Mustang GT 2018 is a high performance car 

One of the few Ford Mustangs in Uganda is Mujib Tusuubira’s GT 2018 model, made with a 5000cc petrol engine of 420 horsepower (HP) and pound fit of 420. Because of its big and powerful engine, the speedometre moves from zero to 60kms per hour in a space of four seconds, or as soon as you accelerate. 

“It has different driving modes. With the truck mode, I can select the sport, comfort and drift modes. When driving in the comfort mode, the suspension becomes more agile (where the car does not accelerate aggressively). It keeps the revs low while accelerating and consumes less fuel compared to the sport mode where it tends to consume more fuel,” Tusuubira explains.

In this particular model, the ground clearance does not adjust lower or higher in each of the driving modes. This is because high performance cars have different standardised specifications that cannot be tampered with. However, there is a higher spec in these cars called the Mustang GT350R that has the component of adjusting the ground clearance, depending on the terrain.  

“It is typically an urban drive car. Taking it off-road is as good as deliberately increasing your maintenance costs. In Kampala, where potholes are unavoidable, you have to drive carefully to avoid damaging parts underneath the car. Its suspension was not made for rough roads,” Tusuubira says.

A look at the speedometre of the Mustang shows it has just covered 20,000km. By Ugandan standards, it is still a new car, meaning it will be a while before the need to repair or replace any major parts.

However, should there be need for spare parts, Tusuubira says the nearest he can source them is the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Middle East, a place known for selling different spare parts. It normally takes approximately one to two weeks to have the spare part imported.

Unlike your ordinary car, it is highly recommended to use high octane fuel for the Mustang from trusted fuel stations. This is because big engine cars come with big combustion levels that need light fuel to perform to their maximum. Using poor quality or adulterated fuel only damages the car engine.

According to Tusuubira, when you use adulterated fuel, within a short time, the engine will not only slow down but other parts such as the gearbox, transmission system and fuel pump, among others, will also soon wear out.  

Car performance

Built with a maximum speed of 300km/hr, the mileage per litre of fuel depends on where you are driving from. For instance, in Kampala City and its suburbs with slow moving traffic, you can cover approximately 15 miles per gallon, unlike on the highway where it covers 20 miles per fuel gallon, with one gallon comprising approximately three litres of fuel.

Features

Unlike the previous version of the Ford Mustang GT that had a clock-like speedometre, the one in the 2018 model is digital. You will also enjoy a complete leather-coated interior from the dashboard to the seats and steering wheel, making your car easy to clean.

The Mustang also has a well amplified infotainment system that has a provision for Apple Carplay and this can be connected to the car via Bluetooth. This increases your concentration levels on the road and reduces phone usage while driving.

Downside

While the driver and co-driver enjoy comfortable legroom, passengers in the rear seats are not as comfortable, which makes travelling over long distances bothersome. The headroom is also not as comfortable for tall passengers because of the car’s reclining coupe design.

The 2018 GT Mustang comes with beautiful light emitting diode (LED) lights that also feature daytime running lights (DRL). These highlight the  car’s aesthetics, especially when driving during the day.

Safety

For safety, when reversing, the Mustang has rear cameras and sensors that trigger an alarm before you crash into any objects. It also has front, rear and side airbags to protect you from injury in the unfortunate event of a crash or anything ramming into the car.

“My particular model comes with a nine-speed automatic transmission but it also has an element of a manual transmission. The steering wheel has gear buttons I push to drive in manual mode. If I want to push and find out its real performance potential, I switch to manual mode,” Tusuubira concludes.

Cost
Mujib Tusuubira says the cost of a 2018 model Ford Mustang is $100,000, duty free, which is equivalent to Shs370m. Taxes would cost approximately Shs60m to Shs70m.