m05fastbackGT

You're exactly spot on, as GM should had followed Ford's lead like they did with the 2015 Mustang.. Although many don't care for the front end, at least Ford deserves credit for creating an all new modern design while also at the same time is still un-mistakenly recognizable as a Mustang

GM on the other hand, didn't take the radical/modern approach like they should had and just as you said, especially if on a completely new platform lol.

Mustang-4.6

I am thinking of selling my GT later on in the year and possibly looking to buy in a couple of years a new stingray or Camaro SS. Until that time I have a Ford Ranger that is my daily driver. I am a huge mustang fan but the 15 mustang design with the front end that looks like a fusion is a huge turn off, at least for myself. The rest of the car looks ok, just cant get past that front. For those that love it, that's cool. I love the retro syle 05-14. I would possibly consider a slightly used 2010-14 GT500 though. I have no hate towards GM and if the new SS gets the base stingrays 455 hp V8 that should be sweet.

ford4v429

I dunno... I sat in the new camaro again at the auto show, in my opinion that car could be pretty good- IF they scrapped the interior. If the inside were a little less like sitting in a cave or down in a hole, it might not be as big a deal to me- but the freaking A-pillar is WAY huge from the drivers seat(they could simply paint less black around the glass and redo the rearview mirror mounts to increase visibility quite a bit), the rear window is too narrow/high, and the quarter windows are at least 50% blackout... IF the interior were a lot nicer, I mighta been able to ignore the insanely high beltline- but as it sits, I would not enjoy driving that car at all.
the 2015 mustang I thought was great- some of the dash switches feel like theyll break before out of warranty, but visibility/instrumentaton, just the general 'fit' for a driver is excellent IMHO. I just dont care for the exterior at all... my old marquis is a nice driving car, but ugly as heck...but I bought it used, ford didnt win/lose on it...had they still made the marquis, I woulda bought a new one- not for want/looks, but as a family barge... the mustang though needs 'the look' as probably half of the sales at least are as second 'fun' cars. its just not for me, surely a lot of folks dont care for the 05-09 either- we all have our favorites...

but again- fit/feel/visibility, the mustangs have always been a 'drivers car' and just keep getting better...GM went for looks only, painted themselves into a corner with the beltline/low roof, then put bloated black dash with the 'cool-but-useless' console mounted gages, and the tiny/distant speedo/tach, topped off with a severely awkward looking steering wheel, wrapped in blind spots.

I REALLY like the new mustang interior, just dont care for the exterior any more than a 71 thru 04 model I never bought either... dont 'hate' the exterior, just dont care for it any more or less than anything else I'm not buying...just dont call out to me- but I wish ford well with it, dont doubt at all its the best mustang ever, barring the always subjective 'looks' impression...
BUT on the camaro... I gotta say I truly HATE the interior of that car in about every way possible. again exterior looks are subjective, but gotta think anyone halfway honest that has sat in both the camaro and mustang would have to give the nod to ford- IMHO the camaro has maybe the absolute worst seating/visibility/gages EVER put into a car- a darn shame as mechanically they are some very seriously capable machines- if you can see where youre going...

eventually the mustang exterior will evolve, hopefully I'll fall in love again...eventually GM HAS to fix the camaros interior... bowtie fans deserve better too. if the interior were better, I might like the camaro enough to 'want' one... in profile only, I like the looks- but the front/rear I dont care for...
no angle really looks good to me on the mustang, although I did just see a front 3/4 view of one with deepdish wheels that actually looked pretty darn nice...but neither of them are a car I'd look back at when going inside the house... I see any 05-09, and most 13-14 mustangs (10-12 too long as I dont see the taillights- I still pretty much hate those) I gotta look... they are rolling art to me- but its all subjective

Garbone

Too bad you don't like this exterior...No hate here, just too bad. I happen to love it. Here is a shot that, in my opinion makes this car look stunning!

berzerk_1980

Agreed, this is a good shot. As I've said before and fully admit this is subjective, there is something about the headlights that look too small and out of proportion with the rest of the front. This shot, taken below the headlights, minimizes that particular feature that I find objectionable.

BOSS MAN 13

I'm warming up, I saw one on the road in DIB with white Shelby style stripes, looked GOOD, low and sleek, nice headlight profile, still getting used to the modern roofline, quarter window treatment, LOOKS LIKE A JAPANESE COUPE.
The rear instantly recognizable, just looks too BIG, I like the subtleness of my '13. Nice car, I would buy an ECO as a sporty DD, but I'm not sold on the performance versions yet.

DarrenGT

NICE! Great color and nice angle. As with any of our cars, they look awesome at certain angles.

Like your garage too

ford4v429

heres one of a couple Ive seen with these wheels- gotta admit, I kinda like it a lot with these wheels at this angle... still partial (and admittedly biased) to the 05-09, and these might not have been a love at first sight for me, but theyre starting to grow on me a little...

Enfynet

This angle really brings out the Aston influence in the Ford lineup. I'm okay with that.

Mustang-4.6

I agree with you about the Camaro's interior. In 2010 when I was new car shopping I test drove a 2010 Camaro SS and while the power was really good, I could not see out the side windows or even see backing it up. The salesman had to guide me out. Plus they were not even willing to deal at all on the car. Went over to the Ford dealership down the street and sat in a new 2010 GT with the glass roof and I was in love. Plus the stock exhaust sounded better on the Mustang then on the Camaro. Until that time I had never seen a car that had the whole roof being glass. Needless to say I wound up buying a new one a month later. When I take my car in to have my sunshade fixed next month I think I might test drive a new 2015 GT to see how it is. I still don't care for the front but with Ford doing a refresh every two years, who knows? I might just buy another mustang when they fix the front end.

5.M0NSTER

If you're coming from a civic with a giant wing, then perhaps. Otherwise not even close. The front screams FUSION and the back screams UGLY. Looks pretty good from the side though. The s197 didn't resemble any other ford product. It was a unique and iconic look. Those days are behind us

Boss 0960

Now that I'm starting to see the S550 on the road, I think it's too jellybean shaped when viewed from the oncoming direction. It's got about the same visual presence on the road as a 2004 Taurus. The grey/magnetic colors are the worst imho despite the current rage of running out and buying the latest non-color color for a new Mustang. It's just automotive porridge.

The one example that looked pretty decent was a DIB convertible. I could probably live with the convertible. Despite the front end, the rest of the convertible body style is much better proportioned.

ford4v429

I agree... one of the things that I didnt/dont/wont agree with Ford's thinking on, when the fusion was rebodied in 07-08-09-whenever it was, it had the kinda indistinct wheel arches with the side trim line that faded into nothing, reappeared aft of the wheelwell out of nothing/into nothing again- yeah I get it, a subtle 'ghost' styling line...but then it carried to the explorer and then the mustang... 'corporate styling' I didnt really ever see applied to the mustang much except maybe the trapezoidal taillamps and flush/rectangular door handles on the 71-73 models... never saw such obvious 'influences' as the grille shape, the hood ridges, the side ghost line that appeared on Mustang AFTER being deployed on another model... I really think somehow scheduling for those items were probably intended to be for same yr models, but who knows...

I dont find the '15 ugly or awkward really, but still do see INFLUENCES of corporate styling... thank God Mustang never got the tri-bar grille when every other Ford did, I really think the mustang deserved to be more unique- make it all 'unrelated' looking- its typically bought by someone who likes something completely different than anything else... the 15 rear is definitely different, glad to see that even if I might not be a big fan- but the front... yeah its different than fusion but I bet if you had a dozen 'non-artists' sketch both noses side by side, they wouldnt be noticably much different... the perimeter shape of the grille, the ghost angled 'ribs' inside, the wrap of the headlights... yes they are very different, but also definitely sharing basic idea constraints... I dont think Mustang needs this.
of all the styling dislikes I have today, non-uniqueness is still tops...its like politically correct styling not wanting to 'offend' anyone by being too different. at least mustang/camaro/challenger are identifiable at a distance in the sea of round roofed commodity 4 door sedans, but I think even more 'different' would be better.

I can tell a mustang coming at me from a fusion now- but must admit, mostly due to angled or parallel hood ribs they are both great ford products- but I still think Mustang deserves more leeway from corporate styling-wise... forget any "-ish" suggestions UNLESS they were " [insert year here] mustang-ish". I guarantee before clay was molded the word 'fusion-ish' was thrown around the room...

bt4

Looks are subjective. On this site, the new design has been compared to a Fusion, a 2004 Taurus, and an Aston Martin (like that's a bad thing?). Most people see whatever elements they want to see.

The 2005 that has been referred to as "unique" and "iconic" faced just as much critical disdain now directed at the S550 by detractors for being "old" (retro)--many thought that it looked like a 60's Mustang, not like a modern sports car. Others thought it to be "unoriginal", and a step back from the more modern New Edge design.( I like it; I own one--but, of course, I liked the New Edge look too--owned one of those as well.)

None of the criticism mattered to Ford then--that kind of unqualified critique from internet savants doesn't mean Jack when you sell 160,000 + units. The same holds true a decade later. When you sell 12K units/month and increase sales by 36% over YTD, criticisms such as "it looks like a Fusion" doesn't mean Jack. The 2015 doesn't go on sale in Europe until June. With those kinds of numbers, and the upcoming European and Asian markets sales, this could be the best sales year in nine years for the Mustang. Ford will probably settle for that.

BTW, I think the rear portion of the greenhouse; the angle of the roof line reminds me more of a 370Z than a Fusion--but that's just me. </shrug>

Mustang Freak

LMAO Agree X1000!!!

Boss 0960

Just to be clear, I'm not comparing it to an '04 Taurus except in the sense that the new Mustang looks like a non-descript jellybean to me when I see one in the oncoming lane. It has no visual presence on the road. If it's bland that sells, so be it. Ford's hit a home run.

I had to wait until I had seen several new models on the road before I could determine what I really thought of the new Mustang in the wild. It just isn't working for me.
No '13-14 Mustang passes my view without me following it until it's out of my sight, even a V6. That's the kind of intrinsic appeal I'm looking for when I'm shopping for a weekend/hobby car.

bt4

I do understand, that from your POV, it is not something that has you beating down the dealer's door to buy. Hence my acknowledgement--looks are subjective. It would be a boring world if everyone liked the exact same look. It really doesn't matter if you or I think the Mustang looks like a Studebaker Avanti, or has the visual presence of a Toyota Camry (or 2004 Taurus). The new model is selling--Ford must must have got something right--even if you or I don't see it. (BTW bland does sell--that is the only explanation for the Toyota Camry moving over 400,000 units a year.)

I have posted it before--Ford is not in business to make cars (nor is GM). Ford is in business to make money. If you want proof, look what happens when a car doesn't make money. In 2001, GM sold 29,009 Camaros. GM produced a little over 42K in 2002. There wasn't a 2003. A car with a sporty heritage, and 35 years of continuous production, and a huge fan base--gone, not because it wasn't fast enough; because it wasn't making money. In comparison, in 2001, Ford sold over 169,000 New Edge Mustangs. And though sales slumped to 138,000 in 2002, that was more than enough to guarantee there would be a Mustang in 2003.

Ford had to change the Mustang. The S550 needs to sell--and in bigger numbers than the last few years of Mustang sales. The last five years have seen the lowest yearly sales in Mustang history. (Yearly sales haven't been above 100K in 7 years! ) And that's a problem. If you and me and 30K other people really like the looks of the Mustang--the Mustang is dead. If you don't buy a new Mustang, but 120K other people do--the product lives. I'd like to see the new model do very well, and guarantee more Mustangs in the future (maybe one I like better, maybe not). The alternative is unpalatable. (Remember the Probe?) Lee Iaccoca may be in a position to wax nostalgic, but current auto execs aren't. Profit is the altar where they worship and sacrifice in order to appease the gods called shareholders. There is very little room for sentiment. (Where's Mercury? Pontiac? Plymouth?)

Jazzman442

You are so right could not have said it better...

Jazzman442

There is allot more to the sales numbers than you think. Ford has flooded the rental market and is hipping them oversea's. All dealers have to take so many of them from the get go so stocking the channel takes allot of inventory. Not to mention that they have a sub 20k model and they are selling those like hot cakes around where I live. If I was looking for a car and have 20k or less what am I going to by? A tiny Toyota, Nissan, Chevy Etc no way. Ford has a cheap good car that people will buy even if they do not like it. Keep in mind there is a large percentage of car buyers that only use cars for transportation like a necessary evil...

Even Dodge sales are up on the Challengers since they cam e out with cheaper models.

Hope they all do well..

bt4

I'd like to see a 2015 Mustang list for under $20K (USD). In fact the average transaction value for the 2015 in November was up about $3,700, to $33,700 (USD) (source Edmunds.com). The take rate on the GT (V8 sales) has been higher than expected, no doubt skewing the average transaction price higher. I expect that will eventually drop as I4, V6 sales catch up.

Of course Ford is shipping Mustangs overseas--you do know that they expect to sell them there? But inventory is not the same as sales (deliveries). In fact the inventory turnover has been very impressive. At one point the 2015 Mustang inventory turnover was 8 days, compared to the industry average of 55-60.

Fleet sales? Mustang has always been a part of rental fleets. If you want to discount the fleet sales for 2015--then why don't you discount the fleet sales in 2012? 24% of 2012 sales went to fleet (almost 1 out of 4), which makes the sales of 2012 other than fleet look very, very anemic. 82,995 - 19,718 = 63,277. (Source, www.automotive-fleet.com)

I probably will not buy one. But, whether I like it or not is immaterial. The numbers suggest that Ford's decision on the 2015 is paying off. Higher sales, higher transaction price, and faster turnover, is a win in the automotive industry, no matter how you choose to rationalize it.