Launched in Europe and the US last year in left-hand drive guise to mark its 50th anniversary, the latest Mustang was an immediate hit and so popular that it became the world's best-selling sports car within the first six months of 2015. To date only a handful of right-hand drive models have been built at Ford's assembly plant in Michigan, USA and probably because the local waiting list of wanna-be Mustang owners is growing almost daily, we received the first batch of the new Mustangs.
I was one of the few motoring scribes to be amongst the first to drive the new Mustang on local soil and in twenty years of driving the latest fancy cars I have not yet piloted a car around the Cape Peninsula that has drawn as much admiring attention, thumbs-up signs and photo grabs as this legendary car, made famous by numerous movies starring famous actors (remember Steven McQueen in Bullitt?) and pop songs such as "Mustang Sally", also recorded by various top artists.
The full Mustang range (when the delivery is complete) will be made up of six models with the choice of two engines, manual or automatic transmissions and in Fastback and Convertible styles - and the biggest surprise is that the initial pricing starts as low as R699,900 and tops out at R899,900 which is way below what we expected it to be, considering that South Africa's current top-selling sports car, the Jaguar F-Type starts at R924,205 and tops out at more than R1.7m!
(In fairness though, the Jaguar's power and performance figures are considerably better than that of the Mustang - and it is historically linked to another icon, the tremendously popular E-Type Jaguar. The Mustang V8 produces 306kW and 530Nm and does the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.8 sec, compared to the Jaguar F-Type's 405kW and 680Nm and slower drag time, except for the top two models that clock 4.1 sec and 4.2 sec for the dash).
Being a two-door, four-seater, sportscar and being pitched as an easy-to-drive daily commuter and lifestyle vehicle, it will probably compete more directly with the three-strong German gang, rather than the Jaguar - and that is a tough enough task because BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz have a huge, firmly entrenched following in this country because of their quality finish, long history, and upmarket status.
But then the Mustang rides a rather special sentimental wave and although it doesn't really match the Germans' impressive fancy kit, it does have number of appealing features of its own, including a special Track App with accelerometer, acceleration timer and brake performance; ABS with electronic brake-force distribution, electronic stability and traction control, hill launch assist, a host of airbags, rear park camera assist, dual temperature control touchscreen, Bluetooth and Voice Control, AUX slot, SD card, two USB ports and stunning nine-speaker sound system with radio/CD which means you can slot in any version you like of "Mustang Sally" and play it at maximum volume as a tribute to the original writer and singer Mick Rice way back in 1965 (but really shot to the top of the pops in 1966 when it was belted out by Wilson Pickett and revived by a few others, including Tom Jones.)
The entire range also comes standard with a performance-boosting Performance Pack (too detailed to talk about here), plus Selectable Drive Mode and toggle switches to change the car's settings from standard to race track format and to adjust the engine response, transmission and electronic stability settings as required.
I really liked the shiny set of aluminium toggle switches that brings back memories of the older models.
At the local media introduction I drove the five-litre GT Fastback hard-top with automatic transmission as well as the 2.3-litre Eco Fastback, also in hard-top styling and with automatic transmission.
Being a hardcore V8 fan from way back to the roaring sixties when muscular Yank-tanks were the cars of our teenage dreams, it took me just a few rapid pull-offs and a short burst of foot-flat to become totally bewitched by the thundering 5.0-litre's awesome power punch and I would personally happily fork out the R120,000 or so difference between the prices of the Big Daddy and the smaller-engined Mustang.
The big and heavier V8 does make its weight felt through the twisties, although it retains its composure and is a relatively easy beast to control, even when being whipped. With an almost 50-50 weight split, both versions feel rock solid, even when being driven hard, and the steering is direct and superbly weighted and matches the car's character, even though it is still a few notches below the finesse of the three Germans.
That goes for the smaller-engined version as well which certainly impressed with its eagerness off the mark, predictable handling and the way its rubber sticks to the tarmac. With 223kW and 440Nk on call, the 2.3-engine is certainly no slouch. It also glugs much less of the expensive forecourt juice that sports cars love to consume in copious quantities (Ford claims 8.2l/100km vs the V8's 13.6l/100km).
The two different engine variants share the same body styling, both in fastback and convertible models, and are instantly recognisable as a "Pony Car" by its low, wide, long and sculpted hood, sloping windshield and short tail-end.
Compared to other sports cars of this calibre, it also has a surprisingly generous large boot. The living quarters are fairly confined but not unpleasantly so and it can accommodate two rear seat travellers even though the space is not exactly generous and definitely not designed for comfort, long legs or long distance travel.
The cockpit, in certain ways, reminds one of simple but effective design of the WW2 Mustang Fighter. The Mustang car range also has another key similarity - a choice of two engines: the original US developed Mustang Fighter was fitted with an Allison V-1710 engine (the 2.3 Mustang car) and the more powerful and louder Rolls-Royce Merlin engine fitted to an upgraded version called the P-51B (which could be the today's Mustang V8 version!).
I love both versions of the four-wheeled Mustang and everything about it - it certainly is one of the biggest smile-on-my-dial cars I have driven in the past 20 years!
The only sad thing about this sexy beast is the long waiting list, with prospective buyers having to consider delivery dates in years rather than months, although prospective buyers can jump up on the waiting list by entering a "Mustang Lottery". For more info, go to www.ford.co.za/cars/newmustang/lottery.
The full Mustang range is made up of three 2.3-litre models and three 5.0-litre V8 models, both engines available in hard top or fold-flat body styles, varying in price from R613,947 to R789,386 (at the current Rand exchange rate, but the way our economy and monopoly money status is going, it will probably have gone up by quite a leap in price come delivery time).
