It didn’t take long to have our first internet leak within the Automotive world for 2017. Last week was only the third week of 2017, but around Monday or Tuesday depending on what part of the world you lived in social media started to become very active. The activity was unofficial pics as well as a video of the 2018 Ford Mustang.
Then with no real surprise the official announcement was revealed by Ford with the help of their ambassador Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on Wednesday the 18th January. The Rock gave away a 2018 Ford Mustang to Marlene Rodriguez who was a US Army Veteran.
But you’re all asking; what’s this updated Mustang got compared to the current model? Well straight off the bat the 2018 Mustang will come with some new colours. How many colours are you asking? That’s a total of 3 colours and 12 new wheel designs plus a new digital instrument cluster that can be personalized to your liking. One other addition to the interior is the option of a heated steering wheel.
There hasn’t been any official word from Ford on what the power figures will be. Ford are promising that the power has increased for both the V8 and Ecoboost 4 cylinder. Oh by the way, the V6 has been dropped by Ford, but for us Aussies we couldn’t care less because we never got the Mustang with a V6 anyway. In the gear box department, there’s been some good upgrades. The manual for both engines will get a twin-disc clutch along with a dual mass flywheel. In the automatic, there will no longer be a 6 speed, but you’re asking Pete it must have increased to at least an 8 speed? That’s a big NO, it’s now coming with a 10 speed which Ford says will help with faster shifting. With all that said, the automatic Mustangs will now enjoy faster gear changes coupled with mounted flappy paddles on the steering wheel. But will the auto beat the manual down the drag strip?
As for other exterior updates besides the new colours and wheels is the minor updates to the front and rear. One of the noticeable changes is that the hood is lower than the previous model which fits in better with the rest of the car, plus the front grill has been updated with a more modern look. The updated front end now comes with LED lights i.e. low-beam, high-beam, indicators and fog lights. The lights will come standard for all Mustang models. The rear of the car also gets a makeover with LED tail lights along with the rear bumper getting some remodeling too.
The beginning of last week started out as a leak on the internet through to an official release. Then on the Friday more pictures from Ford had surfaced, these pictures were the convertible version. I must say it looks great but I can’t help but think the convertible looks a little like the F-Type Jaguar Convertible. Here’s the bad news, don’t hold your breath at getting your hands on one this year because they are still on ‘back order’ in Australia for the current model. But if you’re reading this from North America the Mustang goes on sale in the Fall.
All images © 2017 Ford Motor Company.