27 September 2024

Ford Mustang lives on with V8 power

29 September 2024 | Paul Gover

The latest Mustang is also sharper in the exterior styling, has new-age lights at both ends, and reflects modern thinking. Photo: Supplied.

Anyone checking the new-car sales totals for the past six months could have concluded that the Ford Mustang was dead.

The numbers were close to zero, despite an obvious appetite in Australia for the old-school American muscle car.

But the story was really about the Mustang’s popularity in the USA and the delay in starting production with the steering wheel on the right-hand side.

Ford Australia had banked 3000 preorders for the 2024 Mustang and they are now being filled with a car which is into its seventh generation but still with all the hallmarks of the original ’Stang from the 1960s.

There is a V8 engine, manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive and a focus on driving enjoyment – including a ‘drift’ mode for sideways skids on closed roads.

The latest Mustang is also sharper in the exterior styling, has new-age lights at both ends, and reflects modern thinking – and needs – in the cabin. The giant digital display screen proves it.

It’s barely relevant, since all 1000 cars for Australia were presold, but there is also a hero Mustang called the Dark Horse with 350 kW of V8 power and gearing to maximise its sprinting ability.

Ford still offers a four-cylinder ‘Ecoboost’ Mustang. Photo: Supplied.

At the bottom end, and despite sales of less than 15 per cent, Ford has held onto a four-cylinder ‘Ecoboost’ Mustang model with a turbocharged engine and a $66,990 starting price. It’s a nice car and nicely balanced, with an upgraded engine that makes 232 kW and 475 Nm of torque, but the real focus on Mustang land is still on the V8.

Ford claims 345 kW/550 Nm for the V8, which is available with a 10-speed automatic or a six-speed manual shift. Those numbers are far too close to the Dark Horse, but Ford says the lack of punch from the headliner is down to losses from the exhaust system on the right-hand drive model.

Numbers mean a lot to Mustang buyers but it’s the drive which is most important.

The new ’Stang feels a little more compliant in the ride, still grips wonderfully in corners, and provides the feedback you only get in a car developed for sporty driving.

The Ecoboost turbo is surprisingly swift and has a big economy advantage (9.4 against 12.8-13.6 litres/100 km) but misses the big kick which comes from the V8.

To allow a full exploration of the top-end ability of the Mustang, including the Dark Horse, Ford Australia took the seven-generation ’Stangs to The Bend racetrack outside Adelaide. There was a windy country road first, which highlighted the improvements in the cabin layout – but not the backseat space or missing amenities – as well as the car’s ability to provide a relaxing touring package.

Take a look inside the new Ford Mustang. Photo: Supplied.

On the track, the V8s could do their thing – burbling and thundering – and the Dark Horse showed how shorter gearing and great brakes make it a real hotrod for track-day play.

The ‘regular’ V8s, both manual and auto, are impressively quick and responsive. As you would expect.

They also have strong braking and grippy rubber, which means a considerable safety margin for brisk driving on public roads.

There was a time when the Mustang felt old and outdated, more like a two-door Falcon than a proper ‘pony’ car, but those days are gone. Now it has become a driving car with plenty of old-school appeal but the modern updates to keep new-age buyers happy.