ICE, ICE baby
The new seventh-gen Mustang coupe is still V8, still manual.
Ford’s Mustang has gone pureelectric in Mach-E SUV form, but that doesn’t mean the traditional models are on their way out. Ford says it’s also still committed to the internal combustion engine for its Pony Car for now, and here’s the proof: the seventhgeneration Mustang coupe and convertible, revealed this month.
It’s based on the platform of the sixthgen car and is powered by updated iterations of the existing 2.3-litre Ecoboost turbo-four and 5.0-litre V8 Coyote V8 engines.
“Investing in another generation of Mustang is a big statement at a time when many of our competitors are exiting the business of internal combustion vehicles,” says Ford chief executive Jim Farley. “Ford, however, is turbocharging its ICE growth plan, adding connected technology, opinionated derivatives, and hybrid options to our most profitable and popular cars — all in the Ford Blue family — on top of investing $50 billion in electric vehicles through 2026.” On the outside, the Mustang has been cleaned up and made more aggressive.
There’s now substantial styling differentiation between the four and eightcylinder models at the front.
Inside, the iconic “double brow” dashboard is gone. Instead, there are dual screens, angled towards the driver. In upper-specification versions they are united behind a single glass panel, for a widescreen appearance.
There’s still a three-spoke deep-dish steering wheel and in Performance Pack versions, a conventional-looking handbrake that’s actually an electronic “drift brake” for track use.
We won’t know any of the fine detail for a while yet. The new Mustang doesn’t go on sale in the US until mid2023, so it’ll be a late-year arrival for New Zealand.