Release Date, Pricing And More

Release Date, Pricing And More

What changes will make the 2021 Ford Mustang different? Speculation about that revamp - by far the biggest alteration since the model-year 2015 introduction of this Mustang generation - includes not only updated styling but possible addition of a gas/electric hybrid model and optional all-wheel drive. In any event, Mustang is slated to become Ford鈥檚 only passenger car as the automaker phases out its Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, and Taurus cars in favor more profitable pickup trucks, crossovers, and SUVs. Despite sales declines in its competitive set, Mustang remains far and away the most popular of today鈥檚 鈥減ony cars,鈥?handily outselling the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger. Evidently, shoppers agree with our view that the Ford offers the best balance of performance, styling, and daily-driver livability. Should I wait for the 2021 model or buy the 2020? If you like today鈥檚 Mustang, there鈥檇 be little reason to wait for the 2021. It鈥檚 unlikely to get any important changes, but it will cost more. And like the 鈥?0, it鈥檒l be a very capable sporty car, with models that range from relatively tame to the limited-edition 760-horsepower Shelby GT500, the most powerful and expensive Mustang ever.

The 2021 Mustang roster will reprise two-door Fastback coupe and power-soft-top convertible body styles. Each would come in turbocharged-four-cylinder EcoBoost and EcoBoost Premium trim levels, as well as in V-8 GT Premium guise. A just-plain GT Fastback would be available, too. Also returning should be the specialty V-8 Bullitt, Shelby GT350, and racetrack-ready GT350R Fastbacks. All 鈥?1 Mustangs will again be rear-wheel drive and available with manual or automatic transmission - save the manual-only Bullitt and GT350/GT350R models. Ford plans to build just 5,000 Shelby GT500s. Will the styling be different? The 鈥?1 will again feature plenty of nods to the original 1960s Mustang鈥檚 long-hood-short-deck look. In particular, the Bullitt will continue as an homage to the fastback driven by Steve McQueen in the legendary 1968 film. Expect it to return with blackout wheels, minimal exterior badging, and available 鈥淗ighland Green鈥?paint. Like the exterior, the 2021 Mustang鈥檚 cabin will continue to blend classic and modern elements.

Standard instrumentation will again consist of two large pods that house the speedometer and tachometer, a throwback design modernized with a small LCD display in between. Markings are on the small side but the layout is serviceable. Our EcoBoost Premium and Bullitt test cars included the available digital dashboard. This feature replaces the analog gauges with a virtual cluster displayed on a single LCD screen. It strikes us as technology for technology鈥檚 sake rather than adding any real value for the driver. More useful are the straightforward climate and infotainment-system controls. The latter employs Ford鈥檚 intuitive Sync 3 interface with support for Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. Cabin materials consist of a roughly even mix of padded surfaces and hard-plastic panels. The low ride height makes ingress and egress difficult but once aboard, Mustang impresses for front-se roominess. Legroom is excellent and only the extremely tall will have issues with headroom. The back seats are an afterthought.

They鈥檒l accommodate a child booster seat, but any human more than about 45 inches tall will have very little space for noggin or knees, especially if the front seats are set more than halfway back. Both body styles have traditional trunks, 13.5 cubic feet on the Fastback and 11.4 for the convertible cubic feet. Each has a fairly wide opening, but neither trunk is tall, so bulkier items fit poorly, if at all. Probably not until the next refresh. The 2021 Mustang EcoBoost models will retain a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder of 310 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. Expect transmission choices to remain a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic. Ford will likely also bring back the High Performance Package that it introduced for 2020 EcoBoost models. 4,995 option should again include the high-output 2.3-liter turbo four from the discontinued Focus RS, bringing output to 330 horsepower at the same 350 pound-feet of torque.

The package will again add larger brakes from the Mustang GT, a front lip spoiler, strut tower brace, performance suspension, uprated axle ratio with limited-slip differential, and 19-inch summer-only tires. Expect the 2021 Mustang GT and GT Premium to retain a 5.0-liter V-8 with 460 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. They, too, will again offer a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission. Available with the six-speed manual only, Bullitt grades would again pack an upgraded version of the 5.0-liter V-8 with 480 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. Also limited to the six-speed, the 2021 Shelby GT350 and GT350R will return with a specially built 5.2-liter V-8 of 526 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque. The GT500 adds a supercharger and other go-fast bits to the GT350鈥檚 engine for 760 horsepower and 624 pound-feet of torque. Purists might cringe, but the GT500鈥檚 sole transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Ford dropped an available V-6 engine with 300 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque for model-year 2018, leaving today鈥檚 turbo four as Mustang鈥檚 base powerplant.