I'm loathe to use the term forbidden fruit but until now that's what Ford's Mustang has been in Britain.
Since it's launch in the 60s it's been the poster child for the U. S. automotive industry.
The car for everyone with a large or small engine, looks to kill and the ability to make of it what you want.
A little like life in America, it's not really for you unless you have a U. S. passport or a ton Of paperwork, and with each new mustang some of us Brits are wondering whether or not we were going to get it, cause I know that we got all the cool RS's, and all that stuff, but we're a greedy bunch, and we wanted a little slice of the apple pie bait with a V8.
We could always get hold of cars via import, of course, but the wheel was always on the wrong side and they were a bit expensive after shipping and tax and all that.
What we wanted was a Mustang like what America got but with all the correct bits intact, something that evoked that muscle car feeling that had the proper touches.
In the right places.
In 2016, we can have one.
This is it.
It looks the same as the one you get in the US.
You get the same 5 liter, naturally aspirated V8, with 391 pounds to feet and 415 break horsepower, and the wheel's on the correct side.
But I do wonder whether this is a grass is always greener type situation.
Because the last time I drove a Mustang it left an impression.
It was average.
It made sense for the US where power and convince is king.
But over here less so.
The car I had was inefficient the stick shift was well used it actually hurt.
To use maybe I needed to hit the gym a bit more.
After the plastics were a bit nap, even for a car that's way off BMW pricing.
But this one promises to be all shiny and all better and it has a great party beat.
You see, it hates keeping traction on the rear wheels.
It loves to twitch, even with the traction on
[MUSIC]
So far, so America.
Big noisy V8, skiddy tires and some proper muscle car looks.
And by proper I do mean it.
It's big, brash, in your face and unashamedly so.
Mercifully, it's looks translate nicely to the older car unlike the Mustangs of the 90s which looked Terrific, it's a little less modern classic in here and more lucrative many shiny, shiny plastic.
The materials done is fantastic but this is isn't an expensive car.
It's about 35 grand So the car wearing and that's a lot of carts and not much money.
But the important thing they managed to nail here is the feel of the thing.
So the switches feel great but they look the part.
The speed got ground speed on it.
All the dial gears and that kind of stuff.
It's just white, you know?
What I want to know though is when this actually works or if the grass is greener on the other side.
I mean the car makes perfect sense in America but what about down in the hideous roads in Britain?
The numbers I offer here offer a very different experience.
In terms of speed its 155 miles per hour and it's got proper suspension All round, we've all heard horror stories of the cars of old being a bit well tractory.
This they say is not and I'd like to say grid loads but it likes to do slyly things and it doesn't like to keep the car in a straight line especially in the wet.
Even with the tractor control fully on, you get a little bit of slip, it doesn't wanna take off cleanly, it just wants to spin it's rear wheels and be an angry.
The angry muscle car.
And, it's really fun.
[MUSIC]
[NOISE]
That aside, the steering is a little bit vague, but then you get the feel of kind of getting used to the balance of the car.
It's not an unpleasant car to drive.
It's a really lovely car to drive.
And with this engine it feels really special.
Yeah, you can feel its weight but one and a half tons.
This is also, I'm not enamoured with the gear box, to be honest.
I tried the manual a couple of weeks ago and the manual is great, yes, it required a bit of hand.
It felt chunky and muscle car-y you need hairs on your head and all that nonsense.
Well this, it feels a little bit slow, a little bit like it's waiting to figure out what's going on.
You know, it's not the best gear box in the world but I've driven far, far worse.
In former expensive cars, I hasten to add, I mentioned earlier the interior, yes, the plastics aren't the greatest in the world but to be honest, that doesn't really matter at all.
It really doesn't because it looks right.
If you get in and you feel like you're in a proper muscle car, it feels [UNKNOWN] just correct.
I was worried that it would be way to big for British roads, but it's not.
You can put it in a normal size parking space, and it won't overflow and spill like a fat person on an airplane.
It does kind of drop off at the sides, and I've no idea where the [UNKNOWN] of the ceiling, it's about [INAUDIBLE] I defy you to get in one of these, or even to see it, and think, mm, no, that's not really for me.
I'm not a big fan of that, no.
[UNKNOWN], man, it's a Mustang.
It looks really cool.
And I'll tell you what, it looks not only cool, but out of place on British roads, not in the kinda [UNKNOWN] that looks a bit tacky kind of And a way, the in me " what is that?", "I'm interested in that".
And I do love the noise, lazy, bourbony V8.
It can be savage when you want it to be.
You can go to one with a smaller engine, a 2.3 liter Turbo Eco boost.
But I don't know why you'd do that.
It's a muscle car, man.
You're not supposed to have a muscle car with a little turbo fool, you're supposed to have it with a big [UNKNOWN] V8 that makes loads of noise.
You're supposed to have the car that makes you feel like a hero, makes you feel like dudes in the 60s cruising along route one.
We finally got a muscle car and unlike the Camaro that was brought over here a few years ago they thought about us in this.
They thought about us, the thought about Europe properly.
I mean a lots of European people about the most times you're saying yeah well it is cheap and it's nasty and it handles horribly, but when you look at something for the same price over here,you're looking at a mildly speced BMW N2350.
A brilliant car, not as quick as this.
No it's perilous.
It doesn't sound as good, it doesn't look so out of place.
I actually think this looks a little bit better.
I'm so pleased that we finally get this.
It actually works in Britain.
Yes, there are compromises to be made.
No, it's not the best thing in the world.
Deviche had 35ish grand burning a hole in your pocket.
And you really wanted something outlandish.
[SOUND]
It's not hard to drive.
It's not like a tractor, it's rather well-suited for here.
Well, apart from its size, it's not too big but it's not too small either.
And its V8 is a bit thirsty, but there is a smaller engine version for the people who want the look By not the built.
It seems the grass is just as green this side of the pond.
Yeah, it's not the most refined bit of kit but for the money, the performance is outstanding and it's just so unbelievably cool.
Ford may have taken it's time to bring it over here but I'm so pleased it has finally has because it means at last, we can have our slice of the pie
