Ford throws punters the keys to new Mustang

Ford Australia is set to take advantage of our penchant for sports cars on Australia Day weekend (January 26-28) by offering the public free loans of its top-selling Mustang.

In a bid to get bums on the seats of its latest halo model, the Blue Oval will offer two-hour test drives of the Mustang at three locations during the upcoming long weekend. All up, there are 380 windows for a steer of Ford's iconic pony car in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

“Anyone aged 25 or over carrying a full, unrestricted driver’s licence is able to reserve a car and bring up to three passengers along for the ride, with spots being awarded on a first-come, first-served basis,” Ford says.

“With over 380 test drives available, you can cruise around three iconic destinations: Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Queensland’s south-east coast and New South Wales’ Northern Beaches.”

The move is unprecedented for Ford, which has won a legion of fans courtesy of first global Mustang, along with the Ranger ute -- Australia's top-selling 4x4 ute.

The ‘Ultimate Mustang Road Trip pop-ups’ can be found at the following locations:

- New South Wales: St Ives Showground, 450 Mona Vale Rd, St Ives
- Victoria: Mount Eliza Secondary College, 204 Canadian Bay Rd, Mount Eliza
- Queensland: Victory Ford, 10-20 Minjungbal Dr, Tweed Heads South (just south of the Queensland border)

At the same time, Ford has announced details of a new hire program whereby new car buyers are allocated two weeks in a second new Ford model. The 'Ford 2nd Car' pilot is being launched by offering new Ranger buyers up to two weeks behind the wheel of a Mustang.

But there’s a catch – it ain’t free and Ford is yet to confirm costs.

“2nd Car will give buyers affordable access to a second Ford vehicle for up to two weeks during their first two years of vehicle ownership,” Ford says – “affordable” being the operative word.

“Ford’s goal is to expand this program in the future, meaning that the purchase of any new Ford vehicle will enable access to the entire Ford line up if you sign up for the 2nd Car program.”

Registrations for the Mustang test drive are available at ultimatemustangroadtrip.eventbrite.com, while more details on Ford’s 2nd Car initiative can be found at Ford2ndCar.