Next Generation Mustang Good/ Bad?

With all the hype Chevy is getting with the camaro Z/28, Zl1, etc etc Blah blah although chevy needed their hail mary pass to work... Anyways What do y'all think of the new mustang? the new shelby? or the shelby possible replacement?
Should Ford turn a complete 180 and take the mustang in a new direction like what chevy is doing to the camaro? or Shelby for that matter?

Asking this because im getting flack from a buddy who is a chevy guy and yesterday was saying crap about my baby.
 
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If ford takes any route as far as power plant is concerned i would do an ecoboost 5.0 with direct injection! That would silence all the GM boys (who are still behind as far as i am concerned)
 
Let's look at the count....

The Mustang GT has been knocking the piss out of the Camaro since the 5.0L relaunch in 2011. The Shelby GT 500 currently dominates the ZL1 by leaps and bounds.

....IMO, it's GM that needs to take things in a new direction. Ford is right on track.
 
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Agreed, Brian. The ZL1 holds its own on a road course, though. Also, I'd say Ford's been kicking ass with the mustang since the '03 Cobra. In '05, the retro styling was Ford's most profitable domestic car. The '07 GT500 was a bit of a let down to me, initially. It was cool to hear about a 500 hp mustang, but it's times weren't substantially faster than the '03 Cobras. I got into it with a GT500 in my stock '97 C5 and he couldn't pull away. I'm sure his car was faster and that it was just the driver, but with a difference of 150hp, I really expected my doors to be sucked off. That was fixed in '13, though. That GT500 is a monster. Jumping from the 4.6 to the 5.0 was an awesome improvement and put the Mustang back in charge of the pony car/muscle car segment in terms of performance, if not sales.

I'm always a little worried when Ford decides to make a significant departure from the norm on the mustang, but given the recent track record, I have a ton of faith in them. I can't wait to be impressed by the next Mustang. I hope they knock it out of the park.
 
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Let's look at the count....

The Mustang GT has been knocking the **** out of the Camaro since the 5.0L relaunch in 2011. The Shelby GT 500 currently dominates the ZL1 by leaps and bounds.

....IMO, it's GM that needs to take things in a new direction. Ford is right on track.

I think this is a little bit subjective. IMO, the GT was holding its own against the Camaro SS until the 1LE option showed up. Although the 1LE has never directly faced the Boss 302 in automotive media tests, you will find at tracks where both cars were driven the 1LE was the faster car, sometimes significantly (the times being recorded from magazines, auto websites, and other car media). The GT500/ZL1 comparison is kind of controversial, especially considering that so far every automotive media test has awarded the ZL1 as the better car. I've noticed these days automotive journalists seem to prize grip and handling over everything else it seems, in a way this makes sense as there is something about a car whose strongest attributes are straight-line performance that seems like a one-trick pony. However, that being said it should be noted that only in one of the four magazine tests was the ZL1 faster than the GT500 on the road course (the gulf only being under a second) with the GT500 being faster in two other tests and tying with the ZL1 in another. I can understand the ZL1 being almost infinitely more refined to drive with the magnetic suspension which I think scored really big points with the testers.

I think the next-gen Mustang is headed in the right direction, the IRS all around (rather than on exclusive models like the '99'-'04 Cobras) should squash detractors who hated the LRA (despite Ford really getting their act together with it lately, i.e. Boss 302). Lighter weight should mean these cars should be faster than the S197s even if the same power trains carry over.
 
I think it looks great. I'm even more thrilled with the specs. Hopefully ford can make a 30mpg+ car that doesn't grenade its driveshaft and has a top speed somewhere north of 113mph.
 
Don't get me wrong I like ford going back to the 60's with the longer front and shorter rear, but the execution with new design isn't what I was imagining. I personally think the next generation mustang looks like a cheap aston martin just with mustang emblems and design cues. Despite being 2nd place to the 1LE and ZL1 around the track, all the auto reviewers will choose the mustang over the Camaro and the challenger every time in the pony car comparisons.
 
all the auto reviewers will choose the mustang over the Camaro and the challenger every time in the pony car comparisons.
That's only fair. I mean....how many of the auto reviewers shunned the Mustang year after year for having a solid axle. Even if it did still managed to beat up on their favorite imports year after year? I take auto review magazines with a very fine grain of salt. Many of them have chosen their winners, before even testing the cars IMO....so it would be no surprise if this time around it isn't any different.
 
Zl1 is faster around Laguna Seca AFTER the 3rd lap, just because of shelby's brake fade. The 1LE technically doesn't count since the boss stopped being in production once 1LE came out (too late to the game). Just because the solid rear is ancient, look at what ford has done with it. Good track car, everyday commuter car keeps up with BMW M3 around the track (tenth slower). Its sad to see the mustang lose something that has associated with the car since its birth in the 60's to a completely new look and rear-end.
 
Anyone who takes it seriously enough to run more than a 3 lap race isn't doing it in a stock car with stock fluid, stock pads, and stock cooling. The fact of the matter is, you can run a lap faster in the Shelby.

Unless you're referring to some other test, I think you're mistaking the Boss matchup with the M3 for this one:
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOwSPccbzl4


Therefore, it's safe to say that the Boss would be faster.
 
As far as looks go, I think this looks great
2015-ford-mustang-lighter.jpg

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/08/2015-ford-mustang-to-shed-400-pounds.html

Actually, in the shorter wheelbase, I can see something lighter and more in the shape of a fox-body. The rear fender flares are reminiscent of an AC Cobra. The front grill, the A-pillar, and rear quarter glass are all Mustang. The faux door scoop lines have existed in some form on every mustang except the fox era ones, I think. The 5-spoke pattern, even if really 10 spoke, wheels are evocative of the american muscle movement. Loving the big discs to back 'em up. If they really pump the power output of the GT to 475 while simultaneously dropping 400 lbs as rumored and shifting to a robust clean-sheet IRS design, that would be an incredible performance improvement! As long as they keep a V8 in the front and rear-wheel drive as the mainstay Mustang, I'll be tickled pink if Ford could pull all the other stuff off. Between that stuff and the design features I see in this concept sketch, I could be more satisfied with this Mustang than any other.

I'm skeptical this will all come together under the GT, but I suppose I can dream. Power to weight would be better than the base '14 Corvette Stingray. It's not realistic to expect the base GT model to be on the same level as the base Corvette's, but this would definitely put the GT on a pedestal and even further widen the gap above the base Camaro/challenger/charger etc...
 
Sorry if I wasn't clear in my post. Yes I was talking about that the GT is slower than the m3, but it keeps up with it ( less than a tenth of a sec). It's safe to say that the mustang GT is just as quick as a BMW twice as expensive . But the boss would most definitely be faster than the m3.
 
After finally seeing the most recent concept, I have to say.....I like it, but I don't love it. The large bulging quarter panels just look far too pronounced and the front end just looks too aggressive for my taste. I really hope they tone down the production model some.

At first glance though, it almost put me in mind of an old Shelby Daytona....

2008_Superformance_Shelby_Cobra_Daytona_coup%C3%A9_012_2062.jpg
 
I guess I see that a bit in the fender flare and the rear roof line.

I kinda love the aggressive stance. I'm not sure if there's an actual rake, or if it's just the body lines that are giving a forward slanting look.