New Mustang continues with its sharp yet familiar looks; The popular Coyote V8 stays along with two turbo-petrol engine options.
Ford has finally taken the wraps off the seventh-gen of the popular Mustang; Unveiled at Detroit Motor show 2022 which has now made a comeback after a short gap. The new Mustang gets fresh styling inside out but looks unmistakably like a Mustang, thanks to familiar yet fresh design cues.
One of a select few cars to have remained on continuous sale since its introduction in 1964, the Ford Mustang has racked up more than 10 million sales and remained the world’s best-selling sports coupe for the last seven years, beating its key rival, the Chevrolet Camaro.
- Seventh-gen Ford Mustang retains its predecessors platform
- Gets all new styling inside out
- Could be the last iteration of the ICE-powered Mustang
New Ford Mustang: Design
Featuring a bolder, edgier take on the classic Ford icon, the headline news is that, rather than being based on Ford’s latest CD6 architecture that underpins the current Ford Explorer SUV sold abroad, the new 2023 Mustang remains on the previous generation’s S550 platform.
This means the new Ford Mustang (codenamed S650) is more of a comprehensive reskin of the current car and that it will miss out not only on long-rumoured electrified powertrains, but also the American brand’s next-generation autonomous driving aids.
As far as styling goes, it’s the four-cylinder turbo that gets less shouty styling, including a new grille inspired by the original 1964 Mustang flanked by a pair of slimmer headlamps, featuring new tri-bar LED daylight running lamps.
The new Mustang GT GT, meanwhile, gets more aggressive cues such as a gloss black grille surround plus a pair of nostrils within the grille that feed air to the new intakes. Other changes are a new lower front bumper and a large bonnet extractor that not only vents hot air, but also channels high-pressure air from the front air intakes to reduce lift over the front axle. At the rear, the Mustang V8 gets a larger diffuser and quad tail pipes in place of the turbo-four’s dual pipes.
New Ford Mustang: powertrain
Under the bonnet, both the 2.3-litre twin-scroll turbocharged Ecoboost four-cylinder and 5.0-litre ‘Coyote’ V8 are carried over, although the former is said to be so comprehensively updated – with a new bore, stroke, and a fresh turbo – it’s effectively all-new. The naturally aspirated V8, meanwhile, gets less dramatic updates, but does come with a new dual cold-air intake. Both engines are claimed to push out more power and torque, while being more efficient. Like before, a six-speed manual will be offered, but only on the most powerful Mustang GT with the 5.0-litre V8. An updated version of the 10-speed torque-converter automatic is optional in the V8 but is standard for the 2.3-litre Ecoboost.
Performance figures are yet to be released, but the fastest V8 version is tipped to launch from 0-100kph in around 4.0sec and top out at more than 273kph. For the first time, Ford’s designers have provided strong visual cues to differentiate the V8 version from the EcoBoost.
New Ford Mustang: Interior
Within the cabin, the base models get twin screens, but mid-grade and above trims get a new ‘continuous’ screen combining a 12.3in digital instrument cluster and a larger 13.2in infotainment screen running Ford’s latest Sync 4 software.
Capable of being updated over the air, this latest system enables a huge level of customisation that Ford hopes – along with the car’s styling – will attract younger buyers. One party piece is the ability to swap the modern gauge graphics for a digital recreation of the ‘Fox body’ (1979-1993) Mustang’s clocks.
New Ford Mustang: Suspension
Under the skin, the new Mustang carries over its MacPherson-style strut front suspension and the independent rear suspension introduced on the sixth-gen coupé in 2015. Both mounting points and linkages have all been stiffened and new springs and dampers added.
A performance pack is also available, adding stickier rubber, 20mm-wider 275-section rear tyres, Magneride adaptive dampers, larger 19-inch rims – 18s are standard – plus bigger Brembo six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers.
All models get a Torsen-style limited-slip differential and, for the first time, the Mustang gets a ‘drift brake’ that employs an electric handbrake to help coax the rear axle into huge slides, but only in Track mode. A line-locking burnout mode is also available.
New Ford Mustang: right hand drive version incoming
The Mustang will first go on sale in North American market followed by other left hand drive countries. Confirmed for right-hand drive production for markets including Japan and Australia, where deliveries will begin before the end of 2023, there’s still no word when, or if, the new Ford Mustang will return for another generation.
New Ford Mustang: will it come to India?
The Mustang in its previous-generation was introduced in India for a few model years and the model was in instant hit with Ford able to sell all allocated units in a short span of time. With Ford wrapping up its production operations in India, there is not much known whether the Mustang will return to our shores, even as a fully-imported model. Ford however, had announced last year that it will continue vehicle sales in India with fully imported models like the Mustang Mach E electric crossover. But there has been no update on this since then.
Also see:
2023 Ford Mustang image gallery