The 2017 Ford Mustang GT is the UK’s first convertible variant of this muscle car. Housing a 5-litre V8 engine producing 421bhp, it’s big on performance. Is it too powerful to be an everyday car?
We didn’t always have Ford Mustangs in the UK, and this is the first time we have the convertible coupe on the market. So I was very excited about this opportunity to drive one!
The exterior of the 2017 model is more aggressive than before. Of course, Ford has kept the iconic tribar LED lights (which we all love). They’ve added strong lines, bold new colours, and 19-inch alloy wheels to give this car a strong appearance. You can add an optional rear spoiler too.
This 5.0-litre V8 also has an Active Valve Performance Exhaust. To you and me, that means the back end makes very nice noises as little valves inside the exhaust open and close depending on drive modes. It’s loud enough to make you happy without annoying your neighbours.
Combining 421bhp with rear-wheel drive will always result in a thrilling ride. Launching from 0-62mph in just 4.8 seconds will send adrenaline rushing through you, but you need to wrestle with the rear end while it tries to find grip. It’s fine most of the time, though it should come with a “slippery when wet” warning.
The rear suspension in the new model has been re-designed to help in such conditions. There’s less body roll and more control. It’s much softer now, making it feel more the like the GT car it is, rather than a track car.
Nonetheless, the V8 has a track mode and various other drive modes such as Normal, Sport+, Track and Snow/Wet settings. Regardless of how you drive this car, you’ll be grinning from ear to ear.
You can opt for an automatic gearbox in the ‘stang. It’s a 10-speed transmission that makes your driving around town effortless. A common complaint from owners is that the automatic has a lot of gear changes and can sometimes get confused and cause a lot of wheel spin if it changes at the wrong time.
I prefer the 6-speed manual gearbox with the short-shift gearstick and all the torque that comes with it.
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Ford Mustang GT Interior
The interior of the Mustang is a bit poor. You have soft-touch materials, aluminium finishes, a nostalgic plaque and a wide range of colour packs. Still, you can’t help but notice how much of the interior is plastic and cheap looking.
The light leather seats I had in this model made the inside brighter and feel more spacious, but you only get two seats in the back. That’s fine because it’s a sports car, not a taxi. But with the roof raised, you’ll struggle to sit two adults back there.
One thing that grinds my gears is the cup holders because Ford hasn’t adapted to the right-hand drive setup! The holder is right next to the driver’s seat, so if you put a drink in it, you need to reach over it for your handbrake.
It seems like such an insignificant detail, but it will annoy you when you drive your Mustang daily. My bottle of water got knocked over a lot when changing gears.
Much better designed than the cup holder is the infotainment system. It has Ford Sync 3! I’ll be honest Sync versions 1 and 2 were terrible. But they have improved it dramatically.
With Sync 3, you get an 8″ colour touch-screen with voice command, Bluetooth, DAB radio, USB input and a 9-speaker sound system as standard. This model has the custom pack, adding a Shaker Pro Audio 12-speaker system, a subwoofer in the boot, climate-controlled seats, Sat Nav and reversing sensors.
You also get Ford MyKey. MyKey is a Ford safety feature that allows you to “code” one of the keys to set limits and restrictions in the car. For example, if you share your 421bhp Ford Mustang V8 with your son, you can set MyKey for his key to disable track mode.
How efficient is the Ford Mustang?
In terms of efficiency, it’s an expensive daily car. Ford claims 23mpg on the 5.0L V8 engine, which would be acceptable. Realistically, I was getting around 18mpg.
However, you can buy the cheaper 2.3L EcoBoost Mustang. You still get an exhilarating 317bhp, and 0-62mph is only 1 second slower at 5.8 seconds, but you get a staggering 35mpg! The only things missing are the V8 rumble and 5.0 badges on the sides.
If you want a car with more power, faster acceleration and better efficiency, check out the electric Genesis GV60 – it might surprise you!
Convertible Roof
I was treated to typical Scottish weather to test this powerful rear-wheel-drive performance car. Endless rain. But I used the soft top anyway.
There’s a latch inside that you need to release. Then, the mechanical roof will work, even when driving at low speeds of up to 3mph. However, it feels like a waiting game since it takes 10 seconds to lower it and 12 seconds to raise it again.
Unlike most convertibles, the roof of the Mustang doesn’t take over your boot space when lowered. You get a surprising 332L of storage in the boot. It does have a narrow opening, meaning you might struggle with wide items, but it’s fine most of the time.
Is it a good everyday car?
The Ford Mustang GT is a monster of a car. It’s packing a lot of power, is geared up for track days and will give its competition a run for their money in a 0-62mph sprint.
The new rear suspension and GT setup make it comfortable as a daily car for shopping or cruising around. But you’ll need a fat wallet to quench its thirst, even with all your spilt drinks in the cup holder.
Regardless, the itch to own a Mustang is one you should scratch.
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They’re great fun, aren’t they… How did it manage down narrow lanes there?Mustangs are quite wide.
Hi, Thanks for reading. Yes, they are so much fun! Despite being wide, they sit pretty comfortably on most roads around here. I loved every minute of it ha!