New Mustang variants coming

[Sherminator98]

Listen To The Upcoming Ford Mustang Dark Horse Boss Accelerate: Video

 

Listen To The Upcoming Mustang Shelby GT500 Rev & Accelerate: Video

[Captainp4]

Hard to tell with all the wind noise and not many revs, but that gt500 sounded strange. Could the "legend" be a godzilla? or FPC 5.2? Might just be hoping to hear something that's not there though .. lol

[rmc523]

Dark Horse Boss seems like a GT350 replacement, and then a GT500.

[AM222]

Will adding more expensive variants of the Mustang boost sales?

I think people are losing interest in pony cars/ muscle cars. 2025 H1 S650 Mustang US sales are down 14.2% compared to the same period last year.

Will gasoline Mustang sales ever recover? Not having direct competition from Chevrolet and Dodge isn't helping.

 

Edited August 15 by AM222

[danglin]

1 hour ago, AM222 said:

Will adding more expensive variants of the Mustang boost sales?

I think people are losing interest in pony cars/ muscle cars. 2025 H1 S650 Mustang US sales are down 14.2% compared to the same period last year.

Will gasoline Mustang sales ever recover? Not having direct competition from Chevrolet and Dodge isn't helping.

 

 

Dodge will be a direct competitor in 2026: albeit, 6 cylinder only; 2 door/4door; and AWD only. Pricing will start at 50K though. 

 

Would like to see Ford finally offer AWD and 4 door version of ICE Mustang, of course that would increase prices, so not sure how much boost in sales that would provide.

 

Edited August 15 by danglin

[Sherminator98]

15 hours ago, rmc523 said:

Dark Horse Boss seems like a GT350 replacement, and then a GT500.

 

Two different vehicles linked in that post...

[akirby]

1 hour ago, AM222 said:

Will adding more expensive variants of the Mustang boost sales?

I think people are losing interest in pony cars/ muscle cars. 2025 H1 S650 Mustang US sales are down 14.2% compared to the same period last year.

Will gasoline Mustang sales ever recover? Not having direct competition from Chevrolet and Dodge isn't helping.

 

You don’t increase sales with expensive special editions.  You increase profit per unit and keep your icon alive.

[rmc523]

4 hours ago, AM222 said:

Will adding more expensive variants of the Mustang boost sales?

I think people are losing interest in pony cars/ muscle cars. 2025 H1 S650 Mustang US sales are down 14.2% compared to the same period last year.

Will gasoline Mustang sales ever recover? Not having direct competition from Chevrolet and Dodge isn't helping.

 

 

No to your first question.  But it keeps interest to some degree.

 

2 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

Two different vehicles linked in that post...

 

Which is why I put Dark Horse boss is a GT350 replacement.....and also pointed out a GT500.  I get that my sentence wasn't the clearest.

Edited August 15 by rmc523

[twintornados]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

You don’t increase sales with expensive special editions.  You increase profit per unit and keep your icon alive.

 

Remembering the days of "boring" Mustangs that made up the bulk of sales with a 6 cylinder and no frills.

[AM222]

1 hour ago, twintornados said:

 

Remembering the days of "boring" Mustangs that made up the bulk of sales with a 6 cylinder and no frills.

The pre-facelift S550 Mustang was the last Mustang to hit 100K+ units in a year.
Ford was always keeping the icon alive; the difference is it could also sell a lot of them before. 
 

Edited August 15 by AM222

[Rick73]

On 8/14/2025 at 10:30 AM, Captainp4 said:

Hard to tell with all the wind noise and not many revs, but that gt500 sounded strange. Could the "legend" be a godzilla? or FPC 5.2? Might just be hoping to hear something that's not there though .. lol

The one they referred to as dark horse boss (top link) sounds better to me.  Like you I’m probably hearing something that’s not there, but a Godzilla Boss 429 would be really cool. 👍 

 

As I mentioned in another thread a while back, a 7.0L aluminum Godzilla would be a nice engine to use in pickups, and also in large SUVs for now while CAFE has been eased.

[Sherminator98]

22 hours ago, AM222 said:

The pre-facelift S550 Mustang was the last Mustang to hit 100K+ units in a year.
Ford was always keeping the icon alive; the difference is it could also sell a lot of them before. 
 

 

But also the base model convertible was a rental queen for FL also 

[sullynd]

1 hour ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

But also the base model convertible was a rental queen for FL also 

Had a 25 Ecoboost Convertible rental last weekend and was shocked at how nice it was. 

[akirby]

1 hour ago, sullynd said:

Had a 25 Ecoboost Convertible rental last weekend and was shocked at how nice it was. 

They still sell to rental companies but they don’t do the cheap stripped down versions at bargain prices.

[Rick73]

On 8/15/2025 at 9:02 AM, twintornados said:

 

Remembering the days of "boring" Mustangs that made up the bulk of sales with a 6 cylinder and no frills.

I do, except to me it was anything but boring at the time. 👍 Older cousin had a 67 he got used from Hertz Rental Car.  Had a 200 cubic inch inline six, one barrel carburetor, 3-speed manual, and no air conditioner, power steering, power brakes, or power windows.  He let me drive it when we went hunting even before I had a license.  First Mustang I ever drove, before going on to own two of my own.  His second car was a new Mustang.

 

Just mentioning because starting with more affordable “no frills” options can help build a brand and future business which can then lead to greater profits longterm.  Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be much demand for no frills cars any longer; or so we are told.  Except maybe the few people who got excited over Slate truck’s lack of features.  Obviously we are not going back to days of no A/C and drum brakes, but an optional middle ground would be nice IMO.

[GearheadGrrrl]

Ford needs to properly market the Mustang...

 

Even the base Ecoboost Mustang is faster than even the first gen Shelbys yet is a practical daily driver with 30+ highway MPG, a fold down back seat for Costco runs, and a thousand pound tow rating to boot. The Mustang buyers of a half century ago again are empty nesters with time to enjoy life... Ford needs to show them the fun of a Mustang instead of the chore of driving an F150!

[tbone]

On 8/15/2025 at 6:25 AM, danglin said:

 

Dodge will be a direct competitor in 2026: albeit, 6 cylinder only; 2 door/4door; and AWD only. Pricing will start at 50K though. 

 

Would like to see Ford finally offer AWD and 4 door version of ICE Mustang, of course that would increase prices, so not sure how much boost in sales that would provide.

 

AWD would be a great option.  I know people that bought the 6 cylinder Challenger because they wanted the AWD.  I think it could help in the Midwest.   

[twintornados]

12 hours ago, Rick73 said:

I do, except to me it was anything but boring at the time. 👍 Older cousin had a 67 he got used from Hertz Rental Car.  Had a 200 cubic inch inline six, one barrel carburetor, 3-speed manual, and no air conditioner, power steering, power brakes, or power windows.  He let me drive it when we went hunting even before I had a license.  First Mustang I ever drove, before going on to own two of my own.  His second car was a new Mustang.

 

Just mentioning because starting with more affordable “no frills” options can help build a brand and future business which can then lead to greater profits longterm.  Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be much demand for no frills cars any longer; or so we are told.  Except maybe the few people who got excited over Slate truck’s lack of features.  Obviously we are not going back to days of no A/C and drum brakes, but an optional middle ground would be nice IMO.

 

Rick, it why the word "boring" was in quotation marks. The Ecoboost Mustangs are as close as you are going to get for today's versions. The point is, not every Mustang off the line has to be a tire shredding, fire breathing monster....

Edited August 17 by twintornados

[Rick73]

13 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

Ford needs to properly market the Mustang...

 

Even the base Ecoboost Mustang is faster than even the first gen Shelbys yet is a practical daily driver with 30+ highway MPG, a fold down back seat for Costco runs, and a thousand pound tow rating to boot. The Mustang buyers of a half century ago again are empty nesters with time to enjoy life... Ford needs to show them the fun of a Mustang instead of the chore of driving an F150!

My 2 cents…. Not sure how effective marketing can influence or override deep seated perceptions.  Many old timers in particular (aging baby boomers) may think any 4-cylinder Mustang is sacrilegious, regardless of how capable.  And at other extreme may also view any 400+ HP car with loud exhaust inappropriate for a person their age.  Perhaps inappropriate is not the best word to use.  Maybe unseemly?  Somehow seems a bad fit to me. 😀

[Rick73]

4 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

Rick, it why the word "boring" was in quotation marks. The Ecoboost Mustangs are as close as you are going to get for today's versions. The point is, not every Mustang off the line has to be a tire shredding, fire breathing monster....

Agree.  No doubt 4-cylinder Mustang is a fire breathing monster by original Mustang standards.  It’s been tested to do 60 in well under 6 seconds and quarter in approximately 14 seconds at ~ 100 MPH, which makes it as fast or faster than classic Hemi Cudas, Corvettes, 442s, GTOs, etc., not to mention way faster than most Mustangs sold in 60s.

 

IIRC original 6-cylinder Mustangs were closer to 10 seconds to 60, and 289 V8s in the mid to high 8-second range.  It’s hard to remember that Mustangs with 302s only had 140 Net HP and in my experience still made an awesome daily driver.

 

IMO Mustangs will likely never be what they once were — a really cool car a large percentage of population related to.  Technology has advanced so much since originals that differentiating based on raw power and speed makes it unnecessarily faster than vast majority of buyers require or may want.  Short of a complete reboot I can’t imagine Mustang selling in large quantities again.

[rmc523]

Ford Mustang Coupe's Future Will Remain Gasoline Powered: Report

 

According to Automotive News, the Ford Mustang won’t be going all-electric anytime soon, as The Blue Oval will “be building gasoline pony cars well into the next decade.” The report notes that the Mustang is slated to undergo a refresh in late 2026, followed by a redesign anticipated for 2029. Previously, FoMoCo was mulling the idea of transitioning to an EV-only pony car as part of that latter action, but now, that’s no longer the case.

 

 

--

 

This tells me 2026/2027MY is when the 4-door is coming.

[Trader 10]

9 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

Ford Mustang Coupe's Future Will Remain Gasoline Powered: Report

 

According to Automotive News, the Ford Mustang won’t be going all-electric anytime soon, as The Blue Oval will “be building gasoline pony cars well into the next decade.” The report notes that the Mustang is slated to undergo a refresh in late 2026, followed by a redesign anticipated for 2029. Previously, FoMoCo was mulling the idea of transitioning to an EV-only pony car as part of that latter action, but now, that’s no longer the case.

 

 

--

 

This tells me 2026/2027MY is when the 4-door is coming.

Hope you’re right but I’m betting it will debut with the next redesign. 

[rmc523]

37 minutes ago, Trader 10 said:

Hope you’re right but I’m betting it will debut with the next redesign. 

 

It'd be ridiculous to tease it 4-6 years ahead of time.....which is exactly why that's probably exactly what Ford is doing, sounds about right.

[DeluxeStang]

1 hour ago, rmc523 said:

Ford Mustang Coupe's Future Will Remain Gasoline Powered: Report

 

According to Automotive News, the Ford Mustang won’t be going all-electric anytime soon, as The Blue Oval will “be building gasoline pony cars well into the next decade.” The report notes that the Mustang is slated to undergo a refresh in late 2026, followed by a redesign anticipated for 2029. Previously, FoMoCo was mulling the idea of transitioning to an EV-only pony car as part of that latter action, but now, that’s no longer the case.

 

 

--

 

This tells me 2026/2027MY is when the 4-door is coming.

If this is accurate, I'll be pretty excited. I like the s650, but because it's a relatively mild refresh, I have concerns about Ford keeping it around until the 2030s. The s650 replacement arriving in 2029 would be basically perfect in terms of timing. I think this hints that Ford wants to stay pretty close to the 5-7 year cycle for mustang generations instead of going the dodge route with the challenger being unchanged for 15 years.

[DeluxeStang]

1 hour ago, Trader 10 said:

Hope you’re right but I’m betting it will debut with the next redesign. 

I'm guessing the mustang sedan releases in 2027/28 with an entirely new body design that hints in some way about the direction the next gen coupe will go in. Kinda like how the mach-e previewed some s650 styling elements like the more angled decklid, and smoother lines.