Mustang celebrates the big 4-0 with a fully rejuvenated body and power train.
Happy 40th birthday! You’re in the prime of your life and it shows. Better looking than ever—muscular, fit and sleek. At heart, you’re the best of both worlds—an irresistible dichotomy of experience and youth, old school and new, classic rock and cutting edge metal, refinement and attitude. Well known, well loved, venerated yet resiliently enticing.
Yes, happy birthday, Ford Mustang.
Now that you realize those remarks were made about the 2005 Ford Mustang instead of you, you may feel the wind leaving your sails. Never fear. Ford says the new Mustang has enough verve, guts and bravado to inflate the old ego and make any of us feel 18 again. And that’s just the 2005 model on paper.
In the real world, Ford executives are promising car lovers a real treat when the new Mustang hits showrooms this fall. That’s because the latest pony car is designed to hit customers square in the budget with a starting price under $20,000 for the 202-hp, 4L V6 model. Pump up the monthly car payment a bit, and you can pick up the baseline GT with the 4.6L V8, capable of churning out a gasp-inducing 300 hp, all with the familiar Mustang throaty grumble. Ford promises you’ll have the most affordable hot rod on your street. Think about it: You can still annoy the neighbors and even have money left to pay for your kids’ braces. Maybe middle age isn’t so bad.
Let the collision repairer in you take special note, though. All that horsepower is tied into an engineering contradiction: a retro-inspired design built on cutting-edge technology. The 2005 model is something of a wolf in sheep’s clothing—check that, a wolf in an older wolf’s clothing. The styling is an obvious throwback to the late 1960s, but the carmaker is adamant that the vehicle is all new, all 21st Century. Ford has completely redesigned and rebuilt this Mustang from the ground up, giving it a fresh platform with a unique suspension and innovative chassis.
Because this cultural favorite will no doubt make it to your door sometime soon, a proper introduction is in order. (As we all know, accidents do happen, as do Mustang owners looking to customize their prize possession.) Here’s a first look at the postmodern pony car.
Classic form, modern function
For four decades, Ford has made sure the Mustang’s style remains uniquely Mustang. The 2005 is no different. It retains Mustang’s long hood and short deck, along with traditional C scoops and tri-bar tail lamps. The galloping horse badge still graces the front grill, while an art-deco version of the chrome Mustang badge decorates the center of the deck lid. The 2005 pays a pronounced homage to the muscle car era with its aggressive, shark-nosed front end and forward-tilting grille, obvious styling cues borrowed from the 1967 model.
Inside, the 2005 features a three spoke steering wheel with a black center hub highlighted with the traditional horse and tricolor bars logo—also borrowed from the ’67. The instrument layout is also classic—large ocular, chrome-ringed tachometer and speedometer gauges surrounding smaller performance gauges for oil pressure and temperature, fuel level, and battery. The dashboard does, however, have one new option designed to make Mustang buyers take special notice.
Customers can now select the color of the dash lighting. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) send red, green and blue projections through “light pipe” fittings on the sides of the tachometer, speedometer, and the indicator panel. At the touch of a button, Mustang owners can customize the instrument panel in one of 125 unique color backgrounds.
Ford engineers came up with the idea after using similar technology to review instrument panels with suppliers. The company believed the option would appeal to Mustang customers who are often custom enthusiasts. “We realize that the first place many take their Mustang after it leaves the dealership is to a custom shop,” says Wes Sherwood, 2005 Mustang Launch Manager. “This way, before they even leave the lot, they can make the vehicle their own.”
Borrowing from that same philosophy, Sherwood also explains that Ford plans to create Mach 1, Cobra, SVT, convertible and other variations of the 2005 model. “Our customers want a unique, individualized vehicle. We want to give them as many options as possible,” Sherwood says.
Built for the road from the ground up
When Ford first announced it was retiring Mustang’s venerable FOX platform, in place since 1979, speculation immediately began building that the company would turn to its DEW platform, the base of Jaguars and the Lincoln LS. As it turns out, that story had more longevity in the automotive press than in actual design meetings. Early on, Ford executives realized the DEW had a major drawback that would preclude its use in the latest Mustang—price. “The main quality that has made Mustang always stand out is its affordability,” Sherwood says. “The DEW was just too expensive.”
What’s more, the DEW and any possible derivation of it could never provide a proper platform for the Mustang because the DEW uses an independent rear suspension. Mustang customers have demanded for decades that their beloved street rod maintain a solid rear axle. This setup puts the most wheel to the road for the off-the-line bursts the vehicle has forged its reputation on. Ford agreed and decided the 2005 would retain the solid axle. That decision had some significant implications for the new Mustang’s design.
If you’ve spent any time behind the wheel of a V8 Mustang, you may have become acquainted with a problem called vehicle hop. A little too much throttle at the wrong time can send the back end of a Mustang leaping off the pavement (while air literally hops out of the driver’s lungs). The solid axle also isn’t the best setup for optimum steering and handling. It doesn’t supply sufficient flexibility, nor does it work well with modern steering/suspension designs. Ford wanted the 2005 to address these problems and deliver a new era of Mustang performance, while retaining its rear axle homage to the vehicle’s history. These suspension considerations, in effect, helped to drive the vehicle design.
Those considerations produced new front and rear suspension systems designed to offer the best possible combination of straight-line bursts, curve-carving sharpness and agreeable road manners. The solid rear axle now incorporates a three-link architecture engineered to provide more flexibility and a softer touch to the rear suspension. Central torque control arms fasten to the upper front end of the differential with trailing arms near each end of the axle. Providing stability for this setup is a Panhard rod—a light, tubular rod running parallel to the axle, attaching to the axle at one end and the vehicle body at the other end. The Panhard stabilizes the axle during side-to-side movements and adds control during sharp turns.
To help shield car and driver from the lever-like movement of the axle, engineers moved the rear shocks to the outside of the structural rails, close to the wheels. This setup allows a more precise, softer tuning of the shock valves. Separate longitudinal and lateral links isolate movement on the rear axle and tune the bushings accordingly to further dampen bumps and jolts. GTs get a rear stabilizer bar to reduce body lean and combat the added stress the V8 can place on the vehicle.
Up front, the Mustang uses a MacPherson strut front suspension with reverse “L” lower control arms to isolate and dampen road shocks. At the point where the shorter forward leg of the L-arm connects to the chassis, a firm bushing controls lateral motion. Fore-and-aft movements are controlled by softer, compliant bushings located on the longer, rear L-arm leg. Ford says this design enhances steering response.
Body roll is reduced by a beefy stabilizer bar, 34 mm in diameter on the GT and 28.6 mm on the V6.
Ford engineers also addressed a problem that has long plagued performance cars—unsprung weight. Produced by vehicle components positioned below the springs and shocks (very often suspension parts), this troublesome weight spoils ride quality and mars steering performance because the suspension has no way to account for it. Auto engineers have worked for years to minimize this problem by using lighter materials to reduce the weight of suspension parts. Unfortunately, the lighter materials typically don’t supply the same strength for the suspension, which reduces its effectiveness.
Ford approached this dilemma by taking a slightly different path. Engineers went back to the drawing board—all the way back to the board used to create new manufacturing methods—and came up with revolutionary manufacturing technology to produce steel control arms weighing less than comparable cast-aluminum designs.
The new technique assembles two C-section stampings (for the control arms) back-to-back with welded seams. This process moves material toward the edges of the control arms for increased rigidity, while the center is kept thin to minimize weight. The result is an I-section profile offering superior strength-to-weight ratio. The lower weight means less unsprung weight and better performance.
Redesigned chassis with a refined ride
When it came time to redesign the Mustang chassis, Ford similarly eyed vehicle performance, along with a renewed focus on increasing stability and refining ride quality. This pony was going to have some kick, obviously, but Ford realized modern drivers—even the most devoutly traditional Mustang fans—now expect performance with little or no trade-off in comfort. They want to see, feel and hear quality.
As a result, the 2005 is markedly more solid. The updated design, along with such changes as the introduction of high strength-to-weight ratio materials, has increased Mustang body rigidity more than 30 percent. Ford says the increased rigidity allows its engineers to tune and dampen spring and bushing rates to finer degrees than previously available. The chassis is also far quieter. Engineers used computers to map natural vibrating frequencies of chassis components to locate areas where noise was transmitted. Material was then added to stifle the sounds. In some cases, the components themselves were altered. The new design helps filter out external sounds with one obvious exception, the Mustang exhaust growl.
Ford also made the chassis larger than the 2004 model. Engineers moved the car’s front wheels forward and to the corners, reducing front overhang by 4.6 inches while adding 6 in. to the wheelbase. The move makes the 2005 4.4 inches longer, 1 in. wider and 1.4 in. taller. That translates into increased interior space, more head, shoulder and leg room for all of the vehicle’s occupants.
Ford calls attention to the increased room with three different interior styles, along with options for special aluminum and satin accents. Leather is also available, including a package with fire-engine red seats and floor mats.
Power for the people
Is it possible to talk about Mustang without talking about raw power? Of course not. The 2005 makes history by making more raw power available to more people than ever before.
For the first time, Mustang customers can get a regular edition V8 with a 300-hp engine. The 2005 GT features the all-new, all-aluminum MOD V8. A member of Ford’s modular engine family, the MOD V8 cranks out an additional 40 hp over the 2004 engine with 315 ft. lbs. of torque.
Relying more on technological wizardry than pure brawn, the MOD V8 manages to whip up this extra power by operating more efficiently. In what may be the irony of all ironies for muscle car aficionados, the 2005 grinds out power to burn by being frugal and economical with its thirst for fuel. Utilizing a light, three-valve head design with variable camshaft timing, the MOD V8 builds high compression ratios, maximizing the energy created from regular 87-octane fuel. The new engine also employs intake runners with active charge motion control to shape each combustion and more efficiently produce stronger, low-end torque and increased power at high rpms.
The V6 model also welcomes a new, more powerful engine. A 4L, single-overhead-cam engine replaces the 3.8L pushrod engine. Like its V8 counterpart, the V6 is lighter, more compact and more powerful than its predecessor. The V6 and MOD V8 are also remarkably clean running. Ford says both engines meet Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle II (ULEV II) standards, meaning the 2005 Mustang fleet will produce 57 percent fewer smog-forming pollutants compared with 2004 models.
Helping the 2005 fleet run cleaner and more efficiently will be Mustang’s first five-speed automatic transmission. The 5R55S automatic utilizes a powerful new transmission control computer capable of communicating with the engine electronics 10 times faster than the previous automatic transmission. The computer allows, for the first time, intricate features like throttle control and variable cam timing to match transmission controls. This translates into increased fuel economy and immediate, off-the-line power.
The standard five-speed manual transmission also has been upgraded. The GT now uses the Tremec 3650, while the V6 gets the Tremec T-5. A new shift linkage engages gears more quickly. To make shifting even easier, a boosted hydraulic clutch reduces pedal effort. Durability has been improved with new plate materials and a larger clutch for the V8. The GT also receives a two-piece driveshaft to handle high speeds and heavy torque.
Ford muscles up braking and safety
Helping harness all this performance is Mustang’s improved braking. A new four-wheel ABS system, standard on the GT and optional on the V6, uses the largest rotors and stiffest calipers ever placed on a Mustang. The GT features dual-piston aluminum floating front calipers and 12.4-in. (316-mm) front brake discs. Rotors are 30-mm thick, 15 percent larger than those used on the 2004 model, to increase swept area by 14 percent. The rotors are also ventilated to produce consistent stopping power under extreme conditions and during repeated hard braking.
On the rear, the vented rotors are 11.8 in. (300 mm) in diameter and 19 mm thick, a 12 percent increase over the previous Mustang. Single-piston calipers sweep 18 percent more area.
The new system also is designed to prevent wheel lock-up and, using a process called electronic brake force distribution, distributes braking power to the wheels where it’s needed most.
For added safety, Mustang drivers will have the benefit of an all-speed intelligent traction control system, specially tweaked to allow more rear wheel slip. The tuning is designed to detect and react to surface changes without sacrificing the performance feel of the vehicle. In case you’re looking to smoke your tires at the local track, the system includes a manual shut off located squarely at the center of the instrument panel.
For even more protection, Mustang includes Ford’s Personal Safety System, which analyzes crash factors and determines the response of air bags and restraint systems. The system utilizes the standard dual-stage driver and front-passenger air bags, along with energy management retractors and safety belt pretensioners.
Because Ford recognizes the new Mustang could gather some unwanted attention, it’s making available an active anti-theft package that includes an inclination sensing module to guard against unwanted tows, a separate alarm sounder (used in place of the horn) and an interior motion sensor to detect “smash-and-grab” robberies.
Tying all these systems together is another first for Mustang—a Controlled Area Network (CAN), an electronic architecture that lets the vehicle’s electronic systems communicate with one other. A smart junction box analyzes and disseminates the Mustang’s electronic functions, including convenience, powertrain, traction, safety and security.
History repeats itself, Ford hopes
Henry Ford was never at a loss for words when it came to discussing most subjects. He’s best remembered, however, for his view on the past. “History is bunk!” Ford once said.
History, as is always the case, gets final word. In Ford’s case, that final word has so far turned out to be a comeuppance for his lack of regard for things past.
How incredibly ironic is it that the most popular, resilient creation of his auto company, the Mustang, remains popular largely due to its attention to history? To the Mustang fan, history is everything: All Mustangs must be a product of the vehicle’s heritage and share certain unique Mustang qualities. For the Mustang builder, tradition and a classic style that pays homage to the past are requirements. History clearly is not bunk.
Just ask Ford executives. Mustang’s enduring ability to draw in customers by offering them a piece of a bygone era is an important factor in the vehicle maker’s survival. Ford reports that Mustang owners return to purchase another Ford vehicle more than 55 percent of the time and another Mustang 30 percent of the time. That’s not just loyalty. That’s devotion.
Any vehicle capable of inspiring that level of trust and delivering that kind of return on its investment deserves a chance to be young again, even at 40.
