Leaked! This is (Almost Definitely) the 2015 Ford Mustang: Exclusive 360º View and Full Details!

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All the dirt on the 2015 Mustang that Ford doesn't want you to know. And yes, it still has those nifty sequential turn signals.

• October 2013
• BY MULTIPLE AUTHORS
• MULTIPLE PHOTOGRAPHERS
• ILLUSTRATION BY NICK KALOTERAKI

 

From the December 2013 Issue of Car and Driver
In a nation obsessed with the right now, few things have held up over the past 50 years as well as the Ford ­Mustang. The first pony car debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and instantly became a tent pole of Americana. Before the model officially turns 50 on April 17, 2014, Ford will celebrate its lasting ­contribution to the postwar-boom culture with a brand-new, much anticipated Mustang.
But the times, they are a changin’ (yep, a song also released in 1964). Ford’s American icon continues to gain offshore admirers. The Blue Oval plans to sell the next Mustang globally, and to appease overseas buyers, the car will need to be lighter and more efficient. But that’s not to say that traditional fans will be disappointed.
Bodywork
While the new Mustang will keep the somewhat hefty proportions of its predecessor, exterior dimensions will shrink ever so slightly. It will also cease to have stand-alone styling within Ford’s lineup. A number of design cues will evoke the familial design language pioneered by the Fusion, and the Mustang’s new front end clearly has been influenced by the brand’s Evos concept from the 2011 Frankfurt show.
The car’s headlight motif joins the rest of the Ford family, but the upright grille remains Mustang-esque. It makes subtle use of the brand’s current Aston Martin-via-Dearborn mouth while still maintaining an appearance that’s unflinchingly pony car. The design proc­ess has taken longer than the folks at Ford would’ve hoped, we’re told, after the initial proposal was rejected for not being Mustang enough. We imagine that it was a little too Euro-soft, a little too much like the Evos.



In the final shape, a pair of large vents resides on the front of the hood, creating the appearance of flared mustang nostrils that hint at the power lurking beneath. The rear window features a sort of widow’s peak extending from the roof, à la the SRT Viper, and the side windows feature a more ­cohesive shape—as opposed to the quarter-windows separated by fat B-pillars on the current car—with an upward kink that resembles the new Corvette’s treatment.
Interior
Retro is not completely dead in the new cockpit, either. Two large, tubular gauges will continue to sit in front of the driver as they do today, and circular air vents will reside atop the center stack, flanked by a rectangular duct at each end. The upper portion of the dashboard will be canted forward and have dual cowls, another cue from the Mustang museum.
The center stack will offer either traditional stereo and HVAC controls or the MyFord Touch do-everything touch screen, available for the first time in a Mustang. After taking a drubbing in customer-satisfaction surveys, Ford is emphasizing the evolution of the MyFord Touch interface. The next-gen system debuts in the Mustang, offering redundant buttons and switchgear for those who prefer to handle real controls instead of virtual ones. The changeable ambient lighting continues, but it will spread beyond the dials, cup holders, and speakers to other points within the cabin, something also found in European luxury cars like the new S-class.
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2015 Ford Mustang spy photos Carry-Over Powertrains
At launch, the Mustang will be available with the same engine options offered by the current Mustang: a naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V-6 and the “Coyote” 5.0-liter V-8, each with the same power ratings as the Mustangs on showroom floors today (305 and 420 horsepower, respectively). Transmissions, too, will carry over at the outset, with shoppers given a choice of a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. That will change in the two to three years after launch, when the 10-speed auto being jointly developed with GM will replace the six-speed slushbox.
However, the Mustang’s 2015 model year will be a long one—as was 1965—and thus, Ford will offer powertrain upgrades in the months after its launch. Updates to the V-6 will be minimal, but we understand that the GT-badged “five-oh” will jump to 500 horsepower.
Turbo-Four Cafe Special
Sometime after the new Mustang reaches dealer lots, we will begin to see interesting underhood options. With European and federal fuel-economy standards in mind, Ford will introduce the first turbo­charged four-cylinder Mustang since the 1986 SVO model. And the engine will be the same size, 2.3 liters, as that car’s four-banger. It’ll generate 310 horsepower with direct injection, and it will be marketed as an uplevel alternative to the base six. Its premium should be justified not only by its expected mileage gain but also by its high, flat torque curve.



Ford is also considering offering the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 found in the Taurus SHO. Tuned to churn out 400 horsepower (up from the 365 it makes in the SHO), this engine could potentially replace the 3.7-liter V-6 and serve as a natural steppingstone between the turbo four and the Coyote. The EcoBoost V-6 is unlikely to appear in the Mustang’s engine bay before the 2017 model year.
A Stable Full of Wild Horses
Ford has many plans for ultra-high-performance Mustangs. The first will be a successor to the Shelby-branded GT500, and the company will continue to offer Ford’s “Trinity” supercharged 5.8-liter V-8 making 662 horses. Past the new-gen Shelby GT500, Ford has additional powertrain options for two more hi-po nameplates.
The first is a twin-turbocharged V-8, code-named “Voodoo,” which displaces between 5.0 and 5.5 liters and, most intriguingly, has a “flat-plane” or 180-degree crankshaft, as Ferrari has used in its V-8s since 1973. This configuration, also found in the late Lotus Esprit V-8, is akin to connecting two four-cylinder banks to a common crankshaft. Flat cranks theoretically improve power, throttle response, and the soundtrack at the expense of greater vibration. This EcoBoost V-8 will produce between 550 and 600 horses. It will power a Shelby GT350–branded model that eventually will take over from the GT500, as Ford is desperate to discontinue that car’s costly and thirsty Trinity.
The last high-performance Mustang will be a successor to the Boss 302. What will power it is still not finalized. If all goes according to plan, Ford would like to use a naturally aspirated version of the Voodoo engine. However, initial testing has not yielded the desired results in Dearborn, and it’s possible that a hotted-up version of the 5.0 Coyote could be used—as was the case in the previous Boss.
Chassis
The introduction of an independent rear suspension, not seen in Mustangdom outside of the 1999–2004 SVT Cobra, will improve handling, ride comfort, and packaging. This should address some key Mustang criticisms and lend it credibility when taking on its European contemporaries in markets where the pony-car genre isn’t sustained by nostalgia and cheap fuel, as it is here. A new platform—code-named “S550”—will underpin this new Mustang, and through that architecture, Ford is expecting to shed some 200 pounds from the current car’s roughly 3500-pound curb weight. View Photo Gallery
PHOTOS (109)

 

It still looks like a mustang, which is good. However it has a little twist to it that sets it apart at the same time. I think I like it. And the fact that the new one will have an independent rear suspension...this could be one heck of a car. I however am really interested in seeing what dodge brings in 2015. They have already confirmed that the SRT8 challenger will be going away (if not the whole challenger lineup) and the Cuda will make a return. When my mom got rear ended in her challenger we went to the dealership and talked about trading it in and getting a new challenger. However the guy told us that in 2015 dodge will be getting rid of the challenger and making a few changes to the body and bringing back the Cuda. Dodge hit the nail on the head with the Challenger, so I can't wait to see the Cua.

 

Thanks for being the 1st to post & I'm happy that the race is on & auto companies are still designing & making performance `rides..

2015 SRT Barracuda: the rumored SRT/Dodge muscle car

renderings by suzq044, phantomex, Hemiman876

For over a year, sources have talked about a new mid-sized rear-drive car for Dodge and Alfa Romeo. The “D-RWD” platform would give Dodge a muscle car sized against the Camaro and Mustang, while bolstering Alfa Romeo credibility with a car worthy of the name. D-RWD is a joint project, centered in Auburn Hills, with embedded Fiat/Alfa engineers.
The new cars appear to be “CUSW compliant,” with most of the same hard points as the Dodge Dart. It could, in theory, be built on the same line as Dart or 200 replacement.

The original plan, later confirmed by Ralph Gilles, was to create a 2014 Barracuda SRT8 based on the new Challenger. That plan was dropped, though its 6.2 liter supercharged Hemi, rated at 600 hp or more, remains. The 2015 Dodge Challenger is said to be moving to a modified platform, coded LA, so it can use the 6.2 Hemi and 8-speed.
The 2015 SRT Barracuda seems to show up on Chrysler’s long-term plans as a separate new model. Sergio Marchionne said that the only way they could afford to do the planned Alfa mid-sized, rear-wheel-drive car was to do a Dodge at the same time.

Any 6.2-equipped car will cost much more than the 6.4 SRT cars. By looking at Mustangs of the similar power, one can see the 6.2 Barracuda at over $60,000 (which may mean “over $70,000”).
Now come the big questions: will this car be produced as a Dodge and an SRT, or just as an SRT? And will it really be called Barracuda?
A new D-segment, rear wheel drive 2015 Dodge Barracuda or 2015 Dodge Avenger would give Dodge cars a natural size range: Dart, Avenger/Barracuda, Challenger, Charger. It would also help amortize the work done on the new design across hundreds of thousands of additional cars. Our speculation was confirmed when Sergio Marchionne said that yes, the Alfa would be made possible by having a Dodge counterpart. (He did not mention SRT.) Thus, the Dodge, presumably with a standard Pentastar V6, is a given.
As for the name — In June 2013, we were told that the name Barracuda had been dropped, after enthusiasts were less than enthusiastic about re-use of the name by Dodge, on a car that bore little outward resemblance to the original; we expect Avenger to be revived instead. Indeed, it’s possible that some form of Avenger will be produced until the new cars are ready.

In 2012, we were told that Barracuda styling was already in progress, with inside reports saying it was much more modern than the Challenger, with only a few “Barracuda cues.” In April 2013, we were told that some body parts were being made for testing.

The original Plymouth Barracuda was not a muscle car at first; a Valiant with a fastback rear, Barracuda was praised for its fine “European style” handling. Some critics said the Formula S version could beat comparable German cars on twists and turns. In 1970, the name was moved over to a brand new car, largely so Plymouth could stuff the big 440 and 426 Hemi engines into it; ironically, the Plymouth Duster, which had the same formula as the older Barracudas, was a major sales success... with nothing larger than a 340 under the hood.

Click here to see more speculative renderings.






E-Body Barracuda • 2014 Challenger • 2015 Challenger? • Our 2015 projections


Original is at 2015 SRT Barracuda: the rumored muscle car 2015 SRT Barracuda: the rumored muscle car
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From the side the front looks like a Charger

 

Details Surface: Chrysler Readying SRT Barracuda to Succeed Challenger

The Pentastar's performance brand will get a second model.





Not much about the 2013 Viper deviates from the formula that made the car famous—it has a monstrous V-10, rear-wheel drive, and a manual transmission, and it still looks ready for a 10-on-1 bar fight. Branding it not a Dodge but an SRT, however, has raised eyebrows. Giving that new brand heft is a ­second model: the 2015 SRT Barracuda, the Dodge Challenger’s replacement.
Unlike the Viper, it will be a dramatic departure. Chrysler’s LX platform (Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and Charger) benefited from front and rear ­suspension setups derived from the Mercedes-Benz S- and E-class, respectively, but it’s huge for a pony car. Since the Challenger’s inception, the LX has evolved into the LY and gained weight in the process. Now that it’s part of Fiat, Dodge would like to export Challengers, but their mass and zaftig proportions limit overseas sales potential. With fuel economy a growing ­priority—not to mention four-cylinder versions of both the Mustang and Camaro on the horizon—Chrysler needed to slim down its offering. Fortunately, Fiat has been on the prowl for a rear-drive platform for use by Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and possibly Maserati. These factors motivated Chrysler to develop a new platform, and the Barracuda will be its first fruit.




Similar in size to the current Mustang, the Barracuda is expected to lose more than six inches from the Challenger’s wheelbase and close to eight in overall length. Rear track and overall width are forecast to shrink by a bit more than two inches. Weight will drop by between 250 and 300 pounds. The front suspension may move from control arms to a strut setup; the rear suspension will remain multilink, with new geometry.
Mindful of tightening CAFE requirements, power­train offerings will expand to include at least one ­variant of the new 2.4-liter Tigershark inline-four, possibly force-fed. While the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 is expected to get direct injection at about the time the ’Cuda arrives, CAFE more than market demand will determine whether a V-6 is offered. Expect the Hemi V-8 to carry on, with direct injection increasing power and efficiency. We hear it’s unlikely that both the 5.7- and 6.4-liter versions will be offered but hope Chrysler reverses its thinking there. Two Hemis would go a long way toward cementing the SRT brand’s authenticity.

 

• 2016 Chevrolet Camaro: Smaller and Lighter? Look Out, Next-Gen Mustang - Future Cars

WHAT IT IS: The classic all-American four-seat performance coupe. A convertible is also a certainty. The sixth-generation model will draw inspiration from the Euro-styled second-gen Camaro RS (1970–1981).

WHY IT MATTERS: Today's model has thrived as a roomier, more affordable alternative to the Corvette, and as a source of pride to the haters of  Ford, Dodge, and imported rear-drive coupes.

PLATFORM: The Camaro moves to GM's Alpha component set (Cadillac ATS and other future GM models) to save significant weight and cost.

POWERTRAIN: Expect eight-, six-, and four-cylinder offerings, the last to fulfill rising mpg obligations while fighting a growing list of four-cylinder-equipped foes, including the SRT Barracuda, Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S, Ford Mustang, and Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

COMPETITION: See above.

WHAT MIGHT GO WRONG: GM designers could misinterpret Camaro's thin sales lead over Mustang and neglect critically needed interior upgrades.

ESTIMATED ARRIVAL AND PRICE: Late 2015 as a 2016 model, with a base price in the mid-$20,000 range.

 

If this is what the 2015 is going to look like, sign me up! This is exactly what I imagined. Smaller, lighter, sleeker...








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I'm still on the fence about the '15 Stang - I guess I have to see it in person.