[raj_5004]

Mustang is an iconic car, period. Owning one has been my childhood dream. The 1960's Mustangs are still my favorites. The 5th gen Mustang which came in 2005 and made my jaws drop. The 6th gen with subtle styling changes made the car look even better.

When I migrated to Dubai in 2014, I wanted something fast and yet comfortable. I was not looking for something sporty like the EVO X or the Nissan 370Z or even the Genesis Coupe. But I needed something muscular and brawny! Since I was new in Dubai, I reckoned it would be best if I buy something economical and I ended up getting the Lancer GT. It is a great car and is still my trusted partner. It has been handed over to my wife now!

When I made up my mind to buy a new car, I knew it has to be an American muscle car. And there were only 3 cars in my mind -

• Dodge Challenger - Too big and boxy for me
• Chevrolet Camaro - Too flashy to suit my preferences
• Ford Mustang - Perfect styling and size

To be honest, I never gave the Challenger or the Camaro a fair chance. I was very sure that I will buy a Mustang. It was my childhood dream and I was not letting anything divert my mind. Just for the sake of being thorough, I did read/watch a lot of reviews comparing the three muscle cars and in 8/10 reviews, the Mustang emerged as a winner. Yes, it was surely criticized for the poor cabin quality and for the live rear axle at the rear, but that did not really bother me.

I had also decided that I needed a 2013-2014 model only. The 2015 Mustangs are nice, but somehow I fancied the S197 over the S550. The latter has a great cabin, sorted dynamics due to the independent rear suspension, better NVH and has improved in almost every aspect but in my humble opinion, it lacks the presence and brute styling of the former.

I started searching the used car market for a clean Mustang, preferably a V8. The search continued for months. Saw many cars but none of them would fit in my budget. Those that will were either involved in a major crash or were pretty badly abused or had some major issues. The search continued with no luck as most of the cars just did not feel right.

Then I started reading reviews about the V6 and decided that it is not a slouch either. Yes, Mustangs purists do feel that if it is a Mustang, it has got to be the V8. But for me, that was out of reach and I was fine with the performance of the V6. Yes, I will miss the grumble of the V8 motor, but I guess I will have to deal with it.

There were a lot of V6 Mustangs in my budget but finding a clean car was harder than I thought it would be. Again, the search continued for a long time. Many cars were seen and some were test driven but the cars just dint feel right. Finally in the second week of December, I saw an ad for a 2014 Ruby Red Mustang Premium Edition in the local classifieds website. Visited the dealer over the weekend the car looked clean. Did a thorough inspection at the RTA vehicle testing centre over 1.5 hours and then at a friend's garage and the car passed with flying colors!

Finalized on the price and booked the car with a token. Loan process took another 2 weeks and finally took delivery of my very own Stang on 24/12/2016.

Drove it all the way to Abu Dhabi and back on the very first night! The next day I took it for service to have all the filters and fluids replaced. Engine oil was replaced with Mobil 1 0W40 synthetic oil. Total spent on the service was approx 12,800 INR.

The following day, the car was given for a detailing session. They worked on the car for a full 2 days. Charged me approximately 15k INR, but the car came out all clean and shiny, both the exterior and interior.

A bit of information about the car:

Specs:

• Engine - 3.7 litre TI-VCT V6
• Power - 305 bhp
• Torque - 379 Nm
• Transmission - 6 speed torque converter with sports & manual mode
• 0-100 kmph - 5.3 sec (claimed)

Features:

• ABS with EBD
• Electronic Stability Control
• 4 wheel disc brakes
• Dual stage front airbags
• Front seat side airbags
• Selectable power assisted steering (Standard/Comfort/Sport)
• Cruise Control
• HID headlamps
• LED tail lamps with sequential turn signals
• Mykey
• Tire Monitoring Pressure System
• 6 way powered driver's seat with power lumbar
• Leather seats
• Ambient lighting
• Auto dimming rear view mirror
• Microsoft Sync
• SHAKER Audio
• Steering wheel mounted audio controls
• 18" polished aluminium wheels
• Rear spoiler

Coming to my experience with the car:

I have driven only about 2500 kms or so as of now.

Driving Experience -

My first reaction when I drove the car was that everything feels "heavy". Right from the way the doors shut to the way the stalks feel to how much effort the handbrake needs to operate. When you sit in the car, you have a slab like dash in front. But still because of the high and long bonnet, you can easily see the corners of this car. But the high window line gives you a sinked in feeling which can take time to get used to. As of now, I have not driven this beast above 140 kmph (speeding fines are hefty in Dubai!). But given the rights roads and opportunity, I will surely stretch it's legs soon. The car drives with admirable poise at expressway speeds. It is so confidence inspiring that you drive at higher speeds without even realizing it. Even the ride quality is surprisingly plusher than the Lancer. NVH could have been better but that is not what the Mustang is about. A Mustang is not expected to be soft and refined. It is this brute character of the car that has appealed to all Mustang lovers like me.

Also, the rear view mirrors are a tad too small and takes time getting used to. By the way, the ORVMs come with inbuilt blind spot mirrors! Kudos Ford.

Handling -

It is not a car which you can chuck around corners. It is not the most nimble car. Turning into corners is surefooted but the weight of the car shows its presence. But it is not just a straight line champion either. It does provide enough confidence to the driver to go hard around corners. One thing that I did not like is the steering feel. It lacks enough feedback and feels kind off vague sometimes. I guess I am spoiled by the hydraulic assisted steering in the Lancer which is a joy to use.

Also, one needs to be careful while driving with a heavy foot around the corners. Over-enthusiastic drivers can easily slide out the rear of this car. This is speaking from experience!

Ride quality -

The Mustang has always been criticized for using a solid rear axle instead of an independent suspension. It may have it's negative effects on the track but it means nothing for normal or even spirited driving on normal roads. Would it be better with an independent suspension? Sure. Does the solid axle make the car any less competent? I don't think so.

Fuel Efficiency -

Buying a Mustang and talking about fuel efficiency is a crime. Anyways, initial trips suggest that this car will not hurt my wallet much when compared to the Lancer. I think I am getting a fuel efficiency of around 10 kmpl but I will comment on that later when I do some tankful to tankful tests.

Equipment levels -

The Mustang Premium variant is very well equipped as mentioned above in the feature list. The most useful features are the Microsoft Sync through which I can connect my phone for calls and audio, the vehicle monitoring system which regularly monitors the vehicle parameters and informs the driver through the LCD screen in the instrument cluster and the Shaker Audio.

Some fancy features like the track apps and colors for the dials and ambient lighting will rarely be used but still is fancy enough!

Exterior styling & design -

Brute. Muscle. Brawny. This is what comes to my mind when I think about the styling. The bonnet of the car is l-o-n-g and the boot is stubby. The driver sits almost in the centre of the chassis. I love the way the bonnet has that muscular bulge in between. The car is wide and sits low and hence has an amazing stance on the road.

I love the twin slat LED DRLs but what fascinates me the most are the LED tail lamps. Watching the sequential tail lamps is a joy in itself!

I detest some owners modding the Mustang in an attempt to make it look sporty with flashy fluorescent stickers. It ends up looking ricey! In my opinion, Mustangs are not meant to look sporty. These are muscle cars which look great when cruising leisurely at 100 kmph and can give quite a show when the throttle is given a full push.

Overall build quality and fit & finish -

Excellent. My first experience with a Ford in UAE was with my cousin's Explorer. I was amazed with the build quality of the vehicle. Everything feels tight and well screwed together.

The Mustang has the same traits. Everything is solid and build quality is leagues ahead of my Lancer.

I can however hear a slight rattling from the windows when opening and closing the doors. I will need to check if it is a common issue with all Mustangs.

Interior design & quality -

The dashboard is what Ford likes to call a "twin cockpit design". The dashboard is almost a vertical slab. The centre console is nothing fancy. In fact it is really messy with lots of switches. My car has no touch screen but it is available as an official accessory.

The hazard light is uniquely positioned next to the gear shift lever and not between the middle AC vents. Even the boot release switch is placed there.

The quality of the plastics is ordinary but that does not bother me much. But, the glovebox lid does not open with a damped effect, instead it just pops open and that feels very cheap.

Since my car is the premium variant, it comes with leather seats and 6 way adjustable powered driver's seat. The doors are lined with leather padding too.

The centre armrest is nicely padded and wide enough for both passengers to use comfortably.

Wheels & tyres -

My car is shod with the 18" optional wheels with dull Aluminium finish. It looks smashing but I feel the chrome finish is too loud and maybe I will opt to paint it to a darker shade in future.

Stock tyres are 235/50 R18 and my car came with Pirellis. However, these have become old and I need to change them soon.

Interior space and comfort -

Not great but nothing to complain either. The front seats can easily accommodate large adults like me! The rear seats are not great for any human above 5 feet in height! And even then it is a strict 4 seater. There is no way you can fit 3 adults in the back. I have had 2 short adults and one 4 year old kid in the back seat but that will not be comfortable for long trips.

I need to set the driver's seat at a low height else my knee brushes against the key in the ignition! At such a low height, you feel very wedged in because of the high set dash and also the high window line. Luckily, the bonnet is also set high offering a good view to the driver.

The sets in itself are huge and comfortable for someone as bulky as me!

MID -

The MID provides a bulk of information, some which may not be useful for daily driving:

• Instantaneous FE
• FE history
• Distance to Empty
• Air/Fuel Ratio
• Cylinder head temperature
• Inlet air temperature
• Oil pressure
• Engine oil temperature
• Transmission oil temperature
• Battery voltage
• Accelerometer
• Acceleration timer
• Brake performance
• Vehicle system checks

The color & intensity of the dials, halo (edges) and the ambient lighting can be changed.

Air conditioner -

The A/C is really good and chills the small cabin in no time. But right now it is winter here in UAE and I can comment about the AC by May when the temperature outside will hit 45+ degrees.


Audio system & sound quality -

This car is equipped with the SHAKER Audio which packs quite a punch. It has an in-built amp and subwoofer. The SHAKER PRO available as an option comes with a separate subwoofer in the boot.

It can read from discs, USB and AUX. Microsoft SYNC allows me to pair my phone and stream music. Voice recognition works fine for the standard commands but will not detect new words easily, especially in our Indian accent!

Overall, I am very satisfied with the audio quality and have no plans for any upgrades in this area. The equalizer is pretty basic as expected but the vocals are clean and bass is pretty tight and not just "boom boom"!

Engine performance -

Point and shoot!

Smash the throttle to the floor and you can immediately see the front lift up. The engine pushes you back to your seat while roaring all the way to the redline. The car takes off like nobody's business. Wheelspins are a common affair if you have a heavy right foot. In gear acceleration is pretty impressive thanks to the available torque. The engine makes a nice throaty growl unlike the refined Jap engines, which makes you push the car at every given opportunity.

This car does not have the V8's roar, which is sad but I will soon be adding an aftermarket exhaust which should partly solve this issue. A mustang needs to be loud and the V6 will cruise past you without even making it's presence felt.

Gearshift -

This is one lazy gearbox. Drive at a relaxed pace and it will up-shift all the way to 6th gear as soon as possible. And sometimes I feel it takes a while to downshift. So, this is not the quickest gearbox around. In Sports Mode, the gearbox holds a gear longer before up-shifting, but even then it takes a few milliseconds more than what I would have preferred.

Manual mode is not at all fun since it uses a small rocket switch on the gear lever instead of paddles.

NVH -

A Mustang is not meant to be a refined car! You can hear the engine at all times, which is not a bad thing at all. But you can also hear the tyre roar, which is bad especially since the tyres which I got with the car are old and loud and needs to be replaced soon! Wind noise above 120 kmph is prominent.

Niggles -

• The headlight alignment is a bit off, need to correct it
• Tyres are old and hard, need to replace it ASAP

Enough said! I understand an ownership thread is incomplete without pictures. I did not get the opportunity to click any good pictures, so here are some previews -

On the delivery day -




First night, parked in Abu Dhabi -



Parked in my building -



Love these DRLs -



Love this view -



Fancy LED tail lights -



Alloys looks amazing. These are not chrome as the pictures suggest. They are dull aluminium finish -



The V6 motor -



The cabin -



The dash is pretty simple, no touchscreen jazz (though it is available as an accessory) -



The centre console is littered with buttons, which can take time getting used to -




Ambient lighting is present on the floor, cup holders, door handles, etc. and the color and intensity can be changed -




View from the driver's seat. The long and high set bonnet -



Pretty generous boot but shallow loading sill -



Cruise control and toggle switches on the LHS of the steering -



Audio, voice activation and telephone controls on the RHS of the steering -



AT level and the hazard/traction control/boot release switches next to it -



DTE gauge-



Air fuel Ratio -



Fuel Efficiency and FE history -




Accelerometer -

[raj_5004]

Battery voltage -



Air inlet temperature -



The vehicle also shows information like engine oil and transmission oil temperature, engine oil life, etc.

Vehicle system check -



Track apps -



The steering wheel -




You can adjust how heavy or light you want the steering to be. Even in SPORT setting, it is still a bit light and vague for my liking -



The rear seats and legroom -




The SHAKER audio, reads CD, USB and Aux and sounds amazing -



To summarize the above -

What I like:

• The way it looks, makes me drool every time!
• The ambient lighting is subtle and classy.
• You can change the color of the dials and the ambient lighting, that's funky!
• The V6 loves to rev hard and has a decent (but muted) growl at the top end.
• The air conditioner will literally chill your bones!
• The way it glides over bumps and ruts.
• The LED turn lights and the sequential turn indicators.
• Decent boot space.
• Lots of vital information available in the instrument cluster (battery voltage, air fuel ratio, engine oil & transmission oil temperature, engine oil life, fuel economy, distance to empty and the likes)
• Track Apps (Accelerometer, Brake Performance, etc.)
• The SHAKER audio is killer and I absolutely love the audio experience. Bass is punch and the vocals are clean.

Things I miss:

• Paddles on the steering wheel
• The convenience of keyless go
• Sunroof
• Automatic Air condistioner
• The V8 music

Accessories planned:

• My car does not have automatic headlights. Apparently the hardware is already present and I just need to swap my headlight knob with a new one which has the Auto headlights function. I have ordered one through Amazon.
• Some subtle stripes in future.
• Maybe a louder exhaust kit. I had planned for one on my Lancer too but never did it since I feared the RTA regulations and fines and thought it would be an overkill for an economy family sedan.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[kvsingh13]

The Mustang is an iconic car. You don't have to say anything about it anymore. Whenever a Mustang GT passes me in Delhi, the way it looks, drools me over. I was coming home in the morning cruising on the NH-8 highway and this Mustang flashes by me and I actually screamed (which scared my friend on the passenger seat but nevermind). I can feel you about the 1960s model, they seemed the best in my opinion.
Your car looks stunning, can't believe so much has changed from the 2014 model now. I personally prefer buttons over the whole touch screen era. If I was at your place, I would have done something with the alloy wheels though, hahaha (perhaps black gloss ones). Congratulation on this stunning ride, Raj. Cheers to all the Smiles per litre to come!

PS:- A lot of muscles at the dealer, nice.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Accessories planned:

• My car does not have automatic headlights. Apparently the hardware is already present and I just need to swap my headlight knob with a new one which has the Auto headlights function. I have ordered one through Amazon.

Got the Automatic headlight knob from Amazon in a week's time. It was an OE product.

Swapped the existing knob with the new one myself. Hardly took 5 minutes and voila, I now have automatic headlights.

Originally Posted by kvsingh13

Your car looks stunning, can't believe so much has changed from the 2014 model now. I personally prefer buttons over the whole touch screen era

Thank you for the kind words.

Yes, buttons are nice. Especially considering that Ford's touch screen interface is not a pleasure to use as well.

If I was at your place, I would have done something with the alloy wheels though, hahaha (perhaps black gloss ones).

Yes, even I am not a fan of those chrome wheels. I am still contemplating what I want to do with them. Black is a very common color and hence I am evaluating various options.

PS:- A lot of muscles at the dealer, nice.

That dealer specializes in selling American muscle cars!

[raj_5004]

One month has passed since I have bought the Stang home.

I now feel that I know the car better. I am confident to push the car around corners. I have read enough about the mustang online and offline that now I feel I know most of it's pros, cons, common issues and things to look out for!

It is my daily driver. Unfortunately, I have not been able to take the car out on a road trip due to the hectic schedule these days. It is giving me a consistent 9.5~10 kmpl which is not bad at all, considering I do not really drive with a light right foot.

Some of the gripes I have with the Stang are -

• Road noise and wind noise is high at speeds above 120 kmph.
• Steering feedback is not great at all. The steering feels sloppy and a tad too light at high speeds.
• The driver side ORVM offers very poor visibility.

That said, the things that I enjoy about the Stang are -

• Great driving position.
• Very comfortable seats.
• V6 is a stonker. Of course, the V8 is better but the V6 is no ways a slouch.
• Everything about the car feels sturdy - the doors, knobs, stalks, etc.
• AC is a chiller, cools the cabin in absolutely no time.
• Lastly, the car looks mean!

[raj_5004]

Updating this thread after a long gap of 6 months!

Not a lot has been done in this period except a few issues and some other minor accessories.

1. Front fog light cover came off:

The LHS cover went missing one fine day and I had no idea how! I was about to order a new part when I just randomly put my hand inside the bumper and the cover was lying loose inside... on top of the engine protection cover! Got it fixed back.



2. Got a rear camera fixed:

One fine weekend, I decided to go for a dinner to this restaurant and while looking for a parking, I had to reverse down a one way street. One car was coming my way and to give him some space, I decided to turn my car into what seemed like a driveway to enter another hotel. What I could not see in the darkness was a low lying chain which they had installed to prevent cars from entering that lane.

My car brushed against the chain and the outcome was this -



I blame myself for not being cautious but also blame the Stang's poor rear visibility and extremely small rear view mirrors in which I did not see the chain at all until I heard the impact!

3. AC blower replaced:

The blower motor started making a whining noise and had to be replaced. Ford parts are not that expensive and the motor cost me only INR 5,400.

4. All 4 tyres replaced:

The Pirellis had become old and noisy. Changed all 4 tyres to Dunlop VE303.

5. Tyre pressure sensors replaced:

The TPMS system was showing an error ever since I bought the car. All 4 sensors were replaced during the tyre change.

Pending issues:

a] A slight squeaking noise from the front suspension: I researched online on Mustang forums and it seems to be a common issue. The lower control arm is at fault here and may need replacement.

b] Noise from the brakes: I plan to do a full brake servicing and replacing the brake pads if needed very soon. Hopefully, that should solve the problem.

[raj_5004]

The key on the Mustang is a very basic unit, looks more like a key of an economy car -



Not entirely happy with it, I ordered a flip key from Ebay which comes with the original chip which Ford used. Got the blank key cut & programming the remote and transponder of the new key was easy. I could do it within 2 minutes using a relearning procedure built in the car.

Now, the key looks like it is built for a car of this era -

[raj_5004]

After being on the fence for almost a year, took the bite and gave the Stang a mild face-lift by adding stripes -







Another reason for the hesitation is that in UAE, it is not very simple to add stripes/stickers on the car as the law here accounts it as "color changing" of the car. Which means I need approval from the police, then get the color changed and finally visit the RTA (RTO in India) to get the color details changed on the registration card.

Things were not as complicated as it sounded though!

Apart from the above, the Stang is running great with no issues and the only minor niggle I have now is an irritating rattle from the rear view mirror when driving over rumble strips or rough surfaces, which apparently is a common problem for the Mustang.

[raj_5004]

With a heavy heart, I sold my Mustang a week back.

I normally buy used cars and keep them for 2 years and eventually sell them for a lateral upgrade. Using this method, I never lose too much money from my pocket and all I need to do is pay the monthly EMIs.

I never had plans to sell the Stang this year though.The renewal for my car was due in December and I casually put an ad in the local online classifieds, expecting next to no calls for my asking price (after all, I had only paid 2 years worth of EMIs). But interestingly, I got a lot of positive responses and one buyer offered me cash on the spot within minutes of checking the car.

Deal was done and had to bid farewell to the Stang within 3 days. This is the last picture I took of the Stang -



Over these two years, the Stang has been a perfect companion and delivered more than what I could ever expect. Performance was amazing, there were never any major issues and the car looked smashing. The only gripe I ever had was the high road noise, which I could easily ignore with a gentle prod on the throttle.

I will miss her...