This Is Ford's Plan To Fix The Mustang's Biggest Problem

[Brian_S550]

Ford is losing younger buyers because the majority of those who actually decide to buy a car do not need/want a high horsepower, high performance two door sport coupe. There really is not fix for that.

Well, that’s essentially why they chose to market the Mach-E as a part of the “Mustang family“.

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[Bikeman315]

Well, that’s essentially why they chose to market the Mach-E as a part of the “Mustang family“.

Exactly. But they need to keep our Mustang available to be able to feed the ”brand”.

 

[S550 HPP]

Hardly anyone will make fun of you for buying a GTI, but buy an Ecoboost and suddenly you don't have a "real" Mustang. It's a big turn off for many even if the car is an excellent performer for the price.

No one has ever made fun (at least to my face ) of my HPP. Some feed back I got was:

"It doesn't come with a sunroof?" - Ram driver
"A manual? Why didn't you get a modern car?" - Sequoia Driver

I stumbled on a Mustang Club out for a Memorial Day drive in May, 2020 in Heber, Utah and everyone was very appreciative and gave my HPP a thumbs up. (Maybe because they had never seen one before.) Now, when I drove away did they talk shit about my HPP? Perhaps. But I love my Mustang. It's "real" enough for me, because as you said, its an excellent performer for the price.

If I had found a PP1 or PP2 GT on the lot with manual, spoiler delete, no Recaros, no stripes, 12 inch LCD, would I have bought one? Sure. But in the Before Times a GT like that was rare in my parts.

This Mustang on Mustang smack talking always seems weird to me. Shouldn't we save our venom for Camaro and Challenger drivers?

 

[Smunczen]

I like the HPP.

 

[GreenS550]

Some things have changed in cars since my first car 50 years ago. First of all, they last significantly longer. You younger folks maybe do not realize that a 1970 Mustang was a rusted out bucket of junk by 70K miles and 5 years. Almost none left by then. A well optioned Mustang sold for $3,500 new when the minimum wage was $1.45. That's right, $1.45. If you worked all year at $58/week it was about $3,016. Zero benefits. Not much different than today. Except for quality, longevity, performance and resale.

And to compare, you would have had to buy a 428 CJ automatic with bias ply tires, point distributor (which you would have HAD to tune up every 2,000 miles) with a very short life expectancy to even try to compare performance. A 14 second gas guzzler. Drum brakes, terrible headlights, dangerous tires by todays standards, terrible handling, bad gas mileage and the list goes on and on. Talk about undependable! These cars were very undependable for any longer drives. Blowouts and flats were very common.

Though it may be hard to believe, but my first New Mustang was purchased almost exactly 40 years ago. It was cool and all, but not dependable and nothing like the stuff sold today. $9.250 with radio and A/C delete. Minimum wage: $3.35. $3.35x2,000 hours gives $ 6,700.

In most cases the economy and ability to get a job was MUCH WORSE. Very difficult to get a job . Today there are millions of $15/hr jobs out there with little to no experience.

So, I STRONGLY disagre that the pricing of the world class Mustang GT is over priced. Young people will spend $200 and up just for techie stuff with no issues.

Priorities are different. And, that is cultural, not the price of a car. Folks today are simply spoiled by what any car today can do. In fact compared to the 428 CJ that is lusted after, the ecoboost would run rings around it. Then, there is the gas mileage, dependablilty, longevity, resale, etc.

 

[MIDLYFE]

That's every car's problem these days. Younger people just aren't as interested in cars. The costs associated with car just aren't practical. I've heard a lot of people talk about practically having to force getting a license on their kids. Bet the new mustang has a giant ipad on the dash like the mach e and lightning. Bet it also packs all the copilot stuff too.

Yeah, the large screen obsession has to make you wonder what carmakers are compensating for. Don't be surprised if Elon goes full jumbo-tron on his next model.

 

[oneheadlite]

Only old people and sports fans watch TV at this point, so they aren't gonna lower their buyer age advertising on TV.

...wrong here.
I'm 67, I don't watch tv.
I record everything and FF thru the commercials. (sat tv)

IF a Mustang or any hotrod car commercial came on though, I'd watch it

 

[Bikeman315]

...wrong here.
I'm 67, I don't watch tv.
I record everything and FF thru the commercials. (sat tv)

IF a Mustang or any hotrod car commercial came on though, I'd watch it

i do the same thing but we do not matter to Ford. We’re not the target audience.

 

[llinthicum1]

The Mach-e is a great looking vehicle, but its biggest distraction is the huge infotainment screen or should I say that huge infotainment screen that looks like it's just hanging onto the dash. At least reduce it to laptop size, integrate it into the dash, and orient it horizontally instead of vertically. Please listen Ford!!

 

[CJJon]

I am far from a luddite, but I'd much rather have knobs, dials, and switches than a stupid ipad thing I have to swipe through. Does anyone really like the ipad controls? If so, why?

Especially so in a performance vehicle. I want to go fast, not fart around with swiping through touch screen displays trying to access things that would normally be done near instantly with dedicated buttons, switches, or dials on the dash.

All I need is an AM/FM radio and a way to connect and charge my thousand dollar telephone computer for maps and other apps. Put the damn climate controls back on the dash.

Modern design and technology, along with advances in manufacture, should have made cars relatively inexpensive, all things being equal. However, that cuts into the manufacturer's profit and best interest. So, they must come up with all manner of new things to keep justifying increasing MSRP and the consumers wanting the next new thing even if that new thing sucks in comparison.

Anyway...

 

[ICU812]

I agree. My 17yr old son is like, "a car just isn't on my radar right now. I'm ok with my bike and I get around fine." Can't say it was the same for me.

We, at least me, could buy a 100.00 car, and drive it.
No inspections, no b/s. just make sure the car stopped lights worked and horn/wipers. Today, a p.o.s. is 2500 and up. That might pass inspection. and insurance that is even more than the car.

 

[ICU812]

If Ford and other oem's want younger buyers, they need to fix the price point of vehicles a kid would want to own.
A 45-50k Sport coupe or a 65k truck isn't it.
Vehicles cost too much even used 20 year old ones.
A 20 y/o jeep that was well cared for is still 8k .
A beat one is 4k . A cell plan is 35 bucks a month.

 

[dom418]

My gut says the mustang as we know it will be vastly different when the S650 launches. It’s best days are behind us

 

[geep81]

...wrong here.
I'm 67, I don't watch tv.
I record everything and FF thru the commercials. (sat tv)

IF a Mustang or any hotrod car commercial came on though, I'd watch it

OK so you do watch TV. You pay for TV, you watch the programs, you skip the commercials. But you claim you don't watch TV. Got it.

 

[murick]

You'd think the Ecoboost would solve this issue, but unfortunately it doesn't because of the stigma. Hardly anyone will make fun of you for buying a GTI, but buy an Ecoboost and suddenly you don't have a "real" Mustang.

I believe this "looked down attitude" however is rather a consequence of Ford not understanding the perception of its own brand (as they proved later with Mach E again) than a problem with the car alone.

For me the major attributes defining Mustang are having NA 5L V8, RWD, manual trans, particular sound, two doors, is affordable (relatively speaking), and that is it.

If the car looks the same, but does not have the features noted above, it is not Mustang (I can accept an AT instead of an MT).

It does not mean the other car is worse or bad. The current BMW M4 has a similar look, manual, RWD, similar performance numbers, but I doubt many will be cross shopping between the two or suggest they are alike.

M4 might be in some characteristics actually closer to Mustang GT than Ecoboost is.

Mustang is a rare brand which is defined by its engine the same way it is defined by anything else. Having Ford telling me otherwise is hardly changing that.

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