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| Aggressive looking 2015 Ford Mustang1 |
Finally a New Mustang! Because
the 2015 Ford Mustang has just debuted last week and Ford has not released any
specifications or details for it yet, I cannot write a full review. But what I
can do is give you my first impressions of the 2015 Ford Mustang; it’s allot
more than just a remodel.
Design
I
know that the designers of the Ford Mustang were under serious pressure when
designing the 2015 model. The Mustang is now going on 50 years old, and over
those years it have gathered a fan base that obviously loves the Mustang. To
make dramatic changes to the design may bring new fans but may also lose a lot
of loyal ones. So to deal with this dilemma, the designers decided to make
conservative and progressive changes. Let’s look at the new 2015 Ford Mustang
design and divide them into two sections, conservative and progressive, to show
you what I mean.
Conservative
The front is more along the
lines of an upgrade than a redesigned. It still has that mustang look that
exist in the current generation's GT models. The new grill is based on the
older GT but a little larger and with sharper lines. The grill is matched with
a very aggressive lower vents and a more aggressive front splitter. Now for
those who have read other reviews, you may have seen other auto enthusiast in the comment
section claim that the new mustang’s grill is a carbon copy of the Aston
Martin’s grill. Don’t listening to them; if we were talking about the Ford
Fiesta, Fusion, or C-max than it would be a different story but the Mustang’s
grill looks nothing like the Aston Martin’s. People are always repeating
everything they hear without thinking. Just because a grill has a trapezoid
shape, doesn’t make it an Aston Martin copy.
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| Check out the reintroduction of the fastback roofline2 |
Also
Ford decided to bring back the fastback roofline that reminds me of the 1968
Mustang Fastback Edition. All of the young fans who joined the Mustang fan club
through the fourth (1994-2004) and fifth (2005-2014) generation may believe that
the sloping roofline is new but all of the classic mustang fans know better.
That’s why I mark the fastback roofline as a conservative redesign. My only
problem about the fastback design is that it will sacrifice back seat head room. I guarantee that will
be a main complaint when it comes out.
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| Updated Interior, looks much better than the previous generation1 |
The
interior also maintains a conservative design. Other than some updated buttons,
multimedia screen, and vent; the overall design language is similar to the
previous generations. But I really hope the designers took a progressive path
in choosing materials and improving build quality.
Progressive
The
headlights and taillights are the most noticeable progressive changes on the
new Mustang. The headlights, which remind me of the Fusion’s headlights, really
add an aggressive look that fits nicely to the front design. The headlights
feature 3 LED strips and projector beam headlights. The turn signal lights were moved out of the headlight unit and placed above the fog lights close to
the bottom of the bumper.
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| Ford Mustang's Taillights1 |
I
already know that those tail lights will cause a lot of controversy among the
Mustang community. I personally do not like them. I can see the 1969 Mustang’s
taillight resemblance, but the size, curvature, and thick spoiler and bumper
around the taillights makes it look like monkey lips. I know I'm exaggerating
but you’ll see what I'm talking about when you get a real ¾ look at it. Will it
distract the millions of potential customers that will purchase this generation
over the years? No, of course not but I guarantee that there will be mixed
feelings about the rear of the car. Oh, the sequential turn signal effect will
be staying.
Powerplant
The
famous 5.0 liter V8 will be offered in the GT model variant and it gets a
significant upgrade that improves cooling, breathing, and efficiency. Ford has
not released the any numbers for any of their engines but I guarantee that this
V8 will produce more power than the 420 hp and 390 lb-ft V8 in the current generation. Also Ford has decided to keep the 3.7 liter V6. All of the
performance enthusiasts are probably shaking their heads in disapproval right now but I believe Ford made this decision for marketing reasons. Despite the current V6
Mustang being reflected as a “woman’s mustang”, Ford sold just as many V6
models as the GT and GT500 combined so there is a market place. They already
have an engine, so why abandon a popular option. Then there is the
biggest surprise of all, Ford will be offering a 2.3 liter Ecoboost 4 cylinder
engine in the new mustang. Let me pause to let that sink in. A 4 cylinder engine
in a muscle car! I still can't get over the shock but it’s true. If Mustang
fans call the V6 Mustang feminine, what will they call the I4 version? A baby
Mustang? Ok back to being serious. With the engine being an EcoBoost engine,
meaning it’s turbocharged and direct injected, I can expect V6 like torque and
really good fuel economy. I can see this engine being a good option for those
who want to own a Mustang but do not care about power. Again Ford is making
market guided decisions to expand their reach. But on the flip side, I can see
this engine being an expensive option to choose despite being a small engine.
The EcoBoost powertrain throughout the Ford lineup is still young, so there is
still a cost premium. Include the fact that it’s turbocharged, means more
expensive maintenance cost. We are just going to have to see how this EcoBoost
engine feels and how consumers reacts when the 2015 Mustang hits the showroom next year.
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| Don't believe me about the 4 cylinder? Here it is2 |
These
3 choices of engines are mated to a 6 speed manual or a 6 speed automatic
transmissions. The manual transmission is said to be new but other than the
ability to handle the increase in power, it’s a manual. The automatic transmission
on the other hand comes fitted with paddle shifters mounted on the steering
wheel. I wouldn’t even call them paddle shifters; they are more like paddle
buttons. And because this transmission is not an automated manual or double
clutch transmission, expect delayed upshifts and rebellious downshifts upon your commands. But those paddles are there to provide more control over your
automatic.
The
most important news of all is addition of the long awaited independent rear
suspension (IRS). Since the beginning of the Mustang’s life, it was fitted with
a live rear axle. A live rear axle means that the rear differential and both of
the rear wheels are mounted on the same axle. Some advantage of live rear axles
is that they are cheaper to build and deliver more torque more efficiently than an IRS. Which
is why drag cars are always fitted with live rear axles? A disadvantage of live
rear axle is because both rear wheels and the heavy differential are connected together,
the car gets upset easily when going over bumps during turns. This live rear
axle set up is the reason why the IRS equipped Chevy Camaro has always excelled
on the track when compared to the Mustang. Now since the new 2015 Mustang will
be equipped with IRS, perhaps we will begin to see Camaro upsetting performance
on the track in the GT and GT350 variants.
Ford’s Big Move Forward
2015
is a big year for the Ford Mustang. Not only does it receive its redesign,
independent rear suspension, and a new engine option; the Ford Mustang will now
be sold internationally. Yes the Mustang will be coming into showrooms in
Europe, China, Australia, and more. Now you always could get a Mustang in other
countries beside the US but you had to purchase the Mustang through American’s marketplace and import it into your country, which means regulations to go through, import taxes, high shipping cost, etc. Basically, only
the well off and wealthy customers owned Mustangs in other countries beside the
US. There is one dilemma that cannot be ignored about this situation. In Europe, ¾ of all the cars
on the road are diesel powered vehicles and gas (petrol) is more expensive than diesel
(~$10 per gallon). So how will the 2015 Mustang be able to keep up with the
high torque fuel efficient diesel powertrains Europeans are used too? The V8
offers a lot of torque like diesels do, but is not fuel efficient enough for consumers to
support the high gas prices. The EcoBoost Inline 4 cylinder maybe fuel
efficient like a diesel, but will feel gutless to potential buyers. Will the
Mustang name and hot rod repetition negate all of those flaws? Furthermore, the introduction
into Australia is also a really big deal. Since Ford will be discontinuing the
Ford Falcon, which is their powerful I6
and V8 sedan that they should produce here in the States to compete against the
GM SS models and Dodge Charger SRT8. Australians are used to powerful sedans and utes, will a powerful coupe come in and complete and satisfy that niche? I honestly can't see the Mustang's role out
in other countries to be so flawless like everyone is anticipating, but we are
just going to have to wait and see what happens.
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| 2015 Ford Mustang, in showrooms in Fall of 20141 |
Well
there are my initial first impressions of the new 2015 Ford Mustang. I will be
closely keeping an eye on how that EcoBoost turbocharged 4 cylinder feels and
influences the American and international market place. Also, I will be keeping
an eye on how that independent rear suspension system makes the Mustang a
stronger competitor one the Track. Most importantly, the price of the new Mustang
will be the most anticipated fact that most will be waiting for. We are just
going to have to wait until fall of 2014.
Resources
1.
Ford Motor Company. "2015 Ford Mustang." Ford.com. Ford, 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.ford.com/cars/mustang/2015/?searchid=79341629||9728619511&ef_id=UjHFvgAABQjveHEQ:20131210000001:s>.
2.
Fets, Jim. "2015 Ford Mustang First Look." Motor
Trend Magazine. MotorTrend.com, 4
Dec. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1312_2015_ford_mustang_first_look/>.
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