The new Ford Mustang has been officially revealed, and will go on sale with right-hand drive in certain markets for the first time in more than four decades.
The all-new Mustang, seen here officially for the first time, will be launched on April 17, 2014, 50 years to the day after the original was launched in the US.
It is the latest global model developed under the ‘One Ford’ plan, but Ford claims that the character has not been altered as a result. The car has already been seen in a series of leaked images online.
“We didn’t decide to do a global Mustang,” said programme boss Dave Pericak. “We decided to take the Mustang global.”
It’s a vital distinction. “Everything we do is to make a Mustang, and then take it global with homologation. We didn’t change the recipe.” That the hugely successful current model was the conceptual starting point is partial proof of that, even if “the only commonality is the wheelbase — every sheet metal panel is different, and only two fasteners are retained”.
The biggest difference is that the Mustang has finally adopted independent rear suspension, 30 years after most manufacturers jettisoned live rear axles. Ride quality is improved greatly and the front suspension is also redesigned as a result, according to Pericak. The new car sits on 19-inch wheels.
The latest Mustang from Ford is lighter and stiffer and its bigger cabin benefits from a major quality upgrade. The double-wing dashboard style of the 1964 and 2004 cars remains. Big dials and aeronautical graphics complete this familiar but more sophisticated confection. An eight-inch infotainment touchscreen is located in the centre of the cabin, and will be equipped with navigation software for Europe.
Entirely new to the Mustang is a 305bhp/42.16kgm 2.3-litre four-cylinder Ecoboost engine. Pericak claims that it’s “a ton of fun to drive, very well balanced and rewarding. It sounds powerful and like it belongs in a Mustang”.
The 5.0-litre V8 is the carried-over 420bhp/53.9kgm Coyote motor and will be upgraded to 500bhp within 18 months. The base 3.7-litre V6 is unchanged at 305bhp. Ford had planned to ditch this engine but has kept it in the US to keep the Mustang’s base price low.
The six-speed manual and auto transmissions are unaltered, too, which means optional steering-wheel mounted paddles are also retained. A 10-speed automatic is in development, but is still two years away.
The new look of this latest Mustang is “definitely not retro”, according to Pericak. “We’re looking into the future and the next 50 years.” However, as design boss Moray Callum explained, making the new Mustang “instantly recognisable” was a priority. The proportions are improved, and the bluff front end is retained, along with the forward-leaning, “shark-bite” grille, he said.
The wedged flanks of the outgoing car have given way to horizontal lines and tautly muscled wheelarches “that support the powerdome bonnet”, said Callum, “and the triple bar tail-lights could only be a Mustang”.
Plenty of signature Ford Mustang design features are absent, including the ‘C’ scoops in the flanks and the shapely rear side windows made famous by the Shelby Mustang.
Callum talked about “editing” the palette of Mustang design flourishes, because it’s impractical to include them all and they didn’t want a retro design.
That said, the convertible’s silhouette echoes the 1964 notchback Mustang, its elegant fabric hood needing just seven seconds to fold, underlining Pericak’s claim that “there’s not a system or component on the car that’s untouched”.
“You only get the 50th anniversary chance once. This was an opportunity to do it big and do it right.”