The pony gallops into Manila

MANILA, Philippines - There it is: Deep Impact Blue Metallic paint glistening in the sun, passenger door ajar. I get in, close the door after plopping down into the bucket seat, shake hands with auto racing vet JP Tuason, and then before much ado, we are off.

I’m glad I didn’t have much to eat, because Tuason pushes the new fifth-generation Ford Mustang. He accelerates hard, brakes hard, turns hard, and basically pushes the small, conscripted makeshift “track” in Alabang for what it’s worth. The Mustang, if it were like its living namesake, would have snorted, that’s it? We need to stretch its legs. It needs wide open stretches to free its spirit.

Still, better a taste than nothing at all. If anything, I now want to scrounge around for the pesos to purchase this G-force weapon.

A favorite and familiar icon on the streets, the Mustang is the quintessential muscular American dream on wheels. Indeed, it made the Car and Driver list at the start of the year as one of the “10 Best Cars” (specifically, the Boss 302 variant) for “(creating) a standard for all other… musclecar makers.” The Mustang was also cited for value for money.

It’s a beautiful thoroughbred, too, and you can make the argument that it packs the alertness and skittishness of a racehorse. Well, in the V8 GT Premium’s case, 420 of them, plus the sprightliness to the tune of 529 Nm of torque. The new six-speed SelectShift Automatic lets you rein in the power via manual or ‘matic. Despite its big, angry powerplant, Ford says the Mustang can frugally gallop through 11 kilometers on a liter of the good stuff.

The V6 Premium variant is no pushover, either. Under the bonnet is a 3.7-liter Ti-VCT heart capable of churning out 305 hp, and register a thirst rate of 13 kilometers per liter.

Prudz Castillo, Ford Group Philippines (FGP) AVP for marketing, gives us a show-and-tell on the latest Ford import. Motioning to the car, he says that the new iteration retains the “classic long hood and short rear deck, muscular shoulders, and aggressive fenders.”

Even as it stays true to its nearly 50-year heritage, the new Mustang wields contemporary technology, features, and creature comforts. For starters, you can customize your experience behind the wheel; Ford says three settings are available to “select steering effort” and feedback depending on drive style. Sport, Standard, or Comfort? You choose.

A 4.2-inch LCD “productivity screen” on the center panel provides information related to performance and fuel economy, “navigated through a five-way control button located on the steering wheel and offers Track Apps, which delivers performance metrics for drivers right from the factory.” Choose your wild: G-forces, acceleration, quarter-mile, and zero-60 increments, braking times, and even a racing-inspired timer for “accurate countdown starts.”

That’s right, auto geek stuff. Drool. “It’s a car enthusiast’s car,” FGP Communications AVP Anika Salceda-Wycoco says to this writer. “It’s the true iconic American car.”

Both the V6 and V8 variants (built and imported from Flat Rock, Michigan) are equipped with a Shaker audio system that blasts through eight speakers “for a premium, stage-like listening experience.” Ford once again banners its Ford Sync technology for hands-free, voice-activated connectivity.

Salceda-Wycoco is confident that a full complement of features and “irresistible pricing” on the two Mustang variants will make the vehicle an easy sell.

Perhaps more importantly, FGP wants to deliver the message that all goes splendidly with the company despite recent news that it will cease operations of its vehicle assembly plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

“The announcement that we made a month ago about our manufacturing operations concluding by the end of the year has absolutely nothing to do with where we want our business in the Philippine to grow, to go further,” she insists.

“We actually had four vehicle launches this year alone, and we’re adding 12 new dealerships across the country by year’s end. The announcement that we made had no impact on our national sales company. Across the Philippines and across ASEAN, we’re committed to launching eight new Ford vehicles by mid-decade.”

Aye to the neigh.

The new Ford Mustang starts shipping in September, but FGP is taking orders now. The 3.7L Mustang V6 Premium is priced at P2.499 million, while the 5.0L V8 GT Premium costs P2,899 million.