Herrod Performance Ford Mustang GT first drive review

Never let it be said that the Australian car industry is not adaptable.

On news that Ford would be culling the locally-made Falcon range (which will happen in just weeks) there were agonised cries from buyers who like their Fords a little on the wild side.

But within a handful of months of Ford releasing the new Mustang on to these shores, the tuning houses that once concentrated their efforts on the Falcon had switched focus and were busily modifying the Mustang instead.

And this is one of the first fruits of those labours.

And, frankly, those same performance-nuts have absolutely nothing to worry about.

The Mustang GT in question is the work of Melbourne-based Herrod Performance, an outfit that has been creating all sorts of wild and wonderful (but mainly fast) Ford products for the last few decades.

It doesn't look vastly different to the stock Mustang GT on which it's based; company honcho Rob Herrod figuring that anybody who wanted different wheels and tyres or a body kit could make up their own minds. But don't be fooled by the standard look, because beneath that black bonnet lies an engine any Ford performance fan would be proud to show the neighbours.

While the standard Mustang GT has been well received, if there's been a single moan it's that the standard 5.0-litre engine, while good, doesn't have the muscle of the supercharged V8 as seen in the last Falcon XR8 Sprint. Well, trust us when we tell you the Herrod Performance treatment fixes that perception.

As a Ford Performance Parts dealer, Herrod has access to the US-based catalogue and has managed to cherry-pick a few components that have transformed the Mustang's behaviour. Principle among those is a twin-screw supercharger that adds about six pounds of boost to the equation and blows through an intercooler.

A replacement exhaust retains the standard catalytic converters but Herrod adds a few strategically placed heat shields to manage undercar temperatures.

The electronic controls are fine-tuned by a revised program developed by Ford Performance to suit the application and where the stock Mustang GT generally produces about 260kW at the rear wheels, the Herrod version makes closer to 440 of those same KiloWatts.

For those keen on extrapolation, that rear-wheel power figures suggests a flywheel figure of nearer to – and probably better than - 500kW (against Ford's claim of 306kW for the standard car) so it should come as no surprise that the Herrod cars shaves more than a second off the standing 400m time and the same again form the 0-100km/h time (4.2 seconds plays about 5.3).

So it's a hot-rod, right?

Er, no actually, and along with the engine changes, Herrod offers an optional suspension bush and damper package that has a calming effect on the GT's ride and a sharpening of its steering and handling.

And forget what you think you know about 500kW road cars, because the Herrod Mustang is far from a bucking, snorting animal of a thing that only works in a straight line and only with the throttle pinned at that.

In fact, the car is incredibly subtle and if all you did was burble around town picking up the dry-cleaning, you'd never really pick it as a modified car.

The rest of it is familiar, too, including the selectable drive modes that don't do much beyond turning ESP off and the interior presentation that still has some catching up to do compared with the Japanese stuff.

Yes, there's a little more volume from the exhaust system, but it doesn't drone at a steady throttle even on the freeway, and the ride is so composed it feels like a factory job.

Explore a little further with the throttle, however, and the reality of the situation soon becomes clear.

That docile nature just off idle is soon replaced by a real eagerness to lunge forward and by the time you have the throttle wide open and 3000rpm or more on the tachometer, things are happening very quickly indeed.

Yet it's all very progressive and includes no nasty or unpleasant surprises. Heck, there's not even any of the traditional whining noise from the supercharger's drive-belt.

That said, there is a requirement for plenty of discretion on the driver's part, because even if it is all progressive and smooth, that much power will always have the potential to get you into strife.

You don't even have to be foolish with it; careless would be enough.

If anything, the extra power and torque seems to make the six-speed automatic transmission seem a tiny bit dim-witted as it struggles with the additional forces on it.

It can be a bit too sharp on the take-off, too, although the stability control takes care of any errant behaviour.

The other piece of the puzzle when modifying a brand-new car like the Mustang GT is what happens if it all goes mechanically wrong?

Clearly, people like Rob Herrod stake their reputation on it not doing that but, as an official Ford Performance Parts dealer, Rob has the ability to offer a full driveline warranty on all cars that are modified from brand-new in his Melbourne workshop by his team of technicians.

And that other bogey, emissions and legality, is covered off too; Herrod's kit is fully tested and certified as legal in all Australian States and Territories and we've seen the government validation paperwork to prove it.

So what's it cost? Well, you can have your Herrod Performance package in stages, and most customers are tipped to tick the supercharger and exhaust box.

But there's also a lovely suede steering wheel option and that suspension package we mentioned.

Add it all up and even if you choose one with the lot, you'll still get change from $25,000. Over and above the cost of your Mustang GT, of course.

2016 Herrod Performance Mustang GT pricing and specifications

On sale: Now

Price: $84,490 (plus on-road costs)

Engine: 5.0 litre V8 supercharged petrol

Power: 500kW at 6800rpm (estimated)

Torque: 700Nm at 3600rpm (estimated)

Transmission: Six-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive

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Car Specifications

7/10

Ford Mustang GT

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