2024 Ford Mustang
It’s never easy making over an icon. Just ask Chris Walter, the lead stylist for the 2024 Ford Mustang. The “pony car” will soon celebrate its 60th anniversary, a makeover the automaker calls “all-new.” That’s a bit of a stretch as the seventh-generation Mustang retains the outgoing model’s platform and exterior dimensions. The two engine options offered at launch are essentially the same as well. And when it comes to exterior styling, Walter’s team opted for an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary approach. A recipe for disappointment? Not in the least. The changes made are precisely what’s needed, delivering better performance and handling and the sort of tech updates that younger buyers crave.
Subtle exterior updates yield a sleeker, more elegant look, with wider haunches enhancing its muscularity. The interior, however, really is all-new—and decidedly more modern. The long-lived “double-brow” instrument panel is replaced by large twin digital displays that are easily reprogrammable and adopt a unique look with each of the Mustang’s individual drive modes. There are plenty of USB ports and the pony car now gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with an array of advanced driver assistance systems, such as automatic emergency braking.
At launch, it will offer three versions: the EcoBoost (starting at $30,920), the GT ($41,495) and the truly all-new Mustang Dark Horse ($57,970). Buyers also get a choice of coupe or convertible, along with either a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic.
In years past, base models were often derided as “secretary cars,” all show, no go. No longer. The fourth-generation 2.3-liter turbo-four EcoBoost engine pumps out 315 hp and 350 lb-ft of tire-spinning torque. The new GT’s updated 5.0-liter V-8 punches the numbers up to 480 hp and 418 lb-ft, with the Dark Horse at an even 500 hp.
Tested for several days in the Los Angeles suburbs, including the winding Angeles Crest Highway, the 2024 Mustang felt truly new with handling in line with more expensive European sports cars. An optional Drift Brake can make for real fun on a track.
With Chevrolet killing off the Camaro this year, while Dodge’s Challenger and Charger head off into the sunset, Mustang is a survivor of a cherished era in American automaking.
