Pardon my enthusiasm, but it really is a big deal for us Europeans to officially get the Mustang for the first time in history.

More than 2,200 customers in Europe have already ordered the all-new Mustang fastback and convertible, which isn’t a small number considering the pony car’s price and its large-displacement engines (yes, even a 2.3-liter unit is too big in many European countries where engines exceeding 2.0 liters in displacement are really punished by the taxman).

As you probably learned, the Ford Mustang is available in Europe with two engine options: the 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder unit and the 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8. The 2.3-liter unit is rated at 317PS (313hp) and 432Nm (319lb-ft) of torque and enables the Mustang to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.8 seconds (with the six-speed manual transmission). Fuel economy isn’t bad either, with a combined rating of 8.0 l/100 km (35.3 mpg UK) and CO2 emissions of 179 g/km.

The range-topping GT model gets the V8 which produces 421PS (415hp) and 530Nm (391lb-ft) of torque, with the 0 to 100 km/h sprint taking 4.8 seconds for the version equipped with the six-speed manual gearbox. This makes the Mustang GT the quickest of the lineup and the fastest accelerating high-volume Ford model ever offered in Europe (only the low-volume Ford GT supercar launched in 2005 was quicker).

Performance and driving dynamics have been tuned to meet European driving expectations, with all Euro Mustangs getting a standard Performance Pack which includes uprated brakes and cooling for high-speed driving.

The pony car is also offered with Selectable Drive Modes, controlled using toggle switches in the center console. The settings (Normal, Sport+, Track or Snow/Wet) adjust the AdvanceTrac electronic stability control, throttle response, automatic gear-shift patterns, and steering. Furthermore, Selectable Effort Electric Power Assisted Steering enables drivers to choose a Normal, Comfort or Sport steering weight and feel.

Available features for the V8 model also include a Launch Control system and an electronic Line Lock system which applies only the front brakes, allowing drivers to the warm the rear tyres.

Standard features for all models include 19-inch wheels, automatic HID headlamps, dual-zone climate control, LED tail lamps, a rear diffuser, a nine-speaker sound system and SYNC 2 voice control connectivity with 8-inch color touch screen.

The all-new Ford Mustang arrives from July in dealerships from continental Europe and from October in the UK. In Germany, the Mustang fastback 2.3 EcoBoost with manual gearbox is priced from €35,000, while the V8-powered GT costs from €40,000 (also with manual). In the UK, the Mustang fastback 2.3 EcoBoost starts from £29,000, while the GT is priced from £33,005.

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