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Ken Gratton26 Sept 2014
NEWS

Mustang reinvention on the brink

Ford Mustang global launch kicks off tonight... Pony car to replace FPV GT as new hero car

Mustang's global reinvention and resurgence starts tonight. Australian motoring journalists are assembling in LA tonight to get behind the wheel of the 2015 Ford Mustang for the first official drive of the car that become the brand's new hero model Down Under.

The four-door FPV sedan is out, the two-door Mustang coupe is in; one GT replaced by another.

And Ford's North American team behind the development of the new sports coupe has already suggested our motoring.com.au personnel that they will be "blown away" by the new car's handling and ride compromise as well as its straight line speed. Big claims!

During the 2015 Mustang's development program the car gained an independent rear suspension system, in combination with a 'double ball joint' MacPherson strut front end very similar to BMW systems. Grip levels will be taken care of via high-end Pirelli P-Zero tyres and Ford has tweaked its EPAS (Electronic Power Assisted Steering) for the new model too.

The V8-engined GT offers the availability of Brembo six-piston callipers at the front. It's the combination of the larger brakes (not just for the Brembo-equipped cars either) with the anti-dive/anti-squat characteristics of the new front suspension, and a platform delivering "28 per cent more torsional stiffness" that makes the new  model "the best stopping Mustang ever," in the words of Marcy Fisher, Ford's Vehicle Line Director for the Mustang.

Lou Santora, the Program Vehicle Dynamics Engineer for Mustang, told motoring.com.au that the responsiveness of both engines – 231kW four-cylinder turbo and 324kW V8 – contributes to the car's improved agility, providing the right power delivery to exit corners with the precise mix of speed and stability.

"For us the big wins on this car... is on the track. Get into the throttle earlier, get onto the brakes later..."

According to the Ford suspension engineer – who loves his job, naturally – there are some front suspension changes for the V8 model, including forged lateral links and revised top mounts to make allowance for the extra 45kg of weight the V8 has amassed over the EcoBoost four-cylinder.

But contrary to the fears of Mustang followers in North America and elsewhere, the Mustang will not lack urge and traction on a drag strip, simply to placate those buyers who want a car that rides and handles. There's no wheel hop when the Mustang launches, Santora says, independent rear suspension or not. In this regard, the behaviour of the new IRS system is "far superior" to that of the live axle-suspended Mustang Boss 302 about to be superseded.

"The customers are going to be pleasantly surprised at how good this car is in a straight line," he observed.

As we've reported previously, in America the Mustang will continue to offer an entry-level model with the 3.7-litre V6 that also powers the Mazda CX-9. Most other markets, like Australia, will kick off with a 2.3-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder engine that pumps out 231kW/433Nm and a 5.0-litre V8 rated at 324kW/542Nm.

Given the lead time for local Aussie launch (second half of 2015), Ford Australia is still some way off finalising specifications and market positioning for the new car. That means we probably won't know it price for some time, unlike motorists in the US who will pay between $24K and $33K for the new pony car in US dollars.

Australia is shaping up to be as enthusiastic about the new Mustang as Americans are, but while that's expected in a performance car-oriented country like ours (Ford Australia has received more than 13,000 expressions of interest for the Mustang here) the Mustang is kicking goals all around the world.

The statistics impressive, according to Ford: New Mustang has 7.8 million followers on Facebook, and 55 per cent live outside the USA.

Stay tuned to motoring.com.au for the first drive impressions of the all-new sixth-generation Ford Mustang.

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Written byKen Gratton
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