The Mustang growls as I start the new EcoBoost engine; the power dome on the bonnet dominating my senses. It sure looked mean, and it sounded mean. I was hoping it wasn’t going to be mean to me as I set off. Turning right to enter the track, I stepped on the throttle and the motor whirred and whistled as the needle climbed; the power was evident. Into the left-hander at 90 km/h exiting the S, braking hard into the tight right-hander. This Mustang, the first one I’ve managed to lay my hands on, didn’t seem too bad at all. It felt quite heavy, and there was a bit of body-roll, but the suspension was working hard and the car held its line, staying taut and reassuring. I floored it again on the back straight, going past the ton in a jiff. Braking hard into the left-hander again, with a part-throttle exit, I gunned it on the approach to the main straight. The Mustang stayed composed and I was really beginning to enjoy the harmony of the whole package — engine roar and tyre squeal, with the whistle being the icing on the cake.
Hard on the brakes for the ’30’ zone and the Mustang shed speed quickly. There are 320-mm ventilated discs all-round as standard, but the optional ‘Performance Package’ replaces those with a pair of 352s at the front and 330s at the rear. More bite is always a good thing, especially for this 1.6-tonne horse. There was no way to test the fuel economy, but the dial display didn’t drop all that rapidly, so the claimed figures of 13.6 km/l on the highway and 8.9 km/l in the city, 10 km/l being the overall figure, seem just about right.
The Mustang EcoBoost is now available in right-hand-drive in the UK, as is the Mustang GT, with the big V8. Fingers crossed, we’re hoping both of them make it here with a price-tag reading seven figures rather than eight. If wishes were horses, we’d sure have a lot of horsepower.
Need To Know: Ford Mustang EcoBoost
Price: Rs 65 lakh (estimated, ex-Chennai)
Engine: 2,300 cc, in-line four, turbocharged, direct injection, petrol
Max Power: 314 PS @ 5,500 RPM
Max Torque: 434 Nm @ 2,500-4,500 RPM
Transmission: Six-speed, twin-clutch automatic, RWD
Weight: 1,598 kg
