The NEW 2015 FORD Mustang - coming to New Zealand
The next generation Ford Mustang was unveiled on December 5,
2013 (USA time - December 6th in New Zealand and Australia) in 12 cities around
the world. Many exterior changes are ditching the retro themed look of previous
models. However, some retro styling was retained in the design in order to
satisfy Mustang fans. The 6th generation Mustang has styling cues that are
combination of the Mustang fastback and notchback coupes of the the mid-1960s.
Ford has changed the live axle to independent rear suspension in order to
improve the overall ride quality and handling. Ford also introduced a
four-cylinder engine for the first time since the OHC 2.3L, which was last
offered in a Mustang in 1984. The V6 and V8 also returned. Ford will also begin
to produce right hand drive models for United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, New
Zealand, Malaysia and other global markets with right hand drive. The new
Mustang will be debuted as a global car for the first time ever.
USA Pricing
US$ Prices have been announced with the 2 engine choices
announced for NZ selling from US$25,170 for the base 2.3 litre Eco Boost
Fastback in the USA and the V8 GT starting from US$32,100 in the USA
Again - in the USA the Premium GT Convertible Auto from
US$43,620 and if you add the 50 year appearance package (with 19" wheels), spare
wheel (US$195), reverse park assist, adaptive cruise control etc pushing the
price over US$48,000
You can play with Ford's Build & Price tool at
www.ford.com/cars/mustang/pricing (you will need a Zip code - I used 90210)
Obviously these prices don't indicate NZ pricing (and exclude
GST etc) - rumors suggest NZ$75,000 for a fully loaded V8
Find local details (but not pricing yet) at
www.ford.co.nz/cars/newmustang
Firsts
There is plenty of hype about all the firsts with the 2015
Mustang but some of these 'firsts' need some detail - lets look at them:
Right Hand Drive
This will be the first time the Mustang has been made Right
Hand drive from the factory. There have actually been a number of
occasions in the past that Ford have sold right hand drive Mustangs but to be
fair these cars have been made as left hand drive and then converted.
However they were sold new by Ford as right hand drive, amongst the earliest was
a number converted and sold by Ford Australia in 1965.
Independent Rear Suspension
This is the first time the base Mustang has had IRS. All
1999-2004 Cobras featured independent rear suspension, unique to the Cobras. The
independent rear suspension Ford used in the Cobras was a bolt in replacement
for the live axle used in the normal Mustangs. This meant that both
configurations could be swapped quite easily, and a lot of people actually did
this conversion one way or the other. Replacing the Cobra's IRS with a live axle
was done quite frequently by people preferring drag racing, since the IRS had
the habit of producing a lot of wheel hop during hard launches.
Sold by Ford in New Zealand
Ford have announced that they will be selling the Mustang in
New Zealand. While this will be Ford's first serious push of Mustang's in
New Zealand a few may remember that a small number of converted Mustangs were
sold new in NZ and Australia by Ford in late 1990's.
Click on images to see a bigger image:
Aircraft Inspired Dash:
The speedo is marked with "Ground Speed"
Stunning Convertible
Triple layered roof for sound and heat insulation and better high speed driving
New Technology
Improvements to the GT's Coyote V8, Independent Rear
Suspension (IRS) - standard for the first time & an EcoBoost Turbo 4 Cylinder
