Aussie Mustang buyers dudded

The Mustang V8 motoring.com.au drove in the USA back in late September was rated at 435hp (324kW) from its 5.0-litre V8, but when the car goes on sale in Australia in the latter half of next year, that same 'Coyote' engine will produce peak power of 303kW instead.

It's still an engine that will pack a fair whallop, but torque has been pared back too, with the V8 developing 525Nm for Aussie consumers, versus 542Nm in the US.

It's not just Australian Mustang buyers who miss out on the full power-packed experience. For Europe the V8 Mustang is officially rated at 418PS (307kW).

Ford Australia has consistently held the line that the Mustang V8 was good for 313kW – with official literature from a year ago putting the bent eight's peak power at “more than 420 horsepower.”

But as of today, that's officially not the case for Australia, with Ford revealing the local specifications at the company's 2020 event at the Broadmeadows head office. The Mustang was presented in coupe form to local media for the first time. A Ford Australia spokesman was at a loss to explain the 21kW difference in power, other than suggesting tighter emissions standards in Australia could be a factor. It was common, the spokesman told motoring.com.au, for imported models to arrive in Australia “a few kilowatts down.”

That doesn't explain, however, why the V8 Mustang is detuned as much as 21kW for Australia.

The V8 model's peak power arrives at 6250rpm, and torque hits its stride at 4250rpm. For the EcoBoost turbo four-cylinder model, power and torque figures for Australia are close to the American stats: 233kW @ 5600rpm and 432Nm @ 3000rpm.

Both engines will be available with a choice of six-speed Getrag manual or optional six-speed automatic transmission. Drive is channelled to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential. At the front, the Mustang is suspended by a double-ball joint MacPherson strut system, complemented at the rear by a multi-link independent system.

Steering is electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion and brakes comprise four-wheel discs, ventilated at the front. The front rotors for the V8 GT model are larger (380x34mm versus 330x25mm for the EcoBoost model) and the V8 also gains six-piston Brembo aluminium calipers at the front. Four-piston calipers suffice for the EcoBoost model's front end.

Alloy wheels measure 19-inch diameter for both models, with the V8-engined Mustang GT riding on nine-inch front and 9.5-inch rear rims. Ford has stated the V8 model's tyres are the same size, front and rear – 275/40 R19 – and the four-cylinder's tyres are 255/40 R19.

The Mustang will go on sale in Australia with the following equipment as standard: remote keyless entry/start, HID headlights, LED tail lights, fog lights, daytime running lights, heated/electrically adjustable mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone climate control, satellite navigation, auto-on/off headlights and electric windows. Both grades also feature SYNC2 infotainment, MyKey, leather-bound steering wheel adjustable for rake/reach, leather-wrapped parking brake, electro-chromatic mirror, aluminium-faced pedals, ambient lighting, leather trimmed seats – heated and cooled, with electric adjustment (six-way for driver).

Safety features consist of tyre pressure monitoring, dual front airbags, kneebags for driver and passenger, dual side-impact (front) airbags, reversing camera and an alarm system.

Prices and full specifications for Australia will be announced closer to the local launch, with deliveries expected to commence from December 2015.