DRIVEN: 2015 Ford Mustang GT

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The integral link design has been used in BMW 5 and 7 series since the 90’s.  Pictured above is the 2015 Mustang suspension.

The front suspension also takes another page from BMW with a dual ball joint front lower control arm to improve steering feel, response, and improving the scrub radius.

Having driven the current (2013+) “CD4” platform Ford Fusion for a couple years now, I must say that Ford has made significant leaps in terms of ride quality and refinement across their product line.  Having been a BMW guy for many years both in racing and on the street, I have been really impressed with how well the Fusion handles and drives, which is a substantially better than the pre-2013 “CD3” platform.  This gave me rather high expectations for the new Mustang.

The aggressive front end feels more European and sporty in nature than the blunt and brute feeling of a muscle car.

The main feature that sticks out to me is the car’s silhouette.  Ford moved the A-pillars and the whole greenhouse back over an inch, the hood was lowered 1.3”, roofline by 1.5”, and the rear decklid by 2.8”.  All of this created a greenhouse with a sloping fastback profile dimensionally similar to an Aston Martin Vantage (much more so than the front bumper comparisons), which I feel brings out more of a sports car stance.

The long hood with a rearward shifted cockpit and fastback styling makes the driver feel more like they are driving a Viper or SLS.

While the greenhouse is my favorite aspect of the car, I can’t help but notice how long and flat the hood looks.  Most hoods including the S197 slopes downward from the base of the windshield to the nose of the car.  The hood of the 2015 S550 is flat for over half the length of the hood, which makes the front of the car feel much longer than the actual added inch.  This was improved on the recently released pictures of the Shelby GT350 Mustang, which has a lower hood that slopes from the windshield all the way down to the front bumper, and I think it looks much better.