The Ford Mustang has been given stylistic tweaks and a performance upgrade as part of its mid-life refresh.
If you’re thinking ‘hang on, didn’t it only go on sale last year?’, you’d be right. The right-hand drive Mustang arrived in UK showrooms in early 2016 but oddly enough, that car was originally revealed in the States way back in 2013, going on sale in its native North America the year after.
So in reality, the muscle car is right on time for a facelift.
Subtle changes
As is standard with these half-cycle revisions, visual changes are minimal with some subtle alterations to the front bumper, bonnet and grille. There are now full LED headlights too, which have their own light signature, and more refined aerodynamics.
At the other end, there’s a new rear bumper, a redesigned rear spoiler, three new colours – including the ‘orange fury’ shade seen in these pictures – and 12 alloy wheel designs. Ford says that all these changes lend the Mustang ‘a more athletic stance’ and ‘sleeker design’.
Engine
The engine range will continue to consist of the 2.3-litre EcoBoost and the five-litre V8, but both will now be available with an all-new ten-speed automatic transmission, unlocking even better performance. Official power output and torque figures haven’t been confirmed yet.
Other mechanical measures include the addition of MagneRide suspension, which fine-tunes handling, while an optional active valve exhaust enables complete auditory control, giving the driver the choice of how much racket the car’s back-end makes.
Inside, the cabin will boast a more premium feel with new aluminium detailing, restyled seat facing and new patterns and trim colours. It will also be the first Ford to feature a new 12-inch all-digital LCD screen in the dashboard.
”Best ever Mustang”
Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford in the Americas, hailed the new Mustang as “our best ever”.
He aded: “Tapping Mustang’s enormous fan base, we’re bringing the new Mustang straight to the people and introducing the new car across multiple social media channels, reaching millions.”
British motorists may have to wait a while to find out themselves, though. The refreshed Mustang won’t go on sale in the US for another few months yet, so it may be 2018 before the updated car enters the UK and European markets.
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