LONG-TERM UPDATE 7 | How low can our Ford Mustang go?

28 December 2023 - 17:08
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The Mustang GT CS sees out the sunset in Uniondale.
The Mustang GT CS sees out the sunset in Uniondale.
Image: Thomas Falkiner

Dawn is about to break as I steer the Ford Mustang GT California Special onto the N1 for another trek to Montagu for much-needed R&R. Usually I smash this drive in a single day but this time I'm opting for a more laid-back journey with an overnight spot booked in the sleepy Little Karoo town of Uniondale.

With no pressure to be anywhere by any specific time, I'm now free to amble along at my own pace, stop for photographs/coffee whenever I want and concentrate on maximising my fuel economy. This is, after all, my first real long-distance trip at the wheel of the California Special and I'm keen to see how its drinking habits change on the open road.

So I reset the trip computer, switch the Drive Selector to “Normal” and focus my right foot on maintaining the legal limit, which, at a steady 120km/h sees the big 5.0l V8 turning less than 2,000rpm in top gear. With its ample torque and relatively slippery shape, the Mustang muscles along the blacktop with a sense of quiet urgency. By the time we roll into Bloemfontein for a splash of fuel (I have used half a tank) and some more caffeine, the digital fuel consumption gauge is sitting at an impressive 7.6l/100km. For some context, this is 0.6l/100km more than I once averaged in a Toyota Corolla Sedan 2.0 XR and just 0.1l/100km more than I achieved in an Audi Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI Quattro. 

The Mustang GT CS taking a quick breather on the N9 between Aberdeen and Willowmore.
The Mustang GT CS taking a quick breather on the N9 between Aberdeen and Willowmore.
Image: Thomas Falkiner

This fine fuel-sipping form continues until I reach Colesberg and fork off down the N9 in the direction of Graaff-Reinet. Now faced with a pretty significant headwind I'm forced to apply more pressure on the throttle pedal; an act which soon has the digital readout climbing into the low eights. This spike continues between Aberdeen and Willowmore; a straight stretch of nothingness where Wile E Coyote desert landscapes and Warner Brothers clouds frame perhaps one of the loneliest highways in South Africa.

With hardly any traffic except an odd Toyota Hilux and/or Ford Ranger intent on sitting on my rear wing, I put my foot down for a bit and enjoy the effortless pace this pony car so easily delivers. I've said it before, but even in 2023 (soon to be 2024) this Ford remains an impressively fast motor vehicle; one capable of decimating long distances with the low-revving ease of a bona fide grand tourer. Even at 4,000rpm in top gear you're trucking along at speeds that will throw you deep into the slammer should a shrewd rural law enforcement officer happen to catch you in the act with his laser gun.

The 13.4km Huisrivier Pass outside Ladismith offers spectacular views and exciting corners.
The 13.4km Huisrivier Pass outside Ladismith offers spectacular views and exciting corners.
Image: Thomas Falkiner

After crossing the Western Cape border and with the car's ambient temperature meter reading an incredible 41ºC (thank god for ventilated seats and polar-cool air conditioning), I decide to throttle back on my Cannonball Run ambitions and cruise the last 40km to my destination, Uniondale Manor Guesthouse. Besides, those tailgating double-cabs are now nowhere to be seen: optimism may count for a lot but it takes something with much longer legs to keep up with a Mustang GT California Special on a cross-country sprint. 

Rumbling into Uniondale a little after 4.30pm I'm astonished by two things. The first is how much attention the big Ford stirs up in these parts (everyone from KTM-packing adventure bikers enjoying cooling beverages outside The Hungry Ghost restaurant to wandering locals now excitedly reaching for their cameraphones) and the second is how frugal its 5.0l V8 engine has been: over our lengthy 1,057km jaunt it has registered 8.2l/100km at an average speed of 102km/h. I don't know about you, but I think those are remarkably good figures for something with so many cylinders and such a large cubic capacity. Some four-pot turbocharged motors should hang their heads in shame.

The last 350km of the author's drive from Uniondale to Montagu took him down Route 62; a highlight of which is the infamous Ronnies Sex Shop.
The last 350km of the author's drive from Uniondale to Montagu took him down Route 62; a highlight of which is the infamous Ronnies Sex Shop.
Image: Thomas Falkiner

2023 Ford Mustang GT California Special: Update 7

ODOMETER ON DELIVERY: 9,008km

CURRENT ODOMETER: 13,011km

AVERAGE CONSUMPTION: 10.4l/100km (8.2l/100km from JHB to Uniondale)

PRICE AS TESTED: R1,154,900

PRAISES: Stick to the speed limit or just above and bank on stellar fuel consumption. Big power/torque reserves make overtaking long lines of trucks a real breeze. 

GRIPES: On the open road, I can't think of any.


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