2010 In Good Company...
Bow Chica Bow Wow
TMS Staff
TMS Staff





Joined: January 29, 2004
Posts: 7,446
Likes: 12
From: Proudly in NJ...bite it FL
I'll try to explain. First of all the corners of the rear were beveled off that way to try and reduce the overall visual overhang of the rear end, just as the designers beveled the headlight buckets back, up front on the 05's which also carries over to the 2010. To me this adds some design cohesion, tying the front and rear end together.
Another reason they beveled, or cut the corners off was to wrap the Tail Light slightly around the side, so it can be seen from the side of the car without loosing the traditional "Mustang Look" from the rear without having to literally Wrap it around the corner as on the Fox Body's and the 98-04 SN-95's.
To answer your question, "Why Am I Here?" This Dip gives the point where the lens starts to bend out and forward some design interest. As I pointed out in my post "I Don't Know If Anyone Noticed" It looks to me as if the designers had a Theme going on, using the overall shape of the Dash Trim that they translated to the shape of the Tail Lights/Decklid Center Panel, and in turn they repeated the shape of the Tail Lights themselves in the shape of the Mirrors, as well as the Door Panel Inserts. Just Check out the attachments below.
As for the 9 inches of Black Plastic, this again was done to reduce the overall visual height of the back end so it wouldn't look so thick top to bottom. The Difuser also serves to hide the Big Mufflers Hanging Out from under the back as they do on the 05-09's, which is something my Mom actually Loathed about the 05's when she first saw them. She got over it quickly.
If you really wanna know why, just look at the Grabber Blue Falken car with all of this trim painted Grabber Blue. I believe they could have executed it a little better, but overall it's growing on me.
Being a Designer Myself, which is why I picked up on the Theme, In general I think the designers wanted to do something fresh without diluting the Mustangs DNA. Personally I Really Like What I See, but As others have posted we all have our opinions.

yes yes we all know the reason behind these decisions..IMHO it is a complete and utter failure.
You can explain the thoeries all day long but if the exicution is crap the it makes no difference and this one is crap in regards to the rear of the car.
Just because a "professional" came up with this design does not make it a resounding success.
There are a million ways to do this back end treatment and I'm having a real hard time believeing that there was a choice and that was the best option.
I'm not one of these people that have to dislike everything. I simply refuse to compramise knowing that it could have been done better.
I am sure they will sell the hell out of them and I'm also sure I'm in the minority at not liking the rear...but that is the way it is and i'm ok with that
Last edited by burningman; Nov 21, 2008 at 09:37 AM.
Yeah what else would explain the Edsel's toilet seat grille or that Pontiac "Assteck"... Those were all designed by professionals right?
This controversy reminds me of watching an episode of Top Design where judges had to be explained the reason for the way a room was designed. If a design cannot make a statement of it's own without having to explain it or defend it then it's not really a good design.
We are certainly in a design rut seeing so many vehicles from different manufacturers now being presented with ugly antagonistic faces and design cues that represent pessimism. This is not unlike 1959 where virtually every car was designed to look like an evil finned monstrosity from Gotham City.
So now the Mustang is incorporating jagged and kinked forms that remind me of shapes in a swatstika. Not really a good or positive thing if you ask me.
The Mustang has to form a balance. We do not want it to be cutesy and girly like a Beetle. However it need not end up looking like an anti-social statement of aggression.
The best designs are those that convey optimistic romantic beauty while being able to place them in any decade and have it look timeless and never really dated. Thats why the original Mustang design is so timeless in the first place. It's also the design most people relate the Mustang legacy to.
Last edited by watchdevil; Nov 27, 2008 at 10:06 PM.
As someone previously said, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". From the photos I have seen, I generally like the redesign. But, I will reserve final judgement until I see one in person. Many times photos cannot and do not do justice to a car. Color also has a lot to do with our perception, and again, I really need to stand and look at the various colors in the flesh.
My '97 Cobra and my current GT/CS are Black, and for some reason these cars just look right, to me, from any angle.
For now I will keep my 07 GT/CS, but, I am not ruling out the '10 model for the future, until I see one.
My '97 Cobra and my current GT/CS are Black, and for some reason these cars just look right, to me, from any angle.
For now I will keep my 07 GT/CS, but, I am not ruling out the '10 model for the future, until I see one.
I'll try to explain. First of all the corners of the rear were beveled off that way to try and reduce the overall visual overhang of the rear end, just as the designers beveled the headlight buckets back, up front on the 05's which also carries over to the 2010. To me this adds some design cohesion, tying the front and rear end together.
Another reason they beveled, or cut the corners off was to wrap the Tail Light slightly around the side, so it can be seen from the side of the car without loosing the traditional "Mustang Look" from the rear without having to literally Wrap it around the corner as on the Fox Body's and the 98-04 SN-95's.
To answer your question, "Why Am I Here?" This Dip gives the point where the lens starts to bend out and forward some design interest. As I pointed out in my post "I Don't Know If Anyone Noticed" It looks to me as if the designers had a Theme going on, using the overall shape of the Dash Trim that they translated to the shape of the Tail Lights/Decklid Center Panel, and in turn they repeated the shape of the Tail Lights themselves in the shape of the Mirrors, as well as the Door Panel Inserts. Just Check out the attachments below.
As for the 9 inches of Black Plastic, this again was done to reduce the overall visual height of the back end so it wouldn't look so thick top to bottom. The Difuser also serves to hide the Big Mufflers Hanging Out from under the back as they do on the 05-09's, which is something my Mom actually Loathed about the 05's when she first saw them. She got over it quickly.
If you really wanna know why, just look at the Grabber Blue Falken car with all of this trim painted Grabber Blue. I believe they could have executed it a little better, but overall it's growing on me.
Being a Designer Myself, which is why I picked up on the Theme, In general I think the designers wanted to do something fresh without diluting the Mustangs DNA. Personally I Really Like What I See, but As others have posted we all have our opinions.

Hey Tampabear thanx for the explanation. i understand your points and i actually agree with you on most of them i do agree you hit the nail on the head with "what they were trying to do" and your right the car does have a theme.. i now understand more of why the design is what it is.. BUT that doesnt change the pain my eyeballs feel when i check out the rear of that car from every angle..
I'll try to explain. First of all the corners of the rear were beveled off that way to try and reduce the overall visual overhang of the rear end, just as the designers beveled the headlight buckets back, up front on the 05's which also carries over to the 2010. To me this adds some design cohesion, tying the front and rear end together.
Another reason they beveled, or cut the corners off was to wrap the Tail Light slightly around the side, so it can be seen from the side of the car without loosing the traditional "Mustang Look" from the rear without having to literally Wrap it around the corner as on the Fox Body's and the 98-04 SN-95's.
To answer your question, "Why Am I Here?" This Dip gives the point where the lens starts to bend out and forward some design interest. As I pointed out in my post "I Don't Know If Anyone Noticed" It looks to me as if the designers had a Theme going on, using the overall shape of the Dash Trim that they translated to the shape of the Tail Lights/Decklid Center Panel, and in turn they repeated the shape of the Tail Lights themselves in the shape of the Mirrors, as well as the Door Panel Inserts. Just Check out the attachments below.
As for the 9 inches of Black Plastic, this again was done to reduce the overall visual height of the back end so it wouldn't look so thick top to bottom. The Difuser also serves to hide the Big Mufflers Hanging Out from under the back as they do on the 05-09's, which is something my Mom actually Loathed about the 05's when she first saw them. She got over it quickly.
If you really wanna know why, just look at the Grabber Blue Falken car with all of this trim painted Grabber Blue. I believe they could have executed it a little better, but overall it's growing on me.
Being a Designer Myself, which is why I picked up on the Theme, In general I think the designers wanted to do something fresh without diluting the Mustangs DNA. Personally I Really Like What I See, but As others have posted we all have our opinions.

This design just begs to be 'backed' into the garage. Too bad they added sequentials as it will only draws more attention where it shouldn't.
Last edited by MustangGuy; Nov 28, 2008 at 07:56 AM.
Hahahahahaha.... that's the funniest line I've heard yet. But it is very true. A 2010 will look much better backed into the garage. Kinda reminds me when BMW made that little hatchback version of their 3-series about 10 years ago. From the front it looked like any other 3-series, but from the rear it look like a chopped off flat rear end. If an owner pulled it into the garage backwards, nobody would even know he had the "ugly" back end Bimmer!
While I feel the Rear Treatment of the 05-09's suited that body style overall, I feel that the New Design suits the rest of the 2010 equally well. There has always been 3 things that I never really cared for on the 05-09's rear end, but Ford always found a way to change most of what I didn't care for. With the Exception of my First complaint, which the Aftermarket took care of.
First of all the Tail Lights on the 05-09's to me are just Big, Plain, Boring rectangles. While they are divided into 3 sections, the Separation was never great enough to differentiate the 3 Segments, making them look Very Large to Me. I would have to have bought one of the Black Trim Pieces that Divide the Tail Lights, as well as a Honeycomb Trim piece to go between them. Also Ford should have incorporated the Sequential feature into the production line as they have with the 2010.
Secondly, I've never cared for the look of the 05-09's without a Rear Spoiler. To me the top of the trunk is just too flat lacking any real design. They could have just as easily integrated a Lip Into the edge of the 05-09's, just as they did on the 2010 to give it some character. In my opinion, the best spoiler they ever put on the 05-09's is the GT-500's.
Lastly, I've Never Liked the Lower Bodyside Moldings on the 05-09 GT's. The way they transition into the Wheel Arch Flares always looked Awkward to me, as well as the Way the Exhaust Had the same Awkward Arches over them, for lack of a better description. I always preferred the California Special/GT-500's rear diffuser look.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that If You don't like the 2010's the way they are, just wait. Ford will make changes to it, in the form of Additional Models/SE's, or the Aftermarket will offer you an Alternative to Personalize "Your Mustang" the way "You Want It."
As for me Ford fixed 99% of what I didn't like about the rear end of the 05-09's. I Love the New Tail Lights. I love their Shape, and I Love the Backup Lights Separating them into 3 Distinct Segments, which also visually helps reduce their size as well, along with the tapering toward the outer edges.
They incorporated a Lip into the trailing edge of the Trunk giving it that "Duck Tail" quality as well as some design interest for the light to play across, thus eliminating the need for any rear spoiler to me. Also adding some Aerodynamic Benefit as well in the process, which I also believe the Beveled Corners also affect.
With the slight exception of the Rear Diffuser, which is even growing on me the more I see it, they definitely took care of the Awkward Transitions of the Wheel Arch Flares, and Exhaust Flares into the lower bodyside moldings, that have always bugged me. But these are Just My Opinions, I'm not telling You What To Like or Not Like, Just What I Do Like and Why.
First of all the Tail Lights on the 05-09's to me are just Big, Plain, Boring rectangles. While they are divided into 3 sections, the Separation was never great enough to differentiate the 3 Segments, making them look Very Large to Me. I would have to have bought one of the Black Trim Pieces that Divide the Tail Lights, as well as a Honeycomb Trim piece to go between them. Also Ford should have incorporated the Sequential feature into the production line as they have with the 2010.
Secondly, I've never cared for the look of the 05-09's without a Rear Spoiler. To me the top of the trunk is just too flat lacking any real design. They could have just as easily integrated a Lip Into the edge of the 05-09's, just as they did on the 2010 to give it some character. In my opinion, the best spoiler they ever put on the 05-09's is the GT-500's.
Lastly, I've Never Liked the Lower Bodyside Moldings on the 05-09 GT's. The way they transition into the Wheel Arch Flares always looked Awkward to me, as well as the Way the Exhaust Had the same Awkward Arches over them, for lack of a better description. I always preferred the California Special/GT-500's rear diffuser look.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that If You don't like the 2010's the way they are, just wait. Ford will make changes to it, in the form of Additional Models/SE's, or the Aftermarket will offer you an Alternative to Personalize "Your Mustang" the way "You Want It."
As for me Ford fixed 99% of what I didn't like about the rear end of the 05-09's. I Love the New Tail Lights. I love their Shape, and I Love the Backup Lights Separating them into 3 Distinct Segments, which also visually helps reduce their size as well, along with the tapering toward the outer edges.
They incorporated a Lip into the trailing edge of the Trunk giving it that "Duck Tail" quality as well as some design interest for the light to play across, thus eliminating the need for any rear spoiler to me. Also adding some Aerodynamic Benefit as well in the process, which I also believe the Beveled Corners also affect.
With the slight exception of the Rear Diffuser, which is even growing on me the more I see it, they definitely took care of the Awkward Transitions of the Wheel Arch Flares, and Exhaust Flares into the lower bodyside moldings, that have always bugged me. But these are Just My Opinions, I'm not telling You What To Like or Not Like, Just What I Do Like and Why.
To make my point quickly.
I'm glad I have a 2008 and the new design keeps me from wanting to upgrade, that's for sure.
Berfore this I had 06 vert. 05-09 rocks!!!
Do have to admit the interior upgrade is good.
I'm glad I have a 2008 and the new design keeps me from wanting to upgrade, that's for sure.
Berfore this I had 06 vert. 05-09 rocks!!!
Do have to admit the interior upgrade is good.
Sweet bunz 


maybe the aftermarket can do something about the new rear to me it just looks "chopped off and flat" the s197 rear has more muslce to it.. yet still classically curvy



maybe the aftermarket can do something about the new rear to me it just looks "chopped off and flat" the s197 rear has more muslce to it.. yet still classically curvy
Last edited by fdjizm; Nov 28, 2008 at 11:44 AM.
I'm going to have to agree with you here. I can't stop looking at my car, in the parking lot, in the garage, if I see another one riding down the road. It looks great from any angle. I love it. I can't see myself trading my car in for a new one. I'm going to have to pay mine off and get a 2010+ in my garage next to it!
Last edited by TampaBear67; Nov 28, 2008 at 01:29 PM.


