Ford Mustang Convertible Review

Provided by Independent.ie

I woke last Sunday preparing to drive the new Ford Mustang Convertible but felt that I had already spent the night with it. I had had this constant dream that we had roared up to our normal coffee stop and left Sam on the back seat. Nothing wrong there.

However, the dream turned bizarre when we came out with our supplies and saw a crowd gathered around the Mustang. There was the dog opening and closing the roof. It is fast and easy but what intrigued us and the crowd was the way he was able to not only push buttons but also turn the locking handle. Maybe we have been underestimating him.

Predictably, in real life, the Mustang convertible always draws great attention to itself. It looks the part and the fantasy, especially in the race red colour of the test car. The Convertible had the 2.3 Ecoboost engine rather than the V8 in the coupe I was driving a few weeks back. However, some of the brilliant sound has been artificially transferred to the 2.3 although you do feel rather a fraud, especially as I knew Steve McQueen's son was in town at the same time.

The texture roof of the convertible means that you will be even more wary of the places you will park the Mustang, but it does mean that it takes a lot less space from the boot. It folds with incredible speed and feels that bit more real. We both loved having the top off and Sam's nose twitches went almost out of control from all the senses that were rushing towards him. Of course the car is still impractical for any more than two adults, despite two large and comfortable seats in the rear. The convertible costs €55,000 but the test car had an additional €2,800 of extras on the top of a really good spec.

The last time I wrote about the Mustang, the writer and well-being journalist Edel Cush told me about hiring a Mustang for €100-a-day in Florida. Edel writes, "Best drive and the most fun experience of my holiday. We flew into Orlando, welcomed the newcomer, a Lady red convertible into the family and hit the open road of the Florida Keys, driving down to Cocoa Beach. With the throaty roar we sang along with my crew. My baby turned 18, with tunes of Happy Birthday in the background, the Commitments rendition of Mustang Sally belted foremost on the air waves. Who is the biggest kid? This is one of my dreams to come true. How could the day not be bright with a convertible Mustang for company, and memories of McQueen?". Ride Sally ride