LA Auto Show 2011: 2013 Ford Mustang

So, I’ve already shown pictures and gone through the big changes for the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500, and now it’s time to delve into its more mass-market brother, the Mustang (and Mustang GT).  With a refresh in 2010 and new engines for the 2011 model year, the Mustang isn’t due for another big redesign until 2015.  Until then, a few minor modifications will have to suffice.  Read on for pictures and details, as well as Ford’s press release.

The Mustang team began by tweaking the front and rear ends of its already popular sheet metal.  The front end resembles the 2011 Shelby GT500, with a more shark-nosed appearance, hood bulge, and trapezoidal upper and lower grilles.  GT models, equipped with the 5.0-liter V8 keep the grille-mounted driving lights, while V6-equipped models will have to do without.  That V8, by the way, get’s a bump of 8 horsepower from the 2012 model, to an even 420, 6 shy of the Camaro SS’s output.

Out back, the taillamps have been revised, with a classic surround, evoking Mustangs from the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  Also cribbed from classic Mustangs is the blackout panel between the taillights.  Back up front, HID headlamps are surrounded by LED lighting touches, which are both functional and tasteful in appearance.

Along the new Mustang’s sides, not much has changed except for a new lineup of wheels which are displayed in the gallery below.  A neat trick is the new Mustang’s mirror-mounted puddle lamps, which display the icon running pony logo on the ground when the doors are unlocked.

Inside, the 2013 Mustang isn’t immune from the proliferation of Ford’s latest in infotainment and driver information displays.  The touch screen navigation with SYNC is still there, having made its debut in the 2010 Mustang, but now it’s been joined by an optional 4.2″ LCD screen between the speedometer and tachometer in the instrument cluster.  The LCD displays instantaneous MPG readouts, distance-to-empty, as well as trip odometers and a new functionality set Ford calls Track Apps.  Track Apps include G-forces during cornering, acceleration and braking times.  It will also display temperature readouts for the air intake and cylinder heads, as well as air-to-fuel ratio.  An updated steering wheel includes an OK button flanked by four directional buttons to scroll through the readouts on the LCD screen.

While the engines are carryover from 2012 models (save the bump in horsepower for the V8), Ford has finally equipped automatic Mustangs with a manual mode they call SelectShift.  A toggle button on the gear shift lever allows drivers to select their own gear, a feature that’s been a glaring omission from order sheets for several years.

The 2013 Mustang, with its relatively minor changes, presents a more aggressive look combined with 21st-century technology.  Hopefully for Ford, these changes are enough to boost its sales compared to Chevrolet’s Camaro, which has outsold the Mustang so far this year.

by John Suit

Source: Ford

Show Press Release