There are some cars I have always dreamed of driving. The Mustang is at the very top of that bucket list. To me, it epitomises everything I love about cars: an incredible meld of beautiful engineering, with a barely tamed ridiculous amount of raw power and energy. The roar of a Mustang is always guaranteed to turn my head when I hear one in the streets, and their infinitely good looks keep me staring with my mouth open. It is therefore fair to say that when the offer to road test the new GT 5.0 came in, somebody’s hand nearly got bitten off.

The old addage “never meet your heroes” pales into daft insignificance when you first encounter the Mustang; it is jaw-droppingly handsome – really, really, ridiculously good looking and you just know it’s going to live up to all your expectations at a glance. The elegant curves, the fastidious detailing and yet the squat, no-nonsense sense of power and potential make it feel sort of like the secret car love child of Kate Moss and Vin Diesel. Her looks, and his muscle, obviously. The other way round would just be weird.

The steel (yes steel!) body is sculpted like a piece of Italian art, and sitting low and wide on its 19” Ebony black aluminium wheels – well, it looks amazing. Take a few moments to appreciate the detail and you will doubtlessly be drawn especially to the incredibly designed tail light construction (which I felt compelled to take several photos of whilst enthusing loudly) which being just one of the carefully designed and constructed parts of this super car, manages to sum up all the painstaking detail and effort that has gone into its creation.

Okay, enough gazing adoringly, time to get into the Mustang! Inside you are definitely sitting in a
Ford; they have proudly made that loud and clear, but the decals, badges and even the TFT screen on boot-up, make it very clear to all that you are about to experience nothing less than a Ford Mustang.

What I like about the interior is that it’s not overtly plush, but it’s very, very stylish. The seats are sporty and comfortable, but also look rugged and durable. This is no leather sofa on wheels – it’s a sports car through and through. Similarly the steering wheel feels fantastic, and doesn’t make you feel the need to don Alan Partridge’s string-backed driving gloves to protect it or your hands! You can find car parts at autopartspro.co.uk

The Mustang sports Ford’s most excellent SYNC2 in-car system, giving it all the latest bluetooth, media, travel and climate control systems. Giving such a visceral machine as a Mustang a brain like the SYNC system may seem a little wrong to some of the purists, but I thought it worked really well, bringing the best of both worlds to the GT – again – the whole package.

To be honest, for once my inner geek was rather dismissive of all the fantastic tech available; the Mustang is a driver’s car, and I just wanted to drive this beastie!

Revving the glorious lump of 5.0L Ti-VCT V-8 Engine sitting under the car’s hood, results in a sound I could happily listen to every day of my life, for the rest of my life. If ever there was a noise that made me excited, hopeful, joyous, scared and a little bit crazy all at once, the Mustang’s engine firing up is that very sound. The definitive ring tone noise… But instead, I put that engine into gear, and experienced what the Mustang was really built for: driving.

As you creep tentatively away from standstill for the first time you are very aware of a feeling that you are sitting inside what is essentially a high-powered rocket on wheels. But your curiosity soon gets the better of you, the nerves subside and you succumb to the temptation to

find out what the Mustang can really do, resulting in your right foot boldly pushing down a bit more on the accelerator pedal. And oh my goodness, it does not disappoint! There are few experiences in life, particularly in cars, that can be called more enjoyable than the feeling of being pushed back in your seat as a 5.0 litre Mustang engine sparks into life and causes it to accelerate using its 435bhp, from 0-62 mph in something like the 4.2 seconds it is capable of. I wish I could bottle the adrenaline it created within me; I’d never have a tired dull Wednesday ever again.

The GT may have a whopping top speed of 155mph (governed like all European cars) but it’s important to note that driving fun is not all about speed in a straight line. Driving down the motorway in the outside lane is all well and good (and hopefully legal) but winding country lanes are what make driving in the UK especially, lots of fun. So how does an American car, used to the big sprawling expanses of flawless straight mile after mile of US tarmac, manage on our bumpy little British A’s and B’s?

The answer is of course, superbly well. Its all-independent suspension works superbly and smoothly on our roads, and long gone are the days of American muscle cars that don’t steer. The Mustang steers and handles brilliantly, giving you just the right amount of excitement, whilst feeling safe and secure when necessary.

Look. I have waxed lyrically about this amazing, fantastic, awesome car. I have probably given you the clear impression, dear reader, that I have a huge crush on this car. And the truth of the matter is, yes I jolly well do. I have dreamed of the day I’d drive a Mustang. I have said many times, in many pubs and around many camp firesides, that it’s on my bucket list. You probably think I’d placed ridiculously high expectations on what is ultimately, just a car. Except that, it’s not just a car.

It’s a Mustang. Created by uncompromising genius, and designed for unadulterated driving fun. I’ve met a hero, and not been disappointed, and my bucket list is one tick heavier. I’d call that a good reason to get excited, but if you don’t believe me – you know what to do… Go try out the Mustang yourself!

Ford Mustang GT 5.0
Engine: 5.0L V8
Horsepower: 435 @ 6500 RPM
Economy/CO2: 171 g/km
Fuel consumption: 19 MPG combined