Let me introduce you to my daily
The non-exotic car post is long overdue. Let me introduce you to my daily driver. I drive a Mustang GT Fastback 6th gen post-facelift Blackout Edition … in Europe. In a place where the BMW Ms and the AMGs rule, I drive the most iconic American car. I’ll share what I love and hate about it, from the European Mustang GT owner’s perspective.
It received full detailing in 2021 and Shelby-themed white stripes
The Mustang GT has a ton of personality. Love it or hate it, it’s an icon and for good reasons. It’s nonchalantly cool not only on paper, the whole presence gives it an X-factor. In other words, this is a sexy, flashy car. It always turns heads. The amount of people, who saw me getting out of it and approached me just to tell me this was their dream car, but somehow life got in the way and they never ended up buying it or justified owning one, is astonishing. And we always end up having this small talk about how cool a Mustang is. It’s the rawness, the feeling of wrestling with it, and eventually taming it. You can’t have that connection with a German car. It’s also a very moody car, believe me when I say it feels different every day. And you can’t drive it the way you drive anything else. It’s a completely different experience compared to all European brands. That’s what I love about it. It’s thrilling and being a daily, it turns my everyday journeys into something worthy of my time. It’s not about getting from A to B, it’s about adding a C and a D to the journey. I can’t tell you how many times I have just continued driving after reaching my destination, simply because I didn't want the drive to end. This is the Mustang.
Another reason to love this car is how easy it is to live with it. The naturally aspirated Coyote engine is bulletproof. For 1.5 years of ownership, I took it only once to the shop - for the annual servicing. Not a single problem so far. It’s true that my Mustang has only 19k kilometres on it, but I can assure you I have been abusive to it. I took it everywhere you can think of. Highways, mountainous roads, black roads, off-road, including tiny ones where there’s only space for 1 car at a time with 90 degrees turns. It took me a few times going off-road to notice that it wants to call 911. The Mustang was genuinely concerned going off-road, thinking I crashed/or I’m about to crash. Calling 911 was the only way out of its off-road misery. If you ignore it, it’ll go away, but it’s quite funny. One of the few instances that kind of show it was build for American roads. I have to be honest, it can handle challenging roads, but you need to know its capabilities and dimensions very well first. Basically you need to spend some time with it, get to know it and then take on the challenges. For some this can be annoying, for others - it’s a high-quality time learning about the characteristics of a car and how to master driving it. It’s not that straightforward compared to let’s say BMW or Mercedes-Benz, or Porsche. Kind of makes you work for what’s capable of, unlike the ready/available power of the said brands.
It's good enough to drive it during the winter. Yes, I drove it last year without any issues and I’m looking forward to driving it this winter as well. Unlike most of the Mustang owners who store them until spring, it never disappointed with winter tires. Since we’re on it, the Mustang GT requires good tires. I first drove it with all-season tires it came with. They were trash and the performance wasn't there. It’s currently with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. I have no complaints about them, the only thing is they need to warm up first. The current winter set is by Nexen, which was fine. I’ll likely change them next year with a fresher set. Yeah, the Mustang consumes tires. Something worth considering.
A lot of people look down on the quality of the interior, but I couldn't care less. The Mustang is not for you, if the interior is the only thing you care about and a reason for you not to get one. I mean, it can be better, but does it have to be? It’s a muscle car, not a luxury coupe. In my case, yes, it’s not the only car I have an access to. But even if I had to choose only one car, I would still pick the Mustang (if it’s under 100k. Otherwise I would go with the AMG S63 Coupe .. and a Mustang GT).
I’ll briefly touch the fuel consumption subject, since a lot of people ask and care about it, especially now with these prices. The consumption averages from 14 l/100km to 25 l/100km. It’s not the best, but it’s not the worst. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a 5.0l V8 engine.
Now is time for something I don’t hate, but I also don’t like, but at the same time it’s part of its character. The aerodynamics are non existent above 170km/h. The whole car is just not as planted as I wish it was. It feels like the hood will pop up and open and completely cover your view at any moment. It’s not confidence-inspiring. And you do need confidence when you're driving, especially above 170km/h. Of course you can go with 200km/h and above if you need to, but it’s not that great at keeping up with let’s say an AMG on the highway.
To sum-up: the Mustang GT is happier with a more consistently chill driving style.
It also has the best brakes I have ever used on a car, as long as you don’t have to use them often. Let me elaborate, just like the speed/aero situation, the brakes are sublime, as long as you don’t drive this car too … energetically and for too long. It takes a few total brake slams for the pedal to begin to feel softer. This can be scary and I don’t recommend tracking this car without servicing the brakes before and after a track day. As a daily, you might never even notice this, but like I said I abused this car.
I would say the Mustang GT fits only 2 people - the driver and the passenger. My 7-month old Rottweiler barely fits in the rare seat anymore and I'm currently training her to sit in the passenger seat. So, keep that in mind. It's kind of an anti-social car.
The Mustang GT has a huge fan base, me including. If you have an opportunity to even test drive one, you should do it. This car has a legendary status for a reason and are you even a car enthusiast without ever been in a Mustang?! I don’t think so.
A bonus from me: a playlist I currently listen to while driving
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