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'09 Mustang News

With the 45th anniversary of the Mustang fast approaching and the Camaro and Challenger due to be resurrected, there have been rumors circulating that Fords engineering team has been testing the 2009 Mustang in the Arizona desert.

This has created a lot of excitement throughout the Mustang community, as enthusiasts now want a peek at what will be available in 2009. Many wonder will the new Mustang have the styling, power and handling to dominate the much anticipated revivals of the Camaro and Challenger?

Well, no reason to wait any longer, lets have look at some of the things you expect for 2009:

The new Mustang will be based on the current S197 platform and will not be completely redesigned from the ground up. A complete redesign would prove too costly, so Ford intends to make any necessary improvements with the current platform to compete with the Camaro and Challenger.

When it comes to appearance, the 2009 Mustang will not disappoint. While, the wheelbase and overall dimensions of the car probably won't change much, the 2009 Mustang will be more aggressive and audacious in its styling. With modern body lines, more pronounced front and rear flanks and a proportionally smaller glass area, the 2009 Mustang will have a sleek, yet aggressive appearance. It's expected that retro styling will continue to dominate the theme of the car, but there are certainly going to be some modern details included, such as projector beam headlights in its newly designed front facia.

Mustang Photo

The heart of 2009 Mustang GT will most likely beat through Fords new

3-valve 4.6L V8, although there has been some speculation that it could see either the 4-valve 4.6L V-8 or the 3-valve 5.4L V-8. Whichever engine Ford decides to plant under the hood of the 2009 Mustang, one thing is for sure, displacement on demand (DOD) technology will be used. This feature allows the engine to shut off four of the 8 cylinders to improve fuel economy when the engine is lightly loaded. By using the DOD technology, a more aggressive engine tune may be possible which could give the Mustang a potent 325-340hp. All this power will likely be harnessed through a 5 speed gearbox, unless the competition forces Ford to do drop a six-speed in.

Although it's expected that the 2009 Mustang will ride on a refined version of the "DEW-lite" chassis which is currently used in the S197 Mustang, one possible change could be an independent rear suspension in place of the solid rear axle. The Camaro and Challenger are both expected to sport an IRS, so Ford may be forced to follow suit.

The interior of the 2009 Mustang will likely be just as bold as the exterior. Look for improvements such as a new steering wheel, instrument cluster and door panels which will continue to give the Mustang a retro look, yet modern feel. One feature that will surely be dropped from the 2009 Mustang is the "My-Color" instruments, which allows the color of the instrument panel to be changed to suit the drivers styling needs. This option has proven costly for Ford and removing it should help keep production costs down.

With the Camaro and Challenger hitting the streets in the near future, the 2009 Mustang Concept certainly proves that Ford is not waiting around for the competition to catch up. As we can see, the Mustang once again aims to be a leader and not a follower.

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Patrick

Reply to
NoOption5L
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The picture in that article is actually a concept drawing for the 2005 (S197) Mustang GT :). We still haven't seen anything, yet, that truly represents what Ford is considering for the '09 ;).

Dan

2003 Cobra convertible With some stuff and things
Reply to
Dan

Whatever.. the real meaning is that Ford disbanding SVT isnt gonna turn their back on what they know they are good at.

With Challenger and CamaBird reintroduction, I wonder if those two will figger out what they did wrong in the first place.

A small engine base model RWD is key to it.

Does anyone else here realize just how much the Lima 2.3 meant to Ford.. and us?

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic
2005

Whatever.. the real meaning is that Ford disbanding SVT isnt gonna turn their back on what they know they are good at.

With Challenger and CamaBird reintroduction, I wonder if those two will figger out what they did wrong in the first place.

A small engine base model RWD is key to it.

- Without a tamer/small engine the new Camaro and Challenger will/would/could end up being high priced specilaty cars.

Does anyone else here realize just how much the Lima 2.3 meant to Ford.. and us?

- The added volume certainly offset some cost for the V8 version.

Patrick

Reply to
NoOption5L

"A small engine base model RWD is key to it.

Does anyone else here realize just how much the Lima 2.3 meant to Ford.. and us? "

That was huge, it spread the costs over a larger volume and also helped with the CAFE standards that got put into place. A lot of foreign makes really capitalized on the "secretary's car" model, providing a cheap, reliable car that was also stylish and sporty.

JJ

Reply to
LX50Coupe92

[snip]

Who thought it would? Seriously. Yeah, the GT500 will be that last thing with "SVT" on it. Yet Roush has the S197 Mach I and Boss mules on hand. Both Roush and Saleen are happily churning out S197-based Mustangs with decent performance. Ford Racing will continue sponsoring the FR500C in stock car competition for the foreseeable future and the S197 bodies in white haven't gone away. Plus, the aftermarket is filling up with products to make the S197 fast including stuff directly from FRPP. Sure, we are talking about something three years away, and Ford is claiming to be having fiscal difficulties, but what else is going on that would make anyone think Mustang is in jeopardy?

The end of SVT is just that, the end of SVT. It's a bummer; I know, because I liked the groups and clubs that condensed around those products and it was nice to have factory support for many of them. But the only thing that's changed is the factory support and the opportunity to buy a new SVT product in the future.

But the Mustang isn't going anywhere as far as I can tell even though SVT is shutting down. It's selling too well at the moment for Ford to throw that production away. SVT was a loss leader unit, not a direct money maker, so it's natural for it to get lopped off when costs become an issue. Ford sold $3 billion worth of Mustang last year (without a corresponding SVT product on the shelves), about 160,000 units. The car, an iconic nameplate, is profitable; which is what Ford needs at this time.

Anyway, until we see an actual 2009 mule I'll bet the change in styling isn't nearly as dramatic as implied by the article. More like the difference between the '94/'95 and the '98, not the facelift like the '99. And I wouldn't hold my breath over a bigger motor either ;). Every single announcement about Mustang has always mentioned bigger displacement simply because Ford always tests mules with bigger motors and talks about them. Unless DOD dramatically improves the 5.4's emissions and fuel efficiency curve I think we'll see the 4.6 in the Mustang GT again.

But that's OK by me, Kenne Bell already has the twin screw to fit it and that's just as good as far as I'm concerned :D.

I would love to believe an IRS will show up in the main production vehicle but I'm not sure that it's proposed existence on Challenger and Camaro are enough. Ford got significant whining from a large portion of the Mustang community for the IRS on the Cobra. So much so that a solid axle with pan-hard bar appeared on S197. Unless the target demographic for Challenger and Camaro has changed, DC and GM are going to get the same level of whining. I already know GM guys who are blathering about how if they wanted IRS they'd buy a Corvette or a GTO. And for the GM guys it looks like there will, in fact, be a GTO available. So, I'll believe in an IRS on other pony-cars when they hit production :). Ford might be thinking the same way ;).

I'm really hoping that the S197 Boss will get done and that it will sport the IRS and some other road racing gear. Maybe even an FR500 5.0L DOHC. That would nail it down as my next Mustang :).

So, not only is there going to be a Mustang, there's actually the possibility that there will be more than two brands of pony-cars to choose from in 2009. When's the last time that happened? 1972?

To me, *that's* the real story :).

Dan

2003 Cobra convertible With some stuff and things
Reply to
Dan

[snip]

Who thought it would? Seriously. Yeah, the GT500 will be that last thing with "SVT" on it. Yet Roush has the S197 Mach I and Boss mules on hand. Both Roush and Saleen are happily churning out S197-based Mustangs with decent performance. Ford Racing will continue sponsoring the FR500C in stock car competition for the foreseeable future and the S197 bodies in white haven't gone away. Plus, the aftermarket is filling up with products to make the S197 fast including stuff directly from FRPP. Sure, we are talking about something three years away, and Ford is claiming to be having fiscal difficulties, but what else is going on that would make anyone think Mustang is in jeopardy?

The end of SVT is just that, the end of SVT. It's a bummer; I know, because I liked the groups and clubs that condensed around those products and it was nice to have factory support for many of them. But the only thing that's changed is the factory support and the opportunity to buy a new SVT product in the future.

But the Mustang isn't going anywhere as far as I can tell even though SVT is shutting down. It's selling too well at the moment for Ford to throw that production away. SVT was a loss leader unit, not a direct money maker, so it's natural for it to get lopped off when costs become an issue. Ford sold $3 billion worth of Mustang last year (without a corresponding SVT product on the shelves), about 160,000 units. The car, an iconic nameplate, is profitable; which is what Ford needs at this time.

Anyway, until we see an actual 2009 mule I'll bet the change in styling isn't nearly as dramatic as implied by the article. More like the difference between the '94/'95 and the '98, not the facelift like the '99. And I wouldn't hold my breath over a bigger motor either ;). Every single announcement about Mustang has always mentioned bigger displacement simply because Ford always tests mules with bigger motors and talks about them. Unless DOD dramatically improves the 5.4's emissions and fuel efficiency curve I think we'll see the 4.6 in the Mustang GT again.

But that's OK by me, Kenne Bell already has the twin screw to fit it and that's just as good as far as I'm concerned :D.

I would love to believe an IRS will show up in the main production vehicle but I'm not sure that it's proposed existence on Challenger and Camaro are enough. Ford got significant whining from a large portion of the Mustang community for the IRS on the Cobra. So much so that a solid axle with pan-hard bar appeared on S197. Unless the target demographic for Challenger and Camaro has changed, DC and GM are going to get the same level of whining. I already know GM guys who are blathering about how if they wanted IRS they'd buy a Corvette or a GTO. And for the GM guys it looks like there will, in fact, be a GTO available. So, I'll believe in an IRS on other pony-cars when they hit production :). Ford might be thinking the same way ;).

I'm really hoping that the S197 Boss will get done and that it will sport the IRS and some other road racing gear. Maybe even an FR500 5.0L DOHC. That would nail it down as my next Mustang :).

So, not only is there going to be a Mustang, there's actually the possibility that there will be more than two brands of pony-cars to choose from in 2009. When's the last time that happened? 1972?

To me, *that's* the real story :).

Dan

2003 Cobra convertible With some stuff and things
Reply to
Dan

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