Is the 2024 Mustang the last one?

  • The 2024 Ford Mustang sticks with internal-combustion-only power, with a base 2.3-liter I4 and the 5.0-liter V8.
  • The 5.0-liter Coyote enters its fourth generation with a new induction system that features dual throttle bodies and revised engine internals.
  • The new Mustang ditches the mechanical handbrake and offers a drift-inspired electronically controlled handbrake for sliding.

    The Mustang helped push Ford into the swinging ‘60s and captured the youth market’s changing demands. By 1964, consumers were looking more at styling and performance, and Ford’s Mustang helped sweep those buyers into Ford dealers en masse. While in a similar generational shake-up, Ford’s staying with the V8-powered Pony and giving fans more time with stick-shifted fun.

    This seventh-generation 2024 Mustang’s powertrains will be familiar, starting with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost I4 that is mated exclusively to a ten-speed automatic. That’s right—Ford is dropping the manual transmission from its four-cylinder Mustang, but the 5.0-liter V8 powering GT models will still get the stick. Ford claims the 5.0-liter is the most powerful Coyote to date but has yet to reveal the numbers. Considering the current Coyote generates 450 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque, a figure close to 500 hp shouldn’t be out of the question.

    As for changes over the current powertrain, the 5.0-liter V8 enters its fourth generation with a handful of revisions to make more power. The most obvious: dual throttle bodies. The 5.0-liter V8 now breathes through a pair of throttle bodies to supply more air while new camshafts make the most of the revised induction system.

    Both powertrains feed the rear axle, which can be augmented with a Torsen limited-slip differential when optioned with the Performance Pack. That pack includes MagneRide dampers, a front strut tower brace, and larger Brembo brakes. An electronic parking brake clamps the rear rotors when it’s time to park. While the parking brake has finally become electrical, Ford worked with drift legend Vaughn Gittin Jr. to develop its electronic drift brake, an option designed to give you the look and feel of a mechanical or hydraulic hand brake.

    2024 Ford Mustang interior.

    Ford

    That optional parking brake controller sits in a wholly new interior that departs from the retro styling seen in the last few Mustangs. The new interior sports a digital, 12.4-inch customizable instrument cluster that’s flanked by a 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen. These displays can relay all of the essential instrument information needed at the track, or just tell you your speed and remind you that you’re listening to your favorite podcast. Ford didn’t depart entirely from its retro roots and included a Fox Mustang-inspired instrument cluster setting.

    Aside from the drift handle and the new screens, Ford’s latest Mustang interior is supposed to look, well, modern. Base cars will see cloth seats with optional Micro Suede inserts. Premium models get an upgraded dash pad, EcoBoost models will see synthetic leather, and GT models will have leather seating. Upgrading from there is as easy as checking a box to spend more money for a compliment of color-coordinated belts, leather-wrapped steering wheels, and more.

    The revised steering system promises quicker response and a better feel. Upgraded hardware in the steering column should give drivers a better and less isolated feel for the road surface.

    As for the exterior, that’s obviously all new, designed to attract youngsters from Gen Z with its edgier approach while still looking to the past for inspiration. The three-panel tail lights and three-panel LED headlamps are unmistakably Mustang. The car looks wider at the rear than the current S550-generation car. The Mustang’s new nose helps improve aerodynamics with a redesigned splitter and hood vents. Ford notes this will still be available in coupe and convertible shells.

    Pricing is yet to be determined and will be noted closer to launch, but it's almost safe to bet this pony’s price is going up. The current Mustang will set you back at least $28,865, which might make it the last Pony under $30,000. The new '24 Mustang is going on sale next summer.

    What do you think of the 2024 Ford Mustang? Please comment below.

    Wesley Wren Wesley Wren has spent his entire life around cars, whether it’s dressing up as his father’s 1954 Ford for Halloween as a child, repairing cars in college or collecting frustrating pieces of history—and most things in between.

    2024 Ford Mustang

    Source: Ford

    DETROIT — Ford Motor has always considered the Mustang to be in a league of its own. That may soon prove true, with the seventh generation of the famed American pony car.

    The Detroit automaker on Wednesday unveiled the redesigned 2024 Mustang hardtop and convertible with two gas-powered engines. Meanwhile, the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro — the car's largest rivals — are expected to go electric in the coming years.

    Ford officials say redesigning the iconic car without any type of electrification is part of its "Mustang family" strategy that includes the all-electric Mustang Mach-E crossover that went on sale in late 2020.

    "We know customers do want that internal combustion and some of them want the electric and we offer both in that Mustang family," said Jim Owens, head of Mustang marketing, during a media briefing.

    A planned hybrid variant was scrapped, according to a report by Automotive News, likely making the Mustang the last gas-powered muscle car from the Detroit automakers — a narrowing of the segment that seemed far-fetched even a few years ago.

    2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    Source: Ford

    Dodge this summer announced its four-door Charger and two-door Challenger muscle cars would drive into the sunset at the end of next year, to be replaced by a new all-electric vehicle. Chevrolet is expected to end production of the gas-powered Chevy Camaro in the coming years as part of General Motors' plans to exclusively offer EVs by 2035.

    That means gearheads who still thirst for the roar of a V-8 engine in a sporty American coupe will have just one option: the Mustang, which has dominated in sales over the Camaro and Challenger with the current, sixth-generation car.

    Sales of Detroit sports and muscle cars have been declining for years. Mainstream two-door sports coupes such as the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro fell 32% from 2015 to 2019 — the last year of sales before automakers were stymied by ongoing global supply chain problems, including a shortage of semiconductor chips.

    "Some of our competitors are talking about not being in internal combustion engine sports car business, and what we are so proud of here today is that we are already expanding that family," Owens said.

    Owens and other Ford officials declined to comment on whether the seventh-generation Mustang would be the last to feature a traditional internal combustion engine. Ford on Wednesday also revealed a new high-performance Mustang model with a V-8 engine called "Dark Horse."

    The 2024 Mustang, which will be produced at a plant in metropolitan Detroit, will go on sale in the U.S. next summer. Ford did not announce pricing for the vehicle, but the current generation starts at $27,470.

    2024 Mustang

    The exterior of the 2024 Mustang should look familiar to fans of the car. It's an evolutionary change from the sixth-generation edition, but with characteristics that are a bit more muscular.

    "We're adding a modern edginess to heritage-inspired design," said Chris Walter, Ford Mustang design manager.

    The front and rear of the vehicle are redesigned, but the silhouette and overall dimensions of the car are similar to the current-generation Mustang, which was last redesigned for the 2015 model year.

    2024 Ford Mustang

    Source: Ford

    Both the four-cylinder and V-8 engines are updated from the current Mustang. Ford did not release performance specifications, but they'll likely be better than today's vehicles. The V-8 GT models will be offered in both manual and automatic transmissions.

    The current 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivers 310 horsepower and 350 pounds-foot of torque, while the Mustang GT's 5.0-liter V-8 produces 450 horsepower and 420 pounds-foot of torque. The top speed ranges from 121 mph to 180 mph, depending on the model.

    The most obvious changes to the seventh-generation Mustang are on the interior of the vehicle: most notably, a 13.2-inch center touchscreen and an accompanying 12.4-inch driver information cluster. The screens can be customized by owners.

    Two other new additions include an available "Electronic Drift Brake" for easier drifting and a "Remote Rev" feature with the ability for owners to rev the car's engine remotely using a key fob.

    2024 Ford Mustang

    Source: Ford

    Will this be the last Mustang?

    Ford has told suppliers it's stretching the product's lifecycle from six to eight years, all but ensuring this will be the final gasoline-powered Mustang before an expected switch to battery power around 2030.

    Will there be a 2023 Mustang?

    In anticipation of the next-generation pony car, the 2023 Ford Mustang goes largely unchanged. The 2023 Mustang bookends the fifth generation S550 chassis and an all-new S650 Mustang will go on sale sometime in the summer of 2023 with new looks, more power, and a far more technology-savvy interior.

    Is Mustang the last muscle car?

    In 2021, Ford ceded its muscle car crown to the aging Dodge Challenger, which outsold the Mustang by about 1,900 units.

    When can you get a 2024 Mustang?

    Ford says the Mustang will go on sale in the U.S. in summer 2023, presumably making it a 2024 model year vehicle. Ford's new midsize truck should arrive next year.