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Ford Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost 6 Speed Auto Cabriolet

Towards the end of last year, I tested the V8 Mustang – a car that for me has it all. It’s a car that makes you smile, it’s a car that makes you happy and it’s a car that will pretty much make anyone who comes into contact with it go all giddy with excitement.

So, with the Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost now sitting on my drive, has Ford gone and ruined it by fitting it with smaller engine? Well, the answer is No basically. And the reason for this is simple; the Mustang is probably one of the most iconic cars of its time and no matter what’s under the bonnet – people will always love a Mustang.

Of course if you try this with the likes of the Ford Focus RS for instance, then you might as well drive it into the nearest river. Because a Focus RS fitted with a smaller engine really wouldn’t work at all.

Power and Efficiency:

My test car was powered by a 2.3-litre engine with direct injection and twin-scroll turbocharger. Max power comes in at 317PS with the addition of 432Nm of torque. Max speed is also around145mph and a 0-62 time of around 5.8sec (manual gearbox).

Of course I know we all want a V8 Mustang in our lives – but there are some of us that want the economy side too. So in keeping with that, Ford went that one step further and installed the EcoBoost engine which I have to say has been specially tuned to combine the performance you would expect from a Mustang, but with better fuel economy to keep all those green people happy. Plus, as much as I love a V8 – I’m not against the 2.3 – because I also want a car to be usable without the need to visit the petrol station every time I step on the ‘loud pedal’ for more than five seconds.

On the road:

As with the V8 I tested last year – the 2.3 EcoBoost is still a joy to drive no matter where you are going or on what road surface you are driving it on – also, as the Mustang is rear wheel drive, you can dial in the power a little softer with the 2.3 litre engine, which for me makes it that little bit more tamer to drive than the V8 version (only just though)

Into the corners it felt planted and not cumbersome at all, and if you feed in the power at the right time and into the right corner – you will come out the other end just like the guy in his Nissan Micra – perfectly safe and sound. Don’t forget the Mustang now has ‘normal’ fully independent suspension which makes the car more agile. If you also factor in the limited slip differential then you can be assured of something stable and thrilling to drive – the only analogy I can come up when explaining the Mustang’s thrilling drive is; it’s like waking up one morning to find out that your wife has been replaced with Kendall Jenner who also just happens to be sporting a very misguided lace thong. Yep – It really is that good.

Design & Technology

Owning a Mustang is about as exciting as it gets because it’s all about presence on the road – that is something you just can’t ignore. Even if you do opt for the 2.3 EcoBoost version – people will still stare, while many will just point and say ‘wow! It’s a Mustang’

Inside you will find a 3.8 colour touchscreen with a 9-speaker DAB radio, selectable driving modes, ESC with three settings, 4-piston front callipers, auto headlamps, and rain sensing wipers, Ford keyfree system, 6-way power adjustable front seats plus a whole host of additional extras.

To sum up: The Mustang is an epic car in either version.

Price: (from) £38,745 (cabriolet version + 6-speed auto) – not including fitted options

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