No doubt by now, you’ll have heard the news. Not only is the Ford Mustang on sale officially in the UK for the first time in its history, you can even get it in right-hand drive. So, with none of the hurdles of importing and converting a foreign car, Ford has opened up America’s most iconic model to a more mainstream British audience.

And, as well as the Coupe model, you’ll also be able to choose this convertible version, with the same choice of petrol engines, but with a soft top covering its four seats. We might not have the weather of LA or Miami, but that doesn’t tend to stop us, with UK customers historically buying more convertibles than any other European nation. Oh, the optimism.

Performance

There are two distinct versions of the Mustang, the turbocharged 2.3-litre Ecoboost petrol four-cylinder and the muscular 5.0-litre V8 GT. Now, purists will tell you it isn’t a real Mustang if it doesn’t have a V8 under the hood, but if you’re new to the breed, the Ecoboost is actually a decent engine.

With 313bhp it’s hardly anaemic, and the fact its basic components are shared with the engine in the Focus RS also lends it some pub bragging rights. Power comes in early in the rev range, so it feels like a big engine, while it sounds quite rorty too and gets you from 0-62mph in six seconds. Quite a bit of this soundtrack is pumped through the speakers synthetically though, so oddly, this ‘Stang actually sounds better with the roof up.

Ride and Handling

While it might have the advantage of fully-independent front and rear suspension for the first time, the Convertible Mustang isn’t as sharp as the Coupe

While it might have the advantage of fully-independent front and rear suspension for the first time, the Convertible Mustang isn’t as sharp as the Coupe. Despite structural reinforcements, taking the roof off such a long and heavy car is always going to have an effect, and sure enough, the Convertible can be felt shimmying and flexing along the same road where a Coupe would feel rock solid. This isn’t to say the Convertible feels slow, it will still cover ground faster than most other cars on the road and it grips hard in corners, but it does so with less precision and panache than the hardtop. You can also feel that the suspension has been slackened a little, in line with the Convertible’s softer personality. Like the Coupe, the 5.0-litre GT gets some upgrades as standard, with beefier Brembo front brakes, wider 275 profile rear tyres, launch control and Line Lock, which makes it easy to do smoky burnouts, once you work out the sequence of buttons to press.

Interior and Equipment

The 5.0-litre GT features ‘Line Lock’, a drag-racing derived technology which locks only the front brakes, allowing the rear tyres to spin freely. This can be used to heat the rubber for maximum grip, or just to perform smoky burnouts.

Like the rest of the Mustang, the interior is a bit brash, which is both a good and bad thing. We love the ‘twin eyebrow’ dashboard design with its ‘Since 1964’ plaque, as well as the three-spoke steering wheel and large SYNC 2 infotainment system. But, the huge swathe of fake metal across the dash and almost unbelievably shiny switchgear are a bit too much to stomach. Oh well, at least the Mustang is one car that can get away with some fake chrome. What’s not in dispute is the driving position, which is excellent. You sit fairly low down, with a spectacular view over the long bonnet and the position of the gear lever encourages you to lie your arm on the centre console. The seats in the 2.3-litre are a little unsupportive for a sports car, but those in the GT hug a bit more firmly. At a glance, it’s easy to think the Mustang is a four-seater, but in reality the rear seats would be very cramped for adults and are better suited to kids or a few bags of shopping. The boot measures 332 litres, which compares with 280 for an Audi TT Roadster. The BMW 4 Series Convertible has a bigger boot with the roof up (370 litres), but if you want to put it down, luggage space is cut to just 220 litres.

Cost

If you buy into the Mustang heritage, then this legendary Ford is something of a bargain

The Mustang is a car of contrasts when it comes to assessing its cost. If you buy into the Mustang heritage, then this legendary Ford is something of a bargain, costing between £34k and £42k while the 4 Series Convertible ranges from £35k to just under £50k. If you look at the 34.4mpg and 184g/km of CO2 emissions of the manual EcoBoost, it also doesn’t appear too costly to run, although way off the pace of a diesel rival like a 420d. But, you’ll likely wince at the running costs of the V8. Realistically a car returning 20.8mpg and emitting 306g/km is likely to relegate the 5.0-litre GT to ‘weekend warrior’ status, unless you are a seriously committed petrolhead.

Our Verdict

The Mustang nameplate will mean different things to different people. For some it will be about pure performance, and if that’s you, the Coupe is a more satisfying car. But, if for you the name ‘Mustang’ invokes thoughts of cruising along the seafront with the roof down, then the Convertible should pull on all the right heart strings. It might appear dated in some respects against the latest German convertibles, but that’s all part of its charm.