2021 Ford Mustang GT convertible review

The ever-popular Ford Mustang GT: it’s ‘Australia’s favourite sports car’, a fixture on the sales charts and part of an ever-diminishing club of surviving naturally aspirated V8s on sale. We know what you’re thinking: you’d take the coupe, right? The stats would suggest yes, but should so many be so quick to discount the charms of the open-air Mustang?

Mustang convertibles, like most, have traditionally been less celebrated than their coupe counterparts: they’re more expensive, they’re heavier and, according to many a pundit, aren’t as good to drive.

Look deeper, and you may find those to be limiting answers to more complex questions. It’s partly true that the Mustang GT convertible, aside from the track-honed Mach 1, tops the Mustang range with a list price of $75,225 – a modest $200 increase for 2021 - before options and on-road costs.

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You can’t opt for the burly six-speed gearbox in a ragtop Mustang so, be it four or eight cylinders, it’s the ten-speed auto for us.

That’s a noticeable price creep from the $63,990 first asked of buyers upon launch in 2015, but let us remind you that you’re getting a wholly-improved car today.

A major update in 2018 squeezed a further 33kW and 26Nm from the 5.0-litre Coyote V8, now pumping out 339kW/556Nm, and bringing along a sharp new face, the introduction of the ten-speed auto, and a healthy tech update.

Since 2018, Ford also offers a five-year/unlimited-km warranty. Servicing occurs every 15,000kms or 12 months, with Ford offering a $299 ‘special price’ servicing program of up to four years/60,000kms.

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Today you’ll find amongst the standard equipment list: 19-inch alloys, Bimodal exhaust, automatic LED headlights and tail lamps, rain sensing wipers, 390-watt 12-speaker B&O stereo, eight-inch infotainment screen, 12-inch digital instrument cluster, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, SatNav, reverse camera, keyless entry, heated and cooled six-way power seats, leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control and ambient lighting.

There’s also a suite of active safety features including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist.

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Our Carbonized Grey Metallic test car came further optioned with MagneRide adaptive dampers, Recaro sport seats and optional forged 19-inch wheels.

The design translation from coupe to convertible can vary in execution and effect but, while styling is subjective, the S550-generation Mustang must surely be one of the best exemplars in recent times. Something about the coupe’s native design works so well once you lop the roof off.

An almost arrow-straight belt line dominates the silhouette, running the length of the car, sitting atop the distinctive Mustang swage lines which blend into pumped haunches at each corner. It’s seen a brutish muscle car today, but there’s a softness in the details, true to the original 1964 World's Fair showstopper.

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The cloth roof can extend or retract in as little as seven seconds at vehicle speeds of up to 10km/h. Rearward visibility is reduced and wind noise is noticeably increased in comparison to the coupe when on the move. All the more reason then to drop the roof, as if that bellowing 5.0-litre V8 wasn’t enough already.

It’s always been that V8 that’s been central to the GT’s appeal and, as ubiquitous as they may be, the massively gratuitous flare up of revs on start-up never fails to make you smile. The open-air experience adds another layer of sensory interaction with the characterful powerplant.

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The bimodal exhaust is properly loud, and sounds good throughout the rev-range, never devolving into a booming drone at a constant cruising speed. There’s even a faint driveline whine that seems to have been tuned in to the ‘Stang, vaguely sounding like a supercharger.

Together with the now-standard Bullitt-style vented bonnet and subtle lip kit, there’s plenty of modified muscle car vibes distilled into the V8 ‘Stang from factory.

Despite the convertible’s most-premium position within the Mustang range, it still remains one of the most entertaining road cars available when speaking dollar-for-dollar. There’s also nothing else comparable you’ll find in the sub<$80k price bracket with this much grunt.

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It’s a tremendously effortless engine, with a well of power and torque to draw from virtually anywhere in the range. A maximum of 556Nm is delivered at 4600rpm, while power rushes hard and fast to a heady 7000rpm peak, before falling away as the 7400rpm redline follows shortly after.

The automatic eight-cylinder Mustang claims 12.7L/100km, however this figure can blow out as high as 18L/100km in more spirited circumstances.

It’s the engine that dominates the experience, making ease of overtaking opportunities and quick exits from the traffic lights in an urban setting.

Steering is hefty in the default steering mode, with a slightly doughy on-centre feeling, that can grow tiring in slow situations like navigating car parks or small suburban streets. Thankfully, the comfort steering mode markedly lightens up the rack and quickly became my default setting for commuting and errands.

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MagneRide adaptive dampers are an essential option for anyone expecting long-range touring capabilities from their Mustang, greatly improving body control, compliance and bandwidth compared to the very firm conventional units.

Secondary to the engine, it’s that 10-speed auto that most defines this Mustang, and it can divide opinion.

Some prefer the six-speed manual which, despite boasting very tall gears, possesses a slick-feeling shift-action and well-calibrated auto-blip feature. The 10-speed’s ratios are very tightly packed, but is undeniably effective in most circumstances.

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In auto mode, and under normal driving circumstances, it’s a smooth and intuitive unit that will happily climb up and down cogs as needed. With such tightly-packed ratios, sometimes there’s as little as a 500rpm difference between ratios at the higher end and can deliver shifts almost imperceptibly at a constant cruise.

Conversely, should you decide to leave town and go for a proper gallop, the self-shifting transmission is equally as decisive, detecting when you’re hard on the brakes and automatically rattling off downshifts as needed.

The transmission does its best work when left to its own devices, with the small and stubby plastic shifters lacking in tactility and not really adding much to the overall experience.

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The 10-speed can lose some of its shine when you dial it back a few clicks. At six-to-eight-tenths, it can feel like there are too many ratios for the calibration to juggle, as if the gear delivered is based upon millimetric flexes of your right toe.

The Mustang has never truly been scalpel-sharp steerer, especially in convertible guise which carries an extra 70kgs of mass on its shoulders. At 1802kgs, the eight-cylinder ragtop is a heavy horse.

Power is a great leveller though and, at times, the Mustang can seem light on its feet through sheer brute force, but it feels big within a country road lane, and can struggle to contain its mass in a hot corner entry.

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The steering remains a weak point, even at speed, as it struggles to communicate the car’s front end to the driver and barely varies in weight and tactility as lock is wound on and off through a corner.

You might be the ultimate judge but, for many would-be Mustang buyers, limit handling ability isn’t of primary concern and many will easily forgive it for the way it makes you feel the other 95 per cent of the time.

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It may be getting on in age, but the Mustang convertible continues to nail its brief as a charismatic and lovable muscle car cruiser. The cabin is still a pleasant place to be, with the prior 2018 update delivering a big step up in the quality of materials.

It’s also well-equipped throughout, with Ford’s SYNC3 infotainment system proving intuitive and effective - with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Usually fitted as standard with heated and ventilated seats, our Mustang traded such features in exchange for optional Recaro sports seats. I’m rather slight of frame and found them to offer good support, however some colleagues have commented on them being slightly too narrow. Try before you buy.

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The cabin may lack the showroom draw of the younger and more tech-filled offerings, but the Mustang has always traded on its retro appeal. And that appeal may only grow as the passage of time marches on.

As the industry continues to shy away from cars like this, the V8 ‘Stang begins to look like a rolling rebellion against the demise of internal combustion.

If this is one of the last naturally aspirated V8s you’re able to buy before we’re all whirring around in EVs, you deserve to hear that thunderous soundtrack with nothing but the sun and stars above you.

2021 Ford Mustang GT convertible specs

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