Goodwood Test: 2021 Ford Mustang V8 Review

Ah, the Ford Mustang. You sort of know what you’re going to get because the recipe has been more or less the same for more than 50 years: big engine up front, some seats in the middle and rear-wheel-drive. There have been some variations along the way, and of course the all-electric Mustang Mach-E is nothing like a traditional Mustang at all, but here, with the current Mustang, it’s business as usual.

There’s just something very right about the Mustang. It is a big, big car, not just long but quite wide, too. But that’s OK, because muscle cars need to have presence, and without big hips and a bonnet that’s large enough to host a hockey game, the Mustang wouldn’t look right.

Some of the original Mustang shape got a little lost in the late 1970s, only to return with the fifth generation Mustang in 2005. Thankfully Ford’s designers have kept things simple for the sixth gen ‘Stang and relatively simply again for the mid-life refresh you see here, and the classic Mustang look is on show in full force. What’s more, with the V8 you get little badges just behind the front wheels that read ‘5.0’, so everyone knows you didn’t panic and buy the EcoBoost V6 – you ticked the box for the full fat V8.

Speaking of V8s, this engine is a tad surprising. Despite being naturally aspirated the throttle response isn’t all that sharp, and, let’s be honest, it’s not the most sophisticated V8 engine around. But what it manages to do is be half fuel efficient. That’s right, we’re kicking off with fuel economy. Why? Because Mustangs are notorious gas guzzlers – they are V8 icons, and as such you expect them to be completely hopeless when it comes to mileage. But we were able to get around 30mpg when we really tried. How often did we try? To be fair, you really need to want to try because, well, you’ve got a 5.0-litre V8…

It’s a muscular engine. With 450PS (331kW) and 529Nm (391lb ft) on tap, in the dry at low speeds the rear wheels want to spin, and in the wet at pretty much any speed some right foot will result in some rear-end slippage. It’s far from the fastest way of getting from point A to point B but if that’s what you were prioritising you shouldn’t be buying a Mustang. You also get a delightfully meaty V8 exhaust note but, thanks to a system called ‘Good Neighbour Mode’, the exhaust doesn’t have to wake up the family next door. Just remember to make the most of it, as I so often forgot to do…

The tyres do a decent job of holding on through corners, and because the wheelbase is quite long there’s nothing particularly scary about feeling the rear tyres start to let go. The car has recalibrated shock absorbers compared to the pre-facelift model, too, as well as stiffer rear suspension and thicker anti-roll bars. There’s also the optional MagneRide Damping System that’s connected with the car’s drive modes (Normal, Sport, Track, Snow/Wet, Drag Strip and the customisable My Mode) and gets stiffer or softer accordingly. All in all the Mustang remains a point-and-shoot-machine, albeit one that is significantly more enjoyable to drive than any standard Mustang before.

A six-speed manual comes as standard but should you go the automatic route you now get a 10-speed auto. Cruising around its many ratios help to save fuel (it’ll jump gears, and go from third to fifth, for example) and then once you’re up to 70mph the engine is hovering at around 1,500rpm, which helps make the Mustang, as fun as it can be, incredibly quiet and easy to drive when you just want to get home. Sadly it isn’t the nicest automatic to use, at least if you chose to use the paddles behind the steering wheel. Sometimes you’re given an unwanted surge of power as you go up through the gears, and on the way down the gearbox just isn’t all that responsive.

Car interiors made for the American market only can be a little, well, terrible. The balance of quality has historically always favoured Europe over the USA. That being said, aside from the fact that the interior could push the Mustang forward as the poster car for the inaugural Goodwood Festival of Buttons (presented by Cadbury?), it isn’t a bad place to be. Everything is very big, very chunky, but that’s reassuring in a Mustang, it fits the car’s character. What’s more, you can fit four people in the cabin. You wouldn’t want to sit in the back for very long and, realistically, you either need to be somewhat vertically challenged or a child, but it’s nice to have the ability.

The aforementioned drive modes are handy. As well as controlling how the MagneRide dampers behave and how quiet or otherwise the exhaust is, by keeping in check the traction and stability control systems they give you a nice, cosy safety blanket with which to enjoy the Mustang. So whether you’re new to the world of V8s or like nothing more than doing a huge, smoky burnout, you’ll feel quite at home behind the wheel. There’s also all the other safety systems you’d expect, like pedestrian detection, pre-collision assist, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane keep assist.

Like the Ford GT the instrument cluster is now entirely digital, and with it comes various options for customisation. In track mode, for example, the standard tachometer and speedo disappear to make room for a horizontal rev counter that sits front and centre. In the middle of the dash there’s an eight-inch touchscreen equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and of course you get a DAB radio, Bluetooth, sat-nav and so on.

In the same way a tin of baked beans carries with it certain expectations, the Mustang exists to satisfy certain needs. This Mustang does exactly what you’d expect it to. Where some older versions of this classic American hero tried to complicate the recipe, this is simple and all the better for it. What’s more, aside from a few niggles, it’s dynamically stronger than any other Mustang before it, and makes us all the more excited for whatever special, limited edition or more track orientated versions appear from Ford in the future.