Every petrolhead in India has, at some point or the other, dreamt of owning a muscle car. And the Ford Mustang has forever been the poster boy of good old American muscle. In production since 1965, the Mustang has galloped along for 60 years and is in its sixth generation now.
For the sixth generation model, Ford has pulled all stops to finally make it a global car with the introduction of right hand drive and this bodes well with petrolhead in our country. Last year, the American major had announced that it would launch four new products in India for 2015. With three of them already launched, speculation is rife that Ford may bring in the latest Mustang has a halo product to boost the manufacturers image and get petrolheads behind the wheel of the Blue Oval again.
The 5.0 litre V8 makes 428bhp and 420Nm of torque
The 3.7 litre V6 develops less power than the EcoBoost motor may not make it to our shores
Talking of muscle, the US version of the Mustang is available with a V6, a 5.0 litre V8 and a 2.3 litre EcoBoost. Yes, you read that right - a turbocharged four cylinder. At this point you might think Ford has lost its plot. But no, the four cylinder motor is a stonker. The twin-scroll turbocharged in-line four develops more power (310bhp vs 300 bhp) and more torque (320Nm @ 3000 rpm vs 280Nm @ 4000 rpm) than the 3.7 litre V6. The V6, clearly, is unlikely to make it to our shores. But the showstopper unquestionably is the 5.0 litre V8, carried over from the previous generation, which produces 418 horsepower and 420Nm of torque. In India, we expect the EcoBoost to pull in the numbers for Ford dealerships.
For the first time ever, the Ford Mustang gets independent rear suspension. This is bound to make the car better on both road and track. Photo courtesy: caranddriver.com
Muscle cars are never known to be good handlers. But that is set to change with the all-new Mustang. Ford’s R&D team has invested a lot of time and money in honing the new Mustang. The major news is that the pony car, for the first time ever, gets an independent rear suspension. Gasp!
Ford claims it’s the best chassis they have ever produced anywhere in the world. Ford says the chassis will go up against the best from anywhere in the world and give them a good run for the money. Reviews abroad suggest the EcoBoost equipped car to be the best handler of the lot thanks to its lighter weight and even spread of torque. Ford will offer a six-speed manual as well as a six-speed auto across variants. But India may get only the auto box which is disappointing.
The design of the new Mustang is traditional yet modern. The front is dominated by the large hood with vertical vents. The grille features the iconic galloping horse facing the left and overall it is in sync with Ford’s Kinetic design language. The three vertical slats or shark fins have evolved into daytime running lights integrated into the headlamp unit which features powerful xenon lamps with washers. The silhouette of the car remains true to the original and will be easily recognised as a Mustang even from a distance. The fastback version has a sloping roof which ends in a short boot. At the rear, the Mustang continues with the three-slat tail lamp design and dual exhaust tips. Overall, the Mustang looks sleeker and more muscular than the last version and it will turn heads anywhere it goes.
On the inside, Ford has taken as aeronautical approach to the all controls. So there are dollops of brushed aluminium on the dashboard along with bright alloy toggle switches for various functions. The Mustang also comes with Ford’s revised Sync system with better voice recognition technology.
The Mustang is 2+2 coupe, so don’t expect it to be spacious like a German saloon. The front seats offer lots of support and the seat bolsters hold you in place when you are wringing the throttle to the redline and doing donuts. The seats in the back are big enough to carry smaller adults or kids. The boot is big enough to carry enough stuff for four people.
The new Ford Mustang will be imported to India through CBU route. So expect pricing to be on the north side of Rs 50 lakhs. Petrolheads in the country have never had it better. The Mustang, like all good muscle cars, will is bang for your buck with it’s spirited performance and improved and modern dynamics. We expect the pony car to set cash registers ringing for Ford when launched.
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