Call
it Ford's Declaration of Independents. After half a century of log-axle
Mustangs with only one brief experiment with an independently suspended
rear end (the 1999–2004 SVT Cobra), Ford will hang a split-and-jointed
drive axle beneath the 2015 Mustang's
hindquarters. Considering that both the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge
Challenger already have independent rears, it's not quite as
revolutionary as "We hold these truths . . ." But even with today's
outdated rigid axle, the Mustang is already our favorite in this class,
and a new unibody platform with its wheelbase and front and rear tracks
all cinched tighter should help keep the Ford ahead of its peers.
While the current Mustang
is slavishly, unimaginatively retro, Ford has pretty much mined out its
glory days, the as-yet unrealized Mustang II redux notwithstanding. So
the next car will be fearlessly modern. Many Mustang faithful are up in
arms at the prospect of Ford's next hot rod looking too much like the
2011 Evos concept car, but we have confidence. Between the Focus and the
Fusion, Ford's styling department is on a hot streak.
The next Mustang will have at least one retro cue, though: an available
turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Absent from the lineup since the 1986
SVO, the forced-induction four returns in the guise of Ford's EcoBoost
2.0-liter, which makes 252 horsepower in the Focus ST. Don't expect that
figure to change much for the Mustang, where the 2.0 will sit between
the car's two currently available engines. Priced higher than a revised
version of the 3.7-liter V-6—rated at 305 horses in today's car—the four
will be pitched as a balance of power and efficiency. Ford's 5.0-liter
V-8 will top the range. The Blue Oval can't afford to leave the Camaro
ZL1 unchallenged, and so another GT500 is a certainty; less certain,
however, is what will power it. Pedestrian-protection standards will
restrict the underhood clearances in the next car, cutting the space
available not just for the Shelby's top-mount supercharger and
intercooler, but also its tall-deck engine block. We suspect Ford will
find a way to nestle a pair of turbos against the 5.0's block. With all
engines, a six-speed manual will be standard, and we hear that an
eight-speed automatic will arrive fashionably late.
Commonly referred to as a "1964-1/2" but
technically a 1965, the first Mustang appeared at the New York World's
Fair on April 17, 1964. Ford isn't going to miss the opportunity to
throw the Mustang one heck of a 50th birthday party. April 17, 2014 will
be a Thursday. It should be significantly more exciting than your
average Thursday.
