Except for relatively rare moments of downsizing, the dominant tendency in the American auto industry is toward bigger, glitzier and more powerful vehicles. Each time a car adds poundage, the automaker — usually with the help of the media — insists that they are merely giving the market more, more, more! of what it demands.
And in the Internet Age, the commentariat is often quite willing to rally around the flab. The 2015 Mustang is an interesting example of this.
Ford is coy about the 2015 Mustang’s weight
Ford was anxious enough about the weight of the forthcoming new generation that it was coy about providing product specifications when the car was first shown to the press last December. Because of that, rumors have gyrated from talk of the Mustang going on a diet to bloating out further (e.g., Kranz, 2013; Hellwig, 2013).
A recent Truth About Cars article (Baruth, 2014) offered evidence that the 2015 Mustang will be slightly heavier than the current generation. TTAC’s numbers come from an anonymous poster at Mustang6G.com (fdjizm, 2014) who, back in February, purported to present official weight specifications from a dealer manual.
TTAC writer Jack Baruth managed expectations by emphasizing that the weight gain was not as bad as previous speculation. He also noted that the Mustang would still be lighter than the Chevrolet Camaro or Dodge Challenger. However, to maintain his “bad boy” reputation, Baruth snarked that “if Chrysler wanted to send the Challenger SRT-8 into space they’d need to duct-tape three Saturn Vs together to do it” (Baruth, 2014).
Left unanswered, perhaps for next year’s SAT test: If it would take three Saturn Vs to lift the Challenger and the Mustang is only 300 pounds lighter, how many rockets would it take to lift the latter car into space?
Obese pony cars: It’s what the people demand!
What’s most interesting about the article are the comments, which illustrate the tendency of gearheads to accept bigger, glitzier and more powerful as the natural order of the universe. For example, Ion (2014) stated that with “all the extra luxury stuff I expected this (lack of weight loss).” Zykotec (2014) argued that they “can, and will, make it lighter, for those willing to pay for it. But most people will prefer the heavier, comfier car.”
Like a number of other commentators, Big Al from Oz (2014) appeared to contradict himself by suggesting that the Mustang’s weight “is at a minimum for what Ford considers it’s potential customers want” yet acknowledged that most aren’t sold for their performance. So why the need for mega-horsepower V8s and all the extra weight needed to support them? Golden2husky (2014) insisted that “Mustang needs an available V8. It just does.”
In other words, a V8 Mustang is nothing more than a hollow tradition that must be maintained at all costs. Meanwhile, the backlash against a proposed front-wheel drive Mustang in the 1980s (Kozak, 2014) proved for all time that rear-wheel drive is essential.
Rinse and repeat.
There were a few commentators who pushed back against Detroit groupthink. Synchromesh (2014) noted that a “2015 WRX has to conform to the same regulations, has awd and yet still weighs around 3200-3300 while being a 4-door. A coupe this heavy makes no sense to me.” Well put, but this proved to be the minority view.
Ford follows the path of least resistance?
With websites that allow anonymous comments, you can never really know whether the discussion has been heavily influenced by automaker operatives who attempt to put the best possible spin on the situation. But even allowing for that, I wouldn’t be surprised if this comment thread did indeed represent the prevailing views of auto gearheads.
Thus, it makes at least some sense that Ford would take the path of least resistance with the 2015 redesign, which appears to be an updating of the 2005 platform. However, during threshold periods of change automakers need to go beyond catering to the short-term desires of the marketplace. As I’ve previously argued, this is certainly the case with contemporary pony cars, which have become the automotive equivalent of middle-aged fat men in swim bikinis. Two-ton, 500-plus-horsepower, four-seater coupes are hopelessly obsolete in the 21st Century except as high-end niche vehicles. Historically low sales of the current Mustang and Camaro prove it.
Also see ‘Lee Iacocca got lucky with the 1964-66 Ford Mustang’
Yeah, but who cares about reality in the insular world of the automotive media? Stay tuned for many more gearhead discussions where the weight of the new-generation Mustang is declared normal and acceptable. That groupthink will likely prevail until the next big hike in gas prices.
In the meantime, at the top of this posting I present for your inspection a proposed logo for the 2015 Mustang. My goal was to show in the best possible light the car’s “comfort-fit” proportions.
Newer reports give excuses for weight gain
Automotive News (2014) reports that a Mustang tuner thinks the 2015 models’ weight will go up 200-to-300 pounds. The “likely cause” of the weight gain is a switch to independent rear suspension. I’m not an engineer but am skeptical that this is the real story. For example, the next-generation Jeep Wrangler may move to independent suspension because it weighs less than solid axles, according to The Truth About Cars (2013).
Also see ‘Older Ford Mustangs got too big but not the newer ones?’
Good journalism used to involve getting a second opinion, but perhaps news outlets now leave that to the comment threads. For example, Emph (2014) states that the Automotive News story “was debunked several days ago, old news and bad news.” Of course, the speculation continues because Ford has thus far refused to release specifications for the 2015 models despite having shown the car’s new styling.
Perhaps Ford thinks it can stifle negative reactions by releasing the bad news right as its marketing campaign shifts into high gear. From a corporate marketing standpoint this makes sense. Look at how the auto buff press ate up the introduction of the Dodge Challenger Hellcat (go here).
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Automotive News; 2014. “2015 Mustang packs on the pounds, tuner says.” Subscription required. Posted June 9.
- Baruth, Jack; 2014. “2015 Mustang Gains Weight, But It’s Not As Bad As Feared.” The Truth About Cars. Posted June 13; accessed June 14.
- Big Al from Oz; 2014. Commentator in “2105 Mustang Gains Weight, But it’s Not As Bad As Feared.” The Truth About Cars. Posted June 13.
- Emph; 2014. Commentator in “2015 Mustang packs on the pounds, tuner says.” Automotive News. Posted June 9.
- fdjizm; 2014. “Purported ‘official’ 2015 Mustang weight specs.” MustangG6.com. Posted February (link broken); accessed June 14.
- Golden2husky, 2014. Commentator in “2105 Mustang Gains Weight, But it’s Not As Bad As Feared.” The Truth About Cars. Posted June 13.
- Hellwig, Ed; 2013. “2015 Ford Mustang vs. 2014 Chevrolet Camaro: How Does Ford’s New Pony Car Stack Up Against Its Archrival?” Edmonds.com. Posted Dec. 6.
- Ion, 2014. Commentator in “2105 Mustang Gains Weight, But it’s Not As Bad As Feared.” The Truth About Cars. Posted June 13.
- Kozak, 2014. “The Ford Mustang of the future could have been a Mazda.” Autoweek. Posted April 4.
- Kranz, Rick; 2013. “2015 Ford Mustang Goes on a Diet.” Edmonds.com. Posted Aug. 14.
- Synchromesh, 2014. Commentator in “2105 Mustang Gains Weight, But it’s Not As Bad As Feared.” The Truth About Cars. Posted June 13.
- The Truth About Cars; 2013. “Will The Next Generation Jeep Wrangler Lose Its Solid Axles?” Posted Oct. 30.
- Zykotec, 2014. Commentator in “2105 Mustang Gains Weight, But it’s Not As Bad As Feared.” The Truth About Cars. Posted June 13.
PHOTOGRAPHS:
- Author’s photo gallery: “Pony cars: Decline and fall”
Is there a new-gen Mustang in the works or is the Mach-E it? Will anyone want a 2-door Mustang even if it were an EV?
There is supposedly a new Mustang in the works, but it will be a heavily revised version of the current car. No word on whether it will be smaller, or lighter, than the current one.
Last year Automotive News stated that the next-generation Mustang would be based on the Explorer platform. Reporter Michael Martinez delicately noted that this “could mean a slightly larger silhouette.”
The current Explorer is 79 inches wide, which is virtually full sized. I would imagine that if the Mustang’s width is similar, it will likely translate into greater weight even if the car maintains a similar length and wheelbase to the current design.
According to insiders on Blueovalnews.com, that plan (which was being developed under the S650 code name) has been scrapped. The next Mustang will be a heavily modified version of the current car (S550) that uses some of the components from the CD6 platform. This will enable Ford to offer a hybrid version of the Mustang.
I would be disappointed if the Mustang does migrate to the Explorer platform, as I agree with you that the current car is already too heavy and big. I’m hoping that Ford prunes some width and length from the Mustang for the next generation.
I also think that the Pony cars have gotten too big. The platforms that they are built on has a lot to do with that. Small RWD platforms are rare with current automakers. Nissan shared the Z with the suv and sedan platform. GM has the Camaro on the same platform as some Cadillac sedans, I don’t know what the Dodge Challenger is based on, but it’s big! Compare these with the Toyota/formerly Scion, sports car. This is what I had hoped that the newer Z would look like.
Maybe the larger Pony cars are supposed to cover the former Personal luxury coupe market,so the Mustang is sort of a modern Mercury Cougar.
The newer Mustang has more room inside than the old Fox bodied model. I drove those they were cramped and the structure did not provide as much crash protection, (neither did the original ’65 model). The 94-2004 models were about the same size inside, but a bit sturdier. The 2005-2014s were much bigger inside due to the wheelbase stretch with a much bigger trunk. I’ve driven the latest model and it seems a bit smaller inside than the previous model, probably due the small window area. I’m a Mustang fan and owner,and I hope that Ford can pare the size and weight down on the next Model.