Ford Mustang Articles & Documents

• All-new Mustang with state-of-the-art chassis, bold styling and new powertrains
• Advanced MacPherson struts and a three-link live axle with Panhard rod that delivers dynamic handling to performance-minded drivers
• Wheelbase extended 6-inches for better stance, balance and overall interior package
• Head room, leg room, hip room dramatically improved
• Industry's first available color-configurable instrument cluster allows drivers to personalize their backlight color on the speedometer and other dashboard gauges in one of 125 colors

Since its dramatic 1964 introduction, Ford Mustang has been the icon of American performance with its bold style, brawny engine and rear-wheel-drive excitement.

The legend continues in the 2005 model with an all-new platform and clean-sheet design that makes it faster, safer, more agile and better looking than ever.

It is built in Flat Rock, Michigan. U.S.A.

The new Mustang is pure American muscle. The signature long hood and short rear deck capitalize on 40 years of history, as do classic design cues that have defined Mustangs since the 1960s: C-scoops in the sides, three-element taillamps and a galloping horse badge in the center of the grille. The Mustang’s menacing shark-like nose imparts an attitude not seen since the 1967 model, while jeweled, round headlamps in trapezoidal housings are part of its striking new modern architecture.

The 2005 Mustang has an aggressive rake that puts the car in motion even when it’s standing still. The wheels were pushed to the corners of the body, better anchoring it visually and physically to the road. The 6-inch wheelbase gain over the 2004 model makes it look bigger than life.

That 6-inch wheelbase gain also maximizes the comfort level for Mustang occupants. Taller drivers will feel more at home with more headroom and shoulder room. Rear passengers also enjoy more legroom and shoulder room in their sculpted bucket seats.

The industry-first, color-configurable instrument panel offers the ultimate in personalization. Mustang owners can mix and match lighting at the touch of a button to create more than 125 different color backgrounds to suit their personality, mood, outfit or whim. The colors, set against a striking backdrop of aluminum panels spanning the dashboard and dual chrome-ringed gauges, add a look of technical precision.

These modern touches mix with Mustang history and heritage. Chrome-ringed air vents are aligned vertically across the dash, precisely in line with the gauges, and the steering wheel has three spokes with a center hub marked by the horse and tricolor bars logo, echoing the design of the 1967 Mustang.

More standard features than ever before include one-touch up/down power windows, power mirrors, keyless entry and power locks, a heated rear window and interval wipers.

Muscular new engines infuse Mustang with tire-smoking performance. The 4.6-liter all-aluminum V-8 has three-valve heads and cranks out 300 horsepower. Because it has an aluminum block, it weighs 75 pounds less than a comparable cast-iron design while delivering 40 more horsepower than the 2004 engine. That’s more than 50 percent more power than the small-block 289-cubic-inch V-8 found in the classic 1964 model.

The standard engine is a 60-degree 4.0-liter SOHC V-6. It replaces the 3.8-liter 90-degree pushrod engine in the 2004 model. The 210-horsepower, 240 pound-feet engine – gains of 23 horsepower and 15 pound-feet – is inherently smoother and more compact, providing more power and torque.

For the first time, Mustang is available with a five-speed automatic, which provides a unique combination of off-the-line jump and good highway fuel economy.

Five-speed manual transmissions are standard. The V-8 powered GT is equipped with a rugged Tremec 3650 gearbox, while V-6 cars get a Tremec T-5 manual.

The chassis is new from the ground up, with MacPherson-strut front suspension using reverse "L" lower control arms, which deliver both comfort and control.

For 2005, Mustang’s rear suspension has new three-link architecture with a lightweight, tubular Panhard rod that provides precise control of the rear axle. This technology stabilizes the rear axle as the wheels move, particularly during hard cornering.

The standard four-wheel disc brakes have the biggest rotors and stiffest calipers ever fitted to a mainstream Mustang. Twin-piston aluminum calipers clamp down on 12.4-inch ventilated front brake discs on GT models – an increase of more than 15 percent in rotor size. The V-6 Mustangs get 11.4-inch ventilated rotors that also are 30 mm thick.

In the rear, the brake rotors are 11.8 inches in diameter – more than 12 percent larger than on the 2004 model. Rear rotors are vented on the GT and solid on the V-6.

An optional four-channel anti-lock braking system is available for a greater degree of brake control. It uses electronic sensors to constantly monitor road conditions and feed the information to a dedicated control computer capable of determining, within milliseconds, whether the vehicle is on dry pavement or negotiating a slippery surface. When traction control isn’t desired – like when a smoky burnout at the drag strip is in order – drivers can deactivate the system with a simple button on the instrument panel.