[dark.knight]

Its time we stopped worshiping these "icons" just because they had a past.. sometimes the past stays with them. With absolutely no disrespect to the fans and the car alike, for about Rs.80 lakhs we get a car that is :

- Rated 2 stars in NCAP in a couple of regions, if it were a Hyundai or Honda that car would've been bashed to death by now.

- Below average fit-&-finish.. yes I'd say even a 10 year old 3 Series will be more sophisticated.

- 2 Doors, well ok its what the Mustang has always been about but for 80 lakhs?!! It might attract the attention of a Ferrari but its far from being one.

- An engine that is an old school 5.0 V8 that wont give a mileage of more than 6-7 at its best.

- A super-heavy engine up front, doors and seats up front with no doors in the back and a stubby tail, this has all the makings of a slide and trust me it cannot survive being driven here in India above 80, specially given the poor overall skills of the country drivers. The tail will wag at every opportunity.

Again, I understand the emotions connected to this car but more or less I side with practicality and mathematics.. you've got to be kidding me with this deal. My top 3 picks instead would be :

1) A much more country-friendly Cooper-S or even Countryman.. both are CBU, both have better practicality, height and space up front and are much, much cheaper. Turbo engines aid practicality and FE (where FE is being counted in even the smallest of cars these days due to emission norms). In terms of chassis balancing.. no comparison, MINI is the king of that. Size is adequate for India as well. Price at about 42-45 lakhs before discounts is about 50% cheaper and will have better resale. 5-Star safety rating guaranteed as the whole thing is built abroad.

2) At the same price or a bit lesser, the current gen 5-Series.. almost same length with 4 doors, perfect chassis balance, interiors that compete with the best of the best and better resale.. whats not to like? Full safety compliance as well.

3) At much cheaper prices there are n numbers of D-Sedans to be had which will still be better balanced and better built (<30L).

I'm realizing the full importance of safety today more than ever, in an era where errant driving and rash mannerisms are being picked up by everyone. Cabin intrusion and stable frame is only 10% of the story.. the rest is about how the seats protect you, how well the weight is distributed within the chassis and how balanced and great handling the car is to avoid an accident in the first place. Safety is NUMBER-1 priority for me for ANY car, be it under 10L or over 1 cr.. if 2 stars is the rating for Mustang.. well. I fully know that no car can be a Mustang, unfortunately they're not keeping with the times.

[haldar_siliguri]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

- 2 Doors, well ok its what the Mustang has always been about but for 80 lakhs?!! It might attract the attention of a Ferrari but its far from being one.

- An engine that is an old school 5.0 V8 that wont give a mileage of more than 6-7 at its best.

While many points are valid against the Mustang, I don't understand why the above two points have anything to do with a car of its type. Just my 2 cents.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by haldar_siliguri

While many points are valid against the Mustang, I don't understand why the above two points have anything to do with a car of its type. Just my 2 cents.

True, I myself felt that I'll be pulled up for mentioning core-practicalities in what is actually a luxury product where value or costs won't be a consideration at all.. let me put in a way which I'd intended but didn't elaborate on :

- 2 door is fine, its just that it misses out on what a 2 door sports coupe should really be about.. great balance and handling. That's why I mentioned Ferrari, one can also say Porsche.. they do that to reduce the overall length of the car and enable better poise and predictability. I'm not sure if the Mustang is front-engine or front mid-engine but if it is the former then all the more disadvantage to it being 2-door. Yes stylish it may be but not practical.

- Mileage is permeating throughout the car-manufacturer associations.. so much so that BMW's have sized down from V8's, V6's and are now going the 3 cylinder 1.5 engine route for mileage.. every manufacturer is resorting to hybrid/pure electric models and somehow they are making the power work with the chassis by lightening the body. I appreciate Mustang for being old school and using power in its more natural form.. but given its chassis its best used as a high-speed cruiser in say the arrow-straight roads of Texas or California, in the curves that engine cannot be exploited to its limits AT ALL.

[timuseravan]

I think you are missing the point of Mustang - it is not a practical vehicle at all. Nobody "needs" a Mustang. Mustang is about pure feel of the car - a super massive engine and bare minimum everything else.

If you want practical, you don't even have to look at the luxury segment. Even the Innova crysta provides a better build, decent fit and finish, decent power, loads of space and good reliability. And all at less than half the cost.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Safety is NUMBER-1 priority for me for ANY car, be it under 10L or over 1 cr.. if 2 stars is the rating for Mustang.. well. I fully know that no car can be a Mustang, unfortunately they're not keeping with the times.

This I completely agree. Probably the only negative against the Mustang.

[ksgehlot]

Originally Posted by timuseravan

I think you are missing the point of Mustang - it is not a practical vehicle at all. Nobody "needs" a Mustang. Mustang is about pure feel of the car - a super massive engine and bare minimum everything else.

If you want practical, you don't even have to look at the luxury segment. Even the Innova crysta provides a better build, decent fit and finish, decent power, loads of space and good reliability. And all at less than half the cost.


This I completely agree. Probably the only negative against the Mustang.

There is a lot of improvement in the 2018 model. Changes have been made in the car and it has got 3 stars safety ratings. Its a new platform , hopefully in the future they would get 3 stars on it.

[libranof1987]

Here's an interesting feature on the 2018 Mustang: a "quiet" feature to cut down the engine's roar when you don't want to annoy your neighbors!

Are your neighbors irked by your noisy, rumbling Ford Mustang? The new "Quiet" mode available on the 2018 Mustang GT could bring peace and harmony to your block.
..

With that button, the Mustang's burbling engine sound will quiet down, its noise level cut in half. It sounds like the difference between a growling dog and a purring cat.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/01/auto...ode/index.html

[v12]

Spotted this school bus which mirrors the Mustangs paint scheme (or should it be the other way round). Both are yellow in color with black and red stripes (look carefully and you will see it has red pinstripes running along the lines of the car).

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Its time we stopped worshiping these "icons" just because they had a past.. sometimes the past stays with them. With absolutely no disrespect to the fans and the car alike, for about Rs.80 lakhs we get a car that is :

Mustang or any American muscle cars were never corner craver's. The Mustang was always about character. Park a red Mustang among an Ocean of European sports car and the Mustang will still manage to grab a lot attention. How many of the 30Lac car can do that? Or for that matter a 4 door Bimmer/Merc. Talking about FE, how much does a modern day 2.0TSi deliver on real world condition? I haven't seen them giving anything more than 10-11. We are comparing a 2.0 with 5.0. Yes Mustang's aren't efficient but then this is not the one for FE conscious. The Mustang also comes in US with modern Ecoboost but there is quite a fan base for 5.0.
Coming to resale, there are a quite a few folks here who bought used BMW at almost half the cost of brand new. I was shocked when a dealer quote 42 lacs for 1.5 year old 530D which would have costed like 60-65.
Safety is a genuine concern and 3 star safety for an 80lac car is not acceptable and deserves to get bashed. Rest of the points are little hard to digest and more of personal preference. The situation is akin to buying a Porsche 911 and complaining it of having low GC, bad FE, high maintenance cost etc.

A similar discussion http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...-video-ad.html . While RE are old, unreliable, slow and gas guzzler, majority buy them for their character and old school charm which is again a personal preference.

[v12]

Spotted this Magnetic (that's what Ford calls it) colored Mustang a couple of days ago. Had a lot of carbon fibre bits on the front. Any idea if this is a more powerful variant of the Mustang or are these just add-on accessories?

[jalajprakash]

Originally Posted by v12

Spotted this Magnetic (that's what Ford calls it) colored Mustang a couple of days ago. Had a lot of carbon fibre bits on the front. Any idea if this is a more powerful variant of the Mustang or are these just add-on accessories?

Not a new variant, Mustang being the common man's sports car in the US, has a vast market of accessories available for it. It's only hardcore enthusiasts buying these cars here in India so it's not surprising to see them put on some stripes and some carbon bits to modify them and make them look unique. Looks tasteful!

[munchy_cool]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

- Rated 2 stars in NCAP in a couple of regions, if it were a Hyundai or Honda that car would've been bashed to death by now.

Well, Ford made some changes and it's now 3/5. Do note that in USA it's a different number but no one will talk about that because we tend to look for flaws.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/ratings

Originally Posted by dark.knight

- Below average fit-&-finish.. yes I'd say even a 10 year old 3 Series will be more sophisticated.

This is a personal preference. You may not like it, but others do. As for tech, do not expect the same tech as German or Japanese car however pretty sure the 2017/2018 models are pretty close when it comes to tech.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

- 2 Doors, well ok its what the Mustang has always been about but for 80 lakhs?!! It might attract the attention of a Ferrari but its far from being one.

Again, this is a personal preference. You compare it to a Ferrari, and that made me laugh. You just cannot compare it to a Ferrari. Both these cars belong to different classes and target different individuals.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

- An engine that is an old school 5.0 V8 that wont give a mileage of more than 6-7 at its best.

When you buy a horse, you do not worry about the mileage. Hope you know how Bullet owners feel when you ask them the mileage on it. Same is true for muscle cars. You do not worry about the mileage.

You called the 5.0 Coyote Engine an old school engine, do note it makes almost the same amount of power as the GM 6.2L and the Chrysler 6.4L Hemi ESF, with a much smaller displacement. The Coyote in my opinion is a better engine than the GM and Chrysler Engines.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

- A super-heavy engine up front, doors and seats up front with no doors in the back and a stubby tail, this has all the makings of a slide and trust me it cannot survive being driven here in India above 80, specially given the poor overall skills of the country drivers. The tail will wag at every opportunity.

You are over reacting, if you want a 4 door car buy a Toyota Corolla. The tail will not wag at every opportunity. Ever heard the saying, with great power comes great responsibility. The same is true here, drive it like it's supposed to be. Do not try to drive it like you are driving a Maruti. A Mustang has some decent horse power, and torque. You need to respect that, and the car will respect you.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

I'm realizing the full importance of safety today more than ever, in an era where errant driving and rash mannerisms are being picked up by everyone. Cabin intrusion and stable frame is only 10% of the story.. the rest is about how the seats protect you, how well the weight is distributed within the chassis and how balanced and great handling the car is to avoid an accident in the first place. Safety is NUMBER-1 priority for me for ANY car, be it under 10L or over 1 cr.. if 2 stars is the rating for Mustang.. well. I fully know that no car can be a Mustang, unfortunately they're not keeping with the times.

I didn't quote your alternate options because none of them were Muscle Cars. Expecting the features and comfort of a sedan from a muscle car is something which you should never do.

As for safety, I agree with you. Safety has to be a concern, but how many Indian made cars have those numbers/ratings available?

[v12]

In Mumbai - someone probably took delivery of a brand new Mustang - Team-BHPian?


In Bangalore - someone rents out a Mustang - Team-BHPian?

[gunsho]

Originally Posted by v12

In Bangalore - someone rents out a Mustang - Team-BHPian?

Its the Ramesh Tours and Travels @ a cost of ~70K per day for self drive. For 12 hours its around half the price.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by gunsho

Its the Ramesh Tours and Travels @ a cost of ~70K per day for self drive. For 12 hours its around half the price.

I thought that it was the Driven Cafe unless they are using the RTT licence

[v12]

It was parked outside Driven Cafe.