A piece of 'Murica

Renting a car on holiday is for a car enthusiasts almost a must. You'd feel empty without a rental car. Instead you'd feel a German's hairy thigh rub against your itching and sunburned thigh in a non-air conditioned local bus. I'd feel dirty for days.

As a car enthusiast, the car you rent should be fun, interesting and different. No Opel Corsa or Citroën Picasso but rather a Mini Cooper S or even a convertible. At this point there is the inevitable concern over the budget. But if you seriously go on holiday to save money, check your priorities will you.

Over on family holiday in the US of A, we rented this piece of local culture and history. A convertible 2016 Ford Mustang GT 5.0. The proper way of moving about in America. Apart from pick-ups, glazed donuts and light beer this is as American as it gets. When in Trumplandia do Tru... NO! No politics. Cars.

Ford Mustang GT convertible in metallic Ruby Red

Ford Mustang GT convertible in metallic Ruby Red

Did I promise I review? Of the car, not America? Well alright. The Mustang is as recognizable as the Eiffel Tower. And just as large in fact. The phrase American automotive icon flashes in my brain when I think about the Mustang. I hate to describe it as iconic but it must be if that springs to mind. We know that the overall shape has not changed that much since the late 60's. I'd describe the look as evolved and modernized. I think it's the first handsome Mustang since the first generation. The near perfect proportions combined with the long aggressive snout does make it look like a beast. In a good way. Like Rowan Atkinson looks weird. But in a good way.

Anyway. It sounds like a beast too. The V8 idles with a deafening booming noise which could make alligators go into heat. The Mustang sounds muscly at almost all RPM's. What? There's an ecoboost 2.3 four cylinder engine too? Hang on, I'll look it up on youtube and get back to you... It sounds like a sewing machine. Moving on. The 435 horsepower Ford powered V8 revs surprisingly happily all the way up to 6,500 rpm. And on long motorway journeys manages to be quiet too.

I can tell you very much about the seats of the Mustang but I suspect that's not what you want. To drive it felt like a mad gorilla dual wielding a wet towel and a cheese cake. That's complete nonsense. I didn't drive it an inch for - lets call it - contractual reasons. I'm told that it felt much better than the last generation Mustang. It was sportier and felt less like a car ferry. The drive settings varied from Normal to Race. In Race-mode gear changes and throttle response were sharper which were noticeable even from the ergonomically excellent leather upholstered passenger seat. There was no evident increase in engine noise. Mind you. That was not needed either.

The materials used inside where not special. Hard plastics and cheap, foamy leather were in abundance. On the exterior plastics there was a nice shine but upon contact with my 'used to European quality' -fingers, I realized how Ford could sell the Mustang GT convertible in 2016 for only $42,500.

I didn't mind though. A surprisingly practical convertible muscle car was the perfect transportation for a two week 'Murica holiday. Would never buy it in Europe though. Especially here in the cold north where an equivalent Mustang costs 80,000€. I'll come back to that lunacy later on.