Wilder than Wild: Ford Mustang

MUSCLE cars is what Americans do and do best. An American original, it is, just like your Aston Martin is a British original.
Revamped, redesigned and re-engineered.

The new Ford Mustang just got better and better indeed. It is now confirmed and official that the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang, which is dubbed as being just more than a car but the very heart and soul of Ford, will now be available for the Sub-Saharan market and is definitely something to look forward to. Ford has taken a decision to go global with the Mustang. By going global, I am referring to the markets in which it will be sold and that right-hand drive models will also be built for right-hand markets like ours.

With over seven million likes on Facebook on the Ford Mustang page, the world has been waiting for this muscle car and so has Africa. This is one of the most loved cars in the world.

Ford Mustang marked its 50th anniversary on April 17 2014 and has to date sold more than nine million units, with the first one million units being sold in the first 18 months of existence. Not a newcomer to Zimbabwean roads, Ford Mustang has always appealed to a target market.

This Mustang will not be built anywhere else but will continue to be built at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in the United States of America. Even if you don’t love Ford, you will fall in love with this new “Stang”. The new Mustang will be available in the 2,3-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder, which uses direct injection, variable camshaft timing and turbo charging. The naturally aspirated 3,7-litre V6 is expected to pump 305 horsepower and the 5-litre V8 which is touted to have over 400 horsepower. Ford has kept the official horsepower figures under wraps for a reason best known to themselves. I know some will have doubts over the fact that there will be a four-cylinder power plant wearing the hallowed “Mustang” badge, but, yes, you read correctly, it will actually be a twin-scroll four-cylinder churning more than 300 horsepower (not yet official) but I wonder if these engines will run on blend (E15).

This will be something that any buyer of this iconic muscle car will have to clear with Ford before importing lest Ford warranty on the engine due to damage related to fuel type becomes void. While Ford has taken a decision to fit a twin-scroll four-cylinder engine, truth be told, if you understand what the Mustang means to the oval blue badge (Ford), then definitely there is something wrong with a four-cylinder in a Ford Mustang.

The 305 horsepower  that is expected to be churned out by the 2,3-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder engine doesn’t excite me at all and all Mustang fans that have known and understood the Mustang. Not taking anything away from Ford, with the new developments and innovations on the new Mustang, the 2,3-litre is a big NO for me. Not for a Mustang. This is my opinion, so please don’t “get touched” by my sentiments. I am fully aware of the “Green Revolution” and maybe Ford is making a statement about its concern for the environment and a deviation from “big” engines which are viewed in some markets as not environmentally friendly.

Maybe Ford is going back in time with the 2,3-litre. Between 1983 and 1984 Ford fitted the 2,3-litre in the Mustang SVO that has continued way up into the Ford Thunderbird. This engine is revered as being one of the world’s best four-cylinder turbo engines which was considered to be way ahead of its time then.

However, the new four-cylinder engine, according to Ford, has nothing in common with the 80’s SVO engines.

The Mustang SVO was a limited version of the Ford Mustang sold between 1984 and 1986 and regarded as the fastest and most expensive version of the Ford Mustang ever built back then.

Definitely, not a car that you won’t afford to buy. This sixth generation Mustang is indeed something. The Mustang’s rivals are naturally the Chevrolet Camaro (older left-hand-drive versions are on our roads in Harare) and the Dodge Challenger.

I got communication last week from Ford South Africa that the new Mustang will definitely be headed for Sub-Sahara Africa.

It is likely to hit our roads by November 2014. Several key design features that define the “new era” Ford Mustang include a low roof height and wide stance, a sleek profile enabled by steeply sloped windshield and rear glass, three dimensional tri-bar tail-lamps and a contemporary execution of the iconic car’s signature shark bite front fascia. It also features all-new front and rear suspension systems.

The new rear suspension means that the rigid rear axle will now be a thing of the past for the Mustang and future Mustangs to come.

This is the first Mustang in 50 years to feature an independent rear suspension.

At the front, a new perimeter sub frame will help stiffen the front structure while reducing mass, providing a strong foundation for more predictable wheel control that benefits handling, steering and ride.

The use of new double ball joint front MacPherson strut system also enables the use of large powerful brakes.

They must be Brembo. Ford also announced a first with the Mustang GT-line lock-braking feature which allows only the Mustang’s front brakes to be locked (when engaged to lock), allowing the rear wheels to spin freely. This, in my view, would tempt one to take it out for a burnout but still the same the BMW 3-series “Gusheshe” will do a better job at this than the new Mustang. Unnecessary for the Mustang, if you are to ask me, given that Ford warranty will be void if you use your Mustang for motor-sport. But, anyway, thumbs-up for the technology.

The Mustang will also feature the new advanced, Ford-developed stability control which has been tuned to maximise the Mustang’s dynamic capabilities with features like torque vectoring that directs engine power to individual wheels to keep the car on course. If there is one thing that you can’t take away from people, it is their love for motor-sport.

I know, temptation is high to take the new Mustang for a drag race. However, Ford has also been quick to make it clear to any buyers of this pony that racing it in a drag race will void its warranty.

Okay, now too bad for those that love drag racing because definitely this Mustang’s power plants, given the engine ranges from the 2,3-litre twin scroll in line four-cylinder to the 3,7-litre V6 up to the 5-litre V8 GT, itch for drag racing.

Issues of warranty are a major concern for anyone buying a brand new car. However, Ford places the 2,3-litre twin-scroll engine as its premium engine above the 3,7-litre V6 but not above the 5-litre V8 GT engine.

The 3,7-litre V6 will be the base engine option. We look forward to this new icon with the right hand versions that will hit the global markets and definitely the right-hand versions will make business sense (in terms of both volumes and profits) for America’s most loved two-seater: The 2015 Ford Mustang. Mustang refers to a wild horse found in the United States, and with the new 2015 Mustang, Ford has just gone all wilder than wild.