2024 (74) Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 GT 2dr

You could really form a bond with Ford's latest Mustang in Convertible form. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

This seventh generation Mustang isn't really designed for the future. Instead, it mainly references the past, carrying over its engine and platform from the previous model. Ford wants to give its best-selling sports car a final stay of execution before this model goes the way of all combustion things - hence the sharper exterior and more modern cabin. So it's still authentic and if you loved it before, you'll love it now. Especially perhaps, in this Convertible guise.

Background

So here we are at the end of an era. This seventh generation Ford Mustang will almost certainly be the last in this iconic model line of hairy-chested muscle-bound US sports coupes and convertibles, which dates back to 1964. Not to be confused with the all-electric Mustang Mach-E electric hatch, which stands for everything most 'Stang owners would abjectly hate. "Investing in another generation of Mustang is a big statement at a time when many of our competitors are exiting the business of internal combustion vehicles" said Ford CEO Jim Farley at this MK7 model's Autumn 2022 launch. Except that this isn't really another generation of Mustang; more a far-reaching facelift of the previous model. The engines and suspension are basically the same as those of the previous generation design, which was launched back in 2015, as is the 'S550' platform. So just how different is this MK7 Mustang from what went before? Let's check it out in Convertible form.

Driving Experience

There's not a lot of extra weight with this Convertible body style, so it should drive much like the Coupe. Which is good because Ford says that this is the 'most authentic and confidence-inspiring Mustang to drive yet'. That seems a contradiction in terms because an 'authentic' slightly unwieldy heavy-set Mustang experience hasn't been in the past been one to deliver much confidence - at least not on damp tarmac. But there's promise here because all models have Ford's 'Performance Pack', which gives you big Brembo six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers; and sticky tyres, the rears being 20mm wider 275-section items. Magneride adaptive dampers are optional. This time round, Ford is only offering this Mustang Convertible with its 5.0-litre 'Coyote' V8, which has a new dual cold air intake but puts out a similar level of power to before - 446PS with 540Nm of torque. Most customers will choose the lightly updated version of the previous 10-speed torque converter automatic gearbox, via which the car gets to 62mph in 5.0s. Or you can still order an 'authentic' manual gearbox, but that pushes up that sprint time up to 5.4s. Top speed is restricted to 155mph. As before, the auto has been configured to work with a selectable 'Drag Strip' driving mode which irons out the torque and power drop-off you'd normally get between gear shifts, so it's just one seamless burst of acceleration. This fabric-topped model has an old fashioned roof that you have to slow right down to walking pace to activate, but it's quite quick to operate, the electric mechanism occupying up to 12 seconds but requiring you to manhandle a rather cumbersome latch to either lock or unlock the hood to the top screen rail at either the end or the beginning of the process.

Design and Build

As before, this Mustang Convertible's roof is fabric and must cover 4.7metres of car. To start the roof retraction process, you have to twist a roof-mounted handle though from then on, the process is electric. Another potential irritation is that this process can only work when the car is at a standstill. Nor is there the option of a wind deflector. The Mustang may not have changed drastically, but it's still a head-turner. The new front end makes it look more elegant than muscular, and the sheer bulk gives it presence. More than anything else, though, it's still likely to be a novelty on British roads, and with the canvas hood of this Convertible version up or down, it'll draw attention. It's inside though, that the changes you'll most notice with this MK7 model will prominently feature. Inevitably, this involves screen tech; a little disappointingly in a Mustang, analogue dials are no more, replaced by a 12.4-inch digital display (though you can configure it to show 'classic dials'). That's paired with a customisable 13.2-inch SYNC4 central infotainment monitor which of course can do a lot more than was possible with the previous generation screen and houses the standard 12-speaker B&O audio system upgrade that most customers will want. Arguably more significant than all of this is the improvement in cabin quality, though you still wouldn't mistake this for the interior of a premium German-branded rival. But maybe that's part of its appeal. Ford says the cockpit is more driver-focused and there's a thicker-rimmed flat-bottomed steering wheel and grippy sports seats. Everything else is as before, with cramped space in the back. Ford reckons the Convertible's 332-litre trunk (76-litres less than the Coupe) will take a couple of golf bags.

Market and Model

Pricing for this Convertible starts at around £62,000 this time round, for the manual 446PS V8 model, with an extra £2,000 to find if you want the 10-speed auto. That's £3,500 more than is required for the fixed-top Fastback body shape. The GT comes with 19-inch painted alloy wheels, silver triple-LED headlamps with welcome and farewell animations, a GT body kit with black door frame mouldings and GT front grille, LED rear lights with sequential indicators, selectable drive modes and adaptive cruise control. There's also keyless entry, a rear view camera, rear parking sensors and power-folding mirrors. Inside with GT spec, there's black sports seats with leather central bolsters, plus heating, ventilation and power-adjustment. The cabin also gets a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen surround sound audio system, Electronic Automatic Temperature Control, a wireless charging mat and a 12.4-inch instrument display viewed through a heated flat-bottomed sports steering wheel. There are two key options you need to look at first - and which customers will be looking for on your car when the time comes to sell. First, for £1,750 more, there's the four-setting MagneRide damping system (standard on the 'Dark Horse'), which comes with Pothole Mitigation (useful to protect those big wheels). The MagneRide system monitors and adjusts itself thousands of times per second to improve stability, comfort and control. You should also consider the grippier Recaro seats (only available with the Fastback versions) - though it might seem painful to have to pay £2,000 more for these, then have to do without the standard heating and cooling functionality you get with the chairs of the standard model. The Mustang now offers 12 colour options including three new shades - eye-catching Blue Ember, Vapor Blue and Yellow Splash. Customers can also choose from Black or Red Brembo brake calliper colour options, plus a choice of two new 19-inch alloy wheel designs.

Cost of Ownership

Take a deep breath here because as expected with a V8 Mustang, you're going to have to pay for your pleasures. The combination of nearly 1.8-tonnes of kerb weight and a normally aspirated 5.0-litre engine couldn't really deliver any other kind of end result. The efficiency figures aren't much different from those quoted with the previous MK6 model and, as before, they're similar regardless of your choice between manual and automatic transmission. Because this Convertible model is slightly heavier than the equivalent Fastback coupe, the returns are fractionally worse (27.4mpg and 280g/km as a manual - or 282g/km as an auto). What else? Well bad news first. That CO2 figure puts this Mustang into the highest VED band K, which will see a first year VED cost of £5,490, with £600 payable annually after that. And insurance is group 48 for the GT Convertible. On the positive side, residuals are quite strong (for a Ford); this Convertible Mustang is expected to retain around 53% of its value after three years and 36,000 miles, 3% less than the Fastback. Maintenance might be pricey, because servicing visits will need to be quite frequent - you're supposed to have to visit a dealer every 12 months or every 10,000 miles, whichever comes sooner. To help you budget ahead for this, the brand offers a three year Ford Service Plan with a 7,000 annual mileage limit, which costs around £1,000. There's the usual unremarkable three year, 60,000 mile Ford warranty and you'll have the option to extend that package for up to two more years and up to 100,000 miles at additional cost.

Summary

So, the hairy-chested Ford convertible sports car lives on. For 'Stang enthusiasts, there's both joy and sorrow here. Joy that against the current zeitgeist, Ford has seen fit to extend the life of its iconic sports car. And sorrow that this is almost certainly its final curtain call - in combustion form anyway. If Ford had been serious about continuing this model line with the kind of feel and blood line an enthusiast would recognise, it would have created a properly new design for it; the brand's latest 'CD6' architecture that underpins the current US-spec Ford Explorer was ready and waiting for just such a thing. But what brand could commit to that in a market turning to Hybrids and EVs? Ford might well have ended Mustang production completely, but didn't want to quite yet because the old post-2015-era sixth generation version sold so well, garnering that series Mustang the title of 'the world's best-selling sports car'. So it is that we've got the facelift which you may or may not think does enough to deserve it's claimed 'MK 7' status. But at least we have it. At least you can still buy a proper Mustang. And at least the 'Pony Car' story will have one last chapter.