5 Things To Know About The Ford Mustang GT

Okay, so Ford has finally revealed that its halo car, the Mustang, is making its way to the Indian auto sector on July 13, 2016. The American manufacturer will be launching only the top-of-the-line ‘GT’ trim in the country. The car has been an American icon for around fifty years and has a huge fan base in India as well. Here are five things that one needs to know about the Mustang GT.

Looks

The 2016 Mustang is sure to wow with its fastback credentials, laced with classic bits from the archaic Mustangs. The front end gets sleek headlamps, a dropping down nose, a hexagonal front grille to match the current Ford line-up, and a carved lower bumper finished with a lower splitter. The hood is a long muscular piece, which meets the back-set passenger cabin via a raked front windscreen. The sides feature two parallel character lines, which again seems to be derived from the classic Mustang of the seventies, along with the sloping roofline. The rear of the Mustang gets an integrated boot spoiler, while a piano-black applique with the three distinct light slats forming the tail lamp unit tops off the tail. One will also notice a lot of black trims all around the bodywork, like the black alloy wheels, side skirts, and the rear diffuser.

Interiors

The cockpit of the Mustang is laid out in a very simple set-up, carrying forward the legacy of a classic Mustang. The insides are upholstered in good-quality leather, and the retro set-up conceals all the new technologies. The touch screen SYNC infotainment system is there to take care of all the call and entertainment on-the-go. Sitting below it is an array of aircraft-inspired toggle switches and a start/stop button. The stubby steering wheel gets all the vital controls on the two opposite arms, along with a twin-barrel instrument cluster with a small driver information screen.

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The two-door coupe gets premium bucket seats, along with two rear seats. However, we doubt if they are any good for adults. It also gets a usable boot, which cars of Mustang’s category usually miss out on.

Power

The Mustang is available with three motors in the European market: a 2.3-litre EcoBoost, a 3.7-litre V6, and the range-topping 5.0-litre V8. We, as Ford has already confirmed, will get only the 5.0-litre one. The naturally aspirated motor will produce 401PS of power and 515Nm of torque. Strangely enough, the Mustang GT we are getting is slightly down on power compared to its sisters from the US or the UK. It could be because of low availability of high-performance fuel in the country, or is Ford being too cautious?

The motor is mated to a six-speed manual transmission with flappy pedals – no manual for India from Ford either! Moreover, the entire drivetrain could be modulated for varying driving conditions via four modes, namely: Normal, Snow/Wet, Sport and Track.

Underpinnings

Ford has introduced an independent rear suspension system for the first time in a Mustang with this latest generation of the car. This makes the car both comfortable to drive and more stable than the fixed beam axle-ed Mustangs. This will make it more composed on curves and on twisty roads. Moreover, Ford is expected to offer the performance pack as part of the standard equipment list, which means stiffer suspension, better brakes, and a performance rear differential.

Price

The success of Mustang in India is likely to rely heavily on the price tag Ford is going to put on it. If simple mathematics had to answer this question, the Mustang GT is available at around 36,000 US dollars (approximately Rs 25 lakh). Yes, that’s very compelling. But, thanks to the import duties that our country levies, one can expect a 150-200 per cent increase in this amount, pushing the price close Rs 70 lakh. However, it still isn’t a bad deal, as this would be the only two-door coupe to have more than 400PS at less than Rs 1 crore. Now, isn't that a good offer?

Do wait for our detailed road test. We'll keep you posted!