One aspect that was clearly not overlooked during the development process is front-seat comfort. These buckets offer excellent side and thigh support. Finding a good driving position is easy thanks to the multiple adjustments at your disposal. The leather that covers the seats is thick and likely very durable, as opposed to some cheap leatherette.

On the other hand, my son will probably have different memories of the Mustang than me. Despite being only 7 years old, the rear seats were not kind to him. True, the Mustang has never been a family car, but I simply can’t understand how the engineers at Ford failed to envision actual human beings sitting in the back from time to time. At least rearward visibility is adequate by coupe standards.

I put the big 315-horsepower V8 of the 2010 Mustang GT to the test not on public roads but rather on the ICAR.

A pure thoroughbred
Let’s be clear on one thing: the Mustang is about performance. In this case, we’re talking 13.83 seconds to complete the quarter mile and just 5.4 seconds to reach 100 km/h from a standstill. Conversely, the car takes 40 meters to stop from 100 to 0 km/h. Don’t worry, I put the big 315-horsepower V8 of the 2010 Mustang GT to the test not on public roads but rather on the ICAR track near Montreal -- under supervision and with a helmet!

With regard to fuel consumption, my abusive use of the throttle resulted in an average of 13.5 litres per 100 kilometres. In "normal" driving conditions, Ford claims a rating of 8.5 L/100 km on the highway and 11.5 L/100 km in the city.

Surprisingly, despite a deficit in horsepower, I found the performance of the new Mustang more inspiring than the competition. The reasons for this are quite simple. The suspension is a bit soft so, under acceleration, most of the weight is transferred over the rear axle i.e. the driving axle. The 320 pounds-feet of torque are intensely felt at 4,500 rpm.

During straight-up sprints, the softness of the suspension isn’t really a factor. However, on a twisty track, it creates significant understeer due in large part to the weight of the engine. As a result, you can never point the car in the exact direction you want it to go.

The throws of the 5-speed manual transmission are fairly long but precise nonetheless and the shifter offers as good a grip as the steering wheel, the latter being reminiscent of ‘70s Mustangs.

The throws of the 5-speed manual transmission are fairly long but precise.