Why did Ford rush the 2018 facelift?

[Airborne5.0]

Correct me if I m wrong but the 18+ came with the gen 3 engine, the new 10 speed trans as well as other upgrades. All of this warranted an upgraded fresh look, and as others have stated 2-3 years isnt unheard of.

I dont agree with you saying "as a 17 owner its unfair". No one forced you to purchase a 17 model, and some research prior could have lead you to info that a refresh is coming. Its like anyone who buys a charger in the next little bit. We all know they will be refreshing the charger and challenger soon enough, so do the research and be confident in your buy!

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[LSchicago]

Correct me if I m wrong but the 18+ came with the gen 3 engine, the new 10 speed trans as well as other upgrades. All of this warranted an upgraded fresh look, and as others have stated 2-3 years isnt unheard of.

I dont agree with you saying "as a 17 owner its unfair". No one forced you to purchase a 17 model, and some research prior could have lead you to info that a refresh is coming. Its like anyone who buys a charger in the next little bit. We all know they will be refreshing the charger and challenger soon enough, so do the research and be confident in your buy!

And then there's the "never buy a first year car, always wait a year or buy the last year" crowd. I had no interest in the 15-17 Mustangs. Seeing the 18, and learning about all the improvements sold me one.

 

[MidwayJ]

Yes my 2016 has that catfish look to its front but its clean and classic without all those creases that are in the 2018 update which I don't like at all but that's just my opinion.

2018 facelift shown below...

Funny, I've always thought the 2018+ looks more like a catfish because of the "fins." They got rid of them with the Mach 1. Looks much better.

 

[Semp1]

Funny, I've always thought the 2018+ looks more like a catfish because of the "fins." They got rid of them with the Mach 1. Looks much better.

I’m going to say that’s probably what the 2021 ecoboosts and GT will look like too. Similar to a Bullit that will be the front end most likely for the new models across the board. Not just a Mach1 “fix”

 

[Bikeman315]

I’m going to say that’s probably what the 2021 ecoboosts and GT will look like too. Similar to a Bullit that will be the front end most likely for the new models across the board. Not just a Mach1 “fix”

Nope. No body changes for the regular MY21 models.

 

[LSchicago]

I’m going to say that’s probably what the 2021 ecoboosts and GT will look like too. Similar to a Bullit that will be the front end most likely for the new models across the board. Not just a Mach1 “fix”

That would've been nice. As much as I like the 18-20 front ends, I think the 2021 front side vents really look great.

 

[Semp1]

Nope. No body changes for the regular MY21 models.

I’ve seen no confirm to that. I just can’t see Ford making multiple bumpers. Grilles and rear diffusers get changed. Chin spoilers and splitters and humors usually are shafted. Easy replacements. Let me get a link with that confirm please.

 

[Bikeman315]

I’ve seen no confirm to that. I just can’t see Ford making multiple bumpers. Grilles and rear diffusers get changed. Chin spoilers and splitters and humors usually are shafted. Easy replacements. Let me get a link with that confirm please.

Checkout the order guide in the pricing sub forum. All changes for 2021 are listed there.

 

[Semp1]

Checkout the order guide in the pricing sub forum. All changes for 2021 are listed there.

I don’t necessarily think the front fascia would be listed. We shall wait and see.

 

[NotagainV2]

OP hit his head really hard.......

 

[axios]

When it comes to proportions, headlights on the refresh sit too low (for my taste), which in turn makes the hood look inflated. On the other hand, the original shark/fist hood design is also a bit bulky. GT350's front end is the most proportional/functional looking design IMO.

 

[3rdRGR]

Anyone else think the facelift was rushed way too much? After 3 years, the styling of the Mustang was fine, and the facelift did absolutely nothing for sales other than hold them steady for a couple of years. Personally, I'm not a fan of the facelift at all, but regardless of whether or not you like it, it can't be argued against that it creates an unfair balance in favour of the facelift model, which will now be on the market for 5 years, vs. 3 years for the pre-facelift. In the past, Ford always let their models run for much longer before making sheetmetal changes, such as the 94-98 Mustang, where only the tail lights were changed, and the 99-04 saw no body changes for 6 years. As an owner of a 2017 model, I feel it's a bit unfair that Ford changed the styling so soon, as we are now seen as having outdated cars (even though they look better!).

I like the front end on the pre-18's better, but I like the engine and exhaust upgrades on the 2018's better. I think because they were doing so much on that front, they felt they had to make an appearance change along with it. Not saying it's right or wrong to do it, perhaps just a reason why. I too dislike the faux vent areas, and was enough for the longest time for me to not look at them as a serious option. Then came the Roush inserts and poof, it made the front end great again! It's amazing how much filling in those weird pockets improves the styling IMHO. As to having an "outdated" car... meh it's yours dude freaking enjoy it. I doubt anyone at the gas station is going to go... couldn't "pony" up for the 2018+ eh... If you want to get the newer model, then trade to it, but do yourself a favor and put those Roush pocket kits in!

https://ffperformance.co/product/ro...6PlOV9MHHvBPAIWnRJKum_84yPscVJARoCRdcQAvD_BwE

(Not recommending the Vendor as I know nothing about them, just found the pics quickest here).

 

[LSchicago]

I like the front end on the pre-18's better, but I like the engine and exhaust upgrades on the 2018's better. I think because they were doing so much on that front, they felt they had to make an appearance change along with it. Not saying it's right or wrong to do it, perhaps just a reason why. I too dislike the faux vent areas, and was enough for the longest time for me to not look at them as a serious option. Then came the Roush inserts and poof, it made the front end great again! It's amazing how much filling in those weird pockets improves the styling IMHO. As to having an "outdated" car... meh it's yours dude freaking enjoy it. I doubt anyone at the gas station is going to go... couldn't "pony" up for the 2018+ eh... If you want to get the newer model, then trade to it, but do yourself a favor and put those Roush pocket kits in!

https://ffperformance.co/product/roush-performance-2018-2020-ford-mustang-gt-ecoboost-fascia-corner-pocket/?utm_source=Google Shopping&utm_campaign=Google Feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=22944&utm_term=&utm_campaign=FF+Performance+Smart&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=4317643537&hsa_cam=9095862450&hsa_grp=100329170628&hsa_ad=413975218314&hsa_src=u&hsa_tgt=pla-312835479780&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=CjwKCAiA_eb-BRB2EiwAGBnXXiJJbF2Ss4I7W3O6B8oJkK6PlOV9MHHvBPAIWnRJKum_84yPscVJARoCRdcQAvD_BwE

(Not recommending the Vendor as I know nothing about them, just found the pics quickest here).

I believe the front end was changed to meet worldwide safety standards. Less hood flutter is a nice benefit too. To me the 2018 up front ends are more aggressive or mean looking.

 

[Fly2High]

Lol this thread. No rando who likes the look of mustangs will ever say which one is nicer looking between the 2, most won't even realize there is a difference.

As for the mechanical updates it literally boils down to A10. 460hp? sure a bit more (excluding the e85 tunes). DI? Meh. A10? yea that is what set it apart. Don't believe me? Go look for all the interesting 18+ stick record threads from all that extra power lol. The PP2 though is a great package but not as easily found

I am curious as to what updates are in the future for the A10. What comes next? Maybe not more gears but maybe DCT, more advanced converters?

The mach 1 will be tempting. That fighter jet gray with orange accents looks pretty slick

I find mine out front every morning

 

[Fly2High]

They killed the gearing ratios. If you put a shorter rear end in them, they book. I'm partially convinced they did it to help save MT-82 warranty claims, with the official stance being fuel economy, lol. Or maybe they wanted to help us not crash so often. Either way, with real gears the gap is far closer between the A10 if you can drive.

You're underselling the advantage of the DI system though. You can run E85 with no additional hardware, and pick up a LOT more power than the older cars with a tune and some corn. These cars are absolute NA monsters on E85. Of course, the trade off is all the ticking and knocking that makes it sound like your car is broken in the drive thru.

I think these debates are always amusing though. Both cars look good to me, I just like the refresh more, mainly because of the updated hood line and those fantastic LED headlights. But we all will keep fighting until the next refresh comes out, and then those owners will tell us our cars are ugly in comparison. Can't wait lol

no they won't. They will be over in the mustang7g forums. We'll still be in the mustang6g

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