Page 33 - issue22.03.2019

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 22, 2019 P25

Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 GT Motoring

Chip off the old V8 block

BULLITT PROOF: Mighty 5.0 litre powerplant

TIM MORRIS
Motoring
Correspondent

HOME-GROWN MOVIE car
chases like those in the The Italian
Job and the Bond films are great.
It’s just that American car chases
always seem to be, well, bigger.
Smokey and the Bandit, The
Dukes of Hazzard and Bullitt all
have one thing in common – the
mighty V8.
When Ford’s new 5.0 V8
Mustang convertible arrived at the
RAF News office I felt like Steve
McQueen. The iconic muscle car
had even brought some of that
California weather with it and here
I was taking the roof off in February.
Press the start button and the V8
roars into life. A quick tweak of the
throttle rattles windows and sends
animals scurrying for cover.
The first thing UK drivers will
notice on winding country lanes
is the car’s size. The Mustang is
considered small in the US. An
average American would probably
regard it as a dinky sportster like a
Mazda MX5. In the UK it is frankly CABIN: Looks fine initially, but dig deeper and you’ll find some cheap plastics DIALS: You won’t tire of the Fast & Furious-style driving modes on offer in the cockpit
gigantic. The result is a turning
circle of a Queen Elizabeth-Class top end but that weight on uneven, for modifications may feel a bit glare from the open top and the Mustang 5.0 V8
aircraft carrier. winding roads takes real skill alien to UK buyers, but here’s the reflection of the sun over the
to control – it’s often a fine line thing – the 5-litre V8 Convertible chiselled bonnet you can’t actually
Retro between exhilaration and terror. GT with all the whistles and bells see where you’re going at times but Pros
With those robust dynamics is just £51,310. That includes the you just don’t care because it looks l Stratospheric V8 engine
Lift the bonnet, sorry ‘hood’, the Mustang is a real monster that Magneride Suspension, the Bang so incredibly cool. l Epic looks and noise
and marvel at the source of all the wants to go around every corner and Olufsen sound system, Velocity It’s not a delicate driving l Value for money
noise. There sits an evolution of sideways and shred its tyres at Blue paint, the lot. experience because the belt-and- l Good resale value
the classic big block V8 that Ford every opportunity. That is most The ’Stang represents impressive braces engineering is a tad slow to
has been fitting in its vehicles certainly not a negative point value for money but looking at it turn, but the front wheels do give Cons
since the 1950s. This is what gives however because it sums up what with a critical eye it doesn’t take too you a decent amount of grip as l Expensive to run
the Mustang its soul and its heart. the Mustang is – epic. That’s the long to find where Ford has cut a you ease off the gas. There’s also l Interior a little substandard
Combined with lines derived from word here, EPIC. few corners. a surprising amount of feedback l Too big for most UK car
its 1960s ancestors, the car has a In performance terms the Some plastics in less visible through the wheel to let you know park spaces
distinctly retro feel. Mustang can’t compete with the areas of the cabin would look a bit what’s going on at the end of that
The V8 makes a thunderous likes of Ferrari and Aston Martin shabby in a 1986 Yugo and there are massive bonnet. Verdict
racket under load and provides the but that shouldn’t put you off. a number of rattles that you can’t Fun to drive and great looks,
sort of punch in the back that you’d Tuning companies like Roush and quite place. Sedate there may be more polished
expect from a car with this kind of Hennessey have a long track record The interior isn’t what you’d term and precise-feeling rivals
presence. The 10-speed automatic of turning standard Mustangs into plush, but it is a pleasantly sporty Driving the car normally the out there, 0 0 but it’s a
’box rockets through multiple gears supercar slayers and this vehicle has environment and it’s particularly 5.0 V8 settles down to a sedate much-loved American classic
in one go. It doesn’t always get it incredible potential. satisfying to flick through the Fast burble and at 70mph, in 10th gear, that will grab attention wher-
right at low speeds but any excuse & Furious-style driving modes. it’s practically running on tickover. ever you go. If you need a bit
to hear that V8 burble is a good one. Modifications The whole narrative of this car That will give you MPG in the mid more Hollywood in your life,
It delivers classic American is drama. On the bonnet are two 20s. this is for you.
muscle and the kind of pulling In the States it’s generally massive angular ridges that lead to Insurance and tax costs are of
power that you have to respect expected that everyone will upgrade the air intakes. When you give it a course going to be higher than
because it is a heavy car, still forged the car to their own specifications bit of welly the car hunkers down most of its rivals, all of which emit
from steel and iron. once it’s left the factory, and on its haunches, raising the nose substantially less CO 2, but let’s be
It will still leave most things adopting that approach here will and those dramatic lines become honest, that’s unlikely to come as
standing due to the sheer power give you something exceptional. even more obvious. a surprise to anybody seriously
(450PS) and get up to a stonking The idea of paying out extra Between the raised nose, the considering buying one.