Let me be the first to congratulate Ford on their new Hyundai Genesis...

I bought car and driver magazine because they had the new mustang on the cover and boy is that thing ugly. I had to laugh, the worst part? You guessed it, the tailights! They took the worst part of the most recent Mustang and slapped it on a Genesis and called it a day. Don't get me wrong, the three bar tailight idea is cool but in its most recent form they angled the tailights and apparently someone decided this looks good so they carried it over. Geez. The second worst part is, as the magazine noted, they cribbed from the fusion for the front of the car. I didn't know the fusion was such a trend setter. Apparently though, they did make the thing lighter so thats a good sign.

Ok guys, now its your turn to tell me how wrong I am lol.

I like it

In reply to Storz:

Me too. Better then old one.

If the 4cyl Turbo option becomes a reality its a very strong contender for my next vehicle.

If it doesn't cost 30k then it might make my list. then again I thought 12300 for my new 89 5.0 was robbery.

I guess the test driver shouldn't have worn his 'penis pattern' slacks for the photo session.

In reply to plance1:

You're wrong.

Well, styling is subjective, as always, and what C&D published is an artist's conception that may or may not represent the actual outcome. The important things, as already noted, are the weight reduction and independent rear suspension (finally!).

Since I dont buy Ford cars, I guess my opinion is moot. However, depending on pricing and options, its entirely possible the new Stang could be competition for the Frisbee twins...which could be interesting.

I for one would LOVE to see the big three get into an arms race with the east in the entry level RWD segment

I think it looks good, mostly...I don't like the taillights, but this time it's because they've gone too far from the angular overly-futuristic taillights to uninspired '90s-ish taillights.

I'll admit the only hint of previous Mustang looks is in the side profile.

In reply to 4cylndrfury:

I find it amusing every time the Mustang is put in direct competition with a small sporty car. It's never been one, and probably will not be one. It may be good at doing small sporty car stuff, but it's a Pony car, which is a smaller version of a muscle car, and drag racer wannabes will buy more of them than racer wannabes. I don't see an arms race for a market that is so small.

But if one want to put the Mustang into a BRZ or BWM conversation, that really does expand the breadth of it's market.

As for the IRS- while I personally am a fan of that, as a shareholder, I do want to make sure that we are not walking away from the drag racer market, since it's considerbaly bigger than the sporty car market.

In reply to alfadriver:

Don't worry... I'm sure a SRA conversion kit will be available within minutes of the car's release.

I seriously have hops for the new Mustang, but unfortuantely I can't wait that long. I need to buy something now.

Styling-wise, I like the C&D picture. It looks like a Ford... it looks like a Mustang... which is really all we can expect from it. Personally, I really don't see much Genesis in the style.

Mustang styling has a strange way of growing on me over time. Styling I didn't like at first eventually won me over.

IRS would be a great option for this car. That way everyone can get their car how they want it.

Yeah, let the parts counter at the dealership or someone like Roush sell a bolt / weld-in kit to get an 8.8 or 9" stick hanging back there. Any solid-axle installation that's excellent for the drag strip is probably not what you really want to be driving on the street anyway.

I like the red image at the top nicer to look at than the current car, but not as nice as the car that arrived in 2005. The folks that drew that car really knew what they were doing (in my humble opinion).

In reply to gofastbobby:

I disagree... IRS should be the standard and only production option for cost considerations. The Ford Racing catalog can offer a SRA option for the drag racers.

pres589 wrote: I like the red image at the top nicer to look at than the current car, but not as nice as the car that arrived in 2005. The folks that drew that car really knew what they were doing (in my humble opinion).

While I like the '05 style, it is beginning to look a bit dated. I'm sure it will hold its own over time, but it's definitely a product of the era.

To be honest, the red car above isn't as much of a departure as I was expecting. In much the same way I can see evolutionary influences between the '04 and '05 cars, I see the relation between the '13 and '14 cars.

Ian F wrote: I seriously have hops for the new Mustang, but unfortuantely I can't wait that long. I need to buy something now.

I think your hops will be dashed by the new IRS. No need for traction bars.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

No... I do have hops. I'm jumping up and down in my chair right now.

alfadriver wrote: As for the IRS- while I personally am a fan of that, as a shareholder, I do want to make sure that we are not walking away from the drag racer market, since it's considerbaly bigger than the sporty car market.

You just summarized what I was going to say....the solid rear end is the preference for that crowd (i.e. for the majority of the minority who care about the suspension)

In reply to Ian F:

The IRS is more expensive than a standard live axle. So by leaving it as an option it would keep the cost down for the people who care more about price than performance, but give the enthusiasts the extras they are willing to pay for, much like the Brembo brake option today. The car can still be had for cheap and everyone can still get what they want.

Plus, to me, a stripped down 6 cylinder manual shift pony with big brakes and IRS would be totally cool. That I am sure will never be an option.

No worries though, some pencil pusher at Ford will likely mess it up for the both of us.

Edit: I almost forgot about the thousands of these Mustangs that run down the drag strip every weekend. They want a solid axle.

FWIW, Ive sat in a few 1st gen Mustangs….they were freakin small. Probably along the lines of a current Nissan Z car. I have no real numbers, the drive to search for them, or the time to do it in, but Id be willing to guess the original Mustang was within a small percentage of wheelbase length, overal weight etc of the newer blood available today.

Like all cars (and their drivers), its grown as it ages. IT would appear over the last few refreshes, Ford has given consideration to the old girls numbers on the scale. If they continue to do so, it would put it in the same ballpark as the newer cars in teh RWD segment. Because people choose to drag race the car, does not exclude it from other genres of motorsport. If it can be competitive with other cars in other sports, then I would argue that it could be compared to those other cars on the dealer lot.

I was under the impression that the IRS is actually CHEAPER to put under the car these days. I think it is something to do with tooling for only 1 vehicle.

I could be wrong.

In reply to 4cylndrfury:

Argue all you want that it's a compeitor, but that is purely based on it's abilty, and not what it is. And IF it can be directly compared to the BRZ, 370z, and BMW's, for the car it actually is, that seems pretty remarkable.

(and it's pretty cool that based on the stop watch, the Mustang does pretty darned well, if not better, than those cars)

The first Mustang was the original pony car, based off of a Falcon. That's not an Alfa Romeo, or a Lotus, or a Ferrari. It's a pony car. It's to be reasonably fast on a drag strip and reasonably performing on a road course. The fact that it does both quite well is pretty interesting.

None the less, the Mustang continues to allude my personal interest.

Isn't that a Camaro? Sure looks like one to me...big, tall, small windows to ensure poor visibility...based on the red photo I like the current one better. Maybe some more pics will change my mind.

Just for RWD fun, I looked up the normal prices...

The Scion BRZ's starting MSRP is $25.3k.

The Mustang V6 manual basic is in the $22k range, and with a V6 perfomance pacakge, it's $24.9k.

I wonder which is quicker around the track. Which can be found via C&D- the 2013 Lightnigh lap has the BRZ at 3:18.6, and the 2012 article references a 2011 Mustang V6 at 3:12.5.

Wow. Hell of a pretender, the Mustang is, even with a stick in the back.

jstein77 wrote: In reply to plance1: You're wrong. Well, styling is subjective, as always, and what C&D published is an artist's conception that may or may not represent the actual outcome. The important things, as already noted, are the weight reduction and independent rear suspension (finally!).

Ok, you might be right lol! I reserve the right to change my mind once I see one in person.

Not that this is it in any way, shape or form; but I can dream right