Tuesday 14th May

Steeda previews latest S650 Mustang upgrades

Both GT and Dark Horse Mustangs will be here soon - and modified ones not far behind

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There’s a great weight of expectation on the new Ford Mustang. Partly that’s because the last one was a heap of fun to drive (and we’re expecting more this time around), and partly it’s because cars of its ilk just don’t exist anymore. We need the front-engined, rear-drive, manual, V8 Mustang to be good to remind us of how fundamentally sound that configuration can be. The early signs from US drives are good; Steeda is planning even better Mustangs already. 

You might recall the name from its work with the previous generation S550 ‘Stang, and its recent EU certification as a manufacturer; buy one of its cars now and the V5 will say it’s a Steeda Mustang, not just a Ford Mustang. Handy here for resale and collectability, but also a boon in those countries where regulations on aftermarket tuning are stricter. Because you’re buying a new model from a certified carmaker. 

Steeda will offer a pair of Q-Series derivatives for the new S650 generation, the Q500 based on the GT and the Q767 based on the Dark Horse. They follow models of the same name announced last year for the old car of which only a few were made because production was winding up; Steeda’s European Director Robbie Kazandijan said: “The initial Q Series cars we delivered last year got a tremendous response…  now customers are free to order the base car they want, and we can build them the Mustang they deserve. I have heard people say that there are no longer any affordable sports cars available. Well, Steeda offers one!"

To that end, the two Mustangs aim to ‘entice drivers in pursuit of authentic performance without the hefty price tag and technology overload of many sports cars’. It’s all about chassis and handling, too, not some crazy power gain. So a Q767 with the Magneride gets new Steeda springs, adjustable anti-roll bars to go with them (including solid billet ends and mounts), bracing front and rear, camber plates to dial in up to three degrees of negative camber and something called a Steeda Independent Rear Suspension package. There’s not much detail on that for now, but it’s said to improve grip and stability at the rear.

The upgrade also includes jacking rails to ‘allow easy access for wheel and set up changes on track and protect the underside of the car.’ That’s the kind of driver a Steeda Mustang is aimed at, with testing at Sebring, Road Atlanta and Homestead Miami to prove the point. Apparently the Q Series overhaul makes for flatter cornering, better traction and reduced wheel hop.  ‘While it has been regarded as an intriguing muscle car, it has never been regarded as a legitimate contender in the realm of sports cars, unlike the established offerings from BMW M, Mercedes AMG, or Porsche. Steeda’s aim is to change that.’ They’re aiming high, that’s for certain. The work can also be adapted for non-Magneride models, too. 

The Q Series already promises a great deal then, but Steeda can offer more for those wishing to turn the dial further. There are a new range of wheel options, for example, matched to Michelin PS4S or Cup 2 tyres, plus a Power Pack, a Track Pack to maximise the circuit ability and even a supercharger for the really committed. In short, anyone wanting to make a mad Mustang will find everything they need available from Steeda. As for the Q500 and Q767 models, exact prices are expected later in the year. But with the GT from £55,725 and the Dark Horse from £67,995, any Steeda Mustang of the new era will be a significant investment - but then if it is one of the final V8s…

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• 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse | PH Review
• 2021 Ford Mustang GT500 vs. Ford Mustang Bullitt

[Mark_Blanchard]

Looks the business. Let's hope it handles as well as it looks.

[wistec1]

Well if the competition is claimed as BMW, Merc/AMG, Porsche etc then it's unlikely anyone is going to get in a new spec'd up one for this kind of Money. Having said that for my dollar you'd really have to want one to overcome the used low mileage alternative offerings that have done a bit of depreciating. It looks the part and it will probably be a rare thing on our roads and that may just help long term residuals for those who are inclined to like their motoring from stateside.

[JJJ.]

Wouldn't say no and it looks great in white. Wishing them success.

[nismo48]

Mark_Blanchard said:

Looks the business. Let's hope it handles as well as it looks.

With you on that one

[RonnieHotdogs]

wistec1 said:

Well if the competition is claimed as BMW, Merc/AMG, Porsche etc then it's unlikely anyone is going to get in a new spec'd up one for this kind of Money. Having said that for my dollar you'd really have to want one to overcome the used low mileage alternative offerings that have done a bit of depreciating. It looks the part and it will probably be a rare thing on our roads and that may just help long term residuals for those who are inclined to like their motoring from stateside.

Completely agree - having owned an S550, the build quality, engineering and manufacturer support with a Mustang isn't going to come close to any of its intended competition, so it needs to be a hell of a lot cheaper to tempt the buyers of those cars away. They're built to a price, and that price is not £50k+.

For instance mine rattled like a 30 year old Renault after 6 months, had a drivetrain failure which took a month to get sorted, and Ford screwed up with the courtesy / hire car, making no effort at all to put it right. The Ford "Mustang master tech" also forgot to complete the work properly, causing the car to misfire.

If they want to compete with the big boys, it's about more than just the base car.

[ducnick]

RonnieHotdogs said:

wistec1 said:

Well if the competition is claimed as BMW, Merc/AMG, Porsche etc then it's unlikely anyone is going to get in a new spec'd up one for this kind of Money. Having said that for my dollar you'd really have to want one to overcome the used low mileage alternative offerings that have done a bit of depreciating. It looks the part and it will probably be a rare thing on our roads and that may just help long term residuals for those who are inclined to like their motoring from stateside.

Completely agree - having owned an S550, the build quality, engineering and manufacturer support with a Mustang isn't going to come close to any of its intended competition, so it needs to be a hell of a lot cheaper to tempt the buyers of those cars away. They're built to a price, and that price is not £50k+.

For instance mine rattled like a 30 year old Renault after 6 months, had a drivetrain failure which took a month to get sorted, and Ford screwed up with the courtesy / hire car, making no effort at all to put it right. The Ford "Mustang master tech" also forgot to complete the work properly, causing the car to misfire.

If they want to compete with the big boys, it's about more than just the base car.

Totally agree with that. I had a s550 5.0 from new and owned it 6 yrs covering 24k miles. It was a fun car but it was very much built to a a price point (like all cars), and that price point was approx 30,000 usd. Take the Merc c class coupe and bmw 4 series as competitors. Both come with small and big engine options like the Mustang so choose the cheapest model in each line. The German cars are built solidly with quality control even though they are base spec 1.6 litre etc. they are then priced accordingly to cover the build costs. The Mustang is slapped together in a crumbling factory by un motivated / untrained workers. Every one comes out with different panel gaps, poor paint quality, different interior rattles, transmission problems etc. that might be fine when they are sold at home in the USA for 30k usd where people want a fun car that they move on after 3 yrs. it doesn’t work when they arrive here at 50k + and line up against similarly priced well built cars.

[HazzaT]

RonnieHotdogs said:

Completely agree - having owned an S550, the build quality, engineering and manufacturer support with a Mustang isn't going to come close to any of its intended competition, so it needs to be a hell of a lot cheaper to tempt the buyers of those cars away. They're built to a price, and that price is not £50k+.

For instance mine rattled like a 30 year old Renault after 6 months, had a drivetrain failure which took a month to get sorted, and Ford screwed up with the courtesy / hire car, making no effort at all to put it right. The Ford "Mustang master tech" also forgot to complete the work properly, causing the car to misfire.

If they want to compete with the big boys, it's about more than just the base car.

For comparison-my girlfriend's A3 PHEV company car is £41k and that was definitely built to a price. An S3 is near enough £50k and that's with the same EA888 it's had for over 10 years and the rear diff nicked from a Focus RS from 8 years ago. It's not like the A3 has a really nice interior or anything, the screen is alright but the vents and door materials especially feel very naff. Slightly more to get a big coupe with a 5.0 V8 doesn't sound like daft pricing

[Glenn63]

Are there any other manual V8’s on sale today? Even in the last 5 years? Almost your only option if that’s what you want. I’m guessing most mustang buyers do so for the experience more than how capable/ wanting a nice badge, as a lightly used E63/M5 could be had for same money and would slaughter a mustang.

[CKY]

RonnieHotdogs said:

wistec1 said:

Well if the competition is claimed as BMW, Merc/AMG, Porsche etc then it's unlikely anyone is going to get in a new spec'd up one for this kind of Money. Having said that for my dollar you'd really have to want one to overcome the used low mileage alternative offerings that have done a bit of depreciating. It looks the part and it will probably be a rare thing on our roads and that may just help long term residuals for those who are inclined to like their motoring from stateside.

Completely agree - having owned an S550, the build quality, engineering and manufacturer support with a Mustang isn't going to come close to any of its intended competition, so it needs to be a hell of a lot cheaper to tempt the buyers of those cars away. They're built to a price, and that price is not £50k+.

For instance mine rattled like a 30 year old Renault after 6 months, had a drivetrain failure which took a month to get sorted, and Ford screwed up with the courtesy / hire car, making no effort at all to put it right. The Ford "Mustang master tech" also forgot to complete the work properly, causing the car to misfire.

If they want to compete with the big boys, it's about more than just the base car.

Have you been in any new European cars? 2020+ BMW 5 series interior materials aren't anything to crow about, and a taxi 530 I went in a few weeks back had some oddly low-rent rattles when going over the many potholes. I put this down to being 'well used', however the car hadn't even done 50k miles! Deriding American cars is all well and good, however it looks as though instead of Ford upping their game to match the competition, the competition are following Ford's lead in cutting costs...

[NigelCayless]

I had a 2020 GT for 3 years/25k miles and never had an issue with the build quality. I've never owned a BMW or an Audi though so maybe I don't know what i'm missing.