided at high ratios, which the 529 Nm of maximum torque at 4600 rpm can withstand effortlessly. At the exit, traction is very good and the attitude is quite neutral, unless it is a long corner, in which case, at some point, the inertia will get the better of you and will cause the rear to slip naturally. There is no need to lift your foot, just loosen the grip on the steering wheel a little and continue.
the split personality
The second personality of the engine is also found in the dynamics. Keeping Track mode (My Mode isn't necessary, as steering assistance doesn't change much) and ESC off, but choosing shorter gear ratios to exploit 450 hp at 7000 rpm, Mustang is clearly more oversteer.
It becomes possible to put the rear in drift very early and with an angle that is easy to stabilize , more than in the previous model, due to the firmer struts of the rear suspension. The long-stroke accelerator is, at these times, an ally to dose the drift perfectly; and the autoblock generates the grip very well. Of course it would be better to have a faster drive, but it's not a drama. After all, with some practice, it's perfectly possible to bend almost as much with the throttle than with the steering, with the V8 screaming in a less American, more European way, but that gets in the way.
Until there is gas in the tank, the difficult thing is to stop. But at these rates, it doesn't take long to go to the pump. Fortunately, for now, this resolves in three minutes rather than half an hour, as in the electric cars that are said to threaten the old “divas” like this Mustang V8.
Conclusion
I imagine a Porsche engineer testing the Mustang and laughing at the “inaccuracy” of the controls and the less “rigorous” dynamics. But in the next seat, I see his marketing buddy scratching his head and wondering how Mustang is currently outselling the 911.
I dare give you an explanation: the Mustang V8 is not made to beat the Nürburgring record, it is not to make the fastest lap. It's to make the ride the most fun, the most involving, the one that pulls the most on the driver, in short, the most memorable. Simple, genuine sensations, just like the Mustang itself. The actor with the best diction is not always the most charismatic
