As soon as I got a call from Ford, giving me an invitation to drive the Mustang
on routes I had never imagined of, I jumped off my office seat with
excitement. We had several options like Vijaywada to Vishakhapatnam or
Bhubaneshwar to Kolkata or Kolkata to Bodhgaya etc etc. But one sector
really caught my attention and as I wanted to make my first drive on
road in the legendary Mustang to be an unforgettable experience, I chose
Varanasi to Lucknow. Now you might think I must be nuts to choose this
sector to drive a low slung sports car but my whole logic behind the
decision was different. Make no mistake, I would have enjoyed this pony
car to the fullest, on a wide placid road but I would have never got the
memories which are now imprinted in my brain of driving among craziest
people, on some of the most demanding roads in a muscle car.
Let’s get to heart of the matter, the Ford Mustang. As soon as we got to our hotel in Lucknow the Mustang
was parked right outside the lobby all covered up. Even with the cover
on, it was easy to tell that there something special lurking under the
soft fabric. With enthusiasm I took the cover-off and the Mustang stood
right in front of me in a menacing blood red colour. Although this Ford
coupe still keeps its predecessor’s hefty proportions, it now carries a
lot of design cues from the modern Ford line-up like the slim
headlamps. But its design language is unmistakably Mustang-esque -- the
upright grille, muscular wheel arches, strong crease running across the
side and the striking rectangular tail lamps made us look like
celebrities everywhere we stopped.
But it’s from the rear that this car just looks menacing. The boot
section is fat, the three slat tail lamps look rustic and the twin tail
pipes point at what’s lurking in its heart. Unlike the old car’s boxy
proportions the new Mustang looks more rounded but Ford has done a
fabulous job of retaining the essence of what this pony car stands for.
Post drooling over the exterior, I opened the big wide door and stepped
into the low slung driver’s seat. The first impression of the Mustang’s
dashboard is that of a modern take on the original pony car. The
twin-pod instrument cluster, three circular centre vents, toggle
switches for different driving modes and the badge which says ‘Since
1964’ lets you know you are driving something with a rich history. You
also get a touchscreen interface which is very similar to the one found
on the new Endeavour. But like in the SUV it’s not the most intuitive,
and sometimes you have tap rather than touch for it to work. Thanks to
the absence of B-pillar and large windows, visibility even from the low
driver seat is fantastic and the thick rimmed steering wheel is
unusually big and it is loaded with as many as 18 buttons for music
system, Bluetooth, cruise control and voice command system. Sure the
interior quality leaves a lot to desire but this is the best cabin of
any Mustang to date. The biggest surprise of the Mustang is the boot,
which is quite big and took two people’s luggage and a full size spare
with ease.
When I first drove the Mustang
on track I was a bit disappointed by the fact that it came with a
detuned engine which made a massive 30 bhp less. But out in Uttar
Pradesh, with some fuel stations as big as mountaineering tents and as
filthy as sulabh sauchalay, we didn’t have to care about the quality of
fuel. The Mustang just gulped gasoline happily and put down all of the
horses without any hiccups or a dreaded warning light.
It was a freezing morning as I got into the car and the first 100
metres were enough to jolt me awake! As I exited our hotel and ‘gently’
dabbed on the throttle, I was greeted by a nasty oversteer. Nasty
because I wasn’t expecting it, but once use to it, it became like a
healthy shot of adrenalin exiting speed breakers or tight corners. We
started early from Varanasi to avoid traffic, but Google maps had some
other plans for us as it took us straight into an army base and if not
for the Mustang we would have definitely got beaten up or shot at.
Instead we were greeted with a smile and got waved on by the startled
Jawans. Not wanting any more screw ups, we decided to use the vintage
Indian technique of asking locals for directions which turned out to be
an even bigger mistake than the maps. Our research had told us that we
were to find and join a well paved four-lane highway somewhere on our
way to Lucknow, which never came. Instead we ended up on roads that were
more pimpled than a teenagers face and encountered the finest rural
traffic that UP had to throw at us.
However, not once did I feel frustrated or dejected, thanks to the large
5.0-litre V8 lump under the long hood. Now 400bhp might sound less for
such a big bore engine but it’s on the go that this motor really
impresses. As soon as you press the starter button this big-bore motor
comes to life with a deep gurgle and settles down to a vibe-free idle.
For starters there is ample torque as soon as you step on the throttle
(as experienced exiting the hotel) and despite it being quite an old
engine it is smooth and free-revving too. With only two lanes and loads
of traffic we had to constantly accelerate and brake with no chance to
cruise whatsoever and this is where the flexible nature of the engine
really helped me. Overtaking was very easy as I could get away with
being in a higher gear with the transmission not having to do much work.
This is a good thing as it made up for the six-speed automatic gearbox
which was slow to respond and mostly had a mind of its own. We did get
the odd smooth open stretch, where I was able to really flex my right
foot as I got catapulted forward in a long linear burst. The Mustang
felt surprisingly calm and composed while doing so.
But the biggest surprise of all was not the way the Mustang felt around
corners (there were none to be clear) but the way it handled the
terrible sections of the road. I was expecting the suspension to be
stiff and crashy but it turned out it was nowhere close to being one. Ok
it is not a Rolls Royce but being a sports car that is not expected to
be driven on such roads, it did feel like one. The suspension managed to
deal with the worst of roads silently with well controlled body
movement and despite some underlying firmness it never felt
uncomfortable. Not once did I hear a loud thunk from the suspension and
this is really astonishing for car that is shod with 19 inch rims and
low profile tyres.
Then there is its ground clearance, which turned out to be enough even
over the biggest of speed breakers. Now don’t get me wrong, you do have
to go a bit cross going but even then it never touched or scraped its
expensive belly. What I found to be the biggest nuisance was the cars
XXL American dimensions. This voluptuous girth was evident on the narrow
roads, of villages where you had to be really careful not to hit bikers
who were using their phones to make videos (of us probably) or of other
vehicles who drove as if they were the only ones on the road.
The word everyday sports car is a bit overused but in the case of the Mustang
it is absolutely true. It takes to our bad roads with aplomb, has
enough clearance to go over mountains or what we call speed breakers, is
comfortable for two (rear seat is better used as extra luggage area),
has that astounding 5.0-litre V8, can run on normal fuel and as I found
out, it was quite efficient too (6.5kmpl is not too shabby for such a
car.). So the Mustang is a sports car with none of the flaws of one.
Sure it is not perfect, but priced at Rs 65 lakh (ex-Delhi), you get a
lot of American muscle for your money. The Mustang has a rich heritage,
is an icon and more importantly is an accomplished car too.
