    2015 Ford Mustang. Click image to enlarge |
Preview by Jacob Black
It’s hard to know if Ford did a really excellent job managing the launch of the all-new Mustang, or a really bad job that ended up having great results.
It seemed that so many “spy shots”, “leaked draft renderings” and other such claims had come and gone by the time the launch happened, most of the “oh it’s new and I hate it all” crowd had already run out of breath. Many enthusiasts had seen the car days before the official television launch and by the time the Mustang was unveiled on live US television in early December, the complainers and the whingers were silent. All that remained was a collective gasp of, “ooooohhhh!”
To my mind, this new Mustang is a more subtle refresh than I expected, and for some it’s more subtle than they wanted. By now everyone has seen the coupe with the three-bar motif littered through the lighting treatment at the back and front plus the interior. The taillights are same-but-different with a pleasing three-dimensional setup.
At a recent Ford function I managed to get up close to the convertible, and while I’m not generally a fan of drop-tops, I can understand the appeal of the car.
The refinements to the headlights and the windscreen shape in particular elevate the Mustang from the nostalgic muscle-car genre to a more sophisticated sporting pedigree – without losing any of that quintessentially American “toughness”.
I also got to see several test mules in action at the Dearborn facility where Ford was demonstrating their collision avoidance systems – it was just lucky for us that several Mustangs were touring the high-speed test track at the time.
As everyone by now knows, the 2015 Ford Mustang will be powered by three possible powertrains: a 305 hp/300 lb-ft four-cylinder ecoboost engine, the base model, a 300-hp and 270 lb-ft 3.7L V6 and the “proper engine” – a 420 hp/390 lb-ft 5.0L V8.
There will also be an all new integral-link, independent rear suspension – bye, bye live axle. Add in a revised front suspension package and the result is gong to be a more planted, better handling Mustang. A lot of the liveliness has likely been dialled down. The revised front suspension and sub-frame also allow for bigger brakes up front.
   2015 Ford Mustang. Click image to enlarge |
Watching a test mule launch from a standing start I noticed that the body stayed flat under heavy acceleration. Having experienced a large amount of lift and pitch under acceleration and braking in the previous model I think this is an improvement, and will widen the performance window for the average driver.
The red-on-black interior of the convertible on display was striking without being garish, and the finish was excellent. The styling of the dashboard itself is a little busy, and a large amount of character has been lost by rounding off the shapes. The dashboard is now symmetrical, and the centre stack is flat – a tell-tale dome on the passenger side highlights that this new Mustang is going right-hand drive. For my compatriots down under – yep, you’re getting this.
