A new volume knob on the radio
represents big news to Mustang loyalists, and so we are preparing for a virtual
meltdown in the online Mustang community. Ford is debuting the 2013 model at
the Los Angeles auto show this
week before the car hits dealerships in early 2012, and it has undergone some
significant changes.
Most important
for aesthetes, the Mustang gets a nose job. There's a
more-prominent grille, an aggressive front splitter, new headlights with
outboard LED light pipes, and a new hood with functional heat extractors. The
rocker panels are now body color, and out back, the signature sequential
taillamps also are ringed in LED light "ropes," with the lenses
themselves tinted. A gloss-black panel spans the width of the rear and
encircles both taillights. Also look for new wheel designs in 17-, 18-, and
19-inch sizes, including mean-looking gloss-black 19s only available on the GT.
Two new paint colors join the lineup for 2013: Deep Impact Blue and Gotta Have
It Green, and those with the itch for kitsch will be thrilled with the
inclusion of "pony projection lights" that cast the Mustang logo on
the ground below the mirrors when the doors are unlocked.
Inside, the Recaro front seats currently found inside the GT500 and theBoss 302 are available on the rest of the lineup, too,
with either cloth or leather upholstery. Thankfully-and unlike most recently
refreshed Ford products-the Mustang does not adopt
Ford's maligned MyFord Touch controls. Its infotainment system does incorporate
a version of Ford's Sync system, however, which is operated via steering-wheel
controls and spoken commands. Two new sound-system upgrades also are available
for 2013.
Even bigger news is the addition of a new Track Apps option for
versions of the V-6, GT, and Boss 302 that are equipped with the Premium
package. Like the Performance pages offered on Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep SRT8s
but with richer presentation, Track Apps shows various performance data on a
digital display tucked in the IP. Specific screens present acceleration times,
lateral-acceleration information, and braking performance.
And of Course, More Power
Ford claims that lessons learned during the development of the
Boss 302 allowed engineers to squeeze a few more ponies out of the GT's
5.0-liter V-8. The new total: 420, up from 412. Buyers who option their
Mustangs with automatic transmissions can now shift gears manually, but we
don't know why they would. Shifts are actuated with a button on the shifter,
rather than by slapping the shifter around or pulling on paddles behind the
steering wheel. In manual mode, the automatic won't upshift at redline, but we
hardly care, given that the manumatic function as a whole seems utterly
unsatisfying.