Ride a painted pony

The Ford Mustang really is just a one-trick pony. And that trick is impression.

It won’t matter if you don’t like coupes or if you don’t like North American cars in general or Ford specifically or even if you think sports cars are supposed to have more substance than just raw power. You’re going to be impressed … by the Mustang presentation, the legacy and the very car’s persona.

Mustang is an impressive car.

Just about everybody knows the history of Mustang and the indelible hoof-print it’s left on the annals of automotive history, and even if you’ve never seen the original version, you get a really good image of it from the present car.

Mustang doesn’t pretend to be a sports car. Ford tried that in the early ’80s and ended up with a Probe (a car that was probably ahead of its time and would likely do very well in today’s environment … maybe with a different name, though). Sports cars are nimble little creatures that can thrill drivers with acceptable power and quick, stable changes in direction.

Mustang has more than acceptable power, especially in our test GT version, and though it can handle stable changes in direction, it is far more comfortable when it can put down its power while not deviating too far from a straight line. It is too big and bulky to offer any real competition to the likes of a Mazda MX-5 or Mercedes SLK in tight parking lot slaloms, but it will blow the doors off the likes of a BMW M3 or Porsche Cayman on the wide pavement of a Mosport or Road America.

And it will grab attention just as easily on the track as it does burbling down the neighbourhood boulevard, thanks to a sleeker, more muscular sculpting for 2010 (though it retains the platform of the previous generation, the only carryover panel is the roof).

Even before you jolt Mustang to life, it broadcasts its power. The bulging hood reminiscent of a heart beating out of a muscleman’s chest and the broad muscular haunches pumped for action, combine to convey the image of an athlete primed for competition.

The GT for 2010 has become closer to the previous year’s Bullitt version, galloping along on the power of 315 ponies. So, when you do fire it up, those ponies awake and ready themselves for stampede. Reining them in is fairly easy with the standard bridle five-speed manual transmission that offers enough elasticity to get the best sound out of the engine exhaust, without having to jump any jurisdictional speed fences.

And the mechanical sounds of Mustang just add to the ambience created by the semi-retro interior. Yes, you’re surrounded by all the technological trappings of the modern car, but by and large it’s presented in a comfortable, homey Mustang fashion. There probably should be some design flexibility with the centre control display to make it look more Mustang and less 1990’s Mercury Sable (think Mini and how it Mini-sizes all switches and controls without losing the technological functionality).

As with most coupes (even large ones such as Mustang has become), rear seat room and access are directly tied to front seat compromise, so smaller occupants will find it better back there than taller ones. And although the trunk is large, access is challenging due to a smaller opening (though Ford has done a good job of getting the lid up and out of the way in order to facilitate access), but that’s just part of the style Mustang mapped out in 1964.

If the pony car is all about style, then there is no doubt that Mustang, inside and out, is still the king of the pony car.