2015 Ford Mustang GT Convertible

You know you’re getting old when….. you remember clear as day how excited you were when you first laid eyes on the new Mustang that the Ford Motor Company had just introduced to the world.It’s hard to believe but that was more than half a century ago. When the Mustang reached the market as an early 1965 model it spawned the pony car movement.

One marvels after all these years how Ford has managed to keep the Mustang modern and up-to-date with each succeeding generation, while at the same time retaining some of the retro-styling that made it an instant success back in the day.

But that’s exactly what Ford has been able to achieve, bringing us now to the sixth-generation Mustang with the 2015 model that is the first to feature an independent rear suspension for improved ride and handling.

We had a brief opportunity to experience the 2015 Mustang GT Coupe back in the fall during the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) Car of the Year testing in Niagara Falls. It was entered in the Sports/Performance Car over $50k category and finished as runner-up to the upstart Volvo V60 Polestar and ahead of the fire-breathing 707 hp Dodge Challenge Hellcat.

Now in early April, perhaps as a sign that spring has finally arrived here in Southern Ontario, we were fortunate to have a 2015 Mustang GT Convertible for an extended road test.

And while it was still less-than-perfect weather for top-down cruising, we jumped at the chance to spend a week with an eye-catching Competition Orange convertible with black leather interior.

This bright orange isn’t a paint colour that blends in with the landscape. If that’s what you want, opt for one of the silver or white finishes.

I happen to love the orange colour; others like my wife would prefer something rather more sedate. It’s all a matter of choice. But then again, I don’t think orange would work at all on a Fusion, but it seems just perfect on a sporty droptop like this Mustang.

As it enters its 50th year of continuous production with more than nine-million-plus units sold, the Mustang is no longer a North American-only car. It is going global with Ford taking it to customers in key parts of Europe and Asia.

And as has been the case for all these many years, the 2015 Mustang is available in both coupe (or fastback as Ford calls it) and convertible variants.