Ford Mustang is a great performance car with a huge flaw

This sporty coupe is one of the world’s most desirable and sought after performance cars, but there is a sinister side to it that you need to know about.

2020 Ford Mustang GT

The Ford Mustang is the most popular sports car in the country, outselling all its rivals by a huge margin.

The head-turning performance coupe has grunt and street appeal in spades, however, its poor crash test result leaves it far behind not only its rivals but most cheaper new cars on the road in terms of safety.

If you can overlook this flaw the Mustang delivers some serious thrills.

Value

Ford surprised us with a $54,990 ticket for the V8-powered Mustang GT when it arrived in 2015. But the price has crept up since then, with a basic manual model now priced from $62,990 plus on-roads, the 10-speed auto in the test car adding $3269. Standard tech includes LED headlights and tail-lamps, customisable 12-inch digital dash, eight-inch screen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and satnav, plus leather trim and a powerful audio. It doesn’t end there. Ford encourages people to personalise their cars with popular “over the top stripes” shown here ($650), 19-inch forged aluminium wheels ($2500), adaptive suspension ($2750) and Recaro seats ($3000). Call it a thick $83,500 drive-away.

A three-star crash rating is an extremely poor result for a car in 2019.

Comfort

The Mustang is a reasonably comfortable machine, with accommodating seats, a good degree of driver adjustment and a relaxed, loping ride. Fit-and-finish could be better, as some of the plastics feel brittle and there were loose trim elements in our test car. The GT’s comfort seats come with electric heating but the better-bolstered Recaro alternatives miss out. Outward vision in the coupe is satisfactory — better than other sports coupes but much worse than sedans, hatchbacks or SUVs. The cosy rear seat has child seat tethers, a good thing as few adults would want to spend extended stretches in the rear.

The Mustang is one of the last remaining rear-wheel drive performance cars.

Safety

ANCAP ratings are a sore point. The safety body handed down a sub-par two-star rating in January 2017, which became three stars when the facelifted Mustang arrived with autonomous emergency braking and lane keeping assistance in 2018. ANCAP said last year that the Mustang “falls short of our expectations in the areas of adult occupant and child occupant protection”. If you’re trading up from an older vehicle, the Mustang’s AEB, adaptive cruise control and full suite of airbags make it a reasonably safe proposition. But there are safer alternatives.

The fit-and-finish on our Mustang was not up to scratch.

Driving

Few cars can match the Mustang’s feel-good factor. Its 5.0-litre V8 roars to life with a prod of the starter button, trumpeting a fanfare of revs from quad exhaust tips. It sounds mighty, matching retro looks to a classic muscle car rumble. Do yourself a favour and forget the four-cylinder EcoBoost. It’s not a real Mustang. The V8’s 339kW/556Nm outputs propel it to 100km/h in less than five seconds. Free-breathing and frisky, the V8 loves to rev, delivering an exciting crescendo as it nears the top of the tacho. The 10-speed auto adapts to different driving modes as well as the pilot’s style and as such it can get busy, feeling unsettled at times and shuffling gears unnecessarily. That big V8 doesn’t need quite so many ratios, though low gears help deliver strong acceleration and high ratios do a good job keeping fuel economy under control. Strong Brembo brakes and sticky Michelin tyres improve on the ordinary Pirellis of the previous model, and other suspension changes endow a precise feel at speed.

The big V8 is what the Mustang is all about.

Verdict 3.5/5

Handsome and sonorous, the Mustang has strong street appeal. Sub-par safety takes the gloss off.

Alternatives

HSV Camaro 2SS, from $86,990 plus on-roads

The Mustang’s sworn enemy packs more punch thanks to a 6.2-litre V8 (339kW/617Nm) but it’s also significantly more expensive thanks to a labour-intensive right-hand drive conversion.

Chrysler 300 SRT, from $77,000 drive-away

Want the American V8 experience with four doors? This one packs a 6.4-litre Hemi V8 (350kW/637Nm) and has 20-inch wheels, Brembo brakes and plenty of interior toys.

Toyota Supra, from about $91,800 drive-away

Japan’s take on a two-door performance coupe brings straight six power, BMW underpinnings and just two seats. Raid the piggy bank and join the queue, because the Supra is in high demand.

Ford Mustang GT vitals

Price: From $62,990 plus on-roads

Warranty/servicing: 5 years/unlimited km, $897 for 3 years

Safety: 3 stars, 6 airbags, AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist

Engine: 5.0-litre V8, 339kW/556Nm

Thirst: 12.7L/100km

Boot: 408L