Ford Mustang 2024: A study paper explaining the expanding demand for smaller, more fashionable, and cheaper vehicles targeted at the generation of young drivers born after World War II was sent to officials at Ford Motor Company sixty years ago. Ford had nothing prepared to entice the carefree young we now know as baby boomers, whereas General Motors had already entered this market two years previously with the Chevrolet Corvair.
A cross-functional small team met informally at the Dearborn Inn, about a mile from the organization’s offices, to begin the project. The result of the so-called “Fairlane committee” was the Ford Mustang. This model was so popular that it has been produced continuously for fifty-eight years while competitors like the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger have intermittently vanished from the market. The newest iteration of the legendary pony car to bear the weight of its tradition is the fresh, seventh-generation 2024 Mustang.
2024 Ford Mustang: Evolutionary
Even while many Baby Boomers are still Mustang enthusiasts, they won’t be around forever due to the unstoppable march of time. Ford has already used some of the name’s charm on the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. However, it must still attract new buyers while appeasing the devoted to justify keeping the classic Mustangs with internal combustion engines in production.
With the introduction of the new Mustang in 2014, Ford increased the Mustang’s customer base significantly. It was a far more technologically advanced product than its predecessors and was the first to be offered internationally in 180 nations.
Given that and the countless leaked spy images, it seemed apparent that the 2019 Mustang’s core design wouldn’t alter. This new model, which was first shown in 2014 to commemorate the model’s 50th anniversary, is an evolutional improvement of the outgoing vehicle from a mechanical standpoint. It is essentially the same size and weight as previously and is still available as a coupe or convertible.
New Metal
The 2024 Mustang’s new sheet metal maintains the same fundamental proportions and design. With deep undercuts in the side panels and a modern spin on the traditional tri-bar taillamps, the previous version embraced a more European aesthetic. The undercuts are gone from the new model, at least on the sides, giving it a more sculpted appearance. The Mustang was intended to have a distinctively American muscle car appearance, and this aim was substantially accomplished.
The 2019 model continues the progression from the 2015 model with a more aggressive front fascia and a grille that has a blunter appearance. Except for the Fox-body Stangs from the 1980s and 1990s, it maintains the iconic shark nose that has been a feature of most Mustangs. The tri-bar trademark lights have been repositioned horizontally, with one above each primary projector. Triple LED projector headlights are still the norm.
The Mach-E’s more aggressive flush lighting is employed instead of the previous generation’s three-dimensional lamps at the back. A significant horizontal trough extends the breadth of the tail over the back face. As per usual, the vehicle is decorated with several easter eggs, one of which is a design that spans the bottom of the rear window and features stylized versions of the seven Mustang models.
2024 Ford Mustang: A V8 engine that is eternal
When the 2024 Mustang goes on sale, updated versions of the powertrains now offered in non-Shelby Mustangs will be an option. That refers to the fourth-generation 5.0-liter Coyote V8 and the 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. Ford is delaying the release of specs so that they may provide a steady stream of information over the next nine months or so before this vehicle goes on sale. The Shelby GT500’s replacement has not yet been announced.
Both engines are anticipated to be more efficient and produce more power and torque. The four-cylinder engine can generate 350 pound-feet of torque and 310 horsepower. (20 more horsepower are added with the high-performance package.) Adopting a combination twin port and direct injection system approach is one of the modifications made to this engine for the following year. This is already used in most other EcoBoost engines to reduce cold emissions and enhance drivability. The new 2.3 will likely have a power range of 330 to 350 horsepower, similar to the now-discontinued Focus RS.
The V8 has undergone more significant alterations. It uses a brand-new intake system with twin throttle bodies for 2024. Each throttle body has a separate intake snorkel that receives air from an air filter box directly behind the grille. Except to underline that it will be the most powerful Mustang GT to date, Ford has not disclosed how much power it will generate. The Mach-1 has 470 horsepower, while the 2022 GT produces 450 horsepower. The GT will probably at least equal, if not exceed, the Mach 1 with the upgraded intake system.
An upgraded version of the existing 10-speed automatic gearbox is paired with both engines. Unfortunately, not enough EcoBoost customers chose a manual gearbox. Thus, that engine will only be available with an automatic transmission starting in 2024. Since around half of Mustang GT owners prefer a three-pedal setup, the V8 still comes with a six-speed manual transmission.
Adjustments to the chassis
The fundamental front strut and integrated link independent rear suspension design have remained, but little else has changed. The steering system saw some of the most significant upgrades, receiving a new rack with a quicker ratio, a stronger shaft, and less compliance for a better feel.
Eddie Kahn, vehicle engineering manager, told Forbes Wheels that the main design hasn’t changed, “We’ve changed many of the links, we’ve changed some of the attachment points, and we changed the chassis setups.” We replaced the knuckles and installed an aluminum lower control arm.
Drifting for the Masses
An electronic drift brake will only be available on V8 Mustangs in 2024. It was created with Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s help and allowed for “epic” drifting motion, as someone probably states. The Mustang, like the majority of contemporary vehicles, has done away with the cable-operated parking brake in favor of an electronic system that applies the rear brakes using the hydraulic actuator from the stability control.
If you choose the drift brake, you will get a handle that resembles a conventional park brake but is an electrical switch. The parking brake programming is changed to drift mode using the track mode app, which causes the brakes to engage significantly more quickly when the lever is pulled. Khan claims it would exert “four to five times more pressure than you can do with the conventional mechanical hand brake.”
Gittin’s suggestions led to the ability to kick the tail out to start the drift nearly immediately. The four-cylinder receives the same switch-activated system as other automobiles but without the drift brake and a console switch that resembles a window.
2024 Mustang Tech:
Even more significant changes come to the cockpit of the new pony in favor of a much more 2020s vibe. The cabin experience is clearly where Ford hopes to draw in a younger generation of sports car buyers. The traditional dual cowl dashboard is ditched in favor of a massive digital environment. Base models get a separate dual-panel configuration with a digital instrument cluster display in front of the driver and a landscape 10-inch touchscreen in the center.
Ecoboost Premium and GT models get a continuous arrangement with a panel stretching from the driver’s side pillar across the center of the dash. Like many other recent new models, it looks like one panel when off, but there are, in actuality, two displays hidden under the glass: one for the instruments and a 13.2-inch touchscreen for infotainment.
Like other automakers, including Rivian and General Motors, Ford’s interface designers have leveraged the Unreal Five gaming engine software to produce the graphics and animations within the system. There is no shortage of moving pixels when changing drive modes, cluster graphic themes, or anything else.
Despite not arriving until mid-2023, the new Mustang is staying with the current Sync 4 infotainment system rather than adopting the new Android Automotive-based system that is on the horizon. Sync 4 has been reskinned for the Mustang to make it look consistent with all the other graphical elements. Features like line-lock for easy on-demand burnouts and track apps also carry over.
Interior Style: Ford Mustang 2024
For the physical rather than digital elements of the Mustang, designers have also made a range of upgrades to materials and finishes. There will be a carbonite package with plenty of visible carbon fiber trim. Interior surfaces that previously featured simulated animal grains have shifted to smoother grains, while other characters are now being laser etched with patterns like white noise. Speaker bezels are seamlessly integrated into surrounding panels; sometimes, the interior ambient lighting colors can come through the grilles.
Since the same basic structure is retained from the previous generation, Ford has kept the same power top system for the convertible. Like the outgoing model, when retracted, it sits flush with the surrounding bodywork, giving the convertible a clean profile.
Hybrid Mustang is Dead
One feature that Khan confirmed is that the new Mustang will not get a hybrid powertrain. A hybrid was under development for at least a few years using the same system found in the Explorer and F-150. However, with the roaring success of the Mustang Mach-E, Ford decided that a hybrid wasn’t needed. The expense of adding another powertrain in a declining market segment wasn’t worth the effort.
Will the new tech-forward approach to the interior and improved performance have what it takes to attract a new cohort of owners to the family that was started nearly six decades ago? We’ll get a better picture a year from now when the all-new 2024 Mustang begins arriving in showrooms.
This generation will likely be the last iteration of Mustang powered solely by an internal combustion engine; future generations will likely follow the lead of Dodge and its e-muscle cars and get a battery only. If owning a showroom-new V8-powered pony car is a box you still want to check, now’s your time.
