Ford has taken the wraps off the 2018 Mustang facelift. It now gets a new 10-speed automatic gearbox, which is available with both the 5.0-litre V8 and the 2.3-litre Ecoboost engines.
The carmaker claims the new gearbox will improve shift times over its predecessor and offer different settings for the three drive modes. It’s controllable with paddle-shifters, too.
The front and rear styling of the new Mustang have been tweaked, which, according to Ford, offers aerodynamic benefits. It also gets three new paint colours, all-LED headlight clusters, and a digital dashboard that replaces the dials of the outgoing model. The carmaker earlier showed the same function in the GT supercar, with a similar level of personalisation features on the Mustang.
Under the skin, Ford has upgraded the shock absorbers, claiming an improvement in ride quality, and has also fitted a new cross-axis joint and tweaked the stabiliser bars. All of these are claimed to improve handling.
Additionally, buyers who pick the Mustang Performance Package will now benefit from Ford’s MagneRide adaptive dampers. The exhaust note can also be improved by adding the active valve exhaust option.
The facelifted Mustang also receives pre-collision systems and pedestrian detection. Tech upgrades, in the form of a memory function on the car’s computer system, can save preferred drive settings, including tweaks made to the steering and suspension.
The 5.0-litre V8 has been tweaked to rev higher, and deliver more power at high revs. Ford also claims that better fuel economy has been achieved and clutch tweaks for the V8’s six-speed manual gearbox also increase torque.
Ford has also made its FordPass smartphone app compatible with the Mustang, so owners can unlock, lock, find and start the car with their phone.
An international launch for the facelifted Mustang isn’t expected until the beginning of 2018.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Suraj Viswanathan
