Philippine Daily Inquirer Digital Edition

AMERICAN ICON

WORLD WELCOMES ARRIVAL OF SEVENTH GEN, MOST POWERFUL MUSTANG EVER

By Jong Arcano

Call it a Top Gun hangover but there is no way you can get someone to feel the ultimate meaning of speed than seating him on the cockpit of a fighter jet.

With that probably in mind, the designers of the all-new Mustang created what could be the coolest feature of the iconic sports car that was launched recently in Detroit, Michigan: the digital display of the cockpit is inspired by a fighter jet.

Aren’t Maverick and his devil-may-care Top Gun pilots still in our senses?

The seventh chapter of the storied American pony car flaunted as the most powerful Mustang ever with a V8 engine and 480 horsepower gives you the feel of a pilot on the wheel with unique features that include a 13.2-inch display forming part of a large curved screen that extends over the center stack area. It also boasts a segment-first electronic drift brake and a new Remote Rev feature that provides the ability to rev the car’s engine remotely using just the key fob.

While turning on the engine remotely may have already become passe, revving the engine for everyone to hear its loud grunt is certainly new.

For the Mustang’s first iteration in eight years, it will be offered with a 5.0-liter V-8 and an updated turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost choice of engines available either on a six-speed manual and 10-speed automatic for the Mustang’s hardtop coupe and soft top convertible bodystyles.

“We knew what customers wanted and designed the most digital Mustang ever while retaining the all-important driver-focused cockpit,” said Ricardo Garcia, Ford interior design manager. “Removing some of these physical buttons, such as radio and climate control, and integrating them into a digital display was popular in research with Millennials, Gen-Z and traditional Mustang drivers alike.”

Working behind the concept of a baby boomer coming of age, engineers pieced together the puzzle of the newest Mustang to achieve a look that will appeal to a new generation of buyers while keeping the charm that has made it a global pop culture icon and the best selling sports coupe in the world for seven consecutive years.

The fact that the the 2023 Ford Mustang basically kept the same underpinnings as today’s model is overwhelmed by massive changes in the cabin, exterior features that even millennial car enthusiasts can relate to and a major bump on its engine that make it the most powerful Mustang ever.

“This is the most athletic and confidence-inspiring Mustang EcoBoost and GT to drive yet,” said Ed Krenz, Ford Mustang chief nameplate engineer. “Whether driving an automatic or manual transmission, thanks to drive modes combined with fine-tuned digital engine, suspension and steering controls, we’re now able to give drivers peak performance everywhere, from their favorite roads to their local track.”

To top it all, Ford also unboxed during launch night a performance series racing car with 500 horsepower called Mustang Darkhorse that sent the speed fanatics among its legions of followers roaring in approval.

Adding to the big revelations was Ford’s much-awaited return to the gruelling 24hour Le Mans endurance race. It was Ford executive chair Bill Ford who made the bold announcement, saying ““Mustang is raced at all the great tracks around the world, but there is no race or track that means more to our history than Le Mans. It’s where we took on Ferrari and won in the 1960s and where we returned 50 years later and shocked the world again.”

The new Mustang will race in the 2024 model GT3 class.

Ford was among the many company dignitaries who graced the grand welcome for the all-new Mustang at a makeshift amphitheater, a short distance away from the venue of the Detroit Auto Show.

The big welcome aptly called the Stampede created a party-like atmosphere with hundreds of Mustang owners all over America in attendance, showing off their prized possessions, evoking the wonderful memories of yesteryears especially in the movies like Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, and the James Bond series Goldfinger, and Diamonds Are Forever where the Mustang was immortalized.

Together the Mustang owners drove the long and winding roads of America coming from east and west, lit up the streets of Detroit and partied like never before to welcome the arrival of the new pony car king.

MOTORING SUNDAY

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2022-10-02T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-10-02T07:00:00.0000000Z

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Philippine Daily Inquirer