Ford Mustang – All you need to know

Ever since it was first made available way back in 1964, the venerable Ford Mustang has been hailed as one of the icons of the automotive industry. This pony’s blazing success and tremendous fan following leaves little room for competition to strike back effectively, though that’s not for lack of trying. So far, Ford has rolled out well over 10 million units of the Mustang, making it the best-selling two-door sports/muscle car ever made. Named after the legendary and just as famous World War II fighter plane - the P-51 Mustang, Ford’s namesake has gone on to become a household name in several parts of the globe.

The outgoing sixth-generation incarnation of the Ford Mustang arrived in Malaysia in 2013, and is currently priced at RM 461,271 and RM 565,626 for the entry-level EcoBoost variant and the full-fat GT avatar, respectively. However, the Blue Oval has already announced that it will be bringing a facelifted ‘stang to Malaysia very soon --it will have slightly updated exterior styling tweaks and a couple of mechanical upgrades to boast as well.

Exterior design

It’s almost impossible to mistake the Ford Mustang for any other car on the road; as all throughout the years, the Mustang’s design has remained quite unique but has never lost that sense of familiarity and recognition. For the sixth-generation of their beloved muscle car, the American automaker made some radical transformations to the design and mechanicals of the Mustang -- making the new model the most advanced and sophisticated iteration of the nameplate, yet. The new-gen Mustang sports a more aerodynamically friendly and stylishly contoured design, though Ford has managed to retain much of the muscles and butch appearance from the older-gen avatars.

The front fascia of the sixth-generation Mustang gets a fully functional air splitter/lip spoiler, chiselled bumper with neatly-integrated fog lamps and turn indicators and an imposingly large upper grille that’s accompanied by an air dam lower down in the bumper. Then there are the sleek and pulled-back headlamps that feature integrated triple-LED daytime-running lights (DRLs), and a sharply contoured and muscular bonnet with the characteristic ‘power bulge’ in the middle. The hunkered down silhouette of the Mustang turns heads with its fastback design and thoroughly convincing muscle car demeanour. Some of the most outstanding styling cues here include the bold 19-inch wheels, beefy fender flares, protruding side sills, and a couple of crisp character lines that run right across the doors.

The extended rear haunches lead straight to the boot lip spoiler, and then there are the sophisticated triple-LED sequential tail lamps, bumper-integrated air diffuser, and large twin-exhaust tips. In terms of its raw exterior dimensions, the Ford Mustang measures 4784 mm X 1916 mm X 1381 mm in length, width and height, respectively. Meanwhile, the gap between the front and rear axles comes in at 2720 mm.

Interior styling

Stepping inside the new Ford Mustang, it becomes evident that the design and layout of this cockpit look better than in earlier models. Ford has also worked to improve the quality of build, level of fit-and-finish, and the choice of materials used in this cabin, and it shows. The use of higher quality materials and trim has made this a better place to spend time in, though don’t expect it to feel luxurious. The seats are well contoured and even get side bolstering for better support, though they’re quite comfortable, too. The Mustang’s interior also features aircraft-inspired switches, plus some metallic accents and shiny chrome trim on the dashboard, centre console, instrument binnacle, steering wheel, gear lever, and door pads -- this adds some zing to an otherwise uneventful space.

Equipment and features

Some of the most common features in the new Ford Mustang include automatic and adaptive LED headlights, keyless entry with push-button start, all-round parking sensors with a reversing camera, cruise control, leather seating upholstery, cabin ambient lighting, automatic climate control, an 8-inch touchscreen head unit with built-in navigation and support for voice commands, and Ford’s newly-updated SYNC3 infotainment system with Ford ‘AppLink’ is also part of the package. The new-gen pony also comes with a fully-digital & customisable 12-inch driver’s display and an Active Valve Exhaust system. The latter allows drivers to select the Mustang’s exhaust note ferocity depending on whether it’s in Normal, Quiet, Track, or Sport mode. The new Ford Mustang boasts safety features such as eight airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control system, hill-start assist, tyre-pressure monitoring system, and pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection.

Engine and performance

The base variant of the new Ford Mustang is equipped with the punchy yet efficient EcoBoost, 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine. It dishes out 310 horsepower at 5,400 rpm, while cranking out 447 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm. Meanwhile, the range-topping GT variant houses the fabled 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine which develops a delicious 460 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 556Nm of peak torque at 4,600 rpm -- of course, there’s also the eight-cylinder rumble to go along with all that power. Finally, irrespective of which variant you go for, all of the new Mustangs in the country now come exclusively with the all-new 10-speed automatic transmission, while drive is sent to the rear wheels.