Growing up in England in the 1980s and 1990s, you didn’t see too many Ford Mustangs. It’s almost certainly that air of unobtainable exotica that started my own personal love of American muscle cars. But on a recent visit back home, I spied a Mustang parked in the small village where my family still reside. It’s perhaps a mark of the depth to which the latest generations have become commonplace, although that’s nothing compared to its popularity in the UAE.
Last year, The National’s most-read road test online was, you guessed it, the Mustang – specifically, the 5.0L V8 incarnation. Our writer back then was handed a striking yellow example; however, my test car for the 2017 update doesn’t look quite as imperious in silver.
You have to look a little closer than in some previous model years to spy the telltale signs that this is indeed the full-fat Mustang, rather than a V6 or four-cylinder EcoBoost variant: the GT badging is subtle, and although it still boasts a "5.0" on both front flanks, they’re also small enough not to shout too loudly about its status. One feature I had been looking forward to trying was the Mustang’s heralded Line Lock, but unfortunately my test car is the lower of the two trim options for the V8, which as well as lacking that tyre-shredding luxury means cloth, rather than leather, seats.
In the UAE, the EcoBoost Mustang apparently scores top specs and the V6 lower, as standard. Which also accounts for why my infotainment screen is about the size of a credit card, with no touchscreen capabilities. It’s fiddly to operate and, all told, a bit frustrating.
There are a few other interior doubts that would certainly nag away at me were I to replace my own 2012 V6 with this car. An assortment of air-conditioning vents, for example, turn the dash into a bit of a design hotchpotch that even a plate above the glovebox, trumpeting the Mustang’s half-century-plus history and its Pony Car logo, can’t quite rescue. The angular and really-not-all-that-sizeable wing mirrors are a bit style over substance.
But from a practical point of view, the steering wheel controls include everything where you need them and, most crucially, that steering wheel, when coupled with some right-foot action, connects you to an eight-cylinder growl that you will never get tired of. And that’s even without pulling the gearstick towards you another notch into Sport (albeit with occasional difficulties selecting gears from standstill thanks to the proximity and slightly wonky labelling of reverse, neutral and drive).
Lift that bulged bonnet – well, I say "bulged", but nowadays, in the more-angular Mustang, it’s more like creased – and it’s refreshing to actually be able to see the outlines of cylinders, with the largest "5.0" branding of all reserved for the main unit itself. And when it boots out its full 421hp and 530Nm of torque via 19-inch Pirellis, it can still be a cheeky handful to control. It’s worth noting that those figures are actually slightly down on the outgoing model year, by 20hp and 12Nm respectively, but the new engine does boast an upgraded valve train and cylinder heads, and Ford says that various factors combine to improve fuel efficiency. Conversely, if you’re not so bothered about the frequency of your petrol-station stop-offs and just want to give the ’Stang a good old-fashioned blast, there are flappy shift paddles.
I’m still not totally sold on the sixth generation’s exterior looks. The nose is sharkish; the fastback is rakish and sleek, but I can’t quite help feel it has lost a little of the character that drove the Mustang since its vital fifth-generation reboot with the 2005 model year (the less said the better about the eyesores that comprised the previous two generations). The six-part rear lights, which double as sequential indicator lights, are still a delight, mind you, and the car’s overall stance is lower and wider, with the roof height reduced. That doubtless helps to cement the fact that, compared to my own Mustang, this beast corners like it isn’t about to quibble with the laws of gravity and fly off into the stratosphere.
It could be argued that I’m the wrong person to be reviewing a Mustang, as an existing owner. But my love for the most iconic of American muscle cars is tempered by being its biggest critic when it comes to the minutiae of the car. What it all boils down to, though, is should you buy the 2017 model above any other recent predecessor? Whatever your personal view on the styling evolution, the answer is pretty much: yes. Get the top-spec V8, though, or forever regret your skinflint tendencies.
aworkman@thenational.ae
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The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
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Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Read more about the coronavirus
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.
Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
FINAL LEADERBOARD
1. Jordan Spieth (USA) 65 69 65 69 - 12-under-par
2. Matt Kuchar (USA) 65 71 66 69 - 9-under
3. Li Haotong (CHN) 69 73 69 63 - 6-under
T4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71 68 69 67 - 5-under
T4. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67 73 67 68 - 5-under
T6. Marc Leishman (AUS) 69 76 66 65 - 4-under
T6. Matthew Southgate (ENG) 72 72 67 65 - 4-under
T6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 72 68 71 - 4-under
T6. Branden Grace (RSA) 70 74 62 70 - 4-under
T6. Alexander Noren (SWE) 68 72 69 67 - 4-under
