Matthew DeBord/BI
- The "entry level" Ford Mustang is often overlooked in favor of big V8-engined versions or derided as a rental-car special.
- But for most people, the least powerful Mustang is exactly the right amount of icon.
- I drove a convertible version that cost about $33,000, and it was terrific.
Anybody who has ever been on vacation in a sunny place knows the sight: a bunch of droptop Ford Mustangs in the parking lot of the winery or the beachfront hotspot.
These 'Stangs are typically not packing V8 power under the hood. In days of yore, they rocked perfectly capable V6 motors, but now Ford has dropped that option from the lineup. So your rental pony car is going to come with an EcoBoost turbocharged four-banger.
It's the entry-level convertible Mustang, so get used to it.
This genre of vehicle catches flak from true believers mainly because anything that ruled fleet sales for decades as effectively as the ragtop Mustang is going to be a fun lover's cliché for those precious two paid weeks off each year. Who in their right mind would actually want to own one?
Of course, those same true believers sort of overlook the commitment required to deal with V8 'Stangs: the higher sticker price, the thirst for petrol, the sweet noise from that big engine that can get a little sour if the neighbors hear it too often.
I've got nothing against the Mustang GT or the Shelby 350. But I recently checked out the turbo Mustang - and I was more than pleasantly surprised by its charms.
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