Roush RS3

Track-focused ’Stang gains mega mumbo

- Trent Giunco

WE’RE ALWAYS TOLD to listen to our parents because they know best. More often than not, this is true. And yet, I’m sitting in traffic with normal temps in a 542kW Mustang after driving spiritedly through some twisty roads thinking how a piece of childhood advice couldn’t be more wrong. “You’ll never make your car better than how it came from the factory” was my father’s catch-cry for years as he stood by and watched my brother lower and louden one steed to the next. Oh, and don’t even get me started on his view of power upgrades.

Simply, the Roush RS3 (via Mustang Motorsport) is doing everything in its power to make me question my old man’s logic. This fully ADR compliant and complied, warranty-toting (three year/60,000km) aftermarket Mustang feels anything but a tuned, and therefore tarnished, pony. Despite its spleen-splitting straight-line pace, it is as docile as any other commuter stuck in peak-hour Melbourne traffic. The sticker price of $112,874 (including the purchase of a manual Mustang GT) even seems reasonable given the total package.