2023 Ford Mustang

Ford Mustang

Ford’s Mustang doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. It’s a rear-wheel-drive coupe with two doors and big petrol ambitions, and if you’re after practicality, you’re shopping in the wrong aisle. On paper at least, it lines up against the Porsche 718 Cayman, BMW M2, and Chevrolet Camaro—though Ford’s sticker price is the one that’ll make buyers linger. All South African Mustangs come with either a 2.3-litre EcoBoost turbo-four or the thumping 5.0-litre V8; no manuals, only automatics, which is a shame for purists but probably the right call given who’s actually buying. The market’s tiny—just 12 cars on offer, priced from R499,900 to a heady R1,580,000, with most sitting close to R1,399,890. That’s not window-shopping money. If you’re browsing, you’re probably signing. Right now, Ford’s pushing the 5.0 Dark Horse hard—six of the dozen listings wear that badge, and all sit above R1,379,890. The 5.0 GT does offer a gentler entry, with one outlier at R744,900, but the rest creep up to R1,129,999. If you’re desperate to sneak in under a million, your lone ticket is the 2.3 EcoBoost at R499,900. Most of these are basically new—average mileage hovers at just 13,021 km, which could mean careful owners or garage queens, depending how you see it. Buyers choosing the Mustang over the M2 aren’t doing it for lap times. It’s the V8 rumble, the rear-drive skids, and the sense you’re getting a proper muscle car fix for less than you’d pay anywhere else in the segment. And that’s the point.