Ford Mustang GT: First Impressions on the race track

Unfortunately, driving a fast paced vehicle for the first time on a race track for just about five rounds at menacing speeds with a class teacher like instructor by your side is no real fun. I mean you like the car, but you wish you could push the instructor out of the window and make him disappear. So the impressions I gathered about the car was limited to those five rounds around the Buddh International Circuit, India’s only F1 race track.

The two-door coupe looks stunning from all sides. It’s not like an overdressed woman going for a party looking garish after the make-up. Rather, the Mustang is more on the elegant side. The front has the signature shark-bite front fascia and trapezoidal grille with the emblem of the Mustang horse in silver adding character to the car on the whole. The rear is of course very aggressive three-dimensional, tri-bar tail lamps giving shark teeth like look. Though the car comes with seating for four adults, the truth is that this car is shaped more in favour of the front two seats. The longish bonnet, the short rear, and a tight passenger compartment, makes the Mustang look aggressive and bold.

The new Mustang GT has had some design changes as compared to its predecessor. It’s got a lower and wider stance for which the roof height has gone down. The car is now much more planted to the road, even at higher speeds. The windshield and the rear glass are a bit more steeply sloped

The interiors of the Ford Mustang GT are designed in favour of the driver. More leg room, more comfort and a lot of controls to change your driving experience. It’s almost like sitting inside a cockpit. A large, high-definition display screen puts vehicle information right in front of the driver with tactile switches and knobs improving ergonomics and providing better control. The six-way power-adjustable leather-trimmed driver and front passenger seats in Ford Mustang are heated and cooled. The boot can at best accommodate two golf bags and not one of those huge pieces of luggage so many of us Indians are used to lugging around. 

Ok, the Ford Mustang GT is not really about family holidays with tons of luggage but rather it’s about those travelling fast and light. All you got to do is to keep the key fob with you and press on the start/Stop button on the dash. The throaty noise from the V8 machine let’s you know that the car is ready to eat up the road in front of you. Technically, this engine features an upgraded valve train and cylinder heads. But you will not let any of that mundane information bother you. It’s the speed which you are waiting for and the moment you get the signal, the car leaves the pit lane to begin its sprint in the open.

By simply tapping the toggle switches on the console, one can adjust the steering effort, engine response, and transmission and electronic stability control settings. There are different Drive Modes to select. These include Normal, Sport+, Track Mode and Snow/Wet. It’s obvious that I selected the Track Mode to start my five lap drive around the BIC.

On normal roads it is best to choose the Normal Mode because it delivers a balance of comfort and responsive handling. Sport+ mode provides a more responsive steering and throttle response, plus different shift points. It is in the Track mode that an enthusiast discovers his slice of heaven. The engine sound gets more powerful and loud and the engine responds so quickly to the tap of the accelerator pedal.

The Snow/Wet mode is ideal when inclement weather forces you to be careful on the roads. Paddle shifters should best be used in the Sport+ mode and the track mode if you want to get a bit more oomph out of the car.

On the track with a track mode on, driving the Mustang was a breeze. With right kind of braking and acceleration, I realised the car showed its predictable wheel control. With new fully independent front and rear suspension systems, one can have loads of fun with this rear wheel drive car. I managed my share of drifting as I cut into a corner and braked hard without accelerating. As the large disc brakes froze my tyres, I noticed that the car remained stable trying its best to pull me out of the corner. It’s only when I accelerated hard that it stopped its slide and promptly put me back on the track with absolute confidence.   

The new Ford Mustang also comes with an electronic line-lock - which automatically locks the front brakes and releases the rears so you can spin and heat up the rear tyres, raising smoke like nobody’s business. But then the instructor did not allow me to do that. Like I said earlier, if only I could have thrown him out of the car, me and my Mustang would have crafted an entirely different and exhilarating driving experience on the race track. Wild fantasy, I guess!