The Ford Mustang is ubiquitous. No less than 9 million have been manufactured over the preceding 47 years, which is driven by posterities of owners.

But none are rather similar to the 2011 edition, which got a deep-seated and rather strange update for a muscle car. It at the same time ramps up the performance and the fuel economy.

Like any recreation worth the R&D money, the aluminum 5.0-liter V-8 is all new and outfitted with twin independent variable camshaft timing, which allows the car to present a triptych of benefits. Additionally to a 7% enhancement in horsepower, it now cranks out 412 and a 5% increase in torque, to 390 pound-feet, the incessant overlap adjustments of intake and exhaust valves as well increase fuel economy by as much as 4.5%.

The problem with flaunting the Mustang as a gas saver is that the only way drivers will save petroleum is by drafting a huge fix. That is since the GT is, predominantly, a performance means of transportation that unleashes a primordial must for speed.

If you ride at 7 grand and smashing the neck of your passenger into the head support, you will be fortunate to get the 13.6 mpg to get whipping this wild horse all the way through Southern California's best valleys.