Production 2015 Mustang nose spotted testing

[NickF1011]

I get annoyed with mine, it always has water in it...even if it hasn't rained in a while!

 

I pop the trunk and I have water coming out it

 

The tail light housings are the same on my '97. Have to dry off the rear bumper the next 3 times I park it after I wash it.

[TomServo92]

 

 

Also the reason I would have opted for a V6 w/Pony package. The grille looks so much better.

 

That is precisely what I have.

[StangBang]

 

 

Not me. That's the one design element I dislike the most.

 

 

Agreed! That's one reason the GT500 is so much better looking than the GT!

 

 

Also the reason I would have opted for a V6 w/Pony package. The grille looks so much better.

 

 

I find it truly amazing that people would reject the Mustang GT over something as superficial as the grille mounted fog lamps, especially considering that it's so easy to swap in a grille without them. There is a separate accessory grille surround that Ford makes to swap in a California Special grille, Pony Package grille or standard V6 grille onto GT models. Those are for 2010-12 models. For the 2013-14 models all the noses are the same for non-Shelby models and all the different grilles interchange. There is even someone who now makes a 2013 Shelby style open grille that fits in the non-Shelby noses.

[StangBang]

Concerning the 2015 Mustang, it will feature some key design elements from the current Mustang that are further developed as evidenced in the Evos concept. Specifically they are the bladed front fenders that fade into the door beltline, the deep door and bodyside sculpture, the lower rocker design and the large trapezoidal grille. Most of those design elements originate in the classic Mustang designs. Thankfully the grille gets pushed forward flush with the front bumper to get rid of the antiquated stepped front bumper design. Many styling elements will be re-imaged to look like modern Ford DNA. In other words what looks too old or retro will evolve or go away.

 

Going back to classic Fords, you can see how early Mustangs looked related to Thunderbirds of the same vintage. The Mustang had a similar hopped-up beltline and squared off roof as the Thunderbird's. The long hoods reached forward to yield large grilles flanked by browed headlamps, dual for the T-Bird and single for the Mustang. Even the dash of the Mustang has a similar twin cowl design as earlier model year T-birds.

Edited November 19, 2012 by StangBang

[StangBang]

Did anyone notice the Mustang Mule is wearing the wheel design of the Evos concept?

[TomServo92]

I find it truly amazing that people would reject the Mustang GT over something as superficial as the grille mounted fog lamps, especially considering that it's so easy to swap in a grille without them. There is a separate accessory grille surround that Ford makes to swap in a California Special grille, Pony Package grille or standard V6 grille onto GT models. Those are for 2010-12 models. For the 2013-14 models all the noses are the same for non-Shelby models and all the different grilles interchange. There is even someone who now makes a 2013 Shelby style open grille that fits in the non-Shelby noses.

 

I don't "reject" the GT. I just don't like that specific design element. I bought my V6 for the combination of performance and economy not the grill.

[F250]

I would prefer some historical cues interpreted in a modern way, much as they did with the 94-04 cars (for the time anyway). Give it the hockey stick on the flanks. Give it a galloping horse in the grille. Keep the long hood/short deck layout. Use 3-element tail lights of some sort. Plenty of things they can still utilize that say Mustang without it being a knock-off of the original.

 

Oh. One other thing i hope goes: the faux gas cap on the decklid.

 

You mean you don't want it to look like a 2-door Fusion coupe? Me either.

[akirby]

I don't "reject" the GT. I just don't like that specific design element. I bought my V6 for the combination of performance and economy not the grill.

 

Same here. I didn't need or particularly want the GT performance. A v6 stick would have been just fine and the pony package would have just been icing on the cake.

[calypsocoral]

I find it truly amazing that people would reject the Mustang GT over something as superficial as the grille mounted fog lamps, especially considering that it's so easy to swap in a grille without them. There is a separate accessory grille surround that Ford makes to swap in a California Special grille, Pony Package grille or standard V6 grille onto GT models. Those are for 2010-12 models. For the 2013-14 models all the noses are the same for non-Shelby models and all the different grilles interchange. There is even someone who now makes a 2013 Shelby style open grille that fits in the non-Shelby noses.

 

Having played with the Mustang Customizer on the Ford Website for hours on end, here is what I like to do with the Grille configurations:

 

V6: Black honeycomb grile with "Corrale" Mustang emblem and fog lamps in the lower lip.

 

V8 GT: Silver fine-toothed grille with Tri-Bar emblem, fog lamps mounted in grille, a la 1969 Mach 1 and BOSS.

 

V8 BOSS: Black honeycomb grille with standard Mustang emblem, fog lamps mounted in grille. Again, as per 1969 Mach 1 and BOSS.

 

I guess I just associate fog lamps in the lower lip with "Sporty", whereas I associate fog lamps in the grille with "Muscle".

[StangBang]

 

 

Having played with the Mustang Customizer on the Ford Website for hours on end, here is what I like to do with the Grille configurations:

 

V6: Black honeycomb grile with "Corrale" Mustang emblem and fog lamps in the lower lip.

 

V8 GT: Silver fine-toothed grille with Tri-Bar emblem, fog lamps mounted in grille, a la 1969 Mach 1 and BOSS.

 

V8 BOSS: Black honeycomb grille with standard Mustang emblem, fog lamps mounted in grille. Again, as per 1969 Mach 1 and BOSS.

 

I guess I just associate fog lamps in the lower lip with "Sporty", whereas I associate fog lamps in the grille with "Muscle".

 

 

Funny... I associate powerful engines with muscle... Fog lamps and driving lamps are mostly look-at-me show-off lamps used all the time when they are appropriate. It amazes me the holes that drive around all the time with them on.

 

The original Mustang GT's from 1965-68 wore the grille that had the pony corral (with horizontal and vertical spears 65-67 only) with small round accessory lamps mounted on each end. This was the grille design that was later replicated for the 2006-09 Mustang V6 with the Pony Package which included round fog lamps. The 2010-14 Pony Package models use a similar grille without fog lamps mounted in the grille but rather in the lower ends of the bumper.

 

All 1969 Mustangs switched to four round headlamps with the high beam lamps mounted in the grille. These were niether driving nor fog lamps. Track car Boss 302's used standard Mustang grilles which often had deleted high beam lamps and either blocked the round openings off or inserted mesh into them. 1970 Mustangs reverted back to dual beam single round headlamps while grille mounted rectangular accessory parking lamps styled to look like driving lamps were offered as an option through 1972. From 1973-78 grille mounted combination turn signal/parking lamps were placed in the grille with no lamps below the front bumper.

 

Classic Shelbys starting in 1967 came with round driving lights mounted in the grille. They were originally two dual center mounted lamps but they did not pass many state laws because they were too close together. Production was changed so that the round driving lamps were pushed out to the ends of the grille to make them legal. For 1968 Shelbys, the grille mounted driving lamps were changed to rectangular units. When 1969-70 Shelbys got the all new front ends, rectangular driving lamps were mounted under the front bumper inboard of the parking lamps and beneath the grille.

 

True factory fog lamps (which are by no means driving lamps) did not show up until the 1979 Mustang Indy Pace Car replica. Since then fog lamps have been used on all premium Mustangs. True fog lamps function to illuminated the area in front of the car the road behind the headlamp low beams, and also more to the sides. This is ideal for inclimate weather of rain, snow or fog. Contrary to the grille mounted position on 05-14 GT's and 06-09 V6 Ponies, the ideal location for fog lamps is low on the front end close to the road.

 

As far as grille designs go, here is how they currently stack up...

 

Standard V6 grille = standard 1965 honeycomb grille but minus pony corral.

Pony Package Grille with pony corral and chrome spears = 1965-68 Mustang GT grille with driving lamps.

California Special & MCA edition = 1966 Mustang grille minus center pony & corral and 1965-66 Shelby grille with offset tri-bar pony.

Mustang GT grille with fog lamps = 1967 Shelbys with round driving lamps & 1969 Mustang with grille mounted high beam lamps.

Boss 302 griile = 1969 Boss 302's track racers with high beam lamps removed.

Shelby GT500 = generally conforms to function over form wide open non-restricted grille optimized for cooling.

Edited November 27, 2012 by StangBang

[StangBang]

I don't know why people get so worked up over the appearance of an engineering mule. Just think how ridiculous people would react to seeing the old engineering mule of the original Thunderbird which was nothing more than an early 50's Ford coupe chopped down into a two seater. Of course i am sure there were dumbasses who really thought the Thunderbird was going to look like that.

 

[StangBang]

 

 

I don't "reject" the GT. I just don't like that specific design element. I bought my V6 for the combination of performance and economy not the grill.

 

Well there were plenty of idiots in Canada who recently whined and complained because they could not get grille mounted LED fog lamps on their GT's because they did not meet DRL standards in Canada, so Ford mounted the V6 grille with bumper mounted halogen fog lamps that could also serve as DRL's. People actually threatened to not buy the car because they could not have the grille mounted fog lamps. Well duh, buy a GT grille and lamps and put it on if they want.. And see if they can escape the fog lamp police in that country. Point is, nothing would prevent me from buying a GT if I wanted it, certainly not a grille and fog lamp combination.

[StangBang]

 

 

Sounds like you want it to be 1964 forever.

 

It also sounds like it is assumed that the Mustang will look exactly like the Evos, which it will not. It will have to be worked out so that the rear end design and roofline will also work with a convertible. Like I said before, the Evos is evolved from current key Mustang lines and sculpting. What you will notice as evidenced on current new Ford models is execution of rounded corners on the front and rear glass, less of a slab sided transition from the roof to the roof rails, deeper bodyside sculpturing with well defined haunches to yield a more aggressive muscular look. These are things that I noticed about our new Focus which give it a modern look. At the front of the next Mustang, it is all about getting that old brick of a front end to look modern and slicker without loosing the trademark wide mouth grille. I expect the front will look very much like the Evos. At the rear, I expect it will somehow include a new variation of the triple element taillamp design. I also expect the "dorito" rear quarter windows to transition into something closer to the Evos design that serve as a relief of the door window design. I expect the interior to be aligned in some way retaining a dual cockpit design while combining the finesse of the new Fusion interior which is awesome and slick.

 

Anyway i have looked at the retro design since late 2004 and lived with it since 2008 to present. While I still like my recently purchased 2010, i am looking forward to fresher evolved styling ideas.