to you, Define what a Mustang is...

[Fly2High]

I would like to know what you feel defines a Mustang. I look back when they attempted to make the Ford Probe become the next Mustang and the community got all up in arms and Ford changed their mind.

Now with electric threatening to replace ICE, I think we are poised on another drastic change.

If you were to define a Mustang, what is it?

Is it only a drag car that has tons of hp and goes fast in a straight line?

Is it to be a track car where handling the twists and turns is more important than raw grunt but lap times mean everything.

Is it the cool family cruiser where memories are made?

Is it the hot car that has tons of theater and turns heads, sounds great? Does sound matter?

Is it the car that is has tons of modern tech that allows everyone to drive fast and controlled and sits you in comfort and luxury?


What is a Mustang to you?

What should the Mustang become?

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[Vlad Soare]

To me, the Mustang is freedom. It's the American spirit. It's good old American engineering and craftmanship. It's resistance against the cancers of today's world - eco fanaticism and political correctness. It's the resistance of the free human spirit in a world suffocated by mediocrity. It's the courage of shouting loud and clear: "fuck political correctness, fuck polar bears, fuck bearded sandal-wearing vegan eco-lunatics, I'm burning fuel and feeling good about it".
That's why the Mach-E will never be a Mustang. Putting the mustang logo on a stupid vacuum cleaner with windscreen wipers is a crime against humanity.

 

[Fly2High]

For me, a Mustang must sound deep and guttural. It has to look fast standing still. Paint needs to have depth and some metal flake or something to make the paint change color around its curves. It must look like a wild beast waiting to pounce with its muscular haunches in the ready position.

The Mustang is the every man's car. Something affordable but raw. Creature comforts are nice but not needed. This car is for driving. Soft enough to be tolerated on daily drives but made for the weekend curvy roads.

Although going fast in a straight line is a part of its pedigree, the driving experience is more important. The kids will want it to be the fastest thing in the magazines and stats will help it to be plastered on kids walls but that stop light races will bore a true Mustang fan since the car has much more personality than just going fast.

It is the car that can grow with you. It is cool to show off to the girls, sturdy to last through your early marriage and large enough to still tuck the kids in the back in its later years. All the while be loved by the family. It is also the car that will take you to the station and make you forget the hard day's work on the ride home where you will always desire to take the long way home.

Not sure it has to have a V8. To perform, and I do not just mean go fast, it needs a good size engine. Does it need a V8 to be called a Mustang? a large part of me WANTS to say yes but there is a part of me that just says that would cause it to die a slow death as environmental requirements will prevent it from existing. I will just say that I want it to have a V8 for as long as it can but I think it can still be a Mustang without one

It cannot have a lot of soundproofing. Sure, lots of refined and European cars quiet the compartment to the point you can hear a pin drop. I do not think that is a Mustang. You want and need to hear the sounds from outside. Sound proofing only removes the Mustang character from the car.

For tomorrow:

I want to keep those characteristics but I want it to become a car that can handle well. In the age where everything is fast in a straight line, I want it to become what those cars are not - nimble. Every jacked up truck and SUV can go fast but can they take a turn at speed? The Mustang was always stepping into the realm that other cars could not. In an era of big heavy cars it was born. It was a way for any man to afford a comfortable car with a little something extra under the hood to go fast when everyone else wasn't. It always gave you a thrill. After we recovered in the 80's from the late 70's gas crisis, the Fox body gave us back performance. Still not a canyon carver but light and fast enough to make all those slow 80's cars jealous. The Mustang of tomorrow need to fill the dreamer's niche. It cannot just be swallowed up in mediocrity. It must always show what a well engineered car can do more than all the others. It still needs to be surrounding a family of 4 mover.

It needs to be able to carve canyons without the need for nannies. Leave those brake dragging computers to the SUVs. The car needs to be engineered right from the start to be able to do this and not rely on nannies to get the job done.

I want a car that shows the skill of the driver. My biggest hatred of an automatic is that everyone can drive it fast. No skill needed. Push one pedal and you can repeat that performance. I want a car that shows who has the skills and who does not. I do not want it to be dangerous and I do want it to be confidence inspiring. I also want it to be able to show us who can drive and who cannot. If it has to have the nannies, turn on an ugly yellow light on top of it to show everyone that it wasn't you that drove well. It was the car and its array of computers that did the deed. The car should be nothing more than a tool that can show how good a driver you are. It should not make a bad driver good. If it can, it is leaving something on the table.

The car needs to keep the driver involved in driving. I doubt they will get rid of the automatic other than to remove transmissions all together but there needs to be an option to feel connected to the car, even if it has to be fly by wire to an automatic or DCT. I would love the Mustang to offer a manual till the end of its days but I doubt it will. Younger generations will not make that happen. As long as there is an option to require some skill to drive, I will be happy. I wonder if there are things even in an electric that could be added that will require more than just two pedals to eek out the most performance.

Since the Mustang is not a SUV or 4 door sedan it should not be held to those kinds of requirements. A sports car should fit more like a glove than a loose loafer. It needs to be an extension of your body yet have just enough room to fit 4 people so starting families can keep it in their early years. It should not be jacked up off the floor and should be slightly challenging to get into. It is for everyone but not everyone. If getting down into a slightly lower car is not your thing, then maybe you need to change to a different car. This car cares about performance. Being slightly lower to the ground helps achieve that goal.

Even though it is low to the ground, they will move the wheels to the corners and reduced the overhang to make going over speed bumps and in and out of driveways easier. No need for a long stretch in front of the tires.

Finally, I hope they offer options so that you do not need a screen and miles of wiring and can opt for a lighter weight version that has select comforts like a radio and a/c but none of the other weight wasting gadgets that just break in time. You can have the option to get them but you will also have the option, separately, to get all the performance options without them,.

 

[JohnDoe]

 

[Zelek]

2 door coupe with a V8 that sounds really good. Fast, sometimes loud, and looks good.

Most of all though, a V8.

 

[Fly2High]

2 door coupe with a V8 that sounds really good. Fast, sometimes loud, and looks good.

Most of all though, a V8.

So a Mustang is just a good looking car with a good sounding V8.

looking good is subjective. What looks good to you?

Anything else? Just curious.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Simply stated:

NOT a MACH-E
NOT a 4-door
NOT an SUV, CUV or any other “xUV”
NOT any other Ford product branded with the Mustang name or iconic Pony.

 

[Hack]

A relatively inexpensive, sporty, 2 door car with an available V8, manual transmission and rear wheel drive.

 

[Vlad Soare]

looking good is subjective.

No, it's not.

 

[Joe B.]

Simply stated:

NOT a MACH-E
NOT a 4-door
NOT an SUV, CUV or any other “xUV”
NOT any other Ford product branded with the Mustang name or iconic Pony.

A relatively inexpensive, sporty, 2 door car with an available V8, manual transmission and rear wheel drive.

...retaining enough styling cues so it's instantly recognizable as a Mustang.

 

[Zrussian13]

To me the mustang is what ever I want it to be that day. It's fun in a straight line. Great for canyon carving. Burnouts are a blast. Fun for a weekend cruise with the family. My wife loves riding in it and driving it. My oldest son is scared of death to drive it but loves riding in it. My middle son begs me to go faster every time we are driving it with out the rest of the family. My 9 month old daughter loves going for a drive with daddy because the back seat is so close it our only car that I can play with her and hand her stuff front the drivers seat. The only thing it doesnt do is fit the whole family at the same time!

 

[ValidusTalon]

To me, a Mustang is a sporty two door coupe or convertible car with styling that is directly linked to it's heritage. It is adaptable as a drag strip blaster, corner carver, or Sunday / daily driver, able to be modified and maintained by a person in their own garage. It celebrates the past while being innovative for the future...ala heated seats in a car who's interior is instantly recognizable to anyone as a Mustang. It offers options, but demands you remain engaged and actually drive it. It's a car that kids and adults alike aspire to own... have posters on their wall depicting their favorite model(s), and are excited to drive! It's the car I kept telling myself one day would be my reward for raising kids, paying mortgages, working a career, and driving the souless box I was forced into due to headcount and responsibility...

It is not another format (CUV, SUV, Crossover, Truck, Mars Lander, golf cart, vibrator, etc.), and slapping a pony on the front and tri-bar tail lights is simply insulting. Its not just another profit driven people mover, or something executives call "innovative" or "bold" to make us think they are brave rather than stupid.

I'm a supporter of technology and recognize that things must change, and electrification is they way... just don't call the damn (Mach-E) a Mustang.... an actual electric Mustang could be exciting...making another box w/the Pony logo is not.

 

[Hack]

I'm a supporter of technology and recognize that things must change, and electrification is they way... just don't call the damn (Mach-E) a Mustang.... an actual electric Mustang could be exciting...making another box w/the Pony logo is not.

I support technology and change, but people are getting way too far ahead of themselves if they think they know electric is the way. That tech isn't ready to compete with the ICE yet. Who knows whether it will ever be? There has to be a MAJOR improvement to battery technology first.

And I support choice rather than tyranny. I have absolutely no problem with electric being an option. Just don't take away the simple V8 option that I currently prefer.

 

[Zelek]

So a Mustang is just a good looking car with a good sounding V8.

looking good is subjective. What looks good to you?

Anything else? Just curious.

Something that looks aggressive, different than the rest. The S550 is certainly the most unique Mustang that has come out in a very long time that's memorable. The lines, curves, and certain colors really make the car look extremely sporty. They nailed it on the design aspect since competitors are trying to straight up copy the body (BMW).

At the end of the day, you can still easily tell it's a Mustang with a Pony on the front and the GT emblem in the back and the iconic 5.0 badges on the sides.

On a side note, there aren't many coupes that fit someone who is 6'6" and mostly legs either. The Mustang does.

 

[Zinc03svt]

Besides being a fun car it is a moron magnet. Lol.

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