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Ford Authority

2024 Ford Mustang Is Way More Than A Simple Refresh

The S650 2024 Ford Mustang made its debut last month, ushering in the pony car’s seventh generation with major upgrades in looks, performance and technology. However, it has garnered some criticism because it shares some mechanical underpinnings found in the current sixth-generation model. This had led some to believe that it’s a simple refresh and not an overhaul worthy of an all-new generation, but Ford Authority is here to set the record straight on the matter.

In fact, there’s quite a bit that sets the 2024 Ford Mustang apart from its predecessors. For starters, it differs greatly in terms of mechanical components. The chassis is notably stiffer, and it’s been outfitted with all-new suspension and steering systems to improve its handling at speed.

It’s also impossible to ignore the fact that this seventh-generation Mustang looks very different from the sixth-generation versions. Its sheet metal has been sculpted completely from scratch from the nose to the rear deck, giving it a more aggressive, boxier appearance than its predecessor, to say nothing of the interior, which is completely new.

Additionally, the 2024 Mustang powertrain lineup features two new engines. They are the turbocharged Ford 2.3L EcoBoost I4 engine and the Ford 5.0L Coyote V8 engine. The former will be available in the base 2024 Mustang EcoBoost; the latter is harnessed by the high-performance 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

The Dark Horse represents a new chapter in The Blue Oval’s rich racing story and will soon become the choice race car wherever the Mustang competes, such as in the Australian V8 Supercars division and Nascar. This racer will also take to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, marking Ford’s return to the event since the 2019 running.

In short, the 2024 Ford Mustang is not simply a refreshed look for the iconic pony car – it represents a complete shift in the trajectory of its style and performance.

Be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Mustang news and non-stop Ford news coverage.

Alexandra is a Colorado-based journalist with a passion for all things involving horsepower, be it automotive or equestrian.

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Comments

  1. Sorry Alexandra, TFA has not “set the record straight”. The changes you outline define a moderate freshening. The fundamental structure (windshield, cowl, floors) are carryover, as are the package and basic weights (otherwise, I’m sure the team would have pursued a 200-300 pound lighter architecture). The design language is an evolution. The Coyote engine is tuned for more HP, but not new. The 2.3 has a redesigned intake system and combustion strategy… on a basically carryover short block.

    Ford has overhyped the scope of change on this Mustang, the F-150, and SuperDuty. Nevertheless, I can understand why the fundamental structures are unchanged as resources had to be redeployed to other priorities (electrification, connectivity, and oversized display screens).

    Reply
    1. Yep!

      Reply
  2. With all due respect, I disagree completely. I put your red 2024 Mustang Convertable side profile picture right above my red 2022 Mustang Convertable in a pic collage for comparison. The lines from nose to tail are EXTREMELY similar. I would include the picture but you dont accept uploads. Ford made subtle “tweaks” to fender lines. Nose and butt end changes with lights, but looks close enough to a mild refresh to me. Interior is all cosmetics with new aftermarket look add in I-Pad dash board. And it still has the Ecoboost I4 and Coyote V8 engines. HP tweaks and mechanical upgrades doesn’t constitute “all new engines”. Sorry, but you fell short with your appraisal and resulting article.

    Reply
    1. Enjoy your car…
      I will enjoy my 2024. It’s better in every way.
      Faster, better handling, better tech, nicer audio, more comfortable…
      You may like the look of your car more and that is fine, but it is worse that a ‘24 where it matters.

      Reply
  3. Like Drew Ford Retiree stated, moderate refreshening. Like the many problems facing this country, just because someone calls something whatever they want, doesn’t make it true.

    Reply
    1. Yep times Two…

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  4. Well, they DID install those Camaro quarter panels…

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    1. yeah they did!!!

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  5. Looks like a Camero now. Great work Ford. You continue to disappoint these days.

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    1. What is a Camero?

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  6. I have a 1966 Mustang Convertible, 289, I bought April 13, 1966, and neither Ford nor any other car manufacturer can come close to achieving the aura, mystery, and love this car has generated, not only for me, but for all those who see it now. WOW!!!!! (NO IT IS NOT FOR SALE)

    Reply
    1. Or the TERROR of trying to turn or stop that 66 Mustang Convertible

      And yes, I speak from experience. I own a 65 Convertible, a 2003 GT and a 2014 GT

      The 65 scares the hell out of me for anything other than cruising

      And here’s a little test for you…stand in the back seat and bounce up and down and watch those panel gaps flex!

      😉

      Reply
  7. I think you are overhyping things a bit. Yes, just about everything has changed, but besides the interior, most changes are not dramatic departures from last gen. They got rid of a bunch of edgy body lines on the bottom of the doors, and the shape of the small side windows is different, but other than that it looks somewhat similar to the S550 design on the outside. The core chassis is slightly revised, but it’s only a bit stiffer and lighter. Same with the suspension. Dark Horse chassis changes are much larger in scope, but the GT and Ecoboost models have similar underpinnings to last gen.

    Also, what is with comments saying it looks like a Camaro? Other than the top of the rear fenders, this doesn’t even slightly resemble a Camaro.

    Reply
    1. Even or yep!!

      Reply
  8. Hey everybody! Just a little note, to those amazing Ford engineers, designers, and secretaries, thank you in all sincerity! You all have succeeded, in delivering one most Awesome product! As a proud owner of a 2013 Kona Blue Mustang GT Coyote, you have succeeded in taking me out of a long fight with depression. Fact! I am at present dealing with PTSD. I have also noticed somewhat of a relief from this horrible challenge, due to you all at Ford. Yes, still on medication, but, when I glance out the window, in the summer mornings, and see my Kona Blue baby, the grin on my face is enormous! Huge even! OMG! I am very grateful, for the fact ya all kinda hung back, allowing Dodge and Chevrolet, to produce their versions of the “Hemi”, and the vehicles to carry it. Patience paid off! Yes indeed! I thank you for that. As a retired aerospace, new development prover/provider, owning mostly all GM vehicles, and a few Dodge pickups. This being my first Ford, obviously making the right decision, a totally Awesome product! Thank you so much, you have put some sun in what was once a hopeless, gloomy, scenario!

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  9. It’s nice that you have a choice for your instrument cluster/infotainment screens between two smaller tablets haphazardly slapped on the dash or one large tablet haphazardly slapped on the dash, for your Mustang that you can’t tune. At least I can rev my car off the key fob and tear up sideshows with the drift brake! That’s totally what Mustang owners asked for! Ford should’ve just made the Mustang electric at this point, because the S650 is pretty sad.

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    1. Indubitably Yep!

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    2. They already make an electric Mustang.
      Just sayin…

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  10. Mild refresh of my 2015 GT Performance Pack. Not worth changing when mine has 30K. Very disappointed Ford. This was a missed opportunity.

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  11. It’s not that i don’t like the new look, it’s just that it doesn’t look all that different from its competitors anymore. I like the Camaro, but I line the look of the S550 better. The 2024 is nice, just disappointed that the front end looks familiar……

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  12. I wish ford would go back to some of the older designs. I have a 2005 mustang convertible in baby blue that is a simple pleasure to drive. That’s what the mustang experience should be. Affordable American sports car. Just simple and America. If I wanted a Camaro, a BMW I would have bought one Ford don’t forget where the mustang came from!

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    1. I take it you have never driven a Gen 6. Easily the best Mustang ever. And yes, I have had them all.

      Reply
  13. 2017 mustang Ecoboost premium 2.3 turbo.
    Ford did a recall on the backup camera and they still are not available
    To install on my mustang I only have 14,000 miles on it.
    Also with all the technology that we have why we can’t charge the battery packs on electric cars while going down the road.
    I will never buy an electric car but I was just wondering why not a alternator, or a generator, that would charge , while the car is going down the road. Or hooked up to a converter of some sort.
    Long live petroleum run cars.
    Control the money, the oil, the food,
    Control the world. Control people.
    Henry Kissinger said this.
    Long live ford. I have had ford’s all my life 8 mustangs.

    Reply
  14. All parts should and must be made in the United States of America
    And not rely on foreign countries
    It is the cheap crappy sensors ect that go bad first .
    That is made out side the USA.
    This goes for computer chips ect.

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  15. More power is always good, much better interior. What else can you want from a muscle car. At least it isn’t a EV.

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    1. I feel the same way Joe! That’s why i’m gonna try and snag a Dark Horse or at least a GT when they come out.

      Reply
  16. I own a 65 Convertible, a 2003 GT and also owned a 2014 GT.

    I LOVE the Coyote motor….but the New Edge is probably my favorite of all time.

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  17. An evolution of an excellent car. Our ‘15 EB PP still drives like new. I like the changes.

    Reply
  18. Until I get a chance to drive one, I’ll be in the evolution camp…instead of the revolution camp. Let’s face it…comparing the S197 to the S550 could be judged as a major changeover, the S650 from the S550, does not appear so.

    Reply
    1. Why does that matter?
      It seems Mustang fans live to complain about the cars.
      Probably why I don’t go to Mustang events…

      Reply
  19. Ford did a bad job with communicating the differences between the S550 and S650 cars. When I was at NAIAS there wasn’t much on display showing what was new beyond the interior and exterior changes. It would have been nice if Ford would have had say the engine on display like they did for the reveal and say a cut away detailing the changes to the car.

    I’m not sure what was done during the press event and maybe there was a lot more information there to consume but I suppose with social media and the need to grab viewers with the attention span of a gnat that sort of technical detail is considered boring.

    Reply
  20. Your new mustang is a failure ! stop producing the crappy 4 cylinders and get directly to the ford mustang lithium edetion if you want to impose those ugly ipad laden dashboards! Give us those cool looking retro bodies from the sixties and not makeover camaros ! If only i was in charge of redesigning your model and base your model for the baby boomers like me ! thank you……how about a 67 fastback design for me and maybe a few others out there!

    Reply
    1. NOBODY wants another retro Mustang…
      Ford already did that.
      Anyway, There are thousands of REAL 60s Mustangs available to purchase.
      Most are cheaper than a new one that you hate anyway.

      Reply
  21. Reproduce the 1969- 1970 boss, mach 1 mustang with the current best V8 on ford’s line up.
    Up dated suspension ect.
    Believe me they would sell.
    Only with modern updates.

    Reply
  22. The side by side determined all that was a lie.
    Its clearly a refresh. It is what the 2015 should’ve looked like, but in 2024.
    Its not that i hate it. But the 14s still look better to me. Its retro, yet kinda modern.
    They need to follow that path. The team at dodge did and other than how it sounds, the E-challenger is pretty damn sexy.

    Reply
  23. Love my 65 emerald green 289 four speed with factory air and my 2014 V6 premium red rag top. I may consider a 2024 four cylinder ragtop for my 80th .

    Reply
  24. I just ordered a 2024 Gt Convertible Premium, with the GT performance package and a few other add on’s from the order list. This will be my 3rd Mustang convertible. 84, 94 and now a 2024.
    First I want to say to all the complainers of wanting a more retro look with all the advances. Here is a hint. Buy a older one and make the changes yourself to the vehicle.
    Second to all the complainers about the design and looking like a camaro and other cars. Just don’t look at it and don’t buy it. If you are a baby boomer, you should be able to afford that. I am and I can and I did.

    Really only thing to say is if you don’t like it don’t buy it. If you do then buy one. Dont try to convince others to think like you and be your minion.

    Reply

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