2009 Ford GT Mustang

[Dark02Pony]

Rumors that engineering mules of the 2009 Mustang have been testing in Arizona have recently surfaced in more than one place. Aimed to hit the market just in time for the 45th anniversary, the new 2009 Mustang has a major challenge ahead with coming competition from GM and Chrysler. The Dodge Challenger has been given the go-ahead and Camaro is a car that GM just has to build. Ford is working on a new Mustang that is planned to meet that challenge, but there are many hurdles in that. They are budget poor and as history has always shown the Mustang has had few friends in the bean counter department. So a complete ground-up re-design is out. Instead we will see a sweet evolution of the Mustang we have today, but a one that should address the weak points of today’s car and then some.

So what is the 2009 Mustang going to be? More retro? More power? A true coupe? The following words represent our best soothsaying predictions based on market knowledge, our product strategy experience, educated guessing and a little bit of rumor.

2009 Mustang Body and Exterior:

Bold. The 2005 Mustang was openly accepted by the Mustang faithful because of its heritage design , but many die-hard Ford Mustang fans often critique the current car as being a little plain and lacking excitement. Ford reads the web forums, the magazines and the tea leaves. The 2009 Mustang will be more daring and bold in its styling. We don’t look for the wheelbase and overall dimensions to change much. However more pronounced front and rear flanks combined with a proportionally smaller glass area is sure to make the 2009 Mustang look more “buff“. Retro throwback cues will continue to rule the theme of the car, but 21st century details are going to come back into the mix like projector beam headlights for example. Many Mustang pundits say the car will follow history and evolve toward a ‘69-70 Mustang look. Marketing gurus say the ‘70s are BIG with our Generation Y buyers. That is who the next Mustang needs to hook in. The 2009 Mustang will be more muscular and bolder in form and is indeed likely to take styling DNA from ‘69 to 70’s models. It will have sharper and pronounced lines that are perhaps more modern however. Up front we certainly see a more contemporary facial expression with menacing eyes. One needs only to see the Camaro and Challenger concepts from the 2006 Detroit Auto Show to see where this could be headed. Further, the notion that a full-blown notchback coupe is coming is not all that far off. The current convertible Mustang shows that the envelope can work from both a styling and packaging standpoint.


Familiar engines like the 4-valve supercharged DOHC modulars and the 3-valve 4.6 will be back for 2009. New fuel saving displacement-on-demand (DOD) technology will be new however.


2009 Mustang Engine and Drive-train:

Evolution. The new 3-valve 4.6 liter V8 will likely soldier on as the standard 2009 Mustang GT power plant. It has already proven to be a winner both on the track and on the street. What is sure to be new for Mustang is displacement-on-demand (DOD) technology that will shut down 4 of the 8 cylinders while coasting or cruising at speed. When you step on the gas, the computer will provide seamless power delivery when the full cylinder count comes back on line. Because of the added efficiency afforded by DOD, a more aggressive tune will be feasible offering up to perhaps 325-340 hp. The 4-valve version of the 4.6 and 5.4 are also likely to return in either supercharged or naturally aspirated forms for higher performance models. A 3-valve 5.4 liter V8 is also a possibility as it is less costly than a supercharged engine with similar power.

For the base power plant in the 2009 Mustang we believe the new 3.5 liter DOHC V6 built in Ohio should replace the decades-old German built 4.0 liter truck engine that the current car uses. The new 24-valve power plant offers more standard power at around 250-260 and is a far more refined and happy revving engine for the Mustang.

Will a six speed transmission ever become standard in the 2009 Mustang? Perhaps, but it is more likely to be a six-speed automatic that is available at first. Unless the competition warrants otherwise, our bet is on the 5-speed manual to stick around except on hi performance models like the Cobra. A true manu-matic sequential gearbox with shift paddles on the wheel is an expensive proposition that might be in the cards for the upper line Cobras, but we aren’t holding our breath.

2009 Mustang Chassis:

The “DEW-lite” chassis the 2005+ Mustang rides on was a significant investment for Ford even though it was derived from the existing floor pan that carried the Lincoln LS, Thunderbird, and Jaguar S-Type. Significant changes had to be made to lighten up both the weight and cost to fit within the Mustang’s needs. We see an evolution of the current chassis to continue under the new Mustang but with a few key changes. An independent rear suspension (IRS) was initially planned for the 2005 Mustang but notably missing when it arrived on the showroom floors. Why? It costs too much. While Ford has said that customers “don’t want it”, and that “it is not necessary, blah, blah”, they are well aware that the competition from GM and Chrysler are going to have it. They are aware that customers want it and that it’s a necessity to win over import buyers that would otherwise shop for a Nissan 350Z or other comparable sports cars. Thus, the next Mustang will have IRS if it is to be taken seriously among its peers both stateside and from abroad.



Left: Will Ford implement their new IRS design from the SUV lines? Right: The "My-Color" instrument panel is not coming back for a second show.


2009 Mustang Interior:

While it has earned high marks in fit and finish, design quality, and overall execution the 2005 Mustang’s interior has been much maligned for its cheap feeling hard plastics. We look for both visual and tactile improvements in the surfaces that the driver touches and has in their immediate sightlines. A new steering wheel, instrument cluster and door panels should take on a bolder more deeply sculpted theme to compliment the new exterior lines. Bolder, less retro touches with a simpler more “fun” feel will be implemented to help the 2009 Mustang appeal to a younger audience. Think of the interior in the BMW Mini Cooper S. The “My-Color” instruments will likely see the trash heap as it was a costly and unnecessary feature that in the end was more trouble for Ford than it was worth.

Summary:

Our impression at this point is that Ford will continue to develop the Mustang in ways that exceed their efforts throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s as the success of the car in the showroom has their attention. While a number of special edition Mustangs will be coming our way in the meantime such as the upcoming 2007/2008 Mach 1, the 2009 Mustang might just be the one to wait for.

Rumors of the 2009 Ford Mustang: TheMustangNews.com - 2009 Mustang

[Nite-Mare]

Cool!!

[bbunt302]

I agree that they need another re-design pretty quick. I like the 05+ style, but it is kinda plain and will probably get old fast. Plus they it'd be really nice if they could manage to shed at least a couple hundred pounds in the process. The GT500's are approaching 2 tons, which is ridiculous for a "pony" car. Not that I wouldn't kill to have one or anything...

[Kyle]

sorry, but i dont like the 05 style.................i'd drive the sketched car, but that other picture clip of the ass end on that car is fuckin ugly.



ford needs to get the people that designed the 94-04 model mustangs to design the new ones, b/c they had it with the 94-04 design

[Brent]

I don't like that at all

[Thomas91169]

eh, it needs at least 5.4L DOHC 4V to compete with the redesigned slomaro rumored at 400hp. or a base GT with the 4.6 for teh yuppies, and a higher end GT(maybe call it the GTS?) with the 5.4L. in any case, they need the 5.4L if they want to keep making the shit heavier, the measly modular just isnt cutting it in a hemi/LSx world.

but im with 04stang, they shouldve added to the 99-04 design instead of going retro. the only 05's id touch were ones created by Foose himself.

[WhiteStang99]

those certainly look exactly like the initial "05 sketches" but the article does mention that.

There's not really anything new there, at least not to me.

[Dark02Pony]

Quote: Originally Posted by WhiteStang99 those certainly look exactly like the initial "05 sketches" but the article does mention that. There's not really anything new there, at least not to me.

Just a new rear end..everything seems the same except for a chopped roof line

[Dark02Pony]

Personally i think Ford is trying way to hard to compete w/ the upcoming challenger and camaro. What they really need to do is sit down and discuss it and take their time instead of just saying " we need to be faster , we need to be faster " they need to take their time and do it right. Do it right or dont do it at all.

[I_luv_HP&trq]

I like the idea of DOD technology. I think it would be a sweet combo to throw in FI. I can picture myself cruising down the freeway and then stepping on the gas and getting 4 more cylinders pumping and a turbo sucking in air. That should throw you back in your seat. talk about an exponential hp/torque curve...

I like my style so I hope 5 years from now I can incorporate a more advanced and effiecient engine into mine and make it all work seamlessly.

[TheDad]

I agree with the posters above, that Ford might have simply taken the 99-04 design as a starting point, and improved it from there. We have an 00 V6 that is now into the low 90,000 miles, and we even went out and bought a Mini Cooper to replace it, but we just cannot bring ourselves to sell the 'Stang! We make two trips a year from PA to FL, and I absolutely love to drive that car those long distances! Frankly, we might have been better off doing that 347 stroker transplant on our 00 Stang we once planned to do, and just saved the money!

I would really like to know who the Ford marketing guys are talking to, if anybody, about the future directions for their vehicles? Did anybody go into a Ford dealership lately and stand there and look hard at what they're trying to sell? No freaking wonder they are in trouble!

HP, TORQUE, TOP-DOWN, 17s (at least), 13" brakes, that's what they should be selling!

[jimmy_beaner]

it's a sports car... stop going for the semi-sporty look... don't market it as "designed like the '69" and make it look like the damned thing. The '69 Boss is one of the sexiest cars ever put together. I don't think the 05+ looks anything like it. I don't care if it does have "modern cues".... it's ugly... scrap it. Seriously, Ford just put out the Ford GT... that's one sexy ass car, now, take some of that time and design a GOOD looking Mustang.

[DarkShadow]

The `05's suck, and their whole body style needs to be scrapped. They won't do this though I'm sure. I think if they do something like they did with the transition from the `98's to the `99's, that may possibly work as a band aid until they get the guts to completely redo it. They had better not put an IRS in it though unless they do it right. The stock Cobra IRS won't cut it, it's good if you upgrade some of the parts, but that shouldn't have not have been left up to the owner, it should come that way from the factory. I'm sure the supercharged 5.4 will stay in a Cobra model, and the 4v 4.6 will be the new GT engine. It will be interesting to see how the new DOHC v6 will be.

[tedness]

the back of that concept looks like a crossfire. and i agree that they didn't have to make it weigh so much. much of it is in the bodywork too. yes it makes 300hp, but it doesn't exactly balance the added 300-400lbs of weight. now if it weighed as much as the sn95 and generated that 3v all motor hp it might be different.

i can't really see them doing too much to change the s197 design either in the next few years of production, except maybe introducing something else along the lines of the mach or something.

[Rick0636]

I guess you either like the new body style or you don't, I love it.

[SpectorV]

ford has yet to compete with GM in the HP race (other than the 03/04 cobra and the new shelby cobra) they dont have to... so they wont.

[dark]

Quote: Originally Posted by SpectorV ford has yet to compete with GM in the HP race (other than the 03/04 cobra and the new shelby cobra) they dont have to... so they wont.

gm's engines are a liter+ bigger. more displacement = more power = more fuel usage