Mid-engined 1,000-plus horsepower hypercars are all the rage right now, but we mustn’t forget the sheer simplicity and brutality of good old muscle cars. And what better way to honour these straight-line heroes than with the most well-known muscle car of them all, the Ford Mustang. The Mustang is over half a century old and in that time, it’s been through six generations and countless updates. With the latest-gen model it’s also the first time that Ford is offering it in right-hand drive configuration, a move that has allowed the brand to sell the car here in India.
The Mustang, then, is quintessentially American (even in RHD form) and a true automotive icon, but you probably knew that already. Nonetheless, here are six things you need to know about the Mustang GT.
There are old-school cues everywhere
The sixth-gen Mustang GT is a result of Ford pulling out all the stops in terms of both aesthetics and dynamics. That said, look closely and you will find quite a few design elements from the previous models. Bits like the long sculpted bonnet, trapezoidal grille, tri-bar taillights and the flared wheel arches have all been a part of the traditional Mustang look.
It’s got Linelock feature that allows burnouts for days
Okay, not that long a burnout given the limited tyre life under all that brute force. The Linelock is probably the coolest feature in the new Mustang GT. What it does is that it holds the front brakes, allowing the driver to make smoky burnouts just by planting the right foot to the floor… easy as that.
It’s available only as a V8 coupe in India
Globally, the latest-gen Mustang is offered in both coupe and convertible form along with a range of engines. The latter includes a 2.3-litre, four-cylinder EcoBoost unit, a bigger 3.5-litre V6 and the full-fat 5-litre naturally aspirated V8. Ford India, meanwhile, is offering the Mustang only as a coupe with the most powerful V8 engine and an automatic gearbox.
India-spec Mustang GT makes less power than standard car
The 5-litre naturally aspirated V8 motor has been detuned for India to produce around 395bhp of power and 515Nm of torque. Now although these are impressive figures for a two-door coupe, what’s odd is that the US-spec Mustang GT puts out 40bhp and 27Nm more with the same engine. This is perhaps down to the less-than-ideal quality of fuel that’s available in India which in turn has urged Ford to detune the engine accordingly.
It comes with sophisticated suspension for the first time
The Mustang isn’t exactly known for its handling prowess. In fact, all the previous generations were arguably crude with their live rear axle set up. The latest-gen Mustang, however, gets a sophisticated independent rear suspension which helps in putting the power down a lot better and adds cornering stability. The India-spec Mustang also comes standard with a limited-slip differential and different driving modes.
It’s the most affordable V8 powered car in India
Ford India has launched the Mustang GT at a rather tempting Rs 65 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). At that price, it’s undoubtedly good value given the amount of heritage it carries and the tyre-shredding V8 grunt.
Click here to read our first drive review of the new Ford Mustang
