Ford rental
Kuala Lumpur

The Mustang has been in continuous production since 1964 and its formula has barely changed: put the engine at the front, drive the rear wheels, make the bonnet long and the boot short, and price it so that ordinary people can buy one. That last part is the whole point and the reason it matters. The Mustang democratised the fast coupé in America the way the Mini democratised the small car in Britain, and it is still, adjusted for what it does, remarkable value.

The 2.3 EcoBoost version is the one that draws the most argument from purists, and their objection — that a Mustang should have eight cylinders — is emotionally reasonable and technically outdated. The EcoBoost four is a twin-scroll turbocharged unit derived from Ford's Focus RS engine programme, and it makes its torque low and flat in a way the old atmospheric V8s never did. It is also around 90 kilograms lighter over the front axle, which changes the balance of the car noticeably for the better. It turns in more willingly and it does not understeer into a corner the way a V8 car will.

For Malaysian conditions the four-cylinder makes even more sense than it does in America. The roads here rarely give you the space to use a big atmospheric engine properly; what you actually need is 40 to 100 km/h punch for an overtake on a two-lane road, and turbocharged mid-range delivers that better than displacement does. Fuel consumption is also survivable, which on a 300-kilometre Karak-and-Bentong day is not a trivial consideration.

What you get with a Mustang that you do not get elsewhere in this price bracket is presence. It is long, wide, loud enough, and instantly recognisable to absolutely everyone — including people with no interest in cars at all. For a birthday, a photoshoot or a first taste of a rear-drive coupé, that recognition factor is worth as much as the specification sheet.