Ford Introduces the Brand New Mustang
Automologist MAC cheers on big power.
Not for the hemp-trouser-wearing brigade.
The Mustang, that iconic piece of Americana that was finally unleashed on the rest of the world just a few short years ago, has been updated and released on an unsuspecting public at what can only be described as an interesting time for cars.
Expensive fuel, constant propaganda on the need for EVs, governments trying to squash all things fossil-fuelled…so has the new Mustang been downsized to the realms of being sensible, given a hybrid version or bastardized in some other way? Not on your nelly! Not only has it retained a 5-litre V-8, but they have also given it more power than ever! Applaud now that is what I say.
Ford CEO, Jim Farley, went on to say “an investment in the next generation of Mustang is a big statement at a time when many of our competitors are exiting the business of internal combustion engines”.
There is the Mustang Mach-E, an all-electric mess of a cross-over vehicle, but to be a true Mustang, Ford is clearly saying that the venerable steed can only really be powered by burning petrol. Thankfully, unlike a number of other Americaland manufacturers, Ford is not ready to put the Mustang out to pasture just yet.
Under the bonnet, there are two choices of powertrain: you can still get the 2.3-litre Eco-Boost four-cylinder turbo or better still, the 5-litre Coyote V8. What you are not going to find is any form of hybridisation or battery power. The press release claims both the powertrains are new but to this writer, updated would be a better description, but that doesn’t make me love them any the less. Any of you who think the 2.3-litre version to be under-powered may have to consider that there are already tuners out there who can coax over 500bhp out of it, but for me, the throaty V8 would always be the way to go.
Both power units come with six-speed manual or ten-speed auto transmissions, though a 5-litre V8 with an autobox is something like driver heresy, I think, and certainly if your intent is hooliganism. And I say that not lightly for there is an option for a Performance Electronic Parking Brake, which is basically a big handle like the old mechanical ones that I grew up with that allows you to drift…can’t wait!
Now, let’s get onto the optional extras. This list is longer than a buffet line at an all-night casino in Las Vegas. There seems to be a standard options pack and Mustang design series, so if you like fiddling and twiddling and generally playing with switches, this has to be the car for you. All of this at a time when big power and optional extras seem to have fallen out of favour with so many manufacturers and yet Ford will deliver, and all I can say is “Bravo!”
Who could say no?
