Sharper, more powerful new Ford Mustang unleashed

The new 2023 Ford Mustang has been unwrapped at a special outdoor event just a stone's throw away from this year’s reborn Detroit motor show, and confirmed for Australian release in late 2023.

Unveiled after a convoy of more than 1000 Ford Mustangs journeyed from the Blue Oval's HQ in Dearborn to Downtown Detroit, the seventh instalment of the Mustang misses out on electrification but keeps the option of a V8, gets edgier styling and bags an interior jam-packed full of advanced new tech.

Despite expectations it would be based on the more advanced Ford CD6 rear/all-wheel drive architecture that underpins the latest Ford Explorer SUV, the new S650-series Ford Mustang continues to use the front-engine/rear-drive platform of the existing sixth-generation S550 Mustang released in 2015.

That means the new Mustang will miss out on electrified powertrains and will never offer Ford’s most sophisticated autonomous driving technologies, although most potential buyers are unlikely to be upset by that.

The latest ’Stang keeps its classic long-bonnet, short-bootlid proportions but wears what its designers claim is an edgier, sexier take on traditional Mustang styling cues.

One of two design concepts proposed, the winning final design was said to have been picked by Millennials, not traditional Mustang fans. Ford hopes the new Mustang will have far broader appeal than before in a bid to attract new buyers to both the coupe and convertible.

Highlights of the new design include a grille that harks back to the original 1964 Mustang and a pair of slimmer LED headlights incorporating tri-bar daytime running light elements that replicate the famous Ford muscle car’s tail-lights.

For the first time, the four-cylinder EcoBoost and V8-powered GT get different front and rear styling to help differentiate them.

The GT distinguishes itself at the top of the new Mustang range – for now – with gloss-black highlights that make the grille look larger than it is. The twin nostrils within the grille are functional and feed air to a new dual cold-air intake.

The V8 variant also gets a new bonnet extractor that actually works with the front bumper to reduce lift over the front axle and increase downforce.

Different lower air intakes and a bigger rear diffuser complete the changes. Oh, and the EcoBoost gets dual exhaust outlets while the GT gets quad tailpipes.

Other tricks employed by the designers include lowering the beltline and adding a pair of more prominent rear wheel-arches to give the Mustang more of an aggressive muscle car look and feel. The result is a car that looks both longer and wider, despite sharing the current model’s dimensions.

Within the cabin, base models get twin display screens but mid-range variants and above get a new single continuous screen combining a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and larger 13.2-inch infotainment touch-screen behind one glass panel.

The new Mustang’s interior is less classic and more minimalist than before, and some traditionalists won’t like the fact the climate controls have now been incorporated into the multimedia screen that runs Ford’s SYNC4 operating system.

That said, the more youthful buyers Ford has in mind may appreciate the fact it can be updated over the air, as well as the greater levels of connectivity and the extra customisation options for the infotainment system and instrument panel, which nevertheless features graphics inspired by iconic cars like the Ford GT supercar.

Our favourite touch is being able to switch out the modern dials for an exact replica of the clocks used on the Fox-body Mustang made from 1979-1993.

New driver-assist technologies will include Lane Centering Assist, Evasive Steer Assist, Reverse Brake Assist, Speed Sign Recognition and Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with stop-and-go functionality for automatic variants only.

Under the bonnet there are two heavily updated petrol engines – the 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-scroll turbocharged EcoBoost and the naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre Coyote V8.

The four-pot turbo features a different bore and stroke, plus fresh hardware including a new turbocharger. There are fewer changes for the V8, other than a new air intake, but both engines are primed to offer more power, torque and efficiency.

Ford says exact numbers will be released later but claims the fourth-generation 5.0-litre engine “is set to deliver the most naturally aspirated horsepower of any Mustang GT”.

So you can expect the V8 to push out around 350kW of power and 560Nm of torque, which should be enough for the GT to accelerate to 100km/h in around four seconds and top out at more than 270km/h.

The good news for purists is the six-speed manual is still available with the V8 (in which it gets rev-matching), although it has been dropped from the EcoBoost version – the 2.3-litre model will be available only with an updated version of the Ford-GM developed 10-speed automatic.

As standard, both EcoBoost and GT models will come with a Torsen-style limited-slip rear differential and, for the first time, the Mustang gets an ‘Electronic Drift Brake’ that employs the electric handbrake to help coax the rear-end into sideways action – but only in Track mode and probably not at all for Australian vehicles.

As before, a line-lock burn-out mode will also be available.

As far as the chassis goes, the seventh ’Stang keeps the old car’s suspension struts up front and independent multi-link rear-end, but both the mountings and linkages are stiffer and all-new.

Fresh springs and dampers all around have also been developed for the latest model, while adaptive dampers will continue to be offered with the optional Performance pack that’s currently standard in Australia and will add stickier Pirelli tyres, 20mm-wider 275-section rear rubber, 19-inch alloy wheels (18s are standard) and bigger Brembo six-piston front brake callipers and four-piston rear callipers.

Other chassis changes include an all-new steering rack with more rigid mountings to deliver more precise feel.

Ford says it’s still too early to talk about pricing and local specifications for the new Mustang, which enters production in Flat Rock, Michigan by mid-2023, launches in the US in the third quarter of next year and is confirmed to arrive Down Under in “late 2023”.

However, prices are expected to increase over the existing model, which is currently priced from $52,590 for the ‘HP’ Fastback and $65,290 for the GT Fastback, and remains unavailable for Australians to order because demand continues to outpace supply.

The Ford Mustang has racked up more than 10 million sales globally since its introduction in 1964 and remains both Australia’s and the world’s most popular sports car ahead of the Subaru BRZ and Chevrolet Camaro respectively.

Commenting following its unveiling, Ford CEO Jim Farley said: “Investing in another generation of Mustang is a big statement at a time when many of our competitors are exiting the business of internal combustion vehicles.”

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