First Drive: 2015 Ford Mustang convertible
Driving the EcoBoost-powered 2015 Ford Mustang fastback, as you may or may not remember, did wonders for my left foot.
While I've always felt a Mustang worth buying is one with a 5.0-litre V8 stuffed under the hood, I, unlike Graeme Fletcher, thought the new turbocharged four-cylinder on offer in the sixth generation car was pretty solid.
With the Mustang convertible, however, I decided to skip the 2.3-litre EcoBoost and 3.7-litre V6 and go straight for the heavy hitter: The GT and its 435-horsepower 5.0-litre V8.
The first—and most obvious—difference you notice going from the EcoBoost to the Coyote V8 is the sound resonating from the exhaust.
The car sounds exactly how a Mustang should, with a low rumble at idle that means business and a bellow at speed that screams V8 pony car.
Yes, a V8 is the only way to ride in a Mustang.
The engine, thanks to its 400 lb.-ft. of torque, is plenty responsive, and the six-speed manual gearbox supplied by Getrag shifts smoothly and with authority.
The car's selectable drive modes go a long way in adding character, too, changing handling and response dynamics depending on mood or conditions.
Sport+ mated to the Sport setting on the selectable steering system was my setup of choice, maker the Mustang feel stiffer and sharper when cornering.
And speaking of cornering, the Mustang convertible felt much lighter than its 3,500-lb. curb weight would have you believe, while the car was plenty stiff despite the usual convertible rigidity complaints.
Another bonus was the stock 18-inch alloy wheel and Pirelli 235/50R18 tire setup, which proved to be a great, especially on the harsh pavement in and around Toronto.
And while the $2,000 "Value Package" fitted on the tester I drove was nice, with its 12-speaker stereo and blind-spot monitoring, I could have done without, though I was wishing for the optional Recaro sport seats that were fitted on the fastback tester I drove.
The seats in the convertible are reasonably comfortable, but the extra padding on the bottom side meant my line of site was directly behind the top of the windscreen, while the bolsters weren't as, well, bolstery as I would like.
The Recaros, on the other hand, are extremely comfortable, and I think it's a shame Ford doesn't make them available—or, better yet, standard—on the convertible.
I would also forgo the $1,600 adaptive cruise control, a feature I'm not fond of in general, helping shed a little off the tester's $56,000 sticker price.
Despite those gripes, which are relatively minor, the Mustang convertible is a solid car, with enough to please all sorts of drivers.
I used to look at new Mustang convertibles and assumed most of them were owned by real estate agents.
The sixth-gen 'Stang drop top, however, is a bona fide sports car, particularly the V8-powered GT model.
I'm not saying you'd be making a mistake buying either the four- or six-cylinder car, but you'd certainly be doing yourself a disservice.
Long live the V8 Mustang.