RE: Global Mustang Will Lose 'Retro' Styling
Monday 19th September 2011
Mustang: Yee-haw nae more?While the Mustang's recent resurgence can be attributed to a retro styling approach that plays well with afficionados of 'good 'ol boy' motoring, Ford's next generation muscle car will take a more contemporary tack.
Global Mustang Will Lose 'Retro' Styling
Ford to celebrate pony car's 50th with a design for the future
Mustang: Yee-haw nae more?
2014 is the Mustang's 50th anniversary, and Ford wants to turn its globally iconic muscle car brand into a global sales success. To that end we already knew that the next-gen Mustang (due that same year) has been promised proper rear suspension, but now it seems the currently cartoon-ish styling could go the same way as that much maligned solid rear axle.
We know this, because Ford's head of design J Mays has let it slip that the new car currently approaching design 'lock down' will not follow in the tracks of the 2005/2010 models but "will look to forge ahead with a new design that can bring the brand forward".
We reported back in 2009 that Ford was pondering various options for the Mustang's configuration, ranging from a repeat of the V8-powered muscle car to a turbocharged technology-fest like the Nissan GT-R.
Presumably they've made their minds up by now, but we can't imagine Ford being brave/foolhardy enough to drop the 5.0 V8 option - even though a modern V6 is now part of the current line-up. Maybe cylinder deactivation and stop-start though?
Discussion
I'm a little worried by this. I would hope at least that a "global" mustang would finally be available in proper-hand-drive, but a mustang is a muscle car. Nothing to stop it being a _good_ muscle car, but if they move too far away from the traditional muscle car formula then it just becomes another middle of the road coupe. No one wants another godawful probe / competent-but-dull Cougar but with a mustang badge on it.
The reason the Mustang isn't a global success already has nothing to do with the styling. It looks great.
The reason it doesn't sell in Europe and Japan is because it's an utterly absurd car for most people, and there are plenty of better options for both performance and practicality. It also doesn't benefit from the low prices you can get in the USA.
The reason it doesn't sell in Europe and Japan is because it's an utterly absurd car for most people, and there are plenty of better options for both performance and practicality. It also doesn't benefit from the low prices you can get in the USA.
Mr Gear said:
The reason the Mustang isn't a global success already has nothing to do with the styling. It looks great.
The reason it doesn't sell in Europe and Japan is because it's an utterly absurd car for most people, and there are plenty of better options for both performance and practicality. It also doesn't benefit from the low prices you can get in the USA.
Nail. Head. The reason it doesn't sell in Europe and Japan is because it's an utterly absurd car for most people, and there are plenty of better options for both performance and practicality. It also doesn't benefit from the low prices you can get in the USA.
I've always thought the 2005/2010 mustangs hit that conteporary retro look right on the head. It was bold and brash, with a good dose of sheer presence, textbook muscle car stuff. The design is absolutely fine.
What has never really been fine about the car is the tech it used. The limp wristed yet thirsty v8 (I'm sorry but 300 horses out of a five-o is awful), comatose gearbox and that awful suspension set up meant that once taken out of its natural stomping ground (the US and middle east markets) it came up short on every front. At this point its brash looks start working against it as the rest of it could never quite deliver on the excitement the looks promised. I love the damn things and had I been living in the states I would probably have bought one, but its difficult to justify here in Europe when pretty much every other alternative is superior.
SO, I hope ford will keep the styling and muscle car concept, but give the powerplant and suspension the 50 year overhaul it needs. Make it go from a good looking clown car to the proper bruising muscle car it should be.
.....and for the love of everything sacred don't try and "modernise" the design. Last time they did that we ended up with the 90's 'stang, and thats just visual diptheria.
What has never really been fine about the car is the tech it used. The limp wristed yet thirsty v8 (I'm sorry but 300 horses out of a five-o is awful), comatose gearbox and that awful suspension set up meant that once taken out of its natural stomping ground (the US and middle east markets) it came up short on every front. At this point its brash looks start working against it as the rest of it could never quite deliver on the excitement the looks promised. I love the damn things and had I been living in the states I would probably have bought one, but its difficult to justify here in Europe when pretty much every other alternative is superior.
SO, I hope ford will keep the styling and muscle car concept, but give the powerplant and suspension the 50 year overhaul it needs. Make it go from a good looking clown car to the proper bruising muscle car it should be.
.....and for the love of everything sacred don't try and "modernise" the design. Last time they did that we ended up with the 90's 'stang, and thats just visual diptheria.
However; a well priced and reasonably compact, well styled coupe with a good choice of engines and options would likely sell very well. Even budget brands (see: Hyundai) have demonstrated that this works. Look at the amount of attention Toyota re getting with their perpetually concept FT-86.
If Ford could get something in at <25k they could well be onto a winner.
If Ford could get something in at <25k they could well be onto a winner.
Dave_ST220 said:
Dr G said:
If Ford could get something in at <25k they could well be onto a winner.
You haven't been in a Ford dealer show room for a while have you?cosdog said:
I've always thought the 2005/2010 mustangs hit that conteporary retro look right on the head. It was bold and brash, with a good dose of sheer presence, textbook muscle car stuff. The design is absolutely fine.
What has never really been fine about the car is the tech it used. The limp wristed yet thirsty v8 (I'm sorry but 300 horses out of a five-o is awful), comatose gearbox and that awful suspension set up meant that once taken out of its natural stomping ground (the US and middle east markets) it came up short on every front. At this point its brash looks start working against it as the rest of it could never quite deliver on the excitement the looks promised. I love the damn things and had I been living in the states I would probably have bought one, but its difficult to justify here in Europe when pretty much every other alternative is superior.
SO, I hope ford will keep the styling and muscle car concept, but give the powerplant and suspension the 50 year overhaul it needs. Make it go from a good looking clown car to the proper bruising muscle car it should be.
.....and for the love of everything sacred don't try and "modernise" the design. Last time they did that we ended up with the 90's 'stang, and thats just visual diptheria.
err..the current (and only) Mustang to have a 5.0 since the early 90s gets 412hp and 390lb-ft from its rather good engine? The previous 4.6 wasn't spectacular when launched, but 300bhp from 4.6L is more than TVR ever got from a 4.5L Rover V8!What has never really been fine about the car is the tech it used. The limp wristed yet thirsty v8 (I'm sorry but 300 horses out of a five-o is awful), comatose gearbox and that awful suspension set up meant that once taken out of its natural stomping ground (the US and middle east markets) it came up short on every front. At this point its brash looks start working against it as the rest of it could never quite deliver on the excitement the looks promised. I love the damn things and had I been living in the states I would probably have bought one, but its difficult to justify here in Europe when pretty much every other alternative is superior.
SO, I hope ford will keep the styling and muscle car concept, but give the powerplant and suspension the 50 year overhaul it needs. Make it go from a good looking clown car to the proper bruising muscle car it should be.
.....and for the love of everything sacred don't try and "modernise" the design. Last time they did that we ended up with the 90's 'stang, and thats just visual diptheria.
If this 'global' styling and approach means we get Euro-friendly engines and RHD, will it get called the Capri over here?
I just hope they don't do what they did last time they decided the next-generation Mustang needed to be a 'global' car on Japanese lines. They couldn't bring themselves to cal the resulting car the Mustang - instead, we got the Probe.
I just hope they don't do what they did last time they decided the next-generation Mustang needed to be a 'global' car on Japanese lines. They couldn't bring themselves to cal the resulting car the Mustang - instead, we got the Probe.
Mr Gear said:
The reason it doesn't sell in Europe and Japan is because it's an utterly absurd car for most people, and there are plenty of better options for both performance and practicality.
Although that doesn't seem to deter people from buying "absurd" cars like Range Rover, Q7, X5 etc at double the price!I guess the main point of owning a mustang in UK is it's "different" while having all the benefits of a properly engineered modern car. And it avoids having yet another Audi/BMW on the roads...
t) styling.Never been a fan of the current "retro" styling so looking forward to see what the new one looks like. Favourite Mustang has the be the 3rd gen Fox body, though I appreciate that the newer ones have been significantly better performers. My old 5.0 GT only had 220ish BHP, but that was more than enough to overwhelm the rear tyres at will and certainly put a smile on my face.
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