The 2015 Ford Mustang is Ready to Go Global

During its remarkable 50-year run, the Ford Mustang has seen its share of ups and downs, and it has elicited some frowns (ahem, Mustang II). It’s gone from boulevard cruiser to big-block bruiser; crushed it at the dragstrips; raced and won thousands of times on all manner of circuits; and helped burnish the names Saleen, Roush, and Shelby. It’s been a star on the silver screen more than 300 times, and smoked ’em long and loud at countless stoplights all over America. And now the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang is poised to run wild worldwide.
Students of Mustang history know this isn’t the first time Ford’s ponycar has been shipped off to foreign lands. If you’re up on what a T-5 is, then you know. (Hint: It’s a rebadged Mustang.) But the sixth-generation car, internal designation S550, has a mission far beyond what was attempted several decades ago. Ford wants the Mustang to be a global sports car player, and thanks to its One Ford efforts, it now has a chance to make that a reality. Built and shipped out of Ford’s plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, the Mustang will come in both left- and right-hand drive and will be available in some 120 countries. Soon the sun will never set on the Mustang Empire.

“People all over the world have been waiting for this,” outgoing Ford CEO Alan Mulally said during the new Mustang’s reveal last December. “Without One Ford we couldn’t have done it.” Given that the first allotment of 500 cars slated for Europe sold out in 30 seconds, it seems as though the world is indeed waiting impatiently.
That the 2015 Ford Mustang will be on the slow boat to anywhere at all is due in part to the vision of Mulally, who saw a company that needed to become One in all phases of vehicle development. During his reign, he helped transform the automaker into a lean machine that is now capable of churning out cars, trucks, and SUVs that can be produced and sold just about anywhere on the planet Ford operates, with only slight modifications depending on market.

Once production of the new car ramps up nationally in 2015, here’s betting sales will be way up with a bullet.

Ford’s global Mustang strategy couldn’t be coming at a better time. While sales were up 3.5 percent in August of this year versus last August, they were down by 7 percent to 77,186 for all of 2013, and the Mustang has been consistently outperformed by its main bogey, the Camaro. Once production of the new car ramps up nationally in 2015, here’s betting sales will be way up with a bullet. How long they will stay up is the question, and that’s why branching out beyond America’s shores is so important.
Of course, there are risks to the One Ford strategy. The 2015 Mustang’s sheetmetal, which was influenced by Ford’s European design squad, hasn’t exactly been well-received by the faithful, and that’s being charitable. And in trying to appeal to 120 markets, Ford risks diluting a uniquely American brand.

But a car like the Mustang will ultimately be judged by how it drives. You can check out our first in-depth impressions of the car from West Coast editor Michael Jordan by clicking here. I was also able to score a brief run in a GT with the 435-horse, 5.0-liter V-8, six-speed manual combo we secured for our photo shoot, and I came away feeling good about the future of Ford’s new pony. It bucked and roared when I mashed the throttle, the six-speed’s operation was direct, it handled more like a modern sports car, and the interior is much improved. It still has elements of what made the car great, but with a contemporary flair, which should play well outside the U.S.
For 50 years (or 45, poor Mustang II), the Mustang has mattered to America. Will it matter to the rest of the world? The answer to that question will go a long way toward determining if it survives another 50.

Source: automobilemag.com

INTRODUCE – 2015 FORD MUSTANG GT

Overview: The iconic Mustang—with its classic pony-car looks and hunkered-down stance—preserves a legacy that defines American motoring. A 300-hp 3.7-liter V-6, a 310-hp 2.3-liter turbo four-cylinder, and a 435-hp 5.0-liter V-8 are all offered with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. A new, independent rear suspension improves body control and provides better cornering poise. In either coupe or convertible form, the Mustang appeals to a wide audience without compromising its heritage.

INSTRUMENTED TEST – 2015 FORD MUSTANG GT MANUAL

With the new Ford Mustang finally sitting before us, a walkaround is the first order of business. Circling the newest pony, there’s no mistaking it for anything but a Mustang. The all-new 2015 model retains the right proportions, with a long hood, a compact and low greenhouse, and an extremely fast, well, fastback roofline. Strong cheekbones and taut sheetmetal enhance its beauty, while jawlines on top of jawlines will convey an appropriate sense of terror to anyone who encounters one in their rearview mirror.

Sliding behind the wheel, we begin to experience some nervousness—on behalf of the car. You see, this isn’t the four-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost model, or even the rental-counter base V-6. No, what we have here is what some might refer to as the real Mustang: the V-8 GT. More than any other 2015 Mustang, it carries the weight of expectations. Heavy expectations. Yes, the direct-injected EcoBoost is a technologically advanced engine and its turbocharger forces enough air through it to embarrass many eight-cylinders from a decade ago, but it still isn’t a proper V-8, no matter how much power it makes or how efficient it is.

READ MORE: 2015 Ford Mustang Engines: What You Need to Know

As for the V-8, it’s a worked over version of the outgoing Mustang’s Coyote powerplant, more specifically a version that saw the stonking Boss 302 serve as its drivability and output bogey. Certified on 93-octane unleaded, horsepower now stands at 435 (up from 420) and torque comes in at a nice, even 400 lb-ft. According to the EPA, fuel will be burned at a rate of 15 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway with the six-speed manual; the six-speed automatic does one better in the city. We saw 17 mpg from this stick-shift car. If you fill up using 87 octane, you’ll be down on horsepower—by about one percent according to Ford. So it’shighly unlikely you’ll notice.

With a six-speed manual sprouting up between the seats, the V-8 makes very short work of the first three gears. The accelerative rush is such that the somewhat cheesy “Ground Speed” label on the speedometer makes some sense, and the needle swings into triple digits very quickly. Zero to 60 mph is accomplished in 4.5 seconds and the quarter-mile lights tripped in 13 flat; our Mustang also hit 150 mph in well under 30 seconds. Also, there’s no Muzak version of the Daytona 500 played through the speakers in the Mustang: The GT’s V-8 soundtrack, although more subdued than we expected, is generated solely by combustion eventsand not electrons. We came away from this hushed GT thinking about refinement, not tinnitus.

The refinement extends to the ride and handling. Even with the 19-inch wheels and Pirelli P Zeros that come with the GT Performance package—which also brings a bunch of bracing, uprated brakes, and much more;full details here—the ride feels like a slightly more supple Boss 302. Some credit must go to the new integral-link independent rear suspension; dropping the solid rear axle is the Mustang’s big leap out of its 1960s roots. Ford had managed over the years to massage the stick axle to acceptability—and near-transcendence in the case of the Boss—but untying the Mustang’s rear wheels from each other pays massive dividends in terms of impact mitigation and keeps the front and rear ends working more closely together. Setting the Mustang into a corner no longer puts you into the awkward situation of serving as a couples’ counselor to the fore and aft axles. Turn-in felt natural in the outgoing Mustang, but the rear end seemed slightly disconnected, as if it wasn’t sure it wanted to follow the front. Cornering is now secure and flat, and we measured 0.95 g of lateral grip with those sticky P Zeros. The new Mustang’s chassis is in total harmony.

READ MORE: How We’d Spec It: The Perfect 2015 Ford Mustang

It’s not just the chassis that feels right. The precise steering is electrically assisted, but the sensations are richly analog and not digital. (This is true in any of its three adjustable modes, which largely alter weight.) The Getrag-sourced six-speed manual shifts easily and slots into gear quickly, and it feels more polished than before. It’s no trouble to find a good seating position, the forward view is quite good, and the optional $1595 Recaro seats seem tailor-made just for you. The interior design gets a little inspiration from the previous generation, but the materials are vastly improved and the switchgear wears aluminum-look brightwork. The back seats remain strictly for kids, which is a bit disappointing given the Mustang’s 188.3-inch total length—within an inch of a Toyota Camry.

Unlike the Camry, though, the new Mustang GT is a whole mess of fun. Large doses of maturity and refinement have entered the equation, sure, but they make for an improved and more well-rounded whole. The 2015 Mustang handles better, it’s easier to live with, and it acts like a more expensive car. At its $45,885 as-tested price, the GT should behave like it knows its way around a monocle and top hat, and it does. The V-8 version does start at $32,925, but options drive it past $35,000 with ease. Enthusiasts who crave a louder and prouder Mustang can look to the forthcoming GT350, which likely will pack a high-revving V-8 and even more horsepower. For those who want to drive their Mustang every day for the next five years, however, the new GT delivers performance without brutality.

Source: caranddriver.com/