The wait has come to an end and Ford has finally launched the Mustang in India today. The iconic muscle car has been priced at Rs 65 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and bookings will begin in Delhi and Mumbai in the first phase. It’s taken six generations of the Mustang to be developed for the pony car to finally arrive in India officially, but well, better late than never.
Reports of the car’s launch in India have been afloat ever since Ford confirmed that the all-new generation will be the first to be produced for right-hand drive markets. Internationally, the Mustang is offered with engine options like the 2.3-litre, 4-cylinder EcoBoost and the 3.7-litre V6, both of which make over 300 horsepower. However, the arrival of Mustang in India, over half a century after the nameplate was born, is a landmark moment. Fortunately, Ford agrees and the India-spec Mustang is only offered with the real deal i.e. a 5.0-litre V8 that makes 401PS of power and 515Nm of torque.
Trivia: Right-hand drive (RHD) versions of the Mustang GT produce a little less power than their left-hand drive (LHD) market counterparts. This is because RHD-spec Mustangs have their steering assembly on the right side of the engine, warranting a new exhaust manifold that results in a small drop in power.
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While the Mustang GT is available with a 6-speed manual shifter internationally, we’re only getting a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. While we’d prefer the involving drive you’d get with a ‘stick-shift’, we’ll make do with the paddle-shifters that come with the automatic variant.
Ford’s designers have struck a great balance between the old and new, retaining yesteryear elements like the long bonnet, stubby rear end and muscular bonnet, while still building a car equipped with modern tech. The feature list includes four selectable drive modes (normal, sport, sport+ and snow/wet), electronic line-lock (a tech aid to help pull off a clean burnout), electronic stability control (ESC) and traction control. You also get a touchscreen infotainment system, Ford MyKey, keyless entry and a push-button start/stop system.
The Mustang doesn’t really have any direct competitors in India as rivals like the Chevrolet Camaro or Dodge Challenger aren’t sold here. That said, we sure hope Ford’s launch motivates Chevy to bring the Camaro here! At its launch price though, it will take on the likes of the BMW Z4 and Audi TT.
Source : CarDekho