The new Mustang fronts up with a much stiffer body structure, which should reap handling as well as safety benefits. So while this car looks very 1960s, its crash performance should be at least as good as the contemporary competition.
The new more powerful 4.0-litre base V6 engine replaces the outgoing 3.8-litre, and it develops 202bhp at 5250rpm and 235lb ft at 3500rpm. This should give the Ford a solid turn of speed, but for the full-house Mustang experience the three-valve 300bhp 4.6-litre V8 option is the one to go for. It produces maximum power at a revvy 6000rpm, and twists out 315lb ft of torque at 4500rpm. Ford has avoided publishing performance figures, but 4CAR reckons that the V8 should hit 60mph in not much more than six seconds. And we're willing to bet that it will sound absolutely wonderful while doing so.
Which brings us to the solid rear axle. Ford says that its customers are nearly twice as brand-loyal as the average buyer, and that it had to listen when they demanded that set-up. It's an argument that bears scrutiny - Mustangs have always been about straight-line performance as opposed to handling delicacy and as solid axles go, it's a pretty sophisticated three-link arrangement with a Panhard rod for extra lateral stiffness. As the company's own literature points out, the axle has been designed to 'prevent unwanted axle hop to ensure skip-free launches during smoky burnouts'. Can you imagine BMW using such language with its customer base? At the front, the Mustang deploys the more conventional independent suspension with MacPherson struts, and there are anti-roll bars front and rear.
 |
The Mustang comes standard with a Tremec five-speed manual gearbox, uprated for V8 models. And for the first time ever, Mustangs can also be specified with a five-speed automatic transmission. It's the same butter-smooth, responsive 'box as that used in the Lincoln LS and previous Ford Thunderbird.
As befits its muscle car aspirations, the Mustang comes with the strongest-ever brakes fitted to a Ford pony car, 293mm front and 300mm rear ventilated discs on the base model, 316mm and 300mm respectively for the V8.
And the Mustang's safety measures are equally robust, with dual-stage front airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, anti-lock brakes and traction control. That last feature can be turned off for, to quote Ford, 'smoky burnouts at the drag strip'. More of those, then.
