Ford Mustang coming to the UK

Ford Mustang coming to the UK

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furtive

Original Poster:

4,498 posts

278 months

Thursday 6th September 2012
quotequote all
http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/news/ford-mustang-and-ed...

They are even going to put the steering wheel on the right side.

Wattsie

1,160 posts

200 months

Thursday 6th September 2012
quotequote all
Excellent news - hopefully we'll have a V8 too biggrin

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Thursday 6th September 2012
quotequote all
no doubt it will be a silly price circa 40k i suspect for what is a budget car in the US

Wattsie

1,160 posts

200 months

Thursday 6th September 2012
quotequote all
Dave Hedgehog said:
no doubt it will be a silly price circa 40k i suspect for what is a budget car in the US
Just specced up a Focus Titanium in Black with a 150bhp engine on both US and UK - it comes to $25 and £19.5k.

So £15.5k for an equivalent £19.5k UK car.

So I would hazard a guess that if they sell the cheapest Mustang here, it'd be around £20k, rising to £60k-ish for a theoretical Shelby GT500.

Cotic

469 posts

151 months

Friday 7th September 2012
quotequote all
As long as it looks like a Mustang, is RWD and has a proper exhaust note I'll be happy! If they could improve the interior quality and offer a decent manual too then I'll take one.

Makes you wonder what it'll do to the prices of LHD grey imports though.

PanzerCommander

5,026 posts

217 months

Monday 10th September 2012
quotequote all
Cotic said:
As long as it looks like a Mustang, is RWD and has a proper exhaust note I'll be happy! If they could improve the interior quality and offer a decent manual too then I'll take one.

Makes you wonder what it'll do to the prices of LHD grey imports though.
I think the LHD grey imports will stay the same if not go up in value because the vast majority of true American car enthusiasts want the LHD as it makes the car what it is.

The loss of the SRA is also a great shame too - again it makes the car part of what it is to me.

The cars appear cheaper in the US becuase they don't have the same taxes on them as we do over here.

MadmanO/T People

899 posts

204 months

Monday 17th September 2012
quotequote all
PanzerCommander said:
The cars appear cheaper in the US becuase they don't have the same taxes on them as we do over here.
True. UK prices include VAT. US prices do not include sales tax.

marcosgt

11,008 posts

175 months

Monday 17th September 2012
quotequote all
PanzerCommander said:
I think the LHD grey imports will stay the same if not go up in value because the vast majority of true American car enthusiasts want the LHD as it makes the car what it is.
Eh? Does that make a LHD Nissan Micra the same?

I guess someone who loves Americana for its own sake (rather than fast cars) might appreciate the difference, but I'm sure more people in the UK would be in the market for a RHD Mustang than a LHD one (and I'm pretty certain Ford feel the same or they wouldn't be wasting their money on the conversion).

I must admit, even I'd be tempted to try a RHD V6 one, all the reports suggest it's a very good car in its latest guise.

M

PanzerCommander

5,026 posts

217 months

Monday 17th September 2012
quotequote all
marcosgt said:
Eh? Does that make a LHD Nissan Micra the same?

I guess someone who loves Americana for its own sake (rather than fast cars) might appreciate the difference, but I'm sure more people in the UK would be in the market for a RHD Mustang than a LHD one (and I'm pretty certain Ford feel the same or they wouldn't be wasting their money on the conversion).

I must admit, even I'd be tempted to try a RHD V6 one, all the reports suggest it's a very good car in its latest guise.

M
I bought it for what it is; a proper American car, something different to things sold in the UK/Europe. I bought it because it isn’t a Porsche, M3, AMG Merc, Audi etc.

But from what I have read on the Mustang forums all I can see the European model car being is a 3 series coupe with a running pony on the front and MUSTANG in chrome letters on the back. Aside from the lack of RWD I think the diesel focus I saw the other month (sadly didn’t get to take a picture of it as I was driving at the time) with the ford badge replaced with an SN95 running pony and a similar badge stuck to the back won’t be far from the truth with this car. I hope I am proved wrong and it is a great car, if not it will be a sad day for the Mustang line up.

They are making it RHD (or so they say - they said that about the 05+ and it didn't happen) because it is going to be a global car, so they can sell it in Japan and Australia etc. I doubt they will sell a huge amount over here to be honest.

Indeed, from what I have read the current V6 model is a huge step up from the V6 in the 05-10MY of cars, and is actually a good drive rather than being (in its stock form) an asthmatic stodgy lump.

Summing up the problems with the UK/Europe model for me is:

  • The SRA is gone, replaced with IRS (I drag race mine so IRS is no good to me)
  • Higher tax and insurance than the imported cars
  • Generally softened and primped to pander to pansy European tastes (the “the car must have soft touch dashboard and no hard plastic, or the interior is scensoredt” brigade)
  • No V8 in the European model (mooted to only be a 2.0L turbo 4 (~250bhp) and the current V6 (~300bhp)).
  • RHD
  • There are also rumours that the current models retro looks will be replaced (but these are just rumours) with a more modern design based on ford Kinetic design thing they are doing.
I can see why they are doing it, even in the US (though they will get a V8) it is to try and tempt the Jap/German crowd back to US brands by going with similar layouts and setups, but I can see it still having to deal with (as I was told at a car show over here) “It’s still just a Ford”.

But those are my opinions, I’m not forced to buy one so I won’t be smile

LuS1fer

41,069 posts

244 months

Thursday 20th September 2012
quotequote all
The V6 is a 305hp dohc modern engine producing more power than the original 4.6 V8.
Given Ford benchmarked the M3 for the 5.0 Mustang GT, you can rely on it being a good car. Certainly neither the GT86/BRZ suffer from their badges.

I think Ford are overestimating the appeal of the all-American Mustang badge and personally feel they should have changed some panels and made it a Capri so it has no "baggage" but equally accept that there are now many people who haven't even heard of a Capri so Ford have largely lost the momentum in that name.

My main fear is that Ford will dumb down the Mustang into a very comptenet but unexciting car and effectively erode the good it dod with the 2005 "comeback". It has survived being sh*t in the past but I fear not being sh*t and homogeneity might do far more long term damage.

Obviously I won't be buying one and if I did, I'd import a V8.

marcosgt

11,008 posts

175 months

Friday 28th September 2012
quotequote all
PanzerCommander said:
marcosgt said:
Eh? Does that make a LHD Nissan Micra the same?

I guess someone who loves Americana for its own sake (rather than fast cars) might appreciate the difference, but I'm sure more people in the UK would be in the market for a RHD Mustang than a LHD one (and I'm pretty certain Ford feel the same or they wouldn't be wasting their money on the conversion).

I must admit, even I'd be tempted to try a RHD V6 one, all the reports suggest it's a very good car in its latest guise.

M
I bought it for what it is; a proper American car, something different to things sold in the UK/Europe. I bought it because it isn’t a Porsche, M3, AMG Merc, Audi etc.

But from what I have read on the Mustang forums all I can see the European model car being is a 3 series coupe with a running pony on the front and MUSTANG in chrome letters on the back. Aside from the lack of RWD I think the diesel focus I saw the other month (sadly didn’t get to take a picture of it as I was driving at the time) with the ford badge replaced with an SN95 running pony and a similar badge stuck to the back won’t be far from the truth with this car. I hope I am proved wrong and it is a great car, if not it will be a sad day for the Mustang line up.

They are making it RHD (or so they say - they said that about the 05+ and it didn't happen) because it is going to be a global car, so they can sell it in Japan and Australia etc. I doubt they will sell a huge amount over here to be honest.

Indeed, from what I have read the current V6 model is a huge step up from the V6 in the 05-10MY of cars, and is actually a good drive rather than being (in its stock form) an asthmatic stodgy lump.

Summing up the problems with the UK/Europe model for me is:

  • The SRA is gone, replaced with IRS (I drag race mine so IRS is no good to me)
  • Higher tax and insurance than the imported cars
  • Generally softened and primped to pander to pansy European tastes (the “the car must have soft touch dashboard and no hard plastic, or the interior is scensoredt” brigade)
  • No V8 in the European model (mooted to only be a 2.0L turbo 4 (~250bhp) and the current V6 (~300bhp)).
  • RHD
  • There are also rumours that the current models retro looks will be replaced (but these are just rumours) with a more modern design based on ford Kinetic design thing they are doing.
I can see why they are doing it, even in the US (though they will get a V8) it is to try and tempt the Jap/German crowd back to US brands by going with similar layouts and setups, but I can see it still having to deal with (as I was told at a car show over here) “It’s still just a Ford”.

But those are my opinions, I’m not forced to buy one so I won’t be smile
All that's fine, but if Ford want to sell a lot in Europe, they're not going to rely on a few fans of American cars.

IRS is a bad thing? A 300BHP V6 (with Euro fuel prices) is a bad thing? RHD is a bad thing?

None of those will strike the majority of UK buyers as negatives...

Read the US Automobile press and it seems that aside from the unemployed blue-collar masses, most US buyers are pressing for better quality interiors, the same way buyers of Japanese cars have.

Nothing wrong with your liking for 'old-school', but I believe you're in a tiny minority in the UK. Belgium's the only country where I've seen a significant number of American cars on the road and then mostly softly sprung saloons to cope with their rubbish road surfaces.

M

PanzerCommander

5,026 posts

217 months

Friday 28th September 2012
quotequote all
True they aren't but they will have to get over badge snobbery because to somebody that might buy an A5 or a 6 series it is still "Just a Ford" regardless of how well it is put together.

IRS is a bad thing because "if it ain't broke don't fix it" the current Boss 302 model out performed an M3 on Laguna Seca and I believe it was also faster than an R8 (albeit not by much) so where is the advantage?
Ok I’ll concede off a race track and on the roads it might offer better ride quality but other than that it offers nothing, the SRA setup (which in both standard form and the much stiffer form that it is now) has certainly caused me no issues or worries driving within the law on the UK roads. A SRA setup is also superior for drag racing.

RHD, it may make it sell easier to the average Joe that hasn’t got the balls to try something different or believes the usual crap that LHD cars are hard to live with. I have been driving it in LHD for 3 ½ years and experienced no issues whatsoever. Having the seat on the left also helps to counter the torque reaction from the engine on the drag strip!

I wouldn’t buy a Mustang with a V6 doesn’t matter if it had 200 more bhp than the V8 and used less fuel – this car is all about the V8 to me. When I was looking at buying a Mustang 3 ½ years ago I could have gotten an equivalent spec V6 for nearly five grand less, but I didn’t even consider it, V8 all the way for me.

I just think that softening a ‘Muscle car’ (the mustang technically isn’t one but most people seem to call it that) to pander to European tastes just detracts from what the car is. This kind of car is supposed to give you the V8 performance for the cost of a hot hatch, forsaking all unnecessary fripperies and luxuries bang for buck and all that.

But thats just my opinion on the subject. Thankfully I don't have to buy one and I can stick with my 06 GT smile

LuS1fer

41,069 posts

244 months

Saturday 29th September 2012
quotequote all
While that may be what the Mustang grew into, it started life as a six cylinder 101hp (boosted to 120hp in 65)fun car and the 210hp (later 225hp) V8 was only an option in June 1964.
They sold a million on 23/2/66, the world's fastest selling car ever.

It's worth remembering that the vast majority of sales for this and the Camaro were six cylinder cars and if they hadn't sold all those sixes, the V8 would not have been viable.

It should also be noted that it was Bunkie Knudsen who took the Mustang in a muscle direction which Iacocca was not happy about. In fact he said Knudsen ruined it even though it was the success of the GTO which had spurred the Mustang along that path.

Of course, the Mustang's path was sealed and the attempt to downsize it to Mustang II in 74 was not particularly successful but it did allow smaller engines in lighter bodies though the sheer gutlessness led to the return of an undernourished 122hp V8 in 1975. Even the King Cobra only had 139hp. However, again let us not forget that the Mustang II was a sales success and ensured it survived.

So what I'm trying to say here is that the V8 has only been one part of the Mustang story. It has always had base models that sold in thousands and without them, we wouldn't have a Mustang V8 today.