Ford's Mustang formula is simple: start with bold styling, muscular engines, and proven mechanicals, then add in value pricing: Voil! Market success. The original Mustang created the affordable, fun youth-car segment 35 years ago, and Mustang's been the sales leader in the small-specialty segment for 12 years running.
Still, it's a formula that Ford itself violated with the relatively expensive, intercooled, turbocharged-and now extinct and rare-SVO Mustang of the mid-'80s. Competitors likewise bent and then broke that success equation to create their own progressively more sophisticated, pricey, and eventually low-volume models. Today, Mustang's only direct competitors are the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, both of which are currently balanced on the knife edge of existence.
Keeping it simple for '99, Dearborn massaged the Mustang with sharper styling, more V-6 and V-8 horsepower, a wider rear track with additional rear suspension travel for a smoother ride, and brake-system revisions to accommodate a new Bosch traction-control system and facilitate shorter, more controlled stops.
New Edge styling has obviously invaded the Mustang studio. Ford designers describe the look as chiseled. Forget the Blue Oval's soft balloon shapes of the '80s. But this is not "Dearborn does Volvo." Think crispy Italian, perhaps Alfa Romeo, with sharp-edged, but curving and intersecting lines.
Ford designers worked with engineers to give the car a wider, more planted stance. Janine Bay, Mustang's chief program engineer, carefully described to us how the 1.4-inch-wider rear axle gives the car a hunkered, "treadier" appearance. Ken Grant, Mustang design manager, outlined the car's fresh iron-pumping appearance: "Our visual theme is based on the most stable geometric form, the pyramid," he explained.
Appropriately, many of the car's "heritage" visual cues are also revisited in the new sheetmetal. Check out the long hood and short rear deck, obvious (although non-functional) hood scoop, sharp-edged body-side scoops, and signature Mustang tri-bar rear lamps. By the way, both the hood and the rear decklid are now made out of SMC plastic. Bay explains that the more curvaceous trunklid could only be done with the more forgiving plastic, which allows deeper, more dramatic curves. (The Mustang GT variation also sports a modest deck spoiler and dual 3-inch exhaust pipes.) The final vintage trademark is the large, chrome horse galloping across the grille.
Inside, the Mustang's cabin stays essentially the same as last year's. Colors are updated and materials are freshened. The two new interior shades are Midnight Black and Medium Parchment. Seats get new sew patterns, new fabrics, and foam contours for comfort improvements. Shorter drivers can now get a six-way power adjustment, which should make it easier to get comfortable. And tall drivers will appreciate a 1-inch-longer seat track for a tad more stretch-out room.
Of course, in a ponycar, it's all about tire-smoking power and gear-banging performance. The base 3.8-liter OHV V-6 jumps 40 horses to 190 at 5250 rpm and pumps out 220 pound-feet of twisting force at 3000 rpm. And to make sure these are well-behaved ponies, the block casting has been stiffened and a balance shaft now spools inside to help quell shake and attendant noise. For the SOHC 4.6-liter V-8, a new higher-lift/longer-duration cam, bigger valves, and higher-flow intake manifold are good for 25 more horses. That's a nice, tidy 250 horsepower. But the big-gun powerhouse remains the Mustang Cobra's 4.6-liter DOHC V-8, pumped up with 15 more ponies to 320 total. All of which says: Let's go Camaro-hunting! These engines can be mated with either a five-speed manual or a 4R70W four-speed automatic.
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