2015 Ford Mustang

THE 2015 FORD MUSTANG REVEAL
With the all-new 6th-generation Mustang still a couple of months from launch, I started calling around seeking a Ford dealer who might be getting one early. Of course, my goal was to be one of the first to take picture of an actual live car, rather than use the pix that Ford’s marketing people distributed early on, you know…the ones you’ve seen in all the car magazines. But here at AMC, we’re all about eye-popping original pictures of gorgeous muscle cars, pictures that you can’t find anywhere else. So, I made my calls, but got nothing. The Mustang will be here this fall. But then, out of the blue, two days ago I got a call from Sara at Livermore Ford. She’s their PR person and she had good news: The new 2015 Mustang would be making a sneak peak for just 2 hours at Livermore Ford the very next day. I was there with bells on. This is a big deal. A new Mustang comes around maybe ones every decade. The last one was in 2005.

2015 FORD MUSTANG FIRST IMPRESSIONS
My first impressions of the car are all good. The body shape is very pleasing to the eye, completely new, but still recognizable as a Mustang. Even the 4 cylinder version I saw, devoid of any obvious option packages, was luxurious, loaded with features, and looked red hot. They really stepped up their game on the interior, now made of much nicer materials, nicely stitched, with a complex dash full of carbon fibre and rounded shapes that sort of reminded of (no offense) the modern Camaro. The wheels and the brakes visible through them looked very European (meant as a compliment), like something from the aftermarket. The engine on this particular car was the 2.3 liter EcoBoost DOHC 4 cylinder. But this is no economy-only engine, it makes 310 HP! That’s more than a late-80s-vintage Corvette made with a 5.7 liter V8! The power-to-weight ratio with this all-aluminum engine should be excellent. And I predict, based on what I saw, that this new Mustang will be a strong seller, certainly here in the good ol’ US of A, but also around the world. I don’t care where you come from, this is one awesome car, and that’s universal.

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2015 Ford Mustang INTERIOR

2015 FORD MUSTANG MOVES UPMARKET
The soon-to-be-released 2015 Mustang was touring select Ford dealers with the all-new 2015 Ford F-150 pickup truck, also a wonder of modern automotive engineering. It looks very much like the truck it replaces with one very important difference: The entire skin is now made of aircraft aluminum, saving 700 pounds! The Mustang also was a high-tech masterpiece. The new exterior follows the same basic shape as the 5th-gen Mustang, but gives it a totally new surface treatment. It’s much smoother and more futuristic. While the tail lights are still the traditional 3 vertical units as before, they have a completely new look and shape, set at a much more aggressive angle. Same with the nose, which definitely has a Mustang face, but different, more aggressive, and less American. I don’t mean that in a bad way, I love American. But the last Mustang was a monument to classic American styling, and not necessarily as appealing to people in Europe or Asia, where I think this new car is headed. In an effort to garner broader appeal, international appeal perhaps, Ford gave it a modern look that owes little to the past, they upgraded the interior big time, and installed a totally modern drivetrain, including a turbo 4 cylinder and independent rear suspension. To me it looks like Ford took a major step upmarket with this car. They’re going after more than just the speed-crazed high schoolers now. And this car has the appeal to reach more sophisticated buyers.

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2015 Ford Mustang ENGINES

2015 FORD MUSTANG ENGINE OPTIONS
The base engine for the new Mustang will be the 2.3 EcoBoost 4 cylinder pictured here. It’s a pretty amazing engine, and just happens to displace the same 2.3 liters as the last turbocharged engine seen in the Mustang, with the 1986 Mustang SVO. But this time its twin scroll turbocharger helps churn out 310hp and 320 lb-ft of torque, the highest power-density of any production Ford engine. It features DOHC with 4 valves per cylinder and direct injection. Next up is the 3.7L DOHC V6 with twin independently variable cam timing. At the top of the heap…for now…is the 5.0L all aluminum DOHC V8 borrowed from the 2013 Boss 302. The “Coyote” V8 makes 435hp and 400 lb-ft of torque in the upcoming GT. Of course, bigger, badder engines are on the way. They always are, these days. What glorious times we live in, he?

ECOBOOST 2.3 LITER DOHC 16-VALVE 4-CYLINDER

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Special Thanks to LIVERMORE FORD

THANK YOU, LIVERMORE FORD
Just a handful of Ford stores had the privilege of this awesome pre-launch reveal. Livermore Ford, in Livermore CA, must be doing something right. It’s a very nice, clean dealership, by the way, loaded with Ford cars and trucks, lots of open space to look around, and friendly people to help. The fact that a car dealership needs a full time PR person says something for their success, and their thinking. Sara is out there marketing Livermore Ford online and through social media, and by calling guys like me when something big happens. She says there is a limited edition 50th Anniversary Mustang being delivered sometime in the very near future, and she’ll call me when it arrives so I can get some great shots of that one also. Thank you, Sara.

ABOVE: The crowd just couldn’t get enough of the new ‘Stang. And this was a hands-on show, so you could open the hood and trunk, sit inside, start it up…everything but drive it.
BELOW: The other part of this reveal was the all-new 2015 Ford F-150. While it doesn’t look much different, it now has an aluminum skin, which shaves 700 pounds off the weight.

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2015 Ford Mustang SPECIFICATIONS