2022 Ford Mustang High Performance Convertible Review

The Ford Mustang is arguably one of the most iconic cars ever made. Instantly recognisable since its inception in 1964, the Mustang is the poster car for the North American car – relaxing to drive, a V8 engine, sporty styling and all of that for a reasonable asking price. Australians have missed out on the majority of Mustang generations but the sixth-generation car was released in 2015 and sales have been strong. There’s a lot of talk amongst car enthusiasts that the V8 is the only Mustang to buy, but we thought to test the lesser model too. Is the 2022 Ford Mustang High Performance convertible the only Mustang you’d ever need? Let’s find out. 

The lack of convertibles on the Australian new car market has been felt recently as the only options for under $100,000 are this, the Mini Cooper convertible range and the ever-popular Mazda MX-5. Just 10 years ago, far more options were available like the Volkswagen Eos, BMW 2 Series (a new version is due soon) and Mercedes-Benz SLK. As Mustang sales show, there’s still a market for convertibles in Australia.

Price & Equipment: 8/10

Priced at $60,990 plus on-road costs (around $67,000 drive away in NSW) for the convertible, the High Performance is the entry-level model to the Mustang range in Australia. Sitting below the top-spec V8 GT, a $15,000 price difference between the two models exists – but that’s mostly just engine as equipment levels are largely shared.

Standard equipment includes 19-inch alloy wheels, all-LED exterior lighting, auto lights and wipers, leather upholstery with heated and vented six-way electrically adjustable front seats, dual-zone climate control, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, satellite navigation, a 12.0-inch digital driver’s display, a 1,000W B&O Play 12-speaker sound system, customisable interior ambient lighting, keyless entry and start with remote start, heated and electric-folding mirrors with ‘pony’ puddle lamps, drive mode selection, including sport+ and drag strip modes, an active exhaust and a limited-slip differential.  

Safety equipment includes eight airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, au auto-dimming rear mirror, auto high beam and an alarm. 

Key to the Mustang’s character is its wide range of available colours. Just ‘Race Red’ and ‘Oxford White’ are no-cost options – ‘Shadow Black’, ‘Antimatter Blue’, ‘Velocity Blue’, ‘Carbonised Grey’, ‘Twister Orange’, ‘Rapid Red’, ‘Icon Silver’ and our test car’s ‘Yellow Peel’ are $650 extra. Black leather upholstery is the sole interior option. 

Other options include adaptive dampers ($2,750), no-cost body coloured mirrors and stripes and different $500 19-inch alloy wheels. 

For a factory-build right-hand drive convertible, the Mustang High Performance is reasonable value for money. It’s well equipped and it’s also quite large too. Funnily enough too, the Mustang convertible has no direct competitors in Australia – there are cars like the Kia Stinger GT that offer up similar performance, though not the convertible bodystyle. If you’re looking for a convertible, the Mazda MX-5 (up to $47,420 plus on-road costs) and Mini Convertible (up to $67,880 plus on-road costs) offer similar roof-down thrills with pricing below the Mustang.

Performance & Economy: 8/10

Under the bonnet of the 2022 Ford Mustang High Performance convertible is a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine – because there’s no GT badge here, there’s no 5.0-litre V8. But while many will wince at the thought of a Mustang not being a GT, the High Performance still makes 236kW of power and 448Nm of torque, which is pretty pokey. The coupe offers a choice of six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic – the convertible has the latter as standard.

In isolation, the High Performance’s engine is a strong performer. In fact, it’s the same engine as the one which debuted on the legendary Ford Focus RS and is now on offer in the current Focus ST. It’s particularly strong in the mid-range where peak torque hits, and the 10-speed automatic’s short ratio gaps make sure it’s always ready with grunt – especially in race mode, which makes the transmission even faster. With a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.6 seconds, it’s a quick car – though the Mustang GT is a full second faster at 4.6 seconds. Both engines are limited to a top speed of 250km/h.

The noise of the four-cylinder engine is good – for a four-cylinder engine, that is. Thanks to the active exhaust, it makes subtle pops and bangs, which adds some aural excitement. But – and this is a big duh moment – it never gives as much noise as the 5.0-litre V8 in the GT, which is part of the Mustang’s appeal. For some, the Mustang High Performance will never be as exciting as the V8, but for others, we think it will suit them fine. 

Ford claims that the Mustang High Performance convertible will use 9.6L/100km of fuel per 100km, and we couldn’t get it below 13L/100km – pretty thirsty, and not far off our use in the V8 GT. It uses minimum 95RON fuel and has a 59-litre fuel tank. 

Ride & Handling: 8/10

From the outside, as expected, the Mustang is a very comfortable car. Our test car was fitted with the optional $2,750 MagneRide adaptive suspension, which gives more of a dual personality to the car’s dynamics. Around town, despite the large 19-inch wheels, the Mustang is comfortable and relatively quiet. It rides over bumps well and offers more than enough insulation from outside.

The Mustang High Performance’s handling is more than competent for most people, and thanks to its 72kg-lighter kerb weight (1,728kg) compared with the V8 GT, it’s surprisingly nimble and sophisticated from behind the wheel. Its steering is nicely weighted and offers good feel. The Mustang’s visibility is pretty awful though, thanks to small windows and thick pillars – of course, having the roof down helps this massively. 

Interior & Practicality: 7/10

While the exterior of the 2022 Ford Mustang High Performance convertible was nicely updated, the interior has remained relatively the same as when the current shape Mustang was released in 2015. That means that while the Mustang’s exterior is large, the interior is cramped and the quality isn’t great either thanks to the lacklustre materials used inside. 

While there are soft touch materials used on the dashboard and doors, they still feel cheap. The faux stitching doesn’t add much to the ambience and the leathers used feel fake. The lower plastics are hard to touch and there’s a lack of clever touches – the massive manual handbrake gets in the way as well. It’s also on the passenger side…

Centre of the Mustang’s cabin is an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation and digital radio. It uses Ford’s ‘SYNC3’ infotainment system, which is very easy to use and understand. The 12-speaker B&O Play sound system is quite punchy too. 

The 12.0-inch digital driver’s display adds a more expensive feel to the cabin, and its layout changes depending on which drive mode you’re in. But you can’t have a map in the screen, unfortunately, and there’s no heads-up display. 

Because it’s a sports car, practicality is not the Mustang’s strong suite. There are reasonable cup holders, small door pockets, a medium-sized box under the armrest, a big glovebox and a secret storage slot underneath the steering wheel. The Mustang’s back seat is largely useless for people – it’s more well suited for luggage – thanks to the tiny amount of legroom. But as you’d expect for an American car, the Mustang’s seats are quite comfortable, though the front seats not featuring electric backrest adjustment is strange. 

The boot of the Mustang measures 408-litres, with a small opening and shallow floor. But it does have a space saver spare wheel. The convertible’s back seat does not fold due to extra strengthening for the convertible roof. 

Service & Warranty: 9/10

Like other Ford products, the 2022 Ford Mustang High Performance convertible comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty with up to seven years of roadside assistance. Service intervals come once yearly/every 15,000km and five years/75,000km of servicing costs $1,526 ($305 per service). 

The 2022 Ford Mustang High Performance Convertible DiscoverAuto Rating: 8/10

The 2022 Ford Mustang High Performance convertible is an intriguing product that requires close consideration. On one hand, the lack of a V8 makes it feel less special than the GT, but on the other, it’s still a competent cruiser that can do a surprising amount of sporty driving thanks to its lighter weight than the V8 and high-output turbo four. It’s also reasonable value for money and in this market, it doesn’t really have any direct competitors. 

Of course, it’s not perfect – it’s really not very practical at all, its fuel use can be pretty scary for a four-cylinder engine and, well, the V8 GT is just more exciting in all areas. That the V8 is still comfortably under $80,000 helps its cause. The V8 also adds more into the whole Mustang dream and for many Australians lamenting the loss of homegrown V8s like the Falcon and Commodore, it’s the only solution. But for those not needing a V8 – but still wanting the Mustang look – the High Performance is a good solution and a pretty great convertible to match.