The Ford Mustang has never been a car for the masses – certainly not here in the UK. However, when the firm finally decided to officially import the current-generation hot rod to Europe back in 2015, people lined up in their droves to register their interest.
However, despite having been on sale for just two years, the time has come for Ford to apply some mid-life updates. We’ve been lucky enough to drive an early US car, ahead of its European showroom launch in the spring.
The 2018 Ford Mustang arrives with light engine revisions, meaner and leaner styling, a new 10-speed automatic transmission and enough models and colours to satisfy any enthusiast’s deepest desires.
Place the outgoing car alongside the facelifted model and you’ll notice the sharper headlights and bumper, as well as the reprofiled bonnet. Changes at the back include new C-shaped tail-lamps, optional spoiler and black diffuser, while inside Ford has installed a set of new digital dials.
UK specs are still to be confirmed, but in America there are 10 versions in all: Six coupe Fastbacks and four Convertibles. With that you get a choice of three engine and two transmission choices – the familiar 2.3-litre EcoBoost, middling 5.0-litre V8 and range-topping (but not-for-UK) Shelby GT.
The entry-level US EcoBoost makes 306bhp and 475Nm of torque. But despite the outgoing UK car boasting a more potent 313bhp, Ford says this will drop to 286bhp for 2018. Up to now, Americans also got a V6 option, but this has been removed from the lineup – with the focus shifting to the more powerful V8 version.
Again, US and UK cars differ when it comes to outright power and torque. British buyers see the venerable V8 boosted from 412bhp to 443bhp, but the US car tested here boasts a beefier 454bhp and 570Nm. Like all new Mustangs, it is available with a six-speed manual gearbox or the new 10-speed automatic transmission, which can be shifted manually with steering wheel-mounted paddles.
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Frenzied enthusiasts likely will opt for the manual, which continues to feature a slick and positive linkage and easy clutch engagement. With all those horses pawing at the pavement, the V8 manual can be driven in almost any gear in any circumstance. There’s enough power to bumble around at modest speeds in fifth or sixth, but leave it in first or second and floor the accelerator and you’ll quickly find yourself at motorway speeds.
The new 10-speed auto works well, too, albeit with one curious quirk. At slow speeds with the shift lever in Drive, the Mustang sometimes gets confused, hesitating then lurching when pulling away from junctions or traffic lights. It overcomes that if you mash the throttle, but it’s not a particularly pleasant way to drive.
The answer, Ford engineers say, is to drive it in Sport mode. But in this setting it keeps the revs high, and with the engine constantly on the boil there are understandable fuel economy consequences. However, in our experience, that very same transmission in Ford’s new (US-only) aluminum-bodied 2018 Expedition SUV shifts much more smoothly. We’re told the Mustang’s drive mode software will be specifically optimised for European roads when the car arrives in Q1 next year, however.
In spite of the GT’s 0-60mph sprint at a hair shy of four seconds and a top speed of 155mph, the basic 2.3-litre EcoBoost is no slouch. We tried the revised four-cylinder on the Californian launch, and it performed well. It’s strange then that the V8 has proved so popular in Europe, especially when you consider the cheaper car’s lower emissions and improved fuel economy.
On the twister roads, the EcoBoost is even more fun to drive, too. Its lighter front end delivers better cornering balance, and with even greater agility. Or course, On a road with long straights or faster, sweeping bends, you’d probably prefer the GT for its massive power.
The Mustang’s membership in the high performance and handling coterie do not bar it from the grand touring club, either. With comfortable and supportive front seats, it welcomes long-distance motoring, too. Anyone relegated to the difficult to access back seats will rebel, however.
In addition to its slicker profile, the 2018 Mustang comes with full suite of safety equipment, including lane-keeping assist and a pre-collision system that can detect pedestrians. Other features include new LED headlights, a dozen wheel options, 11 colours, a customisable instrument cluster, and even an active valve performance exhaust system. A new ‘Good Neighbour Mode’ allows for quiet starts in the early hours, too.
None of this comes cheap, of course. The GT is expected to cost around £38,500 in the UK, while adding the new auto gearbox should command a premium of £1,500-£2,000. The EcoBoost will be cheaper, and, like before, Convertibles will cost roughly £3,500 more like-for-like.
- Model: Ford Mustang Fastback 5.0 V8 GT Auto
- Price: US $39,095 (£40,000 est)
- Engine: 5.0-litre V8 petrol
- Power/torque: 454bhp/570Nm
- Transmission: 10-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
- 0-60mph: Less than 4.0 seconds
- Top speed: 155 mph
- Economy/CO2: 23.5mpg (est)/280g/km (est)
- On sale: Spring 2018
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