It’s official: the 2010 mustang is out of the corral. After getting to see the myriad of preview pics, there’s now not a whole lot new to see. But it is refreshing to get a look at the full car.
Ford has been stuck with a tough issue: how do you update a retro car? Do you follow the path of the original? If Ford did that then the 2010 Mustang would bloated and on the path to have to be redesigned in 2014 to be replaced by a Focus-based Mustang II. Instead Ford let its retro design mature. In 2005 the current Mustang burst on the scene with a childlike innocence that said to the world, “Hey I’m back!” Now five years later, the car has matured into a teenager. It still looks very much like the happy child you once knew, but now his brow has permanently furrowed, and he’s more aggressive.
Everything on the outside of the car has gotten sleeker. The turn indicators have been incorporated into the design, the fog light fit in the grille better, the tail lamps have more curves, and the interior materials no longer have a shine that makes it look like it came from the dollar store. But these are minor improvements. What makes this a new car worth getting excited about is how it feels.
Ford had put the 2005 Mustang on an all-new platform (it’s first in about 25 years,) and the 2010 Mustang is Ford’s first chance at tweaking the chassis after five years of road development. The car still has an archaic live rear-axle, but now the set up is three-link rear suspension with a panhard bar. It’s not a rocket science leap forward, but it should keep the rear end in line while going fast on the streets.
The interior doesn’t change much in appearance or layout. It’s tough to stray to far from the original in a retro car. But as mentioned before, the materials are significantly upgraded. While it may look nice, the simple feel of sturdy materials makes the Mustang feel less like an economy car.
The 2010 Mustang will be initially offered with a choice of two engines: a 4.0-liter 60-degree V6 (carryover from the 2009 model) that delivers 210 at 5,300 rpm and a peak torque of 240 lb.-ft.; and a 4.6-liter 90-degree V8 (upgraded from the 2009 GT) with cold air induction that delivers 315 @ 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 325 lb.-ft. @ 4,250 rpm. Both engines are mated to a standard 5-speed manual transmission.
Pricing shouldn’t stray too far from the original car, which means sticker prices of a little over $20,000 for the base model and about $28,000 for the Mustang GT.
Full details in the press release after the jump.
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