3 Reasons Why The Mustang Is The Best Car For Summer Loving
Shoulda got the V8? Pfffft.
Let me get it out of the way right now: the EcoBoost Mustang does not provide a good soundtrack. There, expectations managed.
When we recently had the droptop pony car in for review, which saw a generational change for 2024, we found it successfully translated the Mustang experience to a new decade. While it may lack V8 thunder, the entry-engine convertible delivers on style, tech, and a reasonably engaging driving experience. Summer officially arrives this week, and were it to have an official car, here’s why our pick would be the four-pot pony.
It Fits Your Friends (barely)
As a long-term subscriber to the Miata Is Always The Answer newsletter, I have to acknowledge the Japanese sports car’s weakness: it sucks for getting more than one other person around. Heck, it barely fits two people and their stuff. To drive an MX-5 is to be—at least on some level—selfish, because it’s a better experience for the driver.
The Mustang convertible is more egalitarian in the joy it provides. There’s a back seat, for starters. Sure, it’s not what you’d call spacious with its tiny amounts of legroom, but this article isn’t called the Best Summer Roadtrip Car. The trunk will fit the sort of regularly-shaped beach necessities a Camaro owner can only dream of. Does it feel claustrophobic in the back with the top up? Yes, but now that you mention it…
It’s a Convertible, Duh
This one kind of goes without saying, right? Convertibles are the summer car. The Mustang’s is a good one: the power-operated cloth top quickly does its thing for maximum Vitamin D potential, and will operate at low speeds too.
Eliminating the aforementioned Mazda, what other open-top options are there at this price? The Jeep Wrangler’s as natural a beach buddy as Hasselhoff and Anderson, and a two-door does handily undercut the ‘Stang at $33,890 ($48,515 CAD) including destination. It offers a six-speed manual too, something the EcoBoost no longer does. The Blue Oval’s own competitor, the Bronco, isn’t far off either, at $36,785 ($52,060 CAD) for two-door Big Bend with the seven-speed manual. The Mustang isn’t the deal it once was, as a bog-standard EcoBoost convertible now runs $40,615($46,325 CAD), but that’s still the most affordable four-seat open-air car out there. And the Mustang will save you a lot more at the pumps than either of the SUVs, too.
Pony Car Fun
A Bronco or Wrangler can be fun on a trail, but they’re the wrong sort of entertaining on the highway heading to the beach. Vague steering, lots of road noise, and a ride like the local wave pool, these SUVs are compromised on tarmac to be capable off it. The Mustang doesn’t have that problem. The classic front-engine, rear-drive balance makes it a good bit of fun on winding roads, while the torquey turbo provides as much twist as the V8s of yesteryear.
With mainstream personal luxury coupes all gone, the Mustang is now set to be the default convertible at all North American car rental locations. If you’re on a summer trip this year, do yourself the favor and go for it: you’ll get some quality time behind the wheel of the (unofficial) car of the season.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
More by Kyle Patrick
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