The all-new, next-generation S650 Ford Mustang debuted last September, ushering in an entirely new era for the iconic pony car – as well as what might be the last without some sort of electrified powertrain option. One of the most striking changes to the 2024 Mustang is its completely revamped interior, sporting a digital instrument cluster with video game-inspired graphics, along with a larger infotainment screen, which is somewhat of a risky proposition, given the fact that most Mustang buyers have traditionally come from a specific age group. However, this was all by design, it seems, as the S650 Ford Mustang is intended to appeal to a younger customer.
“If you think of the younger generations who personalize their technology…we brought that in authentically to Mustang so that owners can actually personalize their performance, their appearance, make it their Mustang through this technology,” Jim Owens, Ford’s Mustang marketing head told Newsweek in a recent interview. “We went into the studio and I sat there for 50 minutes, literally playing with the interior technology to make it my Mustang before I wanted to hit the start button. That is one of the key things that is taking that into that 21st century technology, if you will, in bringing out the audiences that are younger and Mustang lovers.”
In addition to its flashy interior with animated sequences and welcome lighting that greets drivers, new features such as the electronic drift brake and remote rev – which allows owners to rev up their cars using the key fob – were also designed to appeal to younger buyers, too. However, in spite of these new additions, Owens was quick to point out that the S650 isn’t leaving its traditional, older customers behind, either.
“We were able to take the heritage that is unmistakably Mustang, and bring it into the 21st century technology, performance, and appearance,” he said. “The goals were to still not look backwards, but to stand on that foundation and look forward to bring it in. And, to bring it in in a way that would broaden the audience of Mustang.”
We’ll have more on the S650 Ford Mustang soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Mustang news and ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
I think they did great overall. My recommendations going forward would be to keep the V8 and blend the digital dash into the flow of the dashboard more so it doesn’t just look like a tacked on ipad. But it’s a great looking car.
Yep spend 50 minutes to set up your Mustang before you drive it. Then have a change of mind and scroll through the menus while driving to your crash. Or do you park and reset most of it and find the weather changes so you do it again.
Driving performance cars is about looking and concentrating on the road, gears, speed, and every other input to your senses to be a safe driver.
Adjusting settings that are irrelevant to the cars performance is just plain distracting and dangerous.
I do understand how the younger customers have non of the driving skills and craft that older drivers have. Heck when a manual transmission is an anti theft device I ponder what happens when they get a flat tyre of battery in nowhere land?
Let’s be honest here. Despite the hype, this is a moderate freshening… a clumsy one at that. Just look at the awkward blackout on the chin of the front fascia’s grille opening and the non-integrated (distraction) screens.
Any Mustang past the 2014 lost me as a customer. I’ve owned every generation of Mustang and this generation just does not excite me. As a previous writer stated the 2024 is just a mild refresh. I traded in my 2020 GT for a Bronco because I could not get used to that funky looking front end.
I agree, the S550 GT and lower trims are ugly. They did well with the GT350/500s though, imho.
Some clearly don’t understand what a ‘refresh’ is.
There is not a single interior or exterior body panel on this car that is c/o from previous model. The seats, I/P, cluster, electrical architecture are all new. The powertrains are mostly new regardless of the displacement.
Yes the platform is heavily off S550, but it would be silly to reinvent 10 years of R&D and evolvement for a similarly proportioned ICE car with a chassis that was already best in class by a margin.
Mackie, I know exactly what constitutes a refresh. “Refresh” is the most that can be said of this change. The body architecture (floors, roof, cowl, windshield, etc.) are common or mildly derived from the 2015-2023 model. The floor console and door trims are 80% carryover. But please, I wish the hype machine would quit calling it “all new”. The same overhype can be said of the last F-Series refresh.
So every year Apple comes out with a ‘refreshed’ iPhone? Ford should have called it the ‘90% new’ Mustang? You think Ford should have invested 2B in an all new platform before they dare call it all new? Silly the things people nitpick just for the sake of complaining.
Jim Owens,
to bring the car into 21st century you need to replace the marginal MT82 manual 6Speed tranny with the TREMEC, instead of refreshing the digital dash. Why is it placed in the 70K DH model and not as an option on the GT model? Give the young folks that want to learn shift gears a better gearbox please!
The title should have been “S650 FORD MUSTANG DESIGNED TO APPEAL TO A YOUNGER, GAMER CUSTOMER”
Let them stick to the video games and save the roads for people who want to DRIVE.
How can a young person buy anything when they don’t want to work for it.
lol, I was told the same thing when I entered the workforce. I was a lazy “slacker” along with the rest of my generation since I wasn’t going to college full time and holding down two jobs trying to support a family and pay for a house. I wouldn’t amount to anything and never own anything. Here I am (the slacker) several Mustangs (and three Shelbys later), a home in one state, an apartment in another and I retired at 52.
These kids (Gen Z since millennials have been in the workforce some time and the oldest millennials have entered their 40’s) will be okay, when I go to my former job, I’m always shocked at all the young new faces and yet the job functions as indistinguishably as it did before.
If I am spending that much on a car I am buying a Jag F-type.
Yeah. My financial advisor had one of those. He got to drive lots of different loaner cars.
The whole car is an ugly turd, glad to see this is the last generation. I’ll stick with my Maverick.
Im 35. One of those younger buyers. Why in the **** would I want to spend 50k for a mustang so I can sit in it for almost an hour playing with the tech screen???? The interior of that thing is basically the same as the new escape. And it is blah! I went ahead and bought a 23 gt and wont ever buy a new mustang ever again just so I don’t have to deal with ford and their new sorry *** concepts and designs.
Same. 32y/o here, I’ll keep my SN95, the Mustang of my child hood. The s650 is way too expensive and questionable on the interior. Nobody young has $50k to drop on a car, especially one as impractical as a two door coupe. And if they did, the mustang isn’t their top choice.
Maybe but I’m 38 and I already got a 65 Ford Fairlane 500 289🏁 😁🤘thinking about giving it a rear mounted Turbo & boosting💨🎆 that b**** 🎇😱🎇or maybe I could do it to my mom’s 64 Futura falcon rolling chassis just waiting for something nice no whack ass Frankenstein Chevy parts ever I wouldn’t do that to such a f****** beautiful car. Maybe if you’re like blessed and like got those Rich ass parents or something😂💨 but if you’re like the rest of the world like me average barely paying off everything I say get a classic while they’re still around and do them up right or just leave them stock they’ll still be badass restored or be destored- Im going for that look with functionally! But I would like to do a classic turbo diesel if I had the ducket$ and my other 2 cars were built up- yeah I would find a wrecked salvaged stang like above and throw it in a 64 FALCON piss off everybody!
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Wake up call FORD. The younger generation doesnt have 50K to spend on a car!!!
I’m 28….hate the screens, hate infotainment. I don’t want a car with a screen. I drive manual, I change my tores myself thank you commenter who says young people dont do that stuff.
Also, if Ford cared about the younger buyer they would have bit the bullet and offered the manual transmission for the EcoBoost for the younger buyers who can’t afford a GT, but want a new manual stang…but really what they should do is put that base engine from the F150, that 3.3L and have an even lower end base model mustang, strip out the screens, have a removable screen for backup camera mandated by law that buyers can press a button to remove. Put in Analog gauges…call it the “classic” or something, all the tech gone, and a 20-25k starting price….and offer it in manual.
How you going to appeal to a younger generation with that price? Youth don’t have $50k to drop on a muscle car.
Want to know why young men today are inside playing video games instead of out in the garage turning wrenches on their sports car? It’s because they’ve been priced out of the sports car market. Even the sport compacts are either dead or so expensive nobody young can afford them.
300hp, 3000lbs and *under* $30,000 is what’s needed to recapture the youth market.