Mustang Interior reflects trends in the industry

[Allerick]

I went to the Washington Autoshow this past weekend, and I noticed something I thought was interesting. The interior of the Mustang is often a topic of great focus. I agree with the sentiment that the outgoing model had a somewhat poor interior and that the new model is vastly improved. I think because of the American car stigma a lot of people are specifically looking for low quality parts to point out.

At the auto show I saw people tapping on the interior panels and pointing out some of the hard plastics time and time again. Even on this forum people give Ford a lot of flack for that. I honestly think it would be smart for Ford to ditch that hard plastic because of the stigma, but I think people are a bit unfair to Ford and the Mustang in this area.

After sitting in the Mustang and being very impressed, I did notice some of the hard plastics. It by no means ruined my impression of the car, but it seemed like a little reminder that this is an "affordable" sports car. I took a mental note to look and see what Ford was up against.

I sat in several different models from almost all of the major auto makers. What I observed was that, unlike what I had been hearing, Ford was not lightyears behind everyone else. I was actually greatly surprised by the amount of plastic I encountered in even Audi and Lexus! I will concede that none of the luxury brands had plastics quite as hard as some of those bits in the Mustang, but I do think that people have an unfair focus on this with the Mustang.

I didn't see anyone knocking on the door panels on anything else. There were a number of Toyotas, Hondas, Hyundais, Kias, and Subuarus that I knocked on, and many of them were much worse offenders in their use of plastics. I'm not saying that the Mustang has an interior on par with some of these $60,000 luxury sedans, but I couldn't help but feel that people were unjustly critical of it. For the price range of mid 20's to mid 30's there were not very many cars that had an interior that was on par or nicer than the Mustang.

My point is that I think people unfairly single out Ford for their use of materials in the Mustang. While I agree that this hard plastic is unappealing, the heavy use of plastics seems to be an industry wide trend based on my observations. This topic has probably been beaten to death, but I just wanted share my recent observations for those who care to read.

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[Nemesys]

There was always one particular thing I never understood. Constantly traveling I get the privilege of sitting in a lot of rentals from a LOT of different brands. Ill tell you right now, Ford has one of the best interiors in the market. Even my fiances 2010 V6 Premium interior outdoes a lot of the import rentals Ive driven. The Juke was horrible, the new Jetta has more plastic than my 2005 GT had, and I could go on and on. A lot of people are just brand loyal to whatever import/german car they like, and most are ignorant and stuck in the 90s. At the end of the day I dont care what other people think.

When I got rid of my WRX for my first Mustang I got a lot of shit for it, but it was one of the best 7 years of ownership I ever had with a car and I beat the hell out of it with a supercharger and all....not one problem.

 

[Mojo_Mike]

My previous car was a lightly optioned BMW X1. I can tell you for a fact that my EcoBoost Premium's interior is significantly nicer than the X1. I remember first getting in the 2015 and thinking, "I can't believe the interior is this good".

 

[Spartan]

68B resolves a lot of the hard plastic issues.

 

[draco24433]

I went the Washington Autoshow this past weekend, and I noticed something I thought was interesting. The interior of the Mustang is often a topic of great focus. I agree with the sentiment that the outgoing model had a somewhat poor interior and that new model is vastly improved. I think because of the American car stigma a lot of people are specifically looking for low quality parts to point out.

At the auto show I saw people tapping on the interior panels and pointing out some of the hard plastics time and time again. Even on this forum people give Ford a lot of flack for that. I honestly think it would be smart for Ford to ditch that hard plastic because of the stigma, but I think people are a bit unfair to Ford and the Mustang in this area.

After sitting in the Mustang and being very impressed, I did notice some of the hard plastics. It by no means ruined my impression of the car, but it seemed like a little reminder that this is an "affordable" sports car. I took a mental note to look and see what Ford was up against.

I sat in several different models from almost all of the major auto makers. What I observed was that, unlike what I had been hearing, Ford was not lightyears behind everyone else. I was actually greatly surprised by the amount of plastic I encountered in even Audi and Lexus! I will concede that none of the luxury brands had plastics quite as hard as some of those bits in the Mustang, but I do think that people have an unfair focus on this with the Mustang.

I didn't see anyone knocking on the door panels on anything else. There were a number of Toyotas, Hondas, Hyundais, Kias, and Subuarus that I knocked on, and many of them were much worse offenders in their use of plastics. I'm not saying that the Mustang has an interior on par with some of these $60,000 luxury sedans, but I couldn't help but feel that people were unjustly critical of it. For the price range of mid 20's to mid 30's there were not very many cars that had an interior that was on par or nicer than the Mustang.

My point is that I think people unfairly single out Ford for their use of materials in the Mustang. While I agree that this hard plastic is unappealing, the heavy use of plastics seems to be an industry wide trend based on my observations. This topic has probably been beaten to death, but I just wanted share my recent observations for those who care to read.

Thanks for the article and I agree with you. It is an affordable sports car. I love mine and couldnt be happier with the interior. One can always wish for more but I have to give credit where credit is due. BTW, this is from someone who has owned Lexus and Audi's as recent as my 2014 Lexus IS F Sport!

 

[OppoLock]

Ford did a great job of reducing the amount of hard, shiny surfaces and keeping cheap finishes to a minimum. Considering the amount of performance hardware underneath its skin and the price tag it's built to, the interior is way beyond expectations. I'm not left wanting for anything as far as materials are concerned.

Build quality isn't quite on the same level though, IMO; I'm experiencing a ton of squeaks and rattles in too many places. The aluminum IP trim rattles on both far ends until it's given a solid press inward. The soft touch center console surface that frames the front part of my cuphold squeaks unless pressed. There's a tinny rattle coming from the passenger side door.

And jesus, the passenger side rear seat squeaks like a MOFO whenever I play audio. I think it's the sub. It's terrible. I cannot use my sound system until I get this fixed.

But those assembly issues aside, the interior is a 10/10.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

68B resolves a lot of the hard plastic issues.

Agree! I love the 68B option. Makes the interior perfect.

Ford did a great job of reducing the amount of hard, shiny surfaces and keeping cheap finishes to a minimum. Considering the amount of performance hardware underneath its skin and the price tag it's built to, the interior is way beyond expectations. I'm not left wanting for anything as far as materials are concerned.

Build quality isn't quite on the same level though, IMO; I'm experiencing a ton of squeaks and rattles in too many places. The aluminum IP trim rattles on both far ends until it's given a solid press inward. The soft touch center console surface that frames the front part of my cuphold squeaks unless pressed. There's a tinny rattle coming from the passenger side door.

And jesus, the passenger side rear seat squeaks like a MOFO whenever I play audio. I think it's the sub. It's terrible. I cannot use my sound system until I get this fixed.

But those assembly issues aside, the interior is a 10/10.

Damn man. Can't believe all the noises you have. I have zero! (Besides the day my vent on the drivers door squeaked for about 10 seconds, never happened again). NThis includes driving in single digit temps where those things would really be apparent.

Hope they get it fixed for you.

 

[OppoLock]

Agree! I love the 68B option. Makes the interior perfect.


Damn man. Can't believe all the noises you have. I have zero! (Besides the day my vent on the drivers door squeaked for about 10 seconds, never happened again). NThis includes driving in single digit temps where those things would really be apparent.

Hope they get it fixed for you.

I haven't lucked out with this purchase...

1) rear passenger QP fender has a minor dent on the top of its "hip"
2) hood isn't aligned properly on the sides
3) rear glass isn't aligned properly
4) my interior noises
5) the black plastic surface that has the "50 year" placard isn't fitted properly at the seams... like it's untucked in certain parts. hard to describe

...but with all of those issues, I love the hell out of this thing and wouldn't take anything back. I can get most of these corrected.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

I haven't lucked out with this purchase...

1) rear passenger QP fender has a minor dent on the top of its "hip"
2) hood isn't aligned properly on the sides
3) rear glass isn't aligned properly
4) my interior noises
5) the black plastic surface that has the "50 year" placard isn't fitted properly at the seams... like it's untucked in certain parts. hard to describe

...but with all of those issues, I love the hell out of this thing and wouldn't take anything back. I can get most of these corrected.

Wow...at least they are minor issues.

I love this car as well. I really loved my 03 Cobra but this is in a different universe. I have the biggest smile on my face no matter what the weather is when I am out driving it:ford:

I am in jury duty this week and we got an extended lunch break. I headed to Chipotle to get my burrito in a bowl. While sitting in my car about to leave, a FedEx driver walked up and asked if this was the 2015 Mustang. That question lead to a 20 min conversation. He was in love with the car and said pictures don't do this car justice. Funny how much we have heard that being stated on this forum. He just loved the frontend.

Very nice guy. Said his buddy is the biggest Mustang fan in the world and has not had the chance to see a new '15. As he walked away he was calling his buddy to let him know he saw one.

 

[Twin Turbo]

Having only been able to sit in one S550 (an Ecoboost Premium) I have to say I was VERY impressed with the majority of the interior quality........the difference between it and my '05 GT was night and day.

My daily driver is an e46 BMW 330i and the S550 is at least equal to that. Sure, my BMW is nearly 12 years old, but the e46 interior is/was a quality one. In fact, the leather in the Mustang felt even nicer to the touch.

However, in those 12 years and 176k miles, the BMW is still creak and rattle free. Hopefully the S550 will last as well.

Ford shouldn't rest on their laurels though. Many non-premium cars have nice interiors these days, so there's no excuse any more. Hopefully Ford will continue to up the quality throughout S550's lifetime.

 

[MSamuels]

You have to wonder what kind of pansy would worry about the hardness of the interior material when theyre sitting behind a 440 horsepower V8. Thats my take ;-)

 

[Khyber]

You have to wonder what kind of pansy would worry about the hardness of the interior material when theyre sitting behind a 440 horsepower V8. Thats my take ;-)

the kind who spends $40k and doesn't want a piece of plastic on the inside. not all about the power, have to look at it and sit inside it too.

 

[Jamo]

It's cool to dis American cars and that's what all the magazines have been doing forever. I have a 98 Oldsmobile that's a great car. They hold up just as well as Hondas and are cheaper to repair. The interiors are jsut as good, too.

 

[Tamadrummer88]

You have to wonder what kind of pansy would worry about the hardness of the interior material when theyre sitting behind a 440 horsepower V8. Thats my take ;-)

Im paying about $36k for my GT when it comes. I expect that thing to be almost perfect. I could careless about the motor when there is other squeaks and rattles present.

 

[jdhbigdog]

My previous car was a lightly optioned BMW X1. I can tell you for a fact that my EcoBoost Premium's interior is significantly nicer than the X1. I remember first getting in the 2015 and thinking, "I can't believe the interior is this good".

same here.. One of the biggest reasons I went with a Ford this time.. The interior" feel" is much nicer than my GM's I've had the past few years

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