A short while ago now, MotorMartin was relaxing in the rather opulent new surroundings of the refurbished middle floors of MotorMartin Towers, browsing through the latest news from Ford UK, when a particular story stood out causing a certain amount of intrigue. The story suggested that in this years MPG Marathon, Ford UK had entered their all new, RHD 5.0 Mustang GT. You did read that correctly, a 5.0 Mustang GT entering the MPG Marathon! It’s certainly a good job that the story hadn’t been released on April 1st. With news of the MPG Marathon’s results arriving up on the top floor, it was time to look at whether or not their quite outrageous plan had been a success or failure.
Ford have therefore shared with MotorMartin that the Mustang’s entry into this year’s MPG Marathon has proved the car’s credentials as a fuel-efficient cruiser in addition to its acclaimed performance capability.
Quite incredibly, drivers Andrew Marriott and Andy Dawson achieved a 36.6mpg average over a 430-mile real-world course – equating to a 75 per cent improvement above the Mustang’s homologated economy figures. 75 per cent!
To put the increase into some kind of context, the previous highest MPG Marathon improvement was 58.2 per cent by Formula Ford drivers at the wheel of a Fiesta ST in 2014.
Ex- works rally team Andy Dawson and Andrew Marriott explained to MotorMartin that: “The Mustang was perfect for the MPG Marathon due to brilliant steering, handling and roadholding. We were able to let the ‘Stang follow the road, with minimal brake use or wasted energy.”
The pair has a stellar MPG Marathon track record, having set the benchmark at 108.8mpg in a Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi in 2012.
Kevin Griffin, Ford of Britain sales director, informed MotorMartin that: “Since right-hand drive Mustang arrived here at the beginning of the year, over 3,000 have been delivered to proud new owners – two thirds of them with 5.0-litre V8 engines. They powered Mustang to the top of the sales charts as the UK’s top selling high performance sales car. But a high power rating need not necessarily mean excessive fuel consumption – as this year’s MPG Marathon has demonstrated.”
MPG Marathon organiser Jerry Ramsdale discussed with MotorMartin the fact that: “The achievement of the crew in the Ford Mustang was astonishing – our highest improvement ever in the history of the event – and it shows that even the most potent performance cars can be relatively economical if driven sensibly.”
There you have it, an article regarding the amazing Mustang 5.0 V8 that also uses the phrase, ‘driven sensibly’. Who would have thought it.
Where will you go?