Kona Blur

They should choose the design team strictly from this forum...

bob

and I would say that would lead to an unmitigated disaster. Since the "right" Mustang runs the gamut from stripped down live axle rear, straight axle front pushrod car to a Veyron clone with every possible gadget invented.

ford4v429

mustang II was car of the year, didnt become a redheaded stepchild till later on. whatever it is, if its new some will have to have it, some 'purist' types for lack of a better word will hate it...

I stayed up eagerly to watch the 2010 speedchannel reveal- remember all the hype about that? a lot of folks did love it...I called the dealer to get a 09 the next day.

I think by 'global' its more likely to have some amber friendly taillights, a more 'swoopy' shaped dash, and every gadget under the sun...a raspy V8 exhaust might not be a requirement except for top shelf powerplant options...
I dont think a 30,000.00 V8 package is going to be likely at all though. its all speculation, we'll just have to wait and see- but my guess is the cheapest V8 will be 35k, and will be sold as 'unnecessary due to the incredible power from the V6'... the V6 might spank the old V8, but it wont ever sound like the good old days...to many it wont matter, to each his own.

Itravelalot

I like the opinions expressed in this forum, but a design team made from only forum members would come out only a little better than Homer Simpson's attempt at designing a car.

Making a GT supercar maybe, but a mustang no way.

IWantMyNewGT

That's what I'm hoping...

ford4v429

on designing, I kinda agree...BUT, I think it could be really smart to at least take a 'poll' on some pencil sketches of ideas before developing it and dropping it on us like a bomb...they wouldnt even need to publish the results, just 'test the waters' first. I still think if they did, the 2010 back end might have gone in a little different direction- like it or not, think just about everyone would have to agree it was not very well recieved initially, where the rest of the car was pretty universally somewhere between liked and loved...

I think if GM woulda done it on the camaro both ends woulda been better looking- even GM fans I know werent thrilled by the flattened vette taillights or the huge flat nose with the smiley little grille. that coulda been a lot more attractive package had they tested the waters a bit- i'm certain a 69 SS/RS - like grille and wide 69-ish or even early 70-ish taillights woulda recieved a lot less unfavorable comments- and that interior could probably not have been more universally disliked...it always amazed me how OEMs 'know it all' and just run with a idea...remember the edsel's 'styling'...they tooled up the ugliest thing ever built and couldnt understand what was wrong with it- they still havent learned that the styling department is too small a sample group to get a feel of what larger consumer groups would prefer if given a choice.

Rampant

I don't think we have anything to worry about. There are some great looking "overseas" Fords.

The Mondeo paved the way for the new Fiesta and Focus (all of which look great in my book). I wouldn't mind having a Falcon on our shores. Also, the last gen Focus RS was a fabulous machine for what it was meant to be.

Given the Mustang has always had European styling influences anyway, I think this can only help create a better Mustang and we all need to trust that Ford knows what it is doing. It certainly has been doing a great job recently.

Vermillion06

I agree, in the '70s and '80s Mustang IIs were extremely popular and they were everywhere; it wasn't until the mid '90s did I start hearing people putting them down. I think it really started with the rise in popularity of internet message boards.

What if in the future it was:

• 4 cylinder(ecoboost?) base model
• V6 GT
• V8 special editions (think bullitt, boss, mach 1, etc)
• V8 SVT model w/forced induction (GT500 or Cobra or whatever)

ford4v429

just my thoughts...

to me, they should ALREADY offer a I4...EB or not, the mustang needs a extremely affordable entry level model, and a hi MPG model might appeal to a lot of folks too...volume has kept Mustang around thru thick and thin, lately though IMO Fords pursuing higher profits per unit than volume income. afraid that might be a little risky for a kinda niche market. let anyone afford one, looks will help decide on it over the bland models out there- even less equipped, theres something to be said for styling if you dont have to pay a penalty for it.
I think even a basic NA 4 cyl with cloth and available nav gadgets for like college aged kids would make a lot of volume- and I think if it went for say 17.5k Ford could still make money and take away accord sales with it on looks alone...
a optional EB4, a optional EB V6, then a V8 GT (IMO it NEEDS V8 sound...EB V8 fine, but it should be a tiny one still in the 300 hp range), then a big EB V8 for the low volume Shelby type packages.

I think much more than 300 hp for a GT is not really a must...especially if it dont offer more bottom end torque...a EB V8 would probably be dangerous in the hands of most, unless it was like a 3 litre- which I think would be doable in the 300hp and >30mpg range with V8 smoothness and sound.

RandyW

I would prefer to not see a budget or "college student special" Mustang. I think it would water down the high-performance image that the Mustang brand has built up. I would rather see Ford bring back the Probe to serve that market niche. If they used the Focus (or maybe even Fiesta) chassis but gave it a sleek 3-door body and an optional performance package, I think that would make a better overall package than a stripped down Mustang with a sub-200 hp 4 cylinder.

rhumb

Sort of agree here. I think a better approach for a entry level sport coupe would be from a Capri III based off either the Fiesta or Focus platform. A naturally aspirated version (1.6/2.0) would serve as the entry version and an ST turbo version would be the step up. This would also offer a FWD sport coupe for that market segment that prefers that.

While I think a reasonable affordable Mustang is a good idea, I wouldn't want it going all the way to the basement and risk its more special persona. I think the current V6 (or maybe a turbo 4) would be as low as it should go.

Vermillion06

But removing the entry level Mustang would take volume away from Mustang sales. Could a separate dedicated chassis for the Mustang be justified with the reduced number of sales?

One thing about the Mustang is that it has always been a car that could be a just good looking & sporty entry level car , or a performance car , or something in between. That's the way it's been since the first Mustang in the '60s.

And if the entry level FWD Mustang replacement off the Focus or Fiesta platform outsells the RWD Mustang , I can imagine the bean counters asking, "why keep the Mustang on a separate RWD platform?"

justindo

I agree that the Mustang should not move downmarket. If Ford moves the Mustang downmarket, it would have to decrease in price and so quality and corners get cut, which is not something I'd want. I would rather see these buyers satisfied with some sort of Focus-based coupe which could compete with the Scion and the Civic.

The Mustang could then remain Ford's true performance car and they could offer a sedan based on the same platform, which would help keep the Mustang platform viable. America makes no medium-priced midsized performance sedan to compete with the Europeans and the Japanese. There could be luxury variants on the Mustang and sedan for Lincoln so they can compete with the Cadillac CTS.

rhumb

I imagine Ford might be doing a slight refocusing of the Mustang, both broadening its market overseas while keeping it from the bottom of the food chain overall.

Also, in keeping with the globalization of platforms, I would expect the next Mustang platform to be shared by other models both domestic and foreign in stark contrast to the current Mustang's use of a bespoke chassis. I can readily see a global small/midsize RWD chassis being used in new Lincoln models to better compete with Caddy not to mention the various overseas brands (Audi/BMW/Mercedes).

I think a shared platform approach would be a better guarantor of the Mustang's continued viability than the current single model/platform approach.

bob

And they shouldn't be, a focus or a civic or a scion is nothing more than a **** box economy car. They are merely forgettable modes of transportation that are easily discarded. Cars that you either purchase because you can't afford better or your folks get you because they dont want to go broke.

By driving the price of Mustang up, Ford seriously runs the risk of turning it into an old man's car like the Corvette which will kill it for sure ( I dont think Corvette sold more than 20k units in all of last year)

Mustangs prior to the new edge cars (thats where price creep really began) were affordable performance cars, if you were a young person, you knew you could go down to the Ford dealer and get an honest performance car which was a little rough around the edges, but if you wanted something new that you could take to a road course or take drag racing Ford had it.

Personally I think its sad that some kid coming out of high school and holding a regular steady job for a few years looking to get a performance car cannot go into a Ford dealer and order up a Mustang with performance gear (these days instead of a Mustang LX, its a Mayhem Mustang )

I was able to do that and you know what, every new car I've purchased since then has been a Mustang (luckily for me its been a V8 car as well)

RandyW

None of the recent posts have suggested that Ford should do away with the entry level Mustang as it exists now. What some of us disagree with is the notion of making a new "extremely affordable entry level model". The Mustang should be affordable, but extremely affordable means bottom of the barrel. I don't want the Mustang to be seen as a competitor to the Chevrolet Aveo.

I agree that the Mustang should not be driven further upmarket. But I don't want to see it go downmarket, either. Personally, I'd much rather have a Mustang Mayhem than an old Mustang LX.

ford4v429

My thoughts exactly. as far as 'bottom of the barrel', the base mustang is kinda there already- plain plastic interior, single cd radio, cloth seats- but to me THAT was all I wanted. the way to get the cost down to compete with entry level stuff is basically only left in powerplant- tranny/suspension/rearend cant be trimmed much, but a simple 4 cyl could save a fair bit- both in cost, AND in insurability for new drivers. IMO anyone with a decent job should be able to get into a mustang, and I cant see why ford couldnt see similar profits with a basic mustang or a basic fiesta...I bet production costs are quite similar. lately it seems to me they are pushing the mustang to 50% over a transportation car, but back in its heyday it was about the same or just a little more- and iirc the intro years were still the best selling cars of all time, like 1.5 million in 2 years or something insane like that. if memory serves correctly, the 05 stripper v6 was under 18, gts were under 25, now its like 25 and 30.

congrats on your string of mustangs- thanks for supporting fomoco

Von Bek

On the other end of the spectrum, when I was looking at my first new car, I went by the local Ford deal and he tried talking me into a loaded 4 cyl Stang. I asked, "Who the hell drives a four cylinder Mustang?" His answer? "My girlfriend drives one". Well there ya go bud, way to lose a sale to a 19 y/o kid. Although even today I woudn't consider buying a Mustang without an 8. If I had to go V6, I'd probably go Genesis or something. Wouldn't feel right.

bob

When I think Mustang LX, I'm really thinking 5 liter HO with an M5 and 16" pony wheels. The 4 cylinder cars really didn't register except for race car canidates.

Certainly

GTJOHN

Base model Eco 4? Yuck!
SVO Type Mustang? Yes!