Fancy a new sixth-generation Ford Mustang? Unless you’ve already ordered one, you’ll need to walk over to the used car lot.
Ford Australia has closed orders for the outgoing model ahead of the launch of the recently revealed seventh generation, due late in 2023.
“Due to overwhelming interest in the current Mustang, our order bank is now at capacity. Therefore, we regret to inform customers that we are no longer taking any new orders for the current Mustang,” reads an update on the Ford Australia website.
“Speak to your Dealer about the all-new Mustang, due in Australia from late 2023.”
The company flagged last month it was still trying to clear an order bank, and wouldn’t confirm when orders would re-open.
“First priority is to make the orders of the customers that have placed their deposits with the dealers. We think that’s the prudent approach and it’s the right approach,” Ford Australia president Andrew Birkic told CarExpert at the time.
The Mustang was last open to new orders in June, with Ford Australia putting a notice on its website that vehicles ordered wouldn’t arrive until 2023.
Mustang GT California Special
The updated 2022 Mustang arrived in the second quarter of this year, bringing new colours, standard Line Lock, and a new California Special appearance package for the GT.
Despite recent supply chain struggles, the Mustang has remained Australia’s best-selling sports car, a position it has enjoyed every year since 2016.
To the end of September, Ford logged 1457 sales, putting the Mustang ahead of the recently redesigned Subaru BRZ (810 sales) and BMW 4 Series (770 sales).
The new seventh-generation model will continue to offer turbocharged 2.3-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder and naturally aspirated 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engines, though Ford says these are new fourth-generation versions.
Outputs have yet to be revealed, but Ford promises they’ll offer more power, greater efficiency and quicker 0-100km/h sprint times.
A 10-speed automatic remains available with both engines, however the six-speed manual is now exclusive to the V8.
A new flagship Dark Horse will also join the local range, with a higher-output version of the Coyote V8.
Dark Horse
Other Dark Horse highlights include a Torsen limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes, a bigger sway bar at the rear, plus new front dampers and a more serious strut tower brace.
Ford says it’s targeting at least 373kW from the Dark Horse. The outgoing GT and Mach 1 models produce 339kW and 345kW, respectively.
The Mustang is underpinned by a version of the sixth-generation’s platform, which Ford says was the “best fit” for the car.
EcoBoost
There’s carryover suspension architecture, though there have been some updates here, including new aluminium lower control arms and new rear linkages. The Magneride adaptive damping system remains optional.
Ford says there’s a new steering rack and a faster steering ratio, while it has a new generation of safety equipment including adaptive cruise control (with stop/go on auto models), lane centring, evasive steering assist, and reverse brake assist.
Rumoured all-wheel drive and hybrid models haven’t eventuated.
While the exterior changes are evolutionary, the interior has been changed dramatically.
Premium models and up feature a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in a single wraparound housing, while base models feature standalone displays. The touchscreen runs Ford’s latest Sync 4 operating system.
Physical climate controls are gone, replaced with shortcuts at the base of the central touchscreen. There’s a single row of physical switches, including the hazard lights, while underneath these there’s finally a storage shelf, which also includes a wireless charging pad.
In a retro touch, Ford has also developed a 1980s-inspired theme for the digital instrument cluster that simulates the instruments from the long-running 1979-93 Mustang that rode the Fox platform. The numbers even glow green at night in true 1980s Ford fashion.
MORE: Everything Ford Mustang
