2015 Mustang Weight Gain

[KZStang]

Pound per pound is not an equal comparison. There is objectively overweight and comparably overweight and the Mustang is in jeopardy of BOTH if it puts on pounds for this next generation.

When a car starts nearing 3800lbs, every pound gained is not on equal footing as a pound gained for a 3400lbs Fusion, a 4-door that is bigger, roomier and more comfortable. At the same time, a pound gained in a FWD sedan, whose customer base cares much less about performance or aftermarket mods, is not the same as a pound gained for the Mustang, where nearly half its buyers are V8 enthusiasts, many of whom have owned or still own Mustangs that are ~1K pounds lighter than the current iteration. I patently disagree that most people won't care or notice. Lighter, more nimble, and more fuel efficient cars that are more fun to drive are beating out traditional pony cars. The market has spoken and the sales numbers have and will continue to reflect that.

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[crazyfastfreddy]

Take a break from reading so much, seriously. It's just a car....

??? the guys just giving his opinion and hes passionate like all of us. if its just a car to you, then what are you doing here?

 

[SStormtrooPer]

Take a break from reading so much, seriously. It's just a car....

Actually, it a Mustang. And it is far more than "just a car"(if it wasn't there wouldn't be the plethora of Mustang sites that we have). People have been complaining for years how bloated it has become. Have you seen the sales figures lately? You have to assume some of the drop is due to people wanting something different.

Again, look at all the chatter about weight. almost everyone wants a lighter Mustang.

There are a lot of people that with decide to buy a different "just a a car" if Ford can't get the weight issue under control.

 

[crazyfastfreddy]

Now I can understand if, after receiving various upgrades such as even larger brakes (although if the car/platform is lighter, do they really need to be bigger than the brembo option?), more safety equipment, upgraded tech etc, that the car ends up being close, or maybe weighs a touch more, but I can not fathom the car weighing more by being pound for pound similar in regards to the S197.

We all believe the 5.0 and current transmission are transferring over which would negate any weight change, the IRS is a wild card as we don't know it's official design so it could weigh more, it could weigh less, etc. So outside of optional tech features, where is this weight going to come from? With the various new technology Ford has as their disposal to make a lighter and stronger unibody, how can you justify a weight gain?

i gotta agree with this, i dont know where that extra weight would come from. what extra safety equipment are going into the car that isnt already in the 14?

a carryover of the engine is guarantee and same with tranny. the car isnt going to get longer even if it doesnt get shorter. even if its modified from a sedan platform, the s197 was also. so that leaves what, IRS? they cant find 100lbs max to take out of this car to compensate for that?

 

[Overboost]

Sir, you qouted the manual from 2012 and the Auto from 2014.

Auto for auto, 2.5 for 2.5, both Fusions weigh 3425 and 3427lbs... The 2012 was tested at 3475lbs with the 2.5 manual but had options. I posted this in another thread, I'll post it here.

The 2012 manual also came with 205's while the auto's had 215's.

(I spoke about this in this thread... The new Fusion increased in size but stayed about the same weight.

I went back and checked my info, the weight of the 2013-14 car shows 3427 lbs., no matter what the trim level. I also checked to make sure the 2012 model was an auto, it was.

You bring up a point - if things like the wheels and tires grow in size, as well as the brakes, then the weight is going to go up. You can't increase size or mass all over the car and expect to drop out 400 lbs. somewhere else. You still need four seats, and body panels all over. Someone mentioned the C7...I think it's a great example of what will most likely happen with S550.

And, for the record, I'm not a stooge, just someone who's trying to inject a little logic into the conversation.

 

[stangray11]

And, for the record, I'm not a stooge, just someone who's trying to inject a little logic into the conversation.

Sorry but putting on weight is about the least logical thing Ford could do right now. As has been said, an all-new platform is their best chance at weight loss. If they don't do it now, they are guaranteed to have a 3800 pound or heavier S550 into 2023, which the platform will likely carry through until.

With the next-gen pony car competition, with CAFE, with the industry sales trend of lighter cars beating out heavier cars, etc etc. there is nothing logical about this at all. I don't believe there is any design mistake they could make right now that would be viewed in worse light than making a heavier 2015 mustang.

 

[SStormtrooPer]

Sorry but putting on weight is about the least logical thing Ford could do right now. As has been said, an all-new platform is their best chance at weight loss. If they don't do it now, they are guaranteed to have a 3800 pound or heavier S550 into 2023, which the platform will likely carry through until.

With the next-gen pony car competition, with CAFE, with the industry sales trend of lighter cars beating out heavier cars, etc etc. there is nothing logical about this at all. I don't believe there is any design mistake they could make right now that would be viewed in worse light than making a heavier 2015 mustang.

Agree 100%.

I could understand if this was a redesigned S197, but its not -- it is a new platform for Mustang, and I have a hard time believing that Ford would put it on a heavier platform after THEY claimed for the last few years they are drastically cutting weight on their entire line-up.

What I really don't understand is why anyone would defend Ford adding weight to the car. The more people that defend what they DON'T want gives Ford more of a reason not to change it.

 

[stangray11]

Yep seriously if people are going to complain about lack of HIDs which are a relatively simple fix, people should be up in arms about this. There's little you can do about weight built into the chassis. I prefer not to be a Ford apologist. If they want an extra few thousand above the current car it better be more than just new and shiny.

 

[Diggitydog]

I am really hoping for some kind of weight reduction. My car performance is so much different when I have the 300 pounds of my family in the car. It is basically like an entirely different vehicle from an acceleration standpoint. Beyond noticeable. I have some power adders on the 3.7 liter v6. So much performance can be gained by dropping weight in addition to fuel economy I can't imagine Ford would let the Stang pork up.

 

[Overboost]

I agree, I don't want to see the car gain a pound, but it's gonna happen. If the exotic materials weren't so costly, or they didn't have a base model car to contend with, it may have been possible. I think over the campaign, the car will get lighter, but this is one of those points where you just have to deal with it.

 

[StangFX]

This better not be part of some stupid ploy to get people to buy more I4 mustangs.

And I dont even wanna know how a sub-300hp 4 cyl is going to perform pushing around an even heavier stang. Unless the car is lighter the turbo 4 is going to be a huge flop IMO.

 

[SStormtrooPer]

I agree, I don't want to see the car gain a pound, but it's gonna happen. If the exotic materials weren't so costly, or they didn't have a base model car to contend with, it may have been possible. I think over the campaign, the car will get lighter, but this is one of those points where you just have to deal with it.

We don’t even know what platform this car is on – so why would we assume that being a new platform, having fuel economy goals, performance goals, and company claims of losing weight on all models etc., that it won’t lose weight? I would have zero issue understanding weight gain if this was a refreshed S197, but it’s not.


I am not trying to get into a pissing match here, but for myself, and for most people that are talking about weight loss – this is not a “deal with it” issue. There is no excuse to have a mustang that weighs more than the larger, roomier, more optioned Fusion, and I think(and hope) Ford is smart enough to realize that.


The Mustang has been overweight(and too bloated) for a long time, since the Fox chassis IMO. I have also been holding out for the 2015 for years, as have a lot of people. Ford has huge expectations to live up to, and if they don’t with this car, they will alienate their customers. This is a different game than 2005 – they have competition now, and they can’t get away without serious change.

 

[HGFireHazard]

I agree, I don't want to see the car gain a pound, but it's gonna happen. If the exotic materials weren't so costly, or they didn't have a base model car to contend with, it may have been possible. I think over the campaign, the car will get lighter, but this is one of those points where you just have to deal with it.

How exactly do you believe that the car is going to lose weight further along in the cycle?

If the car is going to lose weight it's going to do it at the launch of the platform, before additional safety standards and technology come about.

I can see the car remaining close to weight neutral as advances in manufacturing processes of individual parts can help offset additional requirements that will inevitably add parts, or as the MSRP slowly rises maybe they can change the material of a part here and there. To think though that weight savings are going to apply further along in the cycle seems absolutely preposterous to me.

For comparison:

2005 Mustang GT Deluxe Coupe, MT:
3,450 lbs
http://autos.yahoo.com/ford/mustang/2005/gt-deluxe-coupe/specifications.html

2014 Mustang GT Coupe MT:
3,618 lbs
http://autos.yahoo.com/ford/mustang/2014/gt-coupe/specifications.html

 

[let me ride]

We don’t even know what platform this car is on – so why would we assume that being a new platform, having fuel economy goals, performance goals, and company claims of losing weight on all models etc., that it won’t lose weight? I would have zero issue understanding weight gain if this was a refreshed S197, but it’s not.


I am not trying to get into a pissing match here, but for myself, and for most people that are talking about weight loss – this is not a “deal with it” issue. There is no excuse to have a mustang that weighs more than the larger, roomier, more optioned Fusion, and I think(and hope) Ford is smart enough to realize that.


The Mustang has been overweight(and too bloated) for a long time, since the Fox chassis IMO. I have also been holding out for the 2015 for years, as have a lot of people. Ford has huge expectations to live up to, and if they don’t with this car, they will alienate their customers. This is a different game than 2005 – they have competition now, and they can’t get away without serious change.

Yeah there will definately be no dealing with it for me, I'll likely look elsewhere. IF true, this is the worst of all worlds IMO.

You lose all the purists and mustang loyalists by: offering untraditional modern styling that shares a corporate face, adding IRS (which some old school guys still complain about), AND you put on weight which people have been complaining that the Mustang needs to return to its roots for years.

Plus, you lose out on new customers since Gen Y and Europeans are more interested in lighter, smaller and more gas mileage. When you add all of this up, it just really doesn't make any sense.

 

[Diggitydog]

I'm convinced it will be lighter.

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