Lovers of the Ford Mustang, cheer up, there is a new One coming, you have just to wait for the Paris Auto Show. It is the 6th generation Ford Mustang, and it comes in three powertrains variants, two of which are destined to Europe. It is a news that the Mustang will sell globally, habits were, that the American constructor sells his pony only in North America. This car comes after 50 years of the appearance of the first Mustang, and after that more than 9 million units were made.
As we mentionned above, the car comes with 3 powertrains variants, an EcoBoost version, a V6 version and a V8.
The Eco Boost engine :
It is a 2.3L straight four cylinders engine, fitted with a turbocharger. It is able to deliver 310 bhp @5500 Rpm and 433 Nm @3000 Rpm (320 lb-ft) of torque, Ford says that it was achieved using octane 93. This engine is more powerful, more efficient than the 4.6L V8 engine, that came with the 2005 Ford Mustang GT. It is a direct injection petrol engine. The Eco Boost launches the car from stop to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds, and tops 233 km/h.
A V6 Engine :
This is the base engine for the Ford Mustang, it is a 3.7L V6, that produces 300 bhp and 400Nm(270 lb-ft) of torque. What makes this engine special, it is the fact that it is the first engine to introduce twin independant variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) the ‘stangs. It is a technology that offers precise timing, controls air admission and exhaust from the engine, as well as the fuel intake. In addition, it improves the maximum power, and low-speed torque in overtaking and merging situations. It helps getting a more efficient engine.
a V8 GT engine:
and this is the biggest piece of cake that Mustang offers. It is a petrol engine too, direct injection. It was revised. It uses the Ti-VCT technology as well. Newer items were fitted to the V8 engine, such as larger intake and exhaust valves, newer intake and exhaust camshaft with increased lift, new cylinder heads with revised high-flow ports. The result is 435 bhp @6500 Rpm and 524 Nm @4250 Rpm. The car goes from 0 to 100 in 4.5 second and tops only 250 km/h. Not quite impressive, because if you want to get in the European market, there is a ferocious competition on power, top speed, acceleration. Ford needs to work a lot more if they want to succeed, because, besides aesthetics and name, there is power, and power matters.
in this link you’ll find more about the new V8 engine.
Power is transmitted from the engine to the rear wheel via two-option transmission, a Getrag 6-speed manual and a Ford 6-speed automatic. They are both double-clutch paddle-shift transmissions. A new technology that may interest people, is the ability to choose rear-end gear ratios. The manual transmission comes with a new shift linkage, it allows a more precise, faster shifting. A limited skip differential is mounted on the rear wheels axle.
On the outside, it is back to the basics, the Mustang is not a coupe no more, but a fastback, it got back to the older grille proportions. The car is 3 cm lower than the older model, it is longer too. It has a more aggressive, sportier look. But it did not forget that it was a Mustang, therefore, you can recognize it as a Mustang, from the middle grille, the lights, even with their new shape, and the running horse logo of course. There is a convertible version that is expected in the few coming days. To make the car more secure, Ford used high elastic limit steel for the car structure.
In the inside, Ford made a few changes, now the car is more spacious, for the front passenger, because of a reduction in the dash volume. It has a horizontal piece of real aluminium on the dashboard. It is fitted with sport seats. Now the car has a new steering wheel. Gear changes can be made through paddles or via a shift lever, which was moved closer to the driver, and the cup holder was translated a bit the middle. The driver can control his phone, navigation system, air conditioning with the SYNC2 system. He can also chose between various driving modes : Snow/wet, Sport or Track mode, and according to each mode, the car changes its steering efforts, engine response, stability control. The GT model includes Track apps : an accelerometer, a launch control, performance timers, line clock… Ford claims that this is the most premium interior that was fitted to a Mustang. One noticeable feature is that the car has now 8 airbags instead of only 4, with one made for the front passenger knees. The only problem with the interior is the rear seats space, it is only suitable for a child, not an adult, it feels crowded, so Ford needs to work on that.
Ford did not stop there, but went a bit further. The car has now an independent rear monotube suspension that replaces the solid rear axle. It is well calibrated, to give a better driving. The car has now a wider rear track, a stiffer front sub-frame. The front axle is made by McPherson. As far as the brakes are concerned, the Mustang is fitted with 4 cylinder larger brakes for the Eco Boost, and a 6 piston eve larger brakes for the GT model. The car is heavier though, 50kg heavier than the old model, and up to 200kg than its concurrents on Europe.
Price estimated at 35000€ for the Eco Boost, and 40000€ for the GT version. We have to wait until 2015 to see it commercialized in Europe
Source : Ford
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