The Ford Mustang GT FX Convertible Makes Every Day Feel Like A Vaguely ’90s-Tinged Staycation

Will we ever escape ’90s nostalgia? While romanticizations of the 2000s are popping up more and more in algorithms, pining for the post-Cold War era is here to stay, from Hollywood remakes to samples in popular music. So what happens when you apply those rose-tinted lenses to the latest version of the archetypal vacation car? This is the Ford Mustang GT FX Convertible, and if everything adds up, it ought to add a bit of carefree whimsy to everyday life while doing all the things a Mustang needs to do.

On paper, this should be a car to make Midwest living a little more special. Plenty of horsepower, a thumping great V8 soundtrack, limitless sky, and just the right sort of throwback touches. But is this automatic convertible the right way to order the last remaining pony car? Naturally, I spent a week in one to find out how it stacks up.

[Full disclosure: Ford Canada let me borrow this Mustang GT FX for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it reasonably clean with a full tank of fuel, and reviewed it.]

The Basics

Engine: Five-liter quad-cam 32-valve V8.

Transmission: Six-speed manual or optional ten-speed automatic.

Drive: Rear-wheel-drive, standard plate-type limited-slip differential, optional Torsen limited-slip differential.

Output: 480 horsepower at 7,150 RPM, 415 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,900 RPM (486 horsepower at 7,250 RPM and 418 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,900 RPM with optional valved exhaust).

Fuel Economy: 15 MPG city, 23 MPG highway, 18 MPG combined (15.7 L/100km city, 10.6 L/100km highway, 13.4 L/100km combined) with manual gearbox; 16 MPG city, 24 MPG highway, 19 MPG combined (15.5 L/100km city, 10 L/100km highway, 13 L/100km combined) with automatic gearbox.

Base Price: $60,265 including freight ($69,520 in Canada).

Price As-Tested: $71,680 including freight ($82,815 in Canada).

Why Does It Exist?

Throughout the history of the Ford Mustang, special editions have been a bit of a thing. The Bullitt, the California Special, the Grabber, the Stampede Edition, the Warriors In Pink edition, the list goes on. Now there’s a new one: The FX. Instead of harkening back to the ’60s, it draws inspiration from the turn of the ’90s, a new era of optimism coinciding with the twilight years of stadium rock. Oh, and of course you can get it on a GT Premium Convertible.

How Does It Look?

In a word, rad. The FX package is Ford’s throwback to the Fox-body Mustang of the ’80s and early ’90s, and it really leans into throwback tuning trends. White wheels and accents offer a visual lift, and pair nicely with the Molten Magenta paint of this example. Otherwise, it’s a new Mustang. From the shark nose to the crisp haunches, it’s a smart-looking thing. Ford’s designers have done a solid job of disguising some of the previous model’s underpinnings.

What About The Interior?

Inside the Mustang GT FX Convertible, it’s evident that Ford’s put some old-school flair on a new-school design. Those plaid seat inserts aren’t actually cloth, but two-tone perforations that form a plaid pattern while still allowing air from the cooled seat function to pass through. Beyond the funky textiles, two-tone blue-green and white stitching is everywhere. Seats, dashboard, console, steering wheel, you name it. Porsche would charge a fortune for that, and it’s fun without being overbearing.

Speaking of the seats, they are rather comfortable, trading bolstering for wide, supple cushions. Lovely to stretch out on. Visibility’s decent for a modern convertible, although the top itself has a weird quirk. It still features a manual header latch with a folding twist design that rotates to unlock the top from the frame of the windscreen. Once that step’s done, a rocker switch between the map lights lowers the roof quickly and silently.

Moving to the rear seats, they’re more spacious than you might expect. Legroom back there’s almost on par with a Toyota Corolla Hatchback, and there’s unlimited headroom with the top down. Mind you, don’t expect many amenities back there. You get seatbelts, speakers, and that’s about it.

How Does It Drive?

Of course, the big reason why the Mustang is so loved is its five-liter heart of gold. Producing 480 horsepower on 93 octane, although willing to accept standard 87-octane fuel, it fires into life with a hearty burble. Sure, it may drink fuel at an astounding rate, but it makes even stop-and-go traffic feel like an occasion. Like you’re slowly surfing along on your own personal earthquake. Unfortunately, the optional 10-speed automatic transmission remains a recalcitrant dance partner. It’s reluctant to kick down and sluggish to upshift in normal mode, smooth enough to cruise about town in but surprisingly lethargic when you need to overtake. Flicking the drive mode over to “Sport” or “Track” and using the paddles speeds up the upshifts immensely, but downshifts are then often unacceptably jerky. The standard manual transmission is likely the wiser choice here, as it simply does what you tell it to.

Still, at least the combination of five-liter V8 and the ten-speed automatic makes for rapid acceleration with a rowdy soundtrack. Select the most aggressive “Drag” drive mode, strike the cue ball in the middle, and you’ll make your way from a dead stop to 60 MPH in about four seconds, on your way through the quarter-mile in the twelves. Twenty years ago, that sort of pace from a Mustang was unfathomable, and this one does it top-up or top-down. Need to cool your jets? The Brembo setup included in the Performance package is more than enough to find the limits of the stock Pirellis.

Once you find a corner, you’ll find that the Mustang GT FX Convertible is surprisingly willing to change direction. There’s a touch of vagueness to the steering on-center, but once you load up the front end, the helm offers just enough communication to know when you’re getting towards the limits of grip. Body roll’s kept nicely in check for this thing’s purpose and weight, likely thanks in part to the Performance Package’s different rear anti-roll bar and front springs, and the overall package simply feels more sophisticated than the previous-generation Mustang.

As for ride comfort, this test car is equipped with the Performance Package, which adds some much-needed stiffer springs over the base car. It’s still a bit underdamped, but the setup never gets crashy even on appalling roads. However, once the tarmac gets bad, there is one thing you’ll notice: The whole drop-top Mustang’s a bit wobbly. A touch of scuttle shake, perhaps?

Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?

For the most part, yeah. Right off the bat, the GT FX Convertible gets a big infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a highly configurable digital gauge cluster, LED lighting, dual-zone automatic climate control, a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats, rain-sensing wipers, and rear parking sensors. Want to spend more? The optional adaptive cruise control does a commendable job of managing stop-and-go traffic; you can opt to have both interior screens set in a single magnesium frame, and the Performance Package comes with an electronic drift brake that functions like a hydraulic handbrake. For responsible use, of course.

Mind you, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The optional B&O sound system is plenty loud but not particularly clear, and there really aren’t many buttons dotted around the cabin. Nearly all your climate controls are in the screen, and although they’re docked at the bottom, the on-screen sliders for the heated and cooled seats are fussy to operate.

Three Things To Know About The Mustang GT FX Convertible

1. Structural wobbles are rather noticeable on bad roads.
2. It only requires regular 87-octane gasoline.
3. The plaid seats are actually a pattern set into perforations rather than dyed cloth.

Does The Mustang GT FX Convertible Fulfil Its Purpose?

For the most part, yeah. A V8 Mustang convertible is meant to be a vacation car, an object of the open road. It may be thirsty, and the automatic transmission isn’t refined enough to warrant the upcharge over the standard manual, but it’s a swift and comfy cruiser that doesn’t fall to pieces when the roads get twisty. The FX treatment only adds to the appeal, and all you need to do is bring your own hair metal. However, there is a catch: Add on options like the performance package, the high-series package for adaptive cruise control, and the monoframe screen setup, and the result is painfully expensive. A Mustang is meant to be a working-class hero, but one spec’d like this is $71,680 in America and $82,815 in Canada.

If you aren’t attached to the idea of a pony car, the thinning convertible herd means the drop-top Mustang GT only really has one close competitor. For around $6,000 more than this Mustang GT FX Convertible sits as-spec’d, you can buy a BMW M440i Convertible. If you can get around how it has the face of an Edsel undergoing mitosis, the BMW’s more economical than the Ford, more refined than the Ford, just as quick as the Ford, and has a much better automatic transmission. Objectively, it’s a better car than the Mustang, but maintenance costs will likely be higher in the long run.

What’s The Punctum Of The Mustang GT FX Convertible?

This slightly pricey V8 cruiser makes every day feel like a staycation.

Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal