The seventh-generation Ford Mustang is expected to make its global debut in 2023 and the vehicle has already been spotted out in public doing its testing rounds.
This was, ofcourse, in a heavy disguise, but there’s no hiding the fastback silhouette and long muscular nose of this American icon.
The current-generation Mustang has been on the market for quite some time, originally being revealed to the world on 5 December 2013 and introduced to South Africa on 1 December 2015.
Following this trend, it’s reasonable to suspect that the next-generation muscle car will be unveiled in December 2023 – 10 years after its predecessor – although it could also come sooner judging from the rumours.
With the expected launch date still about a year and a half away, there’s not much information out there about this car. This hasn’t stopped curious fans from slowly finding out more, though.
Below is everything we currently know, or think we know, about the upcoming seventh-generation Ford Mustang.
Codename S650
According to MuscleCarsandTrucks, which claims to have sources deep inside Ford, the new Mustang is codenamed S650 as it will share a great deal of the current model’s underpinnings, the latter of which was called the S550.
As such, the dimensions and general shape of the vehicle are expected to be somewhat consistent across the generations, with the biggest changes coming from interior design and electronics.
Several spy shots by Motor1.com have already surfaced, and while the new Mustang is covered in thick material the rectangular grille, short overhangs, and two-door body style is reminiscent of the S550.
At the back, the new model also seems to retain the three-bar headlights, sharp horizontal tailgate, an exhaust outlet on each side, and a central triangular reflector in the rear diffuser.
Furthermore, it looks like the fuel port has moved right behind the side window on the new model, as opposed to the previous one that sat close to the taillights.
There are two fuel port cutouts on the new Ford’s camouflage, which could hint at a plug-in hybrid model that is in the works, although the manufacturer could simply have placed these here to further fuel speculation.
However, Ford did say it will have an electrified version of all its cars by 2025, so it isn’t completely out of the question, either.
Moving inside, a leaked photo by Ford Authority shows the cabin of the next-gen Mustang to be a strong departure from the outgoing version.
Gone are the dash-mounted, plastic, circular aircon vents of old – replaced with modern, angular vents that look much higher quality, at least in this image.
The steering wheel is redesigned to look more like the one in the halo-model Ford GT, too, and chrome elements are much more toned down.
Additionally, the digital driver’s display and infotainment display are now integrated under one housing, with the central screen angled more towards the driver than before.
Apart from this, the new Mustang’s gear lever, switches, cupholders, and manual handbrake do not look much different from that of its predecessor.
V8 power
Gear Patrol reported that the next-generation Mustang will be offered with the same motors as the existing model, as the advancement of internal combustion engines has taken a bit of a backseat with all the attention on electric cars.
Entry-level models will likely be offered with the 2.3-litre EcoBoost, whereas the GT specs will get the 5.0-litre, naturally aspirated, V8.
We don’t expect to see this 2.3-litre model in South Africa as it was offered in the previous generation but discontinued not long after the facelifted models went on sale.
Taking care of sending power to the rear wheels will then be a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission, similar to the current generation.
There were rumours of an all-wheel-drive specification being in the pipeline, but MuscleCarsandTrucks’ “informed” sources have debunked this, stating that at least for now an AWD Mustang is “not on the table”.
The current rear-wheel-drive V8 Mustang sprints to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 250km/h, and we expect the next model to match or beat this if it’s running on the same powerplant.
Next-gen Ford Mustang
By FordAuthority
By TheDrive.
By SteedaAutoSports
By Motor1.com
Keyword: Next-gen Ford Mustang – Everything we know so far