Ford Mustang – What you need to know

Five years after it arrived on our shores, the Ford Mustang continues to win buyers keen on getting behind the wheel of the car wearing the illustrious badge.

Although it’s a niche model, buyers have a lot of choice in the Mustang line-up, with a V8 or turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission, in either a fastback or convertible body.

The four-cylinder variant goes by the name of High Performance while the V8 muscle car wears the GT moniker.

And, of course, there are limited-editions that have rolled around, including the previous Aussie-developed 2020 Ford Mustang R-Spec and the latest 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 that’s courted a fair bit of controversy over its local specification.

Here we’re concentrating on the permanent model range that recently received an MY21.5 update, so let’s trot out the features and specifications to find the right one for you.

Entry into the Ford Mustang stable for the turbocharged four-cylinder engine bolted to a six-speed manual transmission in the fastback body starts at $51,490 plus on-road costs. It has the following standard fare:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning
• 8.0-inch capacitive infotainment touch-screen
• Customisable digital instrument cluster
• Heated and cooled partial leather front seats
• Adaptive cruise control
• Reversing camera

Mustang R-SPEC v Camaro ZL1: 2020 Drag Race video

Ten colours comprise the Ford Mustang palette, with eight premium paints adding $650 to the price or $845 if you opt for the GT convertible.

Available on the four-cylinder variants are lustre nickel 19-inch wheels priced at $500.

Fastback variants are offered with Recaro seats, minus the heating and cooling functions of the standard seats, for an additional $3000.

MagneRide suspension costs $2750 on all variants except the GT convertible, where it will set you back $3575.

Adding a bit of bling with stripes will drain your funds a further $650 on all coupe variants and $845 for the GT convertible. Only the GT fastback gets the $1000 Shadow pack.

For a different look on your GT, 19-inch forged wheels are $2500 on the fastback and $3250 on the GT convertible.

Every Ford Mustang is equipped with eight airbags, traction and stability control systems, anti-lock brakes, rear parking sensors and rear-view camera to make reversing easier, as well as tyre pressure monitoring and a perimeter alarm.

Driver assist features include lane departure warning, lane keep assist, pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection. There’s also rain-sensing wipers and auto headlights with auto high beam.

ISOFIX child seat anchor points, emergency assist and the clever Ford MyKey, which allows you to set a range of operating parameters for other drivers, are also standard.

The Ford Mustang has a below-par three-star ANCAP safety rating based on assessment carried out in 2018. Ford has insisted that buyers should not be deterred from buying the popular sports car, based on the crash test result.

In all models of Ford Mustang, an 8.0-inch capacitive touch-screen display gives access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, music and phone streaming. There’s also the latest Ford SYNC 3 connectivity system with AppLink and voice command ability.

Satellite navigation? It’s included in the SYNC 3 system in all models along with FordPass Connect with an embedded modem that accesses a host of features and remote controls.

The audio system bundles up 12 speakers altogether, plus an amplifier and a subwoofer belting out 1000 Watts of Bang & Olufsen sound quality.

When determining which model of Ford Mustang has the creature comforts you want, the decision comes down to a couple of things.

Do you want a convertible or a fastback, and do you want the rumble of a V8 or the whoosh of a turbo under your right foot?

That’s it.

Every Mustang comes with a 12-inch customisable digital instrument cluster, power windows, interior ambient lighting, a multifunction leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather gear shifter, push-button start/stop, an auto-dimming interior mirror and very cool pony-projected puddle lamps.

Lending the cabin a luxurious ambience are the leather-clad seats with the front pews heated and cooled and power-adjustable, but with manual backrests. Keeping everyone comfortable is the dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning.

From a distance it’s hard to pick the GT from the High Performance models. Both feature a rear diffuser, LED headlights, tail-lights and fog lights, and tri-bar daytime running lights.

Both also have quad silver exhaust tips and the exhaust offers four selectable modes from quiet to racetrack.

The door mirrors have built-in heating, folding and turn indicator functions but the High Performance models have magnetic-colour caps.

So how do you pick them? Well, the V8 has ‘5.0’ badges on the front guards and ‘GT’ on the rear panel, whereas the High Performance models have the pony logo on the rear panel below the lip spoiler.

And the High Performance also has spear stripes on the bonnet, a tri-bar grille with a small pony badge on the left while the pony sits smack in the middle on the GT.

Nineteen-inch alloy wheels are common across the range, with the High Performance having a five twin-spoke design whereas the GT scores multi-spokes that are wider at the rear.

The turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder powerplant in the Ford Mustang is good for 233kW/432Nm and is mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

If kicking a clutch pedal isn’t your thing, you can tick the option box marked ‘10-speed automatic’ (it comes with paddle shifters if you want to play).

Should you go for the convertible your only choice is the auto.

Now for the GT. Most would agree this model has the right number of cylinders – eight – and in the right configuration.

Ford’s 5.0-litre V8 produces 339kW and 556Nm. Once again it comes standard with a six-speed manual with rev-matching on downshifts for those who aren’t partial to the heel-and-toe technique, with the option of a 10-speed auto.

While the Ford Mustang with 2.3-litre turbo possesses a good degree of urge and is lighter than the V8 – making it the batter balanced of the two – it isn’t what a Mustang really is. Not to me anyway.

Immerse me in the full muscle car experience with eight cylinders up front and a loud thundering soundtrack.

The short-shifting six-speed manual is very good but in heavy traffic the fun of slotting in and out of gear and depressing the clutch fades quickly.

Therefore, I would put the 10-speed auto behind the V8 in my Ford Mustang.

How much does the Ford Mustang cost?
Fastback High Performance (m) – $51,490
Fastback High Performance (a) – $54,490
Fastback GT (m) – $64,190
Fastback GT (a) – $67,190
Convertible High Performance (a) – $60,790
Convertible GT (a) – $75,025
*Prices exclude on-road costs