2018 Mustang Refresh (Prototype) First Look!

[goldengooner]

You don't realize how big the Mustang is until you see it nose to nose with other cars. .

you do in Shopping centres
And I park next to my neighbours fancy Merc where I live, the Stang totally hides it, which my neighbour is not to impressed with

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[Andrewg]

No guarantee the car under the camo is anywhere near the finished article. Just as they've used 'old wheels' on the test mule, there may be any number of old or new parts used for a variety of different tests. For example, just because it's longer in the spy shots doesn't by any means the finished article will be that long. Just because it has that specific exhaust doesn't mean that will be the final version. Still too early to tell yet.

 

[1320']

No guarantee the car under the camo is anywhere near the finished article. Just as they've used 'old wheels' on the test mule, there may be any number of old or new parts used for a variety of different tests. For example, just because it's longer in the spy shots doesn't by any means the finished article will be that long. Just because it has that specific exhaust doesn't mean that will be the final version. Still too early to tell yet.

It's really not too early, and this pretty much is the final product.


Based on lead time and getting suppliers/stamping dies, etc in place to begin production in May...they will need to have the design locked in hard by probably the end of next month.

 

[blk_5.0]

once again no rear brembos on the test mule...come on Ford lol. Really hoping the 18s are more than just a new front/rear fascia. If that's all they're giving us, I may be crossing over to the dark side.....the new 1LE camaro really has caught my attention and I am looking to order something this spring.

 

[Rebellion]

Seems to be on the spot with what my source has told me...most significant change in the front fascia, "the sportiest of all Mustangs up to date".

By the looks of it, I'm not very thrilled.

 

[PJR202]

Is the current hood "bulge" really that big of a deal to a lot of people? I'm not seeing what the issue is. Maybe I'm missing something?

I'm actually adding on a hood scoop once my car gets delivered.

I think the hood bulge looks awesome and I don't have any trouble seeing over it. I also like the cutouts with blinkers and I don't get why everyone seems to hate them. The bulge has a very aggressive look though, in my opinion.

 

[timd38]

It's really not too early, and this pretty much is the final product.


Based on lead time and getting suppliers/stamping dies, etc in place to begin production in May...they will need to have the design locked in hard by probably the end of next month.

My bet is that S2 builds are already done, just waiting for production to start.

 

[QRK]

I wonder what was behind the decision to use those wheels.

I'm just having fun imagining an impatient engineer not wanting to wait any longer to get the prototype out on the road and installing the closest set of spare wheels he could find, which just happened to be from a 2010 GT500.

 

[Spartan]

Yeah if this is what the refresh looks like ill have to pass way to sedan like for my taste. looks like a ford fusion nose stuck on the current mustang!!!

You have a Ford Fusion nose stuck on the current Mustang..it's why they are changing up the front.

Also, changing the hood to not have a large muscle car bulge doesn't make it look like a sedan lol. Also the GT350 doesn't even have a bulge and has a flatter hood like this mule has for better visibility. They even stated that they lowered the GT350 hood for part of that reason (track reasons I guess).

Look at this Aston Martin hood...the Mustang is moving towards more sleek lines like this.

Seems to be on the spot with what my source has told me...most significant change in the front fascia, "the sportiest of all Mustangs up to date".

By the looks of it, I'm not very thrilled.

Looks like a sleeker version of the Mustang to me...more profile of a GT350 with upgraded lines.

 

[Gigantor]

I think the hood bulge looks awesome and I don't have any trouble seeing over it. I also like the cutouts with blinkers and I don't get why everyone seems to hate them. The bulge has a very aggressive look though, in my opinion.

I concur, I like everything about the styling of the 2016 Mustang. The
2018 styling is more softer and has lost the muscle car look in my
humble opinion

 

[Spartan]

Ace,

Thanks for the super imposed image.

I'm distressed that both the front and rear overhangs appear to longer than the '15-'17 cars...especially the front.
This test mule does not appear to have much, if any body cladding to help disguise the "length" of it's true styling refresh.
The Mustang does not need to be a bigger or longer vehicle any any dimension.
I understand that vehicles need to express design language that projects a cohesive corporate face and a brand identity, but IMHO, the front end just looks way too long. However, long snouts seem to be an industry trend.
I was truly hoping for a shorter, more compact front end restyle.

The high front stance probably indicates testing and evaluation of new/revised springs/shocks.
I cannot imagine that what we are seeing is anywhere near a final production front ride height.

I suspect this mule is a base or mid-level car and not a GT.

I dont think that super imposed image is accurate. There is no way the car got longer...if anything it might have gotten shorter from looking at the spy shots by an inch or two.

 

[Spartan]

I concur, I like everything about the styling of the 2016 Mustang. The
2018 styling is more softer and has lost the muscle car look in my
humble opinion

Their market is the world now. If the hood bulge kills the muscle car look then just ad a new hood. The rest of the car looks just about identical and it's getting a much better front end resembling more of the GT350 with upgrade lights (prob fusion direction like their whole line up is going)

 

[BmacIL]

I'd caution people to not rush to judgments about liking/not liking the refresh before you see it un-camo'd...

 

[i3arracuda]

The back end of that pic is definitely stretched/distorted. Look at the rear wheel compared to the front wheel - it's larger and not round. Plus the curb indicates that the camera was closer to the stang then the bimmer.

Here is an edited version of the pic that was uploaded earlier in the thread. I corrected the lens distortion that was making the Mustang look super elongated in the back. The left side of the screen has lens distortion corrected, the right side is from the original photo. Note that the rear of the BMW is also elongated in the original photo due to lens distortion -- I can't correct it without cropping off the rear of the vehicle so I left it alone. If it was a dead-on side profile angle it would be easier to compare the two vehicles.

 

[ftrv8]

At least for us waiting to see the 2018 completely, before making decision, timing is good. If 2018 is too Fusion-ish, we'll hopefully have some time and hopefully some decent incentives to get rid of the old models.

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