THE current Ford Mustang arrived in April last year with striking muscular looks and even more power and speed.

The designers made a few cosmetic changes to add to its appearance without spoiling its American muscle car looks.

It is still available as both a fastback and a convertible and looks fantastic in either style.

At the front the bonnet was lowered and now features integrated air intakes and under it sits a new grille.

The changes made it look sharper and at the same time improved the Mustang's aerodynamics with a front splitter helping to keep all the power planted to the road.

At the rear a new bumper freshens the rump and quad tailpipes produce that superb sound that is guaranteed to make you grin.

While this new model is available in fantastic new exterior colours -KonaBlue, Orange Fury and Royal Crimson - the model I have been driving this week came in a rather muted Magnetic metallic grey colour that does not do the car justice.

It came with 19-inch alloys and they can be in Nickel, Ebony Black or Polished Aluminium. LED headlights are standard and all models have daytime running lights and LED tail lamps.

The Mustang now has a more premium feel with soft touch materials featuring on the door linings and dash while the handles finished in aluminium. Many parts are shared with lesser Fords but that does not make them bad.

The centreconsolehas a hand-stitched soft-touch wrap and the instrument panel surround is available in four aluminium finishes.

An engine-start button pulses red from the moment the door is unlocked and only stops when the engine is fired into life. Apparently it pulses at 30 beats per minute - the resting heart rate of a pony.

A customisable 12-inch digital instrument cluster offers multiple configurations to suit the taste of drivers and there is also an eight-inch Ford SYNC 3 touchscreen infotainment system which offers Apple Car Play and Android Auto.

There's also the option of a Carbon Sport package which provides suede-effectAlcantaradoor and seat inserts, plus a carbon fibre instrument panel surround and gear knob.

Leather trimmed heated and cooled seats and a heated steering wheel are offered across the range for the first time and customers who opt for the leatherRecaroracing seat option can select from threecolours.

Two engines are availablein the Mustang - the 2.3-litre EcoBoost version delivers 290ps and is more fuel efficient with a claimed 31.4mpg and emissions rated at 209g/km. It has a top speed of 145mph and takes 5.8 seconds to reach 62mph, like its big brother it can be had with a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic gearbox.

For ultimate performance my convertible came with the superb 5.0-litre V8 which has been developed to give 450ps and will fire you to 62mph in just 4.3 seconds before going on at a rush to a limited top speed of 155mph.

It is simply exhilarating to drive and makes a wonderful noise that can be appreciated in the Fastback or Convertible. There is nothing quite like it and as for economy who really cares?

Still if you want the figures it will do between 13.4 and 27.7mpg depending on how you drive it and the emission figuresare 285g/km. Maximum power is 450ps.

The new Mustang is equipped with Launch Control to improve its off-the-line performance and engineers have worked hard on the stuff you don't see to improve the car's handling on the twisty stuff.

Two new Drive Modes - Drag Strip Mode and My Mode - join Normal, Sport, Track and Snow/Wet Modes, to offer more choice and personalisation in how the car performs.

My Mode enables drivers to select their own preferred settings for performance, dynamics andeven the sound of the exhaust.

Ford has also added more driver assist features to improve the car's overall safety. These includePre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection,Adaptive Cruise Control and Distance Alert, Departure Warning and a Lane Keeping Aid.

Mustangs are now a common site on European and UK roads but the car still attracts stacks of attention and admiring glances.It does not seem to get the hostile reaction associated with some other well-known sports cars.

Prices for the Mustang start at about £37,000 and go up to £48,000, while the 5.0-litre V8 convertible with the six-speed manual box costs £46,310.

The hood folds quickly at the touch of a button and it does not impact on the boot space which is surprisingly large.

No European model can compete on looks or performance for the same kind of money and the Mustang delivers simple rear-wheel drive thrills and a wonderful V8 soundtrack.

I prefer the Mustang with the automatic gearbox but the manual is also enjoyable and each change of gear adds to the soundtrack.