insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 12 - February 2016 | Page 88

MOTORS
2016 FORD MUSTANG GT 5.0 cont.

Ford Mustang GT 5.0
Price OTR: £34,495
Engine: 5.0L V8
Horsepower:
416 ps @ 6500 RPM
Economy/CO2: 299 g/km
Fuel consumption:
20.9 MPG combined

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 allindependent 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.

88

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 Hastings
Sedlescombe Road North, John Macadam
Way, St Leonards On Sea, East Sussex,
TN37 7SQ
01424 230857
www.birchwoodford.co.uk