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Going buck wild with the Ford Bronco and Mustang

Experiencing the two stallions in their natural habitats

The only way to properly experience these two is to push them doing what they were made for. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA

With specialty vehicles like the Ford Bronco and Mustang, a simple leisurely drive on the expressway isn’t enough to “stretch their legs.”

Hence, Ford Philippines did the right thing to round up these two and take a bunch of journalists to Clark to push the cars as hard as they could.

The Bronco prioritizes function just as much as form. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

Up first was the Bronco, which took place at an off-road course carved from a section of the Sacobia River.

If you’re not used to driving on rougher terrains that aren’t just dirt or sand (like I am), every lurch, rut, incline, and noise will seem terrifying—all part of the off-roading lifestyle, I was reassured.

It's no surprise how well it handles itself at high speeds off-road. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

Regardless, the Bronco handled them all with ease, as expected. There’s a reason that our local variant comes with the Sasquatch package.

The Bilstein shocks, the 35-inch mud-terrain tires, and the high-clearance fender flares make it possible to run over anything that is not too extreme for the vehicle.

The 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 takes off like a frenzied bat off-road, pushing 330hp and 555Nm through the 10-speed automatic transmission at a rate more suitable for races like the Baja 1000.

It's a smart and tech-laden off-roader. PHOTOS BY JUSTIN YOUNG

Going over a pockmarked section at speed felt like nothing. Crawling over a pile of rocks? Easy. A steep hill? Bring it on. The marshlike area by the river banks? Sure, but don’t push your luck.

The Bronco may give that sensation of invincibility when you’re off the beaten path, but be reasonable. Drive it beyond the capabilities of the 292mm ground clearance and the 850mm water wading, and you can still find yourself in hairy situations you can’t get out of yourself.

Hence, it comes with some special tools like a 360° camera to make your life easier.

Going up and down steep inclines is now a breeze with Trail Control. PHOTOS FROM FORD

There is the Trail Control. Essentially, it is adaptive cruise control for off-roading. You set a predetermined speed (the range depends on your drivetrain mode), and the car will automatically manage the throttle and brakes so you can focus on avoiding obstacles.

I tried it on two terrifyingly steep inclines at speeds of 2km/h and 6km/h. Once I stopped instinctively stepping on the brakes and learned to trust the system, it was surprising how seamless it felt, compared to the traditional Hill Descent Control.

It's not as obvious here, but feeling a large machine turn on a dime is crazy. PHOTOS FROM FORD

Next up is the clever Trail Turn Assist. The five-door Bronco has a fairly large turning radius, but this feature makes the SUV turn in as if it has rear-wheel steering (which it doesn’t).

To use this, you must unlock the rear differential and fully lock the steering wheel in the direction you want to go. You’ll hear disconcerting noises, but that’s just the brakes of the inner wheel locking to allow you to execute sharp turns.

Arguably the highlight of the day for speed junkies. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA

Onto paved roads. In meme culture, the Mustang is known as a “crowd-killer.” Multiple videos on the Internet show these cars oversteering into crowds after leaving car meets, no thanks to overzealous owners who are unable to handle the immense amounts of power these cars usually have.

Good looks and gobs of power. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

Handling was never the car’s forte—at least not until the sixth generation (S550). The new generation (S650) focuses on refining what its predecessor started, and it shows.

The objective? Three laps around a slightly modified layout of Clark International Speedway. First is a warm-up/sighting lap; second is to push as hard as you can (including a launch); and third is a cooldown.

Just a few things you'll see in the cockpit. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

As we hopped in the vehicle in the pits, we were treated to an aural spectacle as we were shown the different modes for the active exhaust. Track mode is the way to go.

The “drift brake” is a bit unusual at first. To disengage/engage the parking brake, you go through the motions as you would with a regular handbrake, just without any tactile feedback.

It's genuinely surprising how well the Mustang handles now. PHOTOS FROM FORD

As I barreled out of the pits and into the first turn, it was apparent just how confident it felt in the corners as I drove it at a comfortable pace.

There was very little body roll. The nose was eager to turn in. And a playful rear end had a trace of naughtiness—all without any hints of terrifying oversteer that would’ve made the Mustang a very expensive lawn mower.

The MagneRide active dampers are pretty impressive with how fast they switched from soft (for comfort) to hard (for handling) damping, meaning this beast can be driven without compromise.

The Brembo brakes, while generous with stopping power, took me some getting used to, with the pedal feeling a little more assisted than usual.

Ford’s 10-speed automatic is tuned for performance driving here. It responds with hard, fast shifts with minimal delay. I did find myself using the paddles in manual mode just for the satisfaction of changing gears myself.

That engine is no joke. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

It sounds like a great recipe for a sports car, but you have to remember that it isn’t a true Mustang without a growling V8 underneath.

As I finished my first sighting lap, I was told to line up at the drag strip to see how fast this could go in a straight line. While building revs, I didn’t realize I was already doing a burnout.

Because it wasn’t turbocharged, there was no dramatic “slam you back into the seat” moment—just gobs of power coming my way like a freight train. I was told to push this as hard as I could on this lap.

The Mustang is still very much a straight-line specialist, especially with the V8. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA

This was when I discovered how easily the 5.0-liter Coyote motor could turn the experience from fun to downright terrifying, even with traction control left on.

With 486hp and 567Nm on tap and all of that going to the rear wheels, you have to be skilled with high-horsepower cars to push this pony to the limit.

For most who don’t frequent the track, I would say the 2.3-liter turbo-four with 315hp and 475Nm would be the better choice to maximize the improved handling prowess.

Two very capable machines in their respective disciplines. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

Ford Philippines’ latest offerings not only make it easy to safely and legally enjoy performance driving, but they also can reward those willing to take advantage of the high skill ceiling these two have on offer, as riding shotgun with the experienced instructors showed me.

While there are more exciting, faster, and cheaper equivalents on the market, these two do their jobs with lots of theater and drama—something akin to a sledgehammer versus a scalpel. American excess at its best, baby.



Sam Surla

Sam used to be the youngest member of our editorial team when he was our managing editor. He specialized in photography and videography, but he also happened to like writing about cars a lot.



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