Let me make this perfectly clear right up front. I am now and have been for as long as I can remember a Mustang fan. When I was a kid, a family friend had a blue 1970 Mach 1 and I’ve been hooked ever since. Of course, after 50 years in continuous production, there have certainly been plenty of Mustangs which were far short of lust-worthy, but at least they kept the brand alive. In 2014, as pony car fans from around the world celebrated those first 50 years, Ford debuted an all-new sixth-generation (or ninth depending on how you count) Mustang and I finally got to spend some quality time with one as winter melted into spring.
Back in 2010 when the members of the Mustang development team prepared to start work on the new model, some very important decisions were made right at the start.
While fans of the brand span the world, Mustang had only been sporadically available outside of North America. In keeping with former CEO Alan Mulally’s One Ford philosophy, the new Mustang would become available globally for the first time ever. That meant the new car needed to take a significant step up in sophistication without sacrificing the visceral appeal that had always been a part of its nature.
The starting point for the transformation was the chassis. The 2005 Mustang was the first in the brand’s history to get its own unique platform that wasn’t derived from an existing Ford vehicle (yes I know it started as a derivative of the DEW98 Lincoln LS but by the time it was done, all the best parts of the platform were gone, leaving only the central section of the floorplan). This time around they would make a clean start. The basic parameters of the size were dictated by the need to package a V8, rear-wheel-drive and a 2+2 cabin. From there, virtually everything changed starting with a new independent rear suspension. This would be the first Mustang to get standard IRS across the entire lineup.
Once development began, the engineering team decided that a new front suspension would be needed to match the capability of the multi-link rear setup. The resulting double-ball-joint strut layout gave the engineers the capability to mount bigger brakes while keeping an optimized wheel offset for better handling. In order to get the most out of a suspension, a car needs a really solid structure in order to keep the corners properly located relative to each other and the body-in-white of the new fastback offers up to 50% better torsional stiffness than the previous model while being about 25 pounds lighter.
The new structure has been wrapped in a brand-new skin that abandons the decidedly retro-look of the last Mustang in favor of a much more contemporary look that retains enough of the pony car DNA to keep it recognizable. While many observers complained that this car looked too much like a Fusion coupe when it was first revealed, once you see the Mustang in the metal, this is clearly its own car. While it definitely features some Ford DNA, especially in the longer, narrower headlamps, the reality is the Fusion actually inherited more Mustang than the other way around. The trapezoidal grille has been a Mustang cue through numerous generations and modern Fords have borrowed from this as much as from Aston Martin.
Click the icons to view designers discuss Mustang design DNA
The forward leaning grille gives Mustang a degree of aggression you won’t find in any other Ford. the new car is now lower and more than two inches wider than the previous car giving it an athletic stance that never quite made it into the fifth-generation. In fact, sitting next to a new Mustang, the 2014 looks oddly tall and upright by comparison. The long hood and short deck are enhanced by a greenhouse that has been shifted back on the body.
Inside, the cabin has been upgraded with new higher quality materials including stitched leather on the dash and doors of premium models. Every new Mustang gets real aluminum trim on the dash with the finish varying by trim level.
The car I drove for a week was a Mustang GT Premium fastback in competition orange with a six-speed manual gearbox and most of the available options short of the performance pack and Recaro seats. Mustangs without the optional Recaros all use the same basic seat structure with the main change as you go up through trim levels being various cloth and upholstery coverings and more power adjustments.
Ford has done an outstanding job on this seat and it provides an excellent combination of support in all the right places and comfort with relatively easy ingress and egress. The GT premium has six-way power adjustment and leather upholstery for both front seats. The rear seats are generally no better or worse than before although the big hump in the middle has been reduced thanks to the IRS so hip room is improved. Suffice to say, the back is best reserved for kids or shorter adults and only for short trips. One of the nice features of the new front seat is that it automatically returns to the angle it had previously been set to. Unless you are planning to use the Mustang regularly for weekend track days, you really don’t need the $1,595 Recaros.
Overall space in the front of the Mustang is about the same as before, but ergonomics have been significantly improved. The single most annoying aspect of the 2005 Mustang in my garage is how they managed to put the cup holders directly in line with the shifter. This time around the cup holders have been shifted to the right while the shift lever is closer to the driver meaning your elbow won’t be hitting that bottle of water all the time. The steering wheel diameter has also been reduced slightly and it can now be adjusted for both height and distance, making it possible for pretty much everyone to get a proper seating position.
Ford designers included a spacious sunglass storage tray on the left side of the instrument panel
From a functional standpoint, one of the biggest advantages the previous Mustang had over the current-generation Camaro was visibility from the driver’s seat. The Camaro has a high beltline and thick pillars that make driving it quickly an exercise fraught with peril because you can’t see out of it. The new Mustang actually improves on the old car’s advantage with comparably thin pillars and a rear deck that is even lower for better rear visibility.
Fortunately, Ford listened to the complaints about the first MyFord Touch systems and has gone with a full suite of physical controls for the audio system and climate controls. Unfortunately, the graphical interface remains unchanged for now and its still not as responsive as it should be although it’s much improved from where it was a couple of years ago. Once the 2016 models arrive this fall though, they should have the all-new SYNC 3 system with a new interface and support for AppLink.
Push-button start is standard on all 2015 Mustangs and Premium models get selectable drive modes as well
A push-button engine start sits at the lower left of the center stack on all new Mustangs and a quick press fires up the marvelous 5.0-liter V8. While some testers have complained about the unimpressive engine note on the four-cylinder EcoBoost Mustang, no such problem exists for the V8. This is exactly the sort of sound people have expected from Mustangs for 50 years and until the GT350 arrives in the coming months, it is the best way to get your heart racing. One of the great things about big V8 engines is the throbbing sensation as it idles, as if the car has a heartbeat.
Slip the shifter into first and let out the clutch and the Mustang will leap off the line as the 435-horsepower engine revs to its 7,000 rpm limit. Compared to past Mustangs, the shift lever now slips through the gates much more smoothly although the V8 has more than enough torque to make shifting optional in many cases if you are feeling a bit lazy. Just to prove that the new Mustang is indeed a 21st century sports car, the GT includes some fun electronic capabilities. A sophisticated launch control system manages the engine and brakes to help get the car off the line quickly and consistently, a handy feature for those that like to do some Friday night bracket racing at the local drag strip. For those times when you want a nice smoky burnout, the standard Track Apps includes an electronic line lock feature that locks the front wheels while you spin up the rears.
My 1991 5.0 LX
Once you’re done shredding some very expensive rubber, it’s time to see what that fancy new suspension can do. I’ve owned two Mustangs that I bought with my own money, one of which is still in my garage. After earning my engineering degree in 1990, I bought myself a new 1991 5.0 LX notchback which I kept for eight years. Ten years ago, I bought one of the first new fifth-gen Mustangs which I still drive.
This time of year Michigan roads can look like a war zone but the Mustang handled them amazingly well
Over the course of five decades, Mustang engineers seemingly worked miracles with solid rear axles and the difference in behavior between my two ponies is actually quite startling. The area where I live in Southeast Michigan has some roads that look like they could be in a war zone, especially as winter ends. My ‘05 generally does a pretty decent job of keeping the wheels planted while hitting bumps and potholes in mid-corner but it can still get upset from time to time.
Running over exactly the same road in the new car is a transformative experience. Even on the optional 19-inch alloy wheels, the 2015 Mustang feels positively supple for a car with this kind of performance capability. The body feels rock solid at all times the new suspension architecture does a remarkable job of keeping each wheel following the contour of the road it encounters. Bend it into a corner and the body stays parallel to the road and the tires just hang on. Accelerate hard or hammer the brakes and body still stays remarkably flat. Squeeze the throttle pedal and the velocity simply builds as the ground speed indicator (aka speedometer) swings counterclockwise into triple digits as the roar of the V8 grows behind you. This car just works no matter what you throw at it. This is a high-performance sports car that won’t embarrass its driver no matter where you drive it.
Prior to taking on my current job as an industry analyst in summer 2014, I worked on the Ford communications team as the Mustang editorial lead. I wrote the press materials for the 2015 car and much of the 50 years heritage materials. I was fortunate to get to spend a lot of time with the engineering and design team throughout 2013 and the first half of 2014 although I didn’t actually get to drive the car until shortly before I left. Despite all that, I was truly enamored with this car when I got to spend time with it as a daily driver.
Odds are this car would not have been as good as it is were it not for the big kick in the pants it got with the 2009 launch of the revived Chevrolet Camaro. Competition is always a good thing and the presence of strong competitors like the Camaro and even the Dodge Challenger force everyone to work harder. Right now the Mustang is ahead and Ford no doubt has more improvements planned beyond the Shelby GT350. But Chevrolet will be revealing an all-new Camaro in mid-May and they will no doubt be attacking many of the complaints about the current car including the terribly cheap interior and the hefty mass.
The kind of improvements found in this new Mustang don’t come cheap. When I bought my first V8 Mustang nearly 25 years ago, it was only a bit over $13,000 but it was also pretty minimalistic by today’s standards. A decade ago, my car was about $22,000. Today a V6 Mustang will run you just shy of $24,000 and a GT starts at $32,300. The heavily loaded car I drove stickered for another $10,000 on top of that and adding Recaros and the Performance Pack would add nearly four grand more. When I buy my next Mustang it will probably be the EcoBoost model with 310 horsepower and 320 lb.-ft. of torque. But if you really want that V8 rumble, you can forgo a lot of the more frivolous options like the adaptive cruise control even the premium package to save a bunch of cash. With the coming Camaro and Challenger Hellcats available, we truly do live in a golden age of performance.
Click here for full specs of the 2015 Ford Mustang
