The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 may be the flagship of the company’s pony car line, but it’s missing some features that were originally promised.
Customers on the Mach 1 Mustang Owners Australia group on Facebook have expressed their dissatisfaction with Ford, with one user sharing a letter he sent to Ford as well as the company’s response.
“We are working through how we are able to best support our Mach 1 owners in light of this information and will reach out to each of them very soon with an update,” a Ford Australia spokesperson told CarExpert.
The more track-focused Mach 1 was initially advertised as having a Torsen limited-slip differential, however Ford Australia has confirmed it instead uses the same 3.55:1 rear differential as the Mustang GT and the now-defunct Bullitt.
The 3.73:1 Torsen differential is standard on US-market Mach 1 models and uses internal gears instead of clutch packs.
Ford Australia has also had to republish brochures more than once to remove mentions of other features advertised at the model’s debut that won’t be available locally.
The company has said it’ll publish an updated brochure and release shortly.
Rear parking sensors and adaptive cruise control were previously listed as being standard in promotional materials, however these features won’t be available on any Mach 1 models.
While the High Performance and GT models feature these items, the Mach 1 will make do with a reversing camera and regular cruise control.
“The Mustang Mach 1 is a purpose built product with a singular aim – to be the ultimate driving Mustang on the road and track,” said the Ford Australia spokesperson.
“Uniquely engineered parts, which are designed to improve downforce and cooling on the Mach 1, unfortunately mean that the vehicle does not feature Adaptive Cruise Control or audible rear sensors while parking.”
The use of the Shelby GT350’s lower light assembly also means there are no fog lights, while there are incandescent parking lights.
Deliveries of the 700 locally-bound Mach 1 coupes have already commenced to customers and dealerships.
The Mach 1 coupe is priced at $83,365 before on-road costs in both manual and auto guise, or around $20,000 more than a GT manual.
Pictured: Ford Mustang Mach 1 with Handling Package (US model)
When Ford Australia first announced the Mach 1 was coming Down Under, it confirmed the performance flagship would already be missing out on some items available in the US.
These include blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, plus Grabber Yellow and Race Red exterior colour options.
We also miss out on the optional Handling Package, which adds special 19-inch aluminium wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, plus adjustable top strut mounts, a front splitter, and a rear spoiler with a Gurney flap borrowed from the Shelby GT500.
Our Mach 1 also produces 345kW of power and 556Nm of torque from its naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre Coyote V8, down 13kW and 14Nm on the US-spec model though still up 6kW on the Australian-spec GT.
Like the US-spec model, however, our Mach 1 features a retuned suspension with recalibrated MagneRide adaptive dampers, springs, anti-roll bars and bushes, plus retuned steering.
The active exhaust has also been tuned specifically for the Mach 1, while there’s a choice of a 10-speed automatic transmission or a Mach 1-exclusive Tremec six-speed manual with rev-matching.
The Mach 1 borrows some pieces from the discontinued Shelby GT350 and the fire-breathing Shelby GT500.
Its rear axle cooler and lower diffuser come from the Shelby GT500, while its intake manifold and engine oil cooler come from the Shelby GT350.
