Ford Mustang GT Herrod HP1 Package review: mods make a real rocker

The Ford Mustang has always been an everyperson kinda sports car, but despite (or perhaps because of) that, the list of aftermarket companies specialising in making it look cooler, go faster and sound louder is vast.

In Australia, Herrod Performance is the go-to. Rob Herrod started working with Ford Motorsport when it got back into Supercars in 1999, evolving a road-car business into bolt-on parts, distributorship for Ford Performance Parts and ultimately his own iterations of the Mustang and Raptor, developed with Ford's blessing and even carrying factory warranties.

Herrod Performance is now in New Zealand, via the Team Hutchinson Ford dealership in Christchurch (also with the blessing of Ford NZ). We've already sampled one of its offerings, the Raptor Herrod Performance Edition, but Herrod's stock-in-trade is really Mustangs. Which brings us to the car you see here.

It's a Mustang GT with a Herrod Performance Package. It includes styling enhancements, ECU recalibration, induction and air filter kit, special exhaust, modified suspension, and upgraded wheels and tyres. You can have various combinations of bits so there's no set price for a Herrod model as such, but this particular car (technically an ex-demonstrator) is $116,990. A standard Mustang GT is $95,990.

It retains the full Ford warranty. In fact, if you visited Fieldays this year you would have seen this very car on the Ford NZ stand.

On the outside: what are the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package's main design features?

Looks just right... right? Herrod doesn't go overboard with styling addenda, but there are two things that make this car really stand out in the Mustang crowd.

The first is the Herrod Lowering Spring kit, which you can't actually see... but it drops the car 20mm and helps it look just-so. The Herrod HP3 20-inch wheels (they're stamped "Herrod" on the rim, cool) on mixed-size tyres look great and Ford Performance Gurney Flap bootlid spoiler stands out, but doesn't look silly.

OVERVIEW

On the inside: what's the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package cabin like?

Not a lot to see here compared to a standard Mustang V8, although you do get illuminated Herrod Performance sill plates to welcome you into the car.

Herrod enhancements are not just about the booming stuff. Far from it: as we learned with the Raptor, access to back-end Ford systems means it can achieve some very clever outcomes.

The specification sheet also lists a Herrod-specific steering wheel, but it doesn't look or feel a lot different to us save some slightly different trim: Alcantara on the inner, and a leather retrim around the rim that includes white stitching and a directional-stripe/centre-position marker at the top.

INTERIOR

On the road: what's the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package like to drive?

This Mustang is loud... outrageously loud thanks to a full Herrod stainless steel exhaust system. It could well be the thing that sells it to many people, given that the latest generation of Mustang GT is relatively subdued for a V8 Pony Car. V8 people do like their V8 noises.

Changes have been made with a great deal of sympathy to the overall (and everyday) performance package. This car is not just a track monster.

You can of course ask the exhaust to pipe down with individual control of the flaps through several stages, but in most of them heads will still be swivelling on the footpath (sorry, "sidewalk") as you roll through the suburbs.

But the Herrod enhancements are not just about the booming stuff. Far from it: as we learned with the Raptor, Herrod's access to back-end Ford systems means it can achieve very clever recalibration of engines, and every other change has been made with a great deal of sympathy to the overall (and everyday) performance package. This car is not just a track monster, in other words.

There are software and hardware upgrades under the bonnet. The ECU is remapped, which you can't see, but there are massive new air filters which you very much can see. The installation is impresive, though: very OEM.

There's a lift in peak power and torque from 362kW/567Nm to 387kW/603Nm (figures supplied by Ford NZ). But what's most impressive is the way it's achieved with an utterly polished delivery: more muscular and flexible, but rock-solid and feeling like a factory model.

The chassis is similarly sophisticated. You can certainly feel the extra tension in the ride, but that's expected in a car like this and it doesn't render the car unsuitable for day-to-driving.

It really comes alive at speed, feeling more compliant the harder you press on, with super-sticky assistance from the Michelin Sport Pilot tyres. This wild horsey can also do high-speed dressage.

SPECIFICATIONS

On ownership: what's the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package warranty and servicing situation?

The Ford Express New Vehicle Warranty covers the car for 5 years/unlimited km. Servicing is required every 12 months/15,000km, or when the intelligent oil life monitoring (IOLM) light is illuminated.

On the whole: what do we think of the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package?

This particular package of modifications ups the Mustang GT's game without rendering it less appealing as an everyday car. It looks and feels factory, and it looks and feels... much better than the standard GT.

You can't help but compare it to Ford's own Mustang Dark Horse, which was sold in a limited run here for $114,900. It had a much more comprehensive package of changes, including major engine components and MagneRide adaptive suspension.

Office conversation inevitably turned to which we'd rather have. We agreed this particular Herrod Package was just as appealing in its own way... perhaps even more so.

Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package FAQs

What kind of car is the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package?

A 2-door sports coupe.

Does the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package have hybrid or EV technology?

No, it's a red-blooded petrol V8.

What’s the fuel economy of the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package?

The standard Mustang GT achieves 13.1l/100km (3P-WLTP).

Is the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package safe?

There's no ANCAP rating for the Mustang GT, but it carries 5 stars under NZ's VSRR protocol.

What safety and assistance features does the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package have?

What are the Ford Mustang GT Herrod Package's main rivals?

• Ford Mustang GT ($95,990): Not as special, but still really cool and you'll save $21k.
• Lexus LC ($234,000): Big, swish and extremely expensive, but a geat driver's coupe too.
• BMW M240i xDrive ($125,900): AWD rather than RWD, but plenty exciting alll the same.
• Porsche 718 Cayman Style Edition ($154,900): Coupe with exotic mid-engined credentials.
• Toyota GT86 ($59,990): A RWD coupe that's brilliant to drive. With a manual option.